Comparison

Hong Kong Style Mahjong vs Decoder Terminal

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

Head to head
About

Hong Kong Style Mahjong

Experience fast-paced Mahjong with this app, featuring Hong Kong/Cantonese rules and customizable gameplay. Enjoy enhanced hands, tile options, and competitive leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Hong Kong/Cantonese 13-tile rules
  • Customizable gameplay options
  • Enhanced Mahjong Hands
  • Flowers and Seasons tiles
  • Resume mode
  • Leaderboards and Achievements
Features
Read full description

Classic Hong Kong-style Mahjong for iPhone and iPad — now fully refreshed with a new look, eight tile styles, and deeper stats. Mahjong is a popular game that originated in China. It is commonly played by four players. The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia, with a small following in Western countries. Like Western card games such as rummy, Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation, with an element of chance. This is a 13-tile implementation of Mahjong based on Hong Kong (Cantonese) rules. Be prepared for fast-paced Mahjong action. Traditional Hong Kong rules, with many options to customise your playing experience: GAME OPTIONS • Multiplayer • Coach to improve your game • Minimum Faan setting (0, 1, 3 or 6) • Bonus payouts up to level 16 • Flowers and Seasons tiles toggle • Fast or Slow mode • Hold-the-Jong setting • Resume an interrupted game • Customisable names for all four seats EIGHT TILE STYLES Classic, English, White, Black, Ivory, Bold, Modern and Refined — switch any time from Settings. RARE HANDS RECOGNISED • Big Four Winds and Little Four Winds • Jade, Pearl and Ruby Hands • Honours Only and Four Closed Kongs • Beijing Garden • Knitted Threads and Double Knitted Threads • Dragon Snake and Wind Snake • Seven Twins of Honour, All Pairs and Nine Ports PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • Player rank — Starter, Initiate, Apprentice, Master, Grand Master — earned through XP. • Per-level high-score tracking across Basic, Intermediate, Popular and Advanced games. • Game Center leaderboards and achievements. • Separate music and sound-effects toggles. iPhone and iPad. Landscape only. iOS 16 and later. Visit http://www.hksmahjong.com/info for more information. Feel free to email comments or bug reports to pvella@gmail.com. I do respond. Special thanks to everyone who has emailed bugs, suggestions and screenshots over the years. This is a 13 tile implementation of Mahjong based upon Hong Kong or Cantonese rules. Be prepared for fast paced Mahjong action. Incorporating traditional Hong Kong rules with many options to customise your playing experience, including: * Minimum level setting * Exciting games up to level 16 rewarded * Enhanced Mahjong Hands including: - Beijing Garden Hand - Knitted Threads - Double Knitted Threads - Jade, Pearl and Ruby Hands - DragonSnake and WIndSnake Hands * Flowers and Seasons tiles option * Resume mode * Traditional, English, Black, Ivory and more Tiles available * Fast or Slow mode * Hold Jong * Change Player Names * Leaderboards and Achievements Visit our webpage at http://www.hksmahjong.com/info for more information. Feel free to email comments or bug reports to pvella@gmail.com. I do respond. Special thank you to those that have emailed bugs, suggestions and screen shots.

About

Decoder Terminal

Features
Read full description

A secret cipher of four colored keys is hidden inside the system. You have seven attempts to crack it. DECODER is a code-breaking puzzle — a modern take on the classic Mastermind — wrapped in the aesthetic of a green-on-black decryption terminal. Lock in a guess, hit RUN, and the system reports back: • HIT — right color, right slot • NEAR — right color, wrong slot The hints never tell you WHICH slot is right. Read them, reason it out, and narrow the cipher down before your attempts run out. Crack it in four hits to breach the system. Burn all seven and the cipher stays sealed. NO LUCK. JUST LOGIC. Every cipher is solvable by pure deduction. There are no power-ups, no timers, no ads, no accounts — just you against the code. TWO CLEARANCE LEVELS • EASY · 6 colors — learn the ropes • ADVANCED · 8 colors — for hardened operators Colors can repeat, so don't assume the obvious. BUILT FOR THE CRAFT • A tactile CRT terminal interface — scanlines, glow, and a blinking cursor • Colorblind-friendly: every key carries a letter, never color alone • Honors Reduce Motion • Tracks your stats per clearance level: solve rate, current streak, and best run • Fully offline. No sign-up, no tracking, no nonsense. Read the hints. Breach the system.

Screenshots

Hong Kong Style Mahjong4 screens
Decoder Terminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Decoder Terminal at none against Hong Kong Style Mahjong's 1. Decoder Terminal also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Hong Kong Style Mahjong's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hong Kong Style Mahjong sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Decoder Terminal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hong Kong Style Mahjong ships an update every 3 weeks, Decoder Terminal daily. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hong Kong Style Mahjong versus Decoder Terminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHong Kong Style MahjongDecoder Terminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews37.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB6 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPaul VellaTwinning Trails LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hong Kong Style Mahjong

One-time1
  • Remove Advertising$2.99
None

Decoder Terminal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hong Kong Style Mahjong free?
Hong Kong Style Mahjong is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Decoder Terminal free?
Decoder Terminal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hong Kong Style Mahjong or Decoder Terminal have ads?
Both Hong Kong Style Mahjong and Decoder Terminal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hong Kong Style Mahjong or Decoder Terminal?
Hong Kong Style Mahjong ships an update every 3 weeks, and Decoder Terminal daily. Most recently, Hong Kong Style Mahjong was updated on October 20, 2026 and Decoder Terminal on October 8, 2026.

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