Mahjong Solitaire vs Mahjong Solitaire*
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Classic Mahjong Solitaire gameplay
- 60 different tile layouts
- Solitaire matching puzzle
- Compact download size
- Free to play
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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...
Mahjong Solitaire*
A classic tile-matching solitaire game where players pair identical Mahjong tiles to clear the board. It features 60 levels with varying layouts and a straightforward objective: remove all tiles by finding matching pairs.
- Mahjong tile matching
- Solitaire gameplay
- 60 levels
- Different layouts
- Exposed tile mechanics
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Mahjong Solitaire is a solitaire matching game that uses a set of Mahjong tiles. Mahjong Solitaire contains 60 levels with different layouts. Mahjong Solitaire is 100% free game. There is NO pop-up or full screen ads. There is NO in-app-purchase. 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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mahjong Solitaire* at 4.6 against Mahjong Solitaire's 3.3. Mahjong Solitaire* also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (66% vs 39%). Mahjong Solitaire's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mahjong Solitaire* holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mahjong Solitaire* has 353 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Mahjong Solitaire's written reviews are positive against 66% of Mahjong Solitaire*'s.
Mahjong Solitaire ships an update every 6 months, Mahjong Solitaire* every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mahjong Solitaire | Mahjong Solitaire* |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (11 ratings) | 4.6 (353 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.1% of reviews | 65.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 353 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with ads | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GASP Mobile Games Inc | Lei Li |
Customer experience
Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire*
Bugs and requests
Mahjong Solitaire
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Mahjong Solitaire*
Reported bugs
4 issues- Progress resets to level 1
- Levels 49 and 60 are impossible
- Next level won't open
- Ads are present despite claims
Requested features
4 requests- More levels
- Purchase ad-free version
- Fix progress reset bug
- Fix unwinnable levels
In-app purchases
Mahjong Solitaire
No in-app purchases
Mahjong Solitaire*
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mahjong Solitaire free?
Is Mahjong Solitaire* free?
Which has better reviews, Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Solitaire*?
Do Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Solitaire* have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mahjong Solitaire or Mahjong Solitaire*?
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