Leon's Mahjong vs Shells
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Leon's Mahjong
Experience a classic Mahjong solitaire game with a unique retro pixel art style. Enjoy 63 handcrafted boards, offline play, and no intrusive ads or in-app purchases. This timeless game offers a peaceful, ad-free experience.
- Retro pixel art graphics
- 63 handcrafted Mahjong boards
- Offline play
- No ads or popups
- No in-app purchases
- Family sharing
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This is a calm, handcrafted Mahjong solitaire experience, designed to help you unwind. Your quiet moment at the end of the day. Beautifully designed boards, rendered in a warm retro pixel-art style, and the simple satisfaction of solving them. What you get • 99 handcrafted, always-solvable boards, from quick sessions to deeper challenges. • 5 tilesets to choose from, switchable in real time, with more on the way. • Unlimited hints and undos, so you never get stuck. • Over an hour of original music by composer Bjørn Lynne. • Play in 15 languages across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. • Now you can also play with an MFi game controller! • Buy once, all future updates included. No ads. No tracking. No in-app purchases. No internet required. Why this game exists This game is a tribute to my father, who introduced me to Mahjong in the ‘80s. My son Leon helped shape it as the game’s smallest (and loudest) stakeholder. Three generations. One love for games. Lucas and Leon
Shells
A geometry puzzle game where you slide blocks into larger shells to rearrange the board and solve challenges. It offers over 360 levels across 8 worlds with a focus on spatial reasoning and problem-solving. Enjoy a relaxing experience with a soothing soundtrack.
- Nested block sliding mechanics
- Over 360 original levels
- 8 distinct game worlds
- Optional hint system
- Soothing piano soundtrack
- Compact 4x4 grid gameplay
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Shells is a geometry puzzle game about the elegance of nested pieces on a tiny board. Slide your block into larger shells to rearrange the board and find your way out! Features: - Simple core mechanics and deep emergent complexity packed into a compact 4x4 grid. Train your brain by challenging your problem solving and spatial reasoning skills! - Gradual difficulty curve featuring over 360 original levels spread across 8 distinct worlds. - Flexible progression structure with multiple levels to choose from at any given point. - Adjust the difficulty to your liking with the optional hint system! - Soothing piano soundtrack accompanied by relaxing sound effects and backgrounds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Shells at Free against Leon's Mahjong's $0.99. Shells also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). Leon's Mahjong's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On 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
Shells is free to download; Leon's Mahjong costs $0.99 up front. Shells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Leon's Mahjong asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shells holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Leon's Mahjong's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shells's.
Leon's Mahjong ships an update every 4 weeks, Shells weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Leon's Mahjong | Shells |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (68 ratings) | 5.0 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 68 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #41 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 296 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lucas Dima | arlybird games LLC |
Customer experience
Leon's Mahjong
Shells
In-app purchases
Leon's Mahjong
No in-app purchases
Shells
- Small Bundle$0.99
- Medium Bundle$1.99
- Large Bundle$3.99
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- Unlimited Bundle$8.99
Questions
Is Leon's Mahjong free?
Is Shells free?
Which has better reviews, Leon's Mahjong or Shells?
Do Leon's Mahjong or Shells have ads?
Which is updated more often, Leon's Mahjong or Shells?
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