Comparison

MAHJ vs Chess Notation Fluency

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

Head to head
About

MAHJ

Master American Mahjong with interactive lessons and tools. Go from beginner to confident player with clear guidance on tiles, rules, and scoring. Practice at your own pace and get answers to your questions.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step lessons
  • Practice game
  • Hand Analyzer
  • Scoring Calculator
  • Tile Trainer
  • Ask the Coach
  • Printable cheat sheet
Features
Read full description

Learn American Mahjong from scratch, and walk into your first game night feeling confident. MAHJ teaches the modern American game step by step, from learning the tiles to understanding the Charleston, reading the card, calling tiles, using jokers, and playing through a complete hand. WHAT'S INSIDE • 18 step-by-step lessons for complete beginners • Tile drills, daily practice, and interactive exercises • A printable cheat sheet and A–Z glossary • Play vs. bots to practice a real hand at your own pace • Ask the Coach, an AI-powered tutor that explains rules and strategy in plain English • Host Mode and group-play tools to help get your table started LEARN AT YOUR OWN PACE Lessons, drills, daily practice, the cheat sheet, and glossary can be used without an internet connection. Online features such as the AI Coach and Hand Analyzer require internet access. ONE-TIME PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Start with the free introductory lessons. If you want to continue, one optional one-time purchase unlocks all 18 lessons, the Coach, play-vs-bots, and additional learning tools. No subscription. No ads. MAHJ is built for new players who want to stop feeling lost, understand what’s happening at the table, and feel ready to join a real game. Learn the game. Practice at your own pace. Feel ready for the table. Welcome2Mahj LLC is an independent educational tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL®).

About

Chess Notation Fluency

Master chess notation with interactive exercises. Practice reading and writing Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN) using real game sequences. Track your progress and learn from detailed results.

Highlights
  • Read and write Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN)
  • Practice with real chess game sequences
  • Train notation in both directions
  • Customize practice sessions
  • Track accuracy and mistake patterns
  • Offline practice available
Features
Read full description

Make chess notation feel natural. Chess Notation Fluency helps you read and write Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN) through focused practice with real game sequences. TRAIN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS • Watch a move on the board, then enter its notation. • Read a notation prompt, then play the move. • Use Mixed practice to alternate naturally between the two skills. PRACTICE YOUR WAY Choose White or Black, type answers or use multiple choice, begin in the opening, middlegame, or endgame, and select a quick session or a complete game. Exercises retain the surrounding moves so you practice notation in context—not as isolated flash cards. LEARN FROM YOUR RESULTS Track first-try accuracy, attempts, response time, revealed answers, notation features, mistake patterns, and recent sessions. START FREE. EXPAND ONCE. Every practice mode works with two included starter games. An optional one-time Full Game Library purchase unlocks 5,000 curated games for offline practice and lets you import your own PGN games. One purchase unlocks the library on iPhone, iPad, and Mac and supports Family Sharing. There are no subscriptions or ads. PRIVATE AND AVAILABLE Practice history and imported games stay in app-managed storage and synchronize through your private iCloud storage when available. Downloaded content works offline. Chess Notation Fluency has no developer account system and collects no personal data. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Screenshots

MAHJ4 screens
Chess Notation Fluency4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MAHJ at free against Chess Notation Fluency's free with in-app purchases. MAHJ also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. MAHJ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess Notation Fluency 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for MAHJ against 5.0 for Chess Notation Fluency. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MAHJ has 1.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MAHJ ships an update every 4 days, Chess Notation Fluency every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MAHJ versus Chess Notation Fluency: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMAHJChess Notation Fluency
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.4K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.4K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWelcome2Mahj LLCMark Harris

Customer experience

MAHJ

All ratings1,183 ratings
Positive98.7%
Neutral0.7%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.6%

Chess Notation Fluency

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MAHJ

One-time1
  • Premium Unlock$4.99
1 purchases

Chess Notation Fluency

One-time1
  • Full Game Library$4.99

Questions

Is MAHJ free?
MAHJ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Notation Fluency free?
Chess Notation Fluency is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MAHJ or Chess Notation Fluency?
Chess Notation Fluency is rated higher. MAHJ averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Chess Notation Fluency averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do MAHJ or Chess Notation Fluency have ads?
Neither MAHJ nor Chess Notation Fluency shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MAHJ or Chess Notation Fluency?
MAHJ ships an update every 4 days, and Chess Notation Fluency every 3 days. Most recently, MAHJ was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess Notation Fluency on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons