Mandala Color by Number Book

Review by eFreeware

Mandala Color by Number Book is a free coloring game from LoveColoring Game, listed in the Board category and rated for Everyone. It takes the familiar color-by-number idea and applies it to mandala patterns, with the developer framing the whole thing as a calming, meditative pastime rather than a test of skill.

The reason to consider it is simple: a large catalog of mandala designs, a color palette you work through with a finger or stylus, and a structure of daily challenges that gives each session a small goal. With more than a million installs and a 4.8 average across nearly 21,000 ratings, it has clearly found an audience since its December 2023 release. What I want to work out below is whether that audience includes you.

Filling a pattern, one numbered cell at a time

The core loop is about as direct as this genre gets. You browse the collection, pick a mandala that appeals to you, and then fill its sections with color by matching each numbered area to the corresponding shade in the palette. The developer describes the process as intuitive, and the touch controls are meant to work whether you use a fingertip or a stylus.

What separates one coloring app from another is usually the range of what you can do once the basic matching is done, and here the developer lists gradients, textures and shading among the available tools. That suggests you are not locked into flat blocks of color on every design; there is room to adjust how a finished piece reads rather than simply completing it. I would treat that as the part worth exploring early, because it is what turns a mechanical exercise into something closer to actual coloring.

The catalog itself is described as spanning simple, elegant patterns through to more complex and detailed ones. That spread matters more than it might sound. A dense mandala with dozens of small cells is a very different commitment from a loose one with broad areas, and having both on hand means the app can fit a short break or a longer, quieter stretch depending on what you choose.

Daily challenges and a reason to come back

Beyond the open catalog, the app builds in daily challenges that the developer says test your creativity and unlock rewards. There are also themed mandalas and an achievement system, which together give the coloring a light sense of progression. None of this changes what you are doing minute to minute, but it does answer the question of why you would open the app on a given evening rather than whenever the mood happens to strike.

Finished work can be saved to your gallery and shared, either to social media or inside the app's own community, where colorers exchange tips and view each other's creations. That community angle is optional in practice, and it gives the app a social layer that a plain coloring book does not have.

New mandalas, palettes and features are promised on a regular basis. The most recent one, from September 2026, mentions performance and stability improvements, a smoother coloring interaction, updated mandala artwork and bug fixes. Whether that cadence holds is something only time will tell, but the app is clearly being worked on rather than left as it launched.

Ads, purchases and what the download actually costs

The app is free to download, and it carries ads alongside in-app purchases. This is an ad-supported free game, not a one-time purchase. Anyone who has used free mobile games will recognize the shape of that arrangement.

I would not read the presence of purchases as a barrier to enjoying the coloring itself. The daily challenges, achievements and sharing are presented as part of the standard experience. What I would keep in mind is simply that ads and purchase prompts are part of the package, and how much that bothers you is a personal threshold rather than something the app can solve.

If you are comparing this with a paid coloring app that charges once and leaves you alone, the trade-off is straightforward: you pay nothing up front here. For a casual, pick-up-and-put-down activity, that is often a fair exchange.

A quiet fit for short, unhurried sessions

The people this suits best are those who want something undemanding to do with their hands while their attention is only partly engaged. Coloring a mandala by number does not require reflexes, strategy or reading, so it works well as a wind-down activity in the evening, something to do while a podcast plays, or a way to fill a quiet half hour without opening a social feed.

It also fits anyone who likes the idea of coloring but finds a physical book and a set of pencils fussy to carry around. The palette is always available, and there is no risk of running out of a particular shade halfway through a design. The app is built around a therapeutic, meditative escape, and its structure supports that framing.

The design addresses both beginners and more experienced colorers, which makes sense given the range of pattern complexity. If you have never done color-by-number before, the matching mechanic is self-explanatory. If you have, the gradients and shading tools are where you will spend your attention.

Where I would temper expectations is in the word "game." It is a creative and relaxing activity with some progression layered on top, and approaching it as anything more strenuous will lead to disappointment.

Is Mandala Color by Number Book worth installing?

For a free download with a large design catalog, daily challenges and a sharing community, there is a reasonable amount here. The 4.8 average from more than 20,000 ratings suggests the core experience lands well with the people who try it, and the regular update history is a good sign for anyone planning to keep it installed long term.

The caveats are the ones that come with the territory: ads and in-app purchases are present, and the appeal rests entirely on whether coloring mandalas is something you actually enjoy. If the answer is yes, this is an easy install to justify. If you are looking for a challenge, a story or a competitive edge, this may not be what you want.

My recommendation is to try it if you want a calm, low-stakes creative habit on your phone, and to treat the daily challenges as the hook that keeps it from becoming another forgotten download. It is a coloring app, it does that job with a wide range of patterns, and it asks nothing of you beyond the download.

What's new in version 2.1.7

✨ Thanks for using Mandala Color! This update includes several improvements to make your coloring experience even more relaxing and enjoyable: 🎨 Improved app performance and stability 🖌 Enhanced coloring experience for smoother interaction 🌈 Updated beautiful mandala art content 🐞 Fixed known issues and optimized overall experience Relax, color, and enjoy your peaceful creative journey with Mandala Color!