Best Mahjong Scoring Apps 2026
Search the App Store for a mahjong scoring app and the results cover at least five different games. Hong Kong faan, Japanese Riichi, Taiwanese tai, Chinese Official and Chinese Classical all have apps, and the listings don’t always make it clear which one you’re downloading.
That’s the main thing to get right. Most of these apps work. They don’t all score the game at your table.
Here’s how five of the most visible ones compare.
(TileBuddy is our app. Its limitations are listed alongside its features, and everything stated about the other four comes from their App Store listings rather than hands-on testing.)
Feature Comparison
| TileBuddy | Mahjong Camera | Mahjong Score 麻將得分 | Mahjong Scorer | Score Mahjong | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring system | Hong Kong faan, Taiwanese tai | Riichi, HK, Taiwanese, HK-style Taiwanese | HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Custom | Chinese Classical (points + doubles) | Chinese Official (MCR) |
| Counts the score for you | Yes | Yes | No, you enter the count | Yes | Yes |
| Tile scanning | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Manual tile entry | Yes, full tile keyboard | Edit after scanning | No hand entry at all | Edit after scanning | Yes, tap to build |
| Open/concealed melds | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks a full session | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Player stats across games | Yes | — | — | Leaderboard | — |
| Add friends | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Live shared game on a second phone | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Built-in scoring reference | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| Waits calculator | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Languages | English | English, 中文, 日本語 | English | English, Svenska | English |
| Last updated | Aug 2026 | Nov 2024 | Jul 2026 | Jan 2026 | Apr 2026 |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Compiled from App Store listings on 4 August 2026. A dash means the listing doesn’t mention the feature. All five are on iOS; TileBuddy is also on Google Play.
Which One to Pick
Hong Kong Mahjong, and you want the app to work out the faan. TileBuddy or Mahjong Camera. TileBuddy covers Hong Kong and Taiwanese and is actively updated. Mahjong Camera covers four rule sets and has a waits calculator, but hasn’t shipped an update since November 2024.
A regular group where you want results to carry between sessions. TileBuddy. It’s the only one here that links players across games rather than treating each night as a fresh scorecard.
Hong Kong, Taiwanese or Singaporean, and your table already knows its hands. Mahjong Score (麻將得分). It won’t read tiles, but it handles settlement across all three and keeps a history.
Riichi. Mahjong Camera. It’s the only option here.
Chinese Official. Score Mahjong.
You read Chinese or Japanese. Mahjong Camera is currently the only option.
The Apps in Detail
TileBuddy
Scores: Hong Kong faan, Taiwanese tai Platform: iOS and Android Price: Free, no ads, no account required Get it: App Store · Google Play
Photograph a winning hand and AI tile scanning reads it, or enter tiles on a full tile keyboard. The scanner recognises all 42 Hong Kong tile types. Melds can be marked open or concealed, which several faan patterns depend on. Covers Classic, New 6 and New 18 hand sets.
TileBuddy uses its own hand-drawn tile set rather than system glyphs or a generic font. All 42 tiles are custom artwork, so a scanned hand and a manually entered one render identically.
Score tracking runs live through a session. Wind rotation and dealer tracking are automatic, self-pick and discard wins are both handled, and payment calculations settle at the end.
It also connects players between games. Add friends, and games played and win rate carry across sessions rather than resetting each night. Starting a home game with a connected friend puts the scoreboard live on their phone, where they can follow along, help keep score, and keep the game in their own history.
For clubs running tournaments or league nights, TileBuddy Club handles events, standings and recaps across a whole season.
Limitations: English only, no waits calculator, and no support for Riichi, Chinese Official or Chinese Classical.
Mahjong Camera (麻將計番/算台)
Scores: Riichi, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Hong Kong-style Taiwanese Platform: iOS Price: Free Get it: App Store
The most widely used app on this list. It scans hands with the camera, covers four rule sets, and includes a waits calculator that shows every tile which would complete the hand. None of the others have one.
