# iTanpura — The Original Pro Tanpura

> Electronic tanpura, Swar Mandal, and Sur-Peti simulator with auto-tuner. (iPhone/iPad app by Prasad Upasani.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itanpura/id326115058 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Prasad Upasani](https://appshunter.io/developer/326115061)
- Category: Music, Lifestyle
- Price: $17.99
- Rating: 4.20/5 from 42 App Store ratings · 102 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.1 · 9 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-08-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itanpura/id326115058/reviews.md

## What is iTanpura?

Got tanpura? Well guess what, we have two for you, PLUS a Swar Mandal AND a Sur-Peti / Shruti box! Come listen to the beautiful, meditative sound of real Hemraj tanpuras, and get lost in the mysteries of Indian Classical music.
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◆◆◆ 5-STRING TANPURAS & AUTO-TUNER!
◆◆◆ Before buying also consider iTablaPro
◆◆◆ which has all iTanpura features + tabla
◆◆◆ Note: All updates are always free!
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And the reviews are in:
***** "BEAUTIFUL SOUND"
***** "Excellent App, superb sound"
***** "Concert-quality tanpura in your pocket"
***** "This is what I've been waiting for"
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◆ ABOUT THE TANPURA ◆
The Tanpura is a musical instrument used in Indian classical music to provide a background "drone" against which the rest of the music is performed. It is a 4-stringed instrument with a base made from cured pumpkin gourd and a stem made from wood.
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◆ AND NOW PRESENTING - iTanpura ◆
iTanpura is an electronic Tanpura for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It uses stereo digital sound to simulate a set of two tanpuras each of which can be tuned with a different string combination. It uses sounds sampled from real Hemraj tanpuras to provide beautiful yet realistic sound in a pleasing and intuitive package. And now iTanpura also includes fantastic Swar Mandal sound (with presets for 75+ raags) for an instant concert atmosphere guaranteed to inspire! iTanpura is ideal for everyday music practice, concerts, or even as a serene background for meditation.
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◆ KEY FEATURES ◆
√ FOUR fantastic instruments in one app: includes two 5-string tanpuras with independent pan and volume controls, a 15-string Swar Mandal, and a Sur-Peti/Shruti Box
√ Uses sounds sampled from actual male & female tanpuras for realistic tanpura sound throughout the pitch range
√ Wide range of pitch from lower A (A2) through upper E (E4) for one and a half octaves of tuning
√ INTEGRATED AUTO-TUNER: Auto-Tune iTanpura to your instrument such as harmonium, or use it to tune other instruments (microphone capability required such as iPhone built-in mic or 2nd/3rd generation iPod Touch with external microphone)
√ BACKGROUND PLAY: Start playing the tanpuras and switch to another app, or play along with iPod music
√ Integrated 15-string Swar Mandal - completely tunable & can be played manually OR set to auto-loop
√ Suitable for Hindustani or Carnatic, vocal or instrumental music 
√ Fine-tune pitch in cents. The display shows the fine-tune value to allow exact recreation of any pitch
√ Play one or two simultaneous tanpuras both controlled by the master pitch controls
√ Each tanpura's first string can be tuned to Pa, Ma or Ni, or any custom note such as Re, Ga, Dha, etc 
√ Or tune first string to any shruti in the octave using a slider
√ Each tanpura has its own pan and volume controls to allow precise placement within the stereo image. For example you can have a tanpura with Pa on your left and one with Ni on your right
√ PRESETS: Save your favorite settings as named presets. Includes presets for the 100+ most popular raags. And now you can also export/import presets via email or iTunes File Sharing.
√ Turn the Sur-Peti/Shruti Box on or off and adjust its volume from the settings page
√ Can be used with speakers, headset, or the internal speaker (a high-quality speaker dock is recommended for maximum effect)
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Not yet convinced? Try iTanpura Lite for free! It has most of the features of the full version, except the sound stops playing after 30 seconds and it does not include the Swar Mandal or the Tuner.
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## Key features

- Two 5-string tanpuras with independent controls
- 15-string Swar Mandal with auto-loop
- Sur-Peti/Shruti Box
- Integrated auto-tuner
- Background playback
- Wide pitch range and fine-tuning

