# Mahjong Solitaire* vs Original Mahjong™

The clearest difference is rating: Mahjong Solitaire* at 4.6 against Original Mahjong™'s 4.1. Mahjong Solitaire* also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (66% vs 51%). Original Mahjong™'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Original Mahjong™ sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Mahjong Solitaire* asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mahjong Solitaire* holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 353 and 98 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Mahjong Solitaire*'s written reviews are positive against 51% of Original Mahjong™'s.

Mahjong Solitaire* ships an update every 5 months, Original Mahjong™ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mahjong Solitaire* | Original Mahjong™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (353 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-solitaire/id899111576/reviews)** | [4.1 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/original-mahjong/id932314819/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **353** | 98 |
| Positive reviews | **65.7% of reviews** | 51.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 153 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **6.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lei Li](https://appshunter.io/developer/896955406) | [Affinity Media Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/932314818) |

## What reviewers say

### Mahjong Solitaire*

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-solitaire/id899111576)

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.

**Highlights:** Mahjong tile matching, Solitaire gameplay, 60 levels, Different layouts, Exposed tile mechanics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Good way to relax
- 👍 Keeps mind occupied
- 👍 Entertaining for hours
- 👍 No-nonsense presentation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Frequent progress resets
- 😠 Unwinnable levels
- 😠 Ads are intrusive
- 😠 Frustrating difficulty spikes

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets to level 1
- Levels 49 and 60 are impossible
- Next level won't open
- Ads are present despite claims

**Requested features**

- More levels
- Purchase ad-free version
- Fix progress reset bug
- Fix unwinnable levels


### Original Mahjong™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/original-mahjong/id932314819)

Experience the classic tile-matching puzzle game on your mobile device. This app faithfully recreates the popular web version, offering relaxing gameplay with no limits. Enjoy the familiar challenge of Mahjong anytime, anywhere.

**Highlights:** Faithful recreation of popular web Mahjong game, Relaxing gameplay, Play on the go, No gameplay limits, Optional ad removal in-app purchase, Optional statistics viewing in-app purchase

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mahjong Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mahjong Buy Stats | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and easy to play
- 🧠 Tests your brain
- 🎮 Great game
- ✨ Amazing original mahjong
- 📱 Works well on iPhone

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Annoying ads
- 🚫 Ads interrupt gameplay
- 😵 Offensive advertising content
- 📉 Difficult to win
- 📏 Sides of puzzles cut off

**Reported bugs**

- Sides of puzzles are cut off
- Stats functionality does not work
- Game reboots completely when switching apps
- Paid for ad-free but still charged

**Requested features**

- Viewing ability to see tiles underneath
- Replay of the same game
- Numbered games for record keeping
- Undo last move button
- Background music


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mahjong Solitaire* free?

Mahjong Solitaire* is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Original Mahjong™ free?

Original Mahjong™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mahjong Solitaire* or Original Mahjong™?

Mahjong Solitaire* is rated higher. Mahjong Solitaire* averages 4.6 out of 5 from 353 ratings, while Original Mahjong™ averages 4.1 from 98 ratings.

### Do Mahjong Solitaire* or Original Mahjong™ have ads?

Neither Mahjong Solitaire* nor Original Mahjong™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mahjong Solitaire* or Original Mahjong™?

Mahjong Solitaire* ships an update every 5 months, and Original Mahjong™ every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mahjong Solitaire* was updated on October 24, 2026 and Original Mahjong™ on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*