Comparison

Mahjboard vs Bird Bam

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

Head to head
About

Mahjboard

Streamline your mahjong league management with automated table seating, session pacing, and scorekeeping. This app handles the administrative tasks, allowing organizers to focus on running the league without complex spreadsheets. Players can easily access live standings and scores without needing to install anything.

Highlights
  • Automated table seating
  • Session timer with Apple Watch integration
  • Player score submission
  • Live league standings
  • Customizable league branding
  • Support for multiple mahjong styles
Features
Read full description

Mahjboard runs the busywork of your mahjong league—table seating, session pacing, scorekeeping, and standings—so you can run the league, not the spreadsheet. It's simple on purpose: one score per player, one link for the entire season, zero formulas, and nothing for your players to install. Any style works: American mah jongg (NMJL), Riichi, Hong Kong, house rules. Start a league, import your roster from a spreadsheet or paste a list of names, and you're ready for league night. Before the games begin, one tap builds the night's tables. Mahjboard remembers who's already played together and mixes each session's pairings for variety, or groups tables by skill level. Move anyone, sit a player out, reshuffle, or undo. Name a table "Cream bakelite set" and it stays that way week to week. During play, the session timer keeps everyone on time. Tell Mahjboard when the night starts, how long it runs, and how many games to aim for. It splits the time evenly, nudges you and your Apple Watch at each checkpoint, and keeps the countdown on your lock screen. Open the league near game time and it offers to start the clock for you. Scorekeeping is the easy part. Tap the evening's scores in, or let them come to you. Players can submit their own, and one submission can cover the whole table. Every score waits for your approval before it counts, and you can approve or reject it right from the notification. Mark who attended, and Mahjboard instantly ranks the cumulative leaderboard, so nobody has to wonder where they stand. Every league gets its own public page to share by text or QR code. Players just tap and the live board opens. No app to install, no account, no password, and nothing for them to pay. They can look themselves up and see their weekly scores all season long. One subscription covers your entire league. Make it yours. Add your logo, colors, and website once, and every league and leaderboard you run wears them. Save the standings as a branded image for Instagram or the group chat. If you host at a lounge, studio, or shop, the board points players right back to you. When a season wraps, archive it and start the next one. Run your Tuesday group, the club ladder, and the spring tournament side by side, all from the phone already in your pocket. If you can send a text, you can run a league. Features: - Multiple leagues at once (up to 10 active) - Import your roster from a spreadsheet, paste a list of names, or bring in a full season's scoreboard - Player skill levels, custom tags, and private organizer-only notes - Set skill levels and tags for a whole group of players at once - Automatic table seating—mixes pairings for variety or groups by skill level, with move, sit-out, reshuffle, and undo - Optional table names that carry from week to week - Session timer with start time and meeting days, checkpoint notifications to you and your Apple Watch, and a lock-screen countdown - One score per player, per session, plus who attended - Players can submit their own scores from the public board—one submission can cover the whole table, and every score waits for your approval - Approve or reject a submitted score straight from the notification - Auto-ranked cumulative leaderboard with shared ranks for ties - Shareable public leaderboard by link or auto-generated QR code - Save your standings as a branded image, or share it straight to Instagram - Player self-lookup on the public page, with weekly scores all season long—no app needed - Custom branding: your logo plus primary and secondary colors - Per-player stats: attendance, best session, score trends, and a week-by-week score history - Full activity log of every score edit and league change - Archive completed leagues - Sign in with Apple Mahjboard Pro is $19.99/month after a 14-day free trial. Subscription auto-renews. Manage or cancel anytime in your iPhone Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://mahjboard.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://mahjboard.com/privacy

About

Bird Bam

Features
Read full description

Bird Bam is American Mah Jongg, together. Keep score, share your wins, and bring your whole table into one place — your weekly crew, your club, and the friends you've played with for years. No more paper scorecards or texting who won. Track every game and stay connected to the people you play with. YOUR TABLE, TOGETHER • Create a private group for your regular game, club, or family table • Schedule upcoming game nights and let players claim their seats • See group standings, win streaks, and who's hot all season A FEED MADE FOR MAH JONGG • Follow friends and cheer on their wins in a friendly activity feed • Share photos from game night and build a season album of your table • Comment, react, and keep the table chatting between games • Find friends already on Bird Bam from your contacts SCORE EVERY GAME • Fast, tap-to-score tracking built for American Mah Jongg (NMJL) rules • Log winning hands and track points all season long PLAY YOUR WAY — FREE TO START • Just tracking tonight's game? Start a free "Track a game" session — no group needed • Solo "Just Me" mode to log your own hands and points MADE FOR MAH JONGG PLAYERS • Built for the National Mah Jongg League game you already love • Clean, classic design — bams, cracks, dots, flowers, and jokers • For real games at a real table, with real friends — not solitaire tile-matching Download Bird Bam and make game night even better! Bird Bam is an independent companion app for tracking American Mah Jongg games and is not affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League Terms of Use (EULA): https://brdbam.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://brdbam.com/privacy

Screenshots

Mahjboard4 screens
Bird Bam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Mahjboard at none against Bird Bam's shown. Bird Bam's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Mahjboard sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Bird Bam sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mahjboard ships an update every 2 weeks, Bird Bam every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Mahjboard versus Bird Bam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMahjboardBird Bam
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.126.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaybe Tomorrow, LLCTRIBE INDUSTRIES, INC

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Mahjboard

Subscriptions6
  • Mahjboard (Monthly)14 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Mahjboard Pro (Monthly)$39.991 Month
  • Mahjboard Studio (Monthly)$59.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Mahjboard (Annual)14 Days trial$199.001 Year
  • Mahjboard Pro (Annual)$399.001 Year
  • Mahjboard Studio (Annual)$599.001 Year
3 purchases

Bird Bam

Subscriptions3
  • Bird Bam Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Bird Bam Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Bird Bam$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Mahjboard free?
Mahjboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bird Bam free?
Bird Bam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mahjboard or Bird Bam have ads?
Bird Bam shows ads; Mahjboard does not.
Which is updated more often, Mahjboard or Bird Bam?
Mahjboard ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bird Bam every 4 days. Most recently, Mahjboard was updated on October 22, 2026 and Bird Bam on October 21, 2026.

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