It’s the only app here published in Chinese and Japanese as well as English, and that’s where its users are. As of August 2026 it holds around 111 ratings in the Hong Kong store and 83 in Taiwan, against 21 in the US.
Two things to know. The design leads with Riichi: every scoreboard screenshot uses honba counters and riichi sticks rather than faan. And the last update was November 2024.
Mahjong Score (麻將得分)
Scores: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Custom Platform: iOS Price: Free Get it: App Store
Settlement rather than scoring. You enter the faan count and it works out who pays whom, with editable payouts per faan level and a self-draw multiplier. Custom rule sets can be saved. Completed games are stored and charted.
There’s no hand entry and no scanning. For a table that already knows its hands and wants the arithmetic and the history, it’s clean and current.
Mahjong Scorer
Scores: Chinese Classical (points and doubles) Platform: iOS Price: Free Get it: App Store
Photograph a hand and an AI model scores it, then tracks players across rounds with a leaderboard. The pitch resembles TileBuddy’s, but the scoring underneath is Chinese Classical. Sets score points, patterns add doubles, and the total multiplies out. A hand might read “66 points, 3 doubles, 528”.
Settings include named house rule sets and toggles such as “East doubles transactions” and “discarder pays double”.
For a table playing Hong Kong faan, the numbers won’t match.
Score Mahjong
Scores: Chinese Official (MCR) Platform: iOS Price: Free Get it: App Store
A calculator for Chinese Official rules, covering all 81 patterns from 1 to 88 points with the 8-point minimum enforced. Includes a scoring guide with example hands for every pattern, and works offline with no account.
A capable MCR tool. Despite the name, it’s the wrong app for a Hong Kong game, and it’s easy to download by mistake because it shares search results with everything else here.
What to Check Before You Download
The rule set, first. An app that scores the wrong game is worse than no app. Confirm this before anything else.
A way in that isn’t the camera. Scanning is quick when it works. Poor light, a crowded table or a partly obscured hand all break it. An app that also accepts tapped input won’t leave you stuck.
Open and concealed melds. Several Hong Kong patterns depend on whether a set was claimed or drawn. An app that can’t distinguish them can’t score those hands.
Settlement, not just a number. Knowing a hand is 7 faan is half the job. What matters at the end of the night is what everyone owes.
Whether results carry over. Most scoring apps treat each night as a blank scorecard. For a group that plays regularly, per-player records across sessions are the difference between a calculator and a record of who actually wins.
FAQ
Which mahjong scoring app should I use for Hong Kong rules?
TileBuddy and Mahjong Camera both score Hong Kong faan from a photo of your hand. Mahjong Score (麻將得分) handles Hong Kong settlement but you enter the faan count yourself. Mahjong Scorer and Score Mahjong use different rule sets and won’t match a Hong Kong table.
Why do mahjong scoring apps give different numbers for the same hand?
Because they’re scoring different games. Hong Kong faan, Japanese Riichi han and fu, Taiwanese tai, Chinese Official points and Chinese Classical points-and-doubles are separate systems. An app built for one will not produce the right answer for another.
Are mahjong scoring apps free?
All five apps covered here are free to download as of August 2026.
Can a mahjong scoring app track scores between the same players over time?
TileBuddy keeps games played and win rate per player and lets you add friends, so results carry across sessions. The other apps here keep a per-game history without linking players between games.
Is AI tile scanning accurate?
Scanning works best with tiles laid flat, in even light, with the full hand in frame. Every scanning app covered here lets you correct the result before it scores, so treat the scan as a starting point rather than the final answer.
Can scoring apps handle house rules?
It varies. TileBuddy supports Classic, New 6 and New 18 hand sets plus minimum faan and chicken hand options. Mahjong Score (麻將得分) allows custom rules with your own point ranges. Mahjong Camera allows customised faan items and values per profile. Mahjong Scorer has named house rule sets in its settings.
Is TileBuddy available on Android?
Yes. TileBuddy is on Google Play as well as the App Store.
Download TileBuddy free on the App Store or Google Play.