## Chart rankings

- #86 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

## What do users think of iTanpura?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎶 Excellent sound quality
- 🎶 Pure tone
- 🎶 Soothing sound
- 🎶 Realistic tanpura sound
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Many features
- 💡 Great for practice
- 💡 Useful for meditation
- 💡 Portable alternative to physical tanpuras
- 💡 Good for accompanying vocals
- 💡 Accurate tuning
- 💡 Customizable tuning
- 💡 Developer responsiveness
- 💡 Good value for money (bundle pack)
- 💡 Long-time user satisfaction

**Cons**

- 📱 App shuts down during calls
- 📱 App needs re-triggering after calls/voice input
- 📱 Layout issues on iPadOS
- 📱 Not optimized for iPadOS
- 📱 Phone gets hot during use
- 🔊 Missing bass by default
- 🔊 Bass adjustment reduces output
- 🔊 Swarmandal sound not natural
- 🔊 Preset cannot be deleted
- 🔊 Not professional grade sound quality for concerts
- 🔊 Pricey for non-serious app
- 🔊 Swar mandal volume adjustment does not work
- 🔊 App hangs sometimes
- 🔊 Not wide for iPad
- 🔊 Sound system issues reported
- 🔊 No sound output reported

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App shuts down when a call comes
- App needs to be re-triggered after phone calls or voice to text activation
- Layout issues on iPadOS
- Phone gets hot during use
- Bass is missing by default
- Swarmandal sound is not natural
- Presets cannot be deleted
- Swar mandal volume adjustment does not work
- App hangs sometimes
- Crashing for IOS 14
- No sound coming out even when attached to a speaker
- Stopped working
- No app support
- App suddenly exits when adjusting volume or panning
- Tuner not working with iphone earphone

**Most requested features**

- App should not shut when a call comes
- App should be re-triggered automatically after phone call or voice to text activation
- Optimize for iPadOS
- Button for increasing base
- Add Raga - Vachaspathi and Gawathi
- Include recording feature
- Add a start and stop play button
- Make available to download on MacBooks
- Implement sub bass on tanpura strings (customizable)
- Add Jawari option for all scales and octaves
- Improve swarmandal sound to be more natural
- Add Carnatic notes in the sruthi
- Provide presets for Carnatic ragas
- Separate controls for each string (length of each string being played)
- Tempo control
- More tuning or transposing possibilities of each tanpura separately
- Tabla accompaniment app
- More raga presets
- Add tabla samples or beats

## Recent user reviews (10 of 102)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itanpura/id326115058/reviews.md

### 5/5 — App should not shut when a call comes

*2026-07-08*

I love this app .. had asked for this feature about five years ago.. the app needs to be re-triggered after a phone call or a voice to text activation in message ..This used to be working well where it used to switch automatically if the app was on.. now one has to go back to the app and turn it on again which can be quite annoying while driving. Please fix. 🙏🏻 great app by the way

### 2/5 — Needs to be optimized for ipadOS

*2026-07-07, version 9.4.7*

Please optimize this for ipadOS26. The windowing ability in this new iOS is really ruining the layout of the app. It does not take up the whole screen anymore.

### 5/5 — Great app

*2025-10-21, version 9.4.7*

I am not an Indian musician, but I love using this app as a drone to practice. I use it for improvisational exercises.

### 5/5 — The Best Tanpura of the Universe

*2025-07-12*

I experienced different tanpuras (tamburas) available. This is undoubtedly the best. Of course, scope for improvement always exist.

### 4/5 — Awesome app

*2025-03-08*

I just loved this app as I took it in bundle pack it was worth a money , one correction I would tell the team that they should have button for increasing base like we get the voice in real tanpura with full base … even old electronics tanpura are better sound . I would really like team to improvise on this

### 5/5 — Please add The Raga - Vachaspathi and Gawathi

*2024-12-11*

Please add The Vachaspathi and Gawathi

### 3/5 — Just ok

*2024-05-25, version 9.4.4*

Not wide for IPad. Can’t see that this does anything iTablaPro does. $5