Comparison

Mahjong Solitaire vs Mahjong Challenges

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mahjong Solitaire

A classic tile-matching puzzle game where players pair identical tiles to clear the board. Enjoy 60 different layouts in a compact download, offering a fun and challenging solitaire experience.

Highlights
  • Classic Mahjong Solitaire gameplay
  • 60 different tile layouts
  • Solitaire matching puzzle
  • Compact download size
  • Free to play
Features
Read full description

Mahjong solitaire is a solitaire matching game that uses a set of Mahjong tiles rather than cards. The computer game was originally created by Brodie Lockard in 1981 and named Mah-Jongg after the game that uses the same tiles for play. Lockard claims that it was based on a centuries-old Chinese game called "the Turtle". However, it was not until Activision released Shanghai in 1986 for the Macintosh and Apple IIgs that the game gathered momentum. A version of this game was also included in the Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows 3.x in 1990 and went by the name Taipei. It was subsequently included in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack. Premium editions of the Windows Vista operating system and Windows 7 include a version of the game known as Mahjong Titans. As any other successful game, millions of clones have been created on all possible platforms. So why should you give our version a try? We tried to recreate all the fun of original game with 60 different layouts in a tiny download package. A tile that can be moved left or right without disturbing other tiles is said to be exposed. Exposed pairs of identical tiles (Flower and Seasons tiles in the same group being considered identical) are removed from the layout one at a time, gradually exposing the lower layers to play. The aim of the game is to clear the layout by pairing up all the tiles. The game is finished when either the layout is empty, or there are no exposed pairs remaining. Don't forget to check our Game section for other fun games...

About

Mahjong Challenges

Experience the classic Mahjong solitaire game with a timed challenge. Remove all tiles by matching pairs, utilizing unlimited undo, hints, and shuffles. Compete for high scores on 300 unique board layouts.

Highlights
  • 300 board layouts
  • Infinite Undo, Hints, Shuffle
  • Adjustable tile illumination
  • HD graphics
  • Guaranteed solvable puzzles
  • Score based on time
  • High score tracking
Features
Read full description

Mahjong Challenges is the classic Mahjong solitaire game, with the variance of each game must be resolved on a given time or less. Hoy to play Mahjong: The goal is to remove all the tiles from the board. You may remove only paired free tiles. The tile is free when there are no tiles either to the left or to the right from it. In this Game you will have: - 300 Board layouts - Infinite Undo, Hints, Shuffle. Easy access at the bottom of the board. - Shadow: you decide to illuminate the entire Layout, or only the clickable tiles. - HD Images. - All puzzles can be solved. - Tile set design for easy recognition. - Score based on the time elapsed between matches. Less time more points. - Each Board has a High Score that you can beat. - Universal Game. You can play on iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Enjoy!

Screenshots

Mahjong Solitaire3 screens
Mahjong Challenges4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mahjong Challenges at 4.8 against Mahjong Solitaire's 3.3. Mahjong Challenges also leads on ads (none vs shown). Mahjong Solitaire's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 34 months). On price, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mahjong Challenges sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Mahjong Solitaire asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mahjong Challenges holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Mahjong Solitaire's written reviews are positive against 29% of Mahjong Challenges's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mahjong Solitaire ships an update every 6 months, Mahjong Challenges every 34 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and August 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mahjong Solitaire versus Mahjong Challenges: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMahjong SolitaireMahjong Challenges
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (11 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.1% of reviews — better29.4% of reviews
Number of ratings11 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 34 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with ads — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGASP Mobile Games IncJose Varela

Customer experience

Mahjong Solitaire

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral13.0%
Negative47.8%

Mahjong Challenges

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative70.6%

In-app purchases

None

Mahjong Solitaire

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Mahjong Challenges

One-time6
  • 3 extra lives$1.99
  • Undo button$1.99
  • Hint$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Double time$1.99
  • Shuffle$1.99
  • Set of 5 lives$2.99

Questions

Is Mahjong Solitaire free?
Mahjong Solitaire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mahjong Challenges free?
Mahjong Challenges is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Challenges?
Mahjong Challenges is rated higher. Mahjong Solitaire averages 3.3 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Mahjong Challenges averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Challenges have ads?
Mahjong Solitaire shows ads; Mahjong Challenges does not.
Which is updated more often, Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Challenges?
Mahjong Solitaire ships an update every 6 months, and Mahjong Challenges every 34 months. Most recently, Mahjong Solitaire was updated on June 1, 2026 and Mahjong Challenges on August 13, 2026.

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