Comparison

Mancala. vs Mancala

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

Head to head
About

Mancala.

Experience Mancala, an ancient strategy board game. Move marbles counter-clockwise, aiming to collect the most in your home hole. Enjoy a classic game of skill and foresight.

Highlights
  • Ancient board game gameplay
  • Counter-clockwise marble movement
  • Strategic home hole collection
  • Simple rules, deep strategy
  • Single-player game
Read full description

Mancala (also known as Kalah) is an ancient board game. Pick up marbles from any of bottom holes and move them counter-clockwise. If your move ends at your home hole (right one) you can move again. The game ends when all six holes on either side are empty. The winner is the player with the most marbles in home hole.

About

Mancala

This app offers a classic Mancala board game experience with adjustable AI difficulty and a built-in strategy coach. Enjoy smooth animations and a distraction-free interface for endless strategic play, playable offline.

Highlights
  • Three AI difficulty levels
  • AI thinks up to 10 moves deep
  • Built-in strategy coach
  • Undo moves and learn
  • Elegant wooden board design
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Experience one of the world's oldest and most beloved board games, beautifully reimagined for iPhone and iPad. Mancala - Stone & Pit brings the timeless strategy of the ancient pit-and-pebble game to your fingertips. Whether you're a lifelong fan or discovering Mancala for the first time, this is the definitive mobile version. PLAY YOUR WAY - Three CPU difficulty levels: Rookie, Sharp, and Counter - Challenge yourself against an AI that thinks up to 10 moves deep - 2-Player Pass & Play: share one device and take on a friend - Track your record: wins, losses, and streaks for each difficulty TRAINING MODE - Built-in strategy coach analyzes every move - See scoring breakdowns, capture opportunities, and extra turn options - Undo moves and learn from mistakes BEAUTIFUL & INTUITIVE - Elegant wooden board design with smooth stone animations - Four handcrafted board themes - Sound effects and haptics, with a mute toggle - Clean, distraction-free interface - Easy to learn, endlessly strategic NO HASSLE - No account required - No internet connection needed to play - One-time purchase to remove ads forever Mancala has been played for over a thousand years. Now it fits in your pocket.

Screenshots

Mancala.4 screens
Mancala4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Mancala. at none against Mancala's shown. Mancala. also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 14) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Mancala. sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Mancala sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mancala. holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mancala. has 37K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Mancala.'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Mancala's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mancala. ships an update every 2 months, Mancala every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Mancala. versus Mancala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMancala.Mancala
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (37K ratings) — better4.4 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings37K — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#95 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey SkosyrevEsbro Labs LLC

Customer experience

Mancala.

All ratings36,514 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews549 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative11.5%

Mancala

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Mancala.

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Hint button not working properly
  • Peg solitaire mode has unsolvable levels

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Difficulty settings for AI
  • Earn in-game currency through gameplay
  • More single-player modes and puzzles
  • Clearer in-app instructions and rules

Mancala

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Mancala.

One-time10
  • 50 diamonds$1.99
  • 55 diamonds$1.99
  • 90 diamonds$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Advanced Features$4.99
  • 150 diamonds$4.99
  • Avalanche Advanced Features$4.99
  • 145 diamonds$4.99
  • 180 diamonds$6.99
  • 350 diamonds$9.99
  • 750 diamonds$19.99
1 purchases

Mancala

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Mancala. free?
Mancala. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mancala free?
Mancala is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mancala. or Mancala?
Mancala. is rated higher. Mancala. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while Mancala averages 4.4 from 14 ratings.
Do Mancala. or Mancala have ads?
Mancala shows ads; Mancala. does not.
Which is updated more often, Mancala. or Mancala?
Mancala. ships an update every 2 months, and Mancala every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mancala. was updated on November 11, 2026 and Mancala on November 5, 2026.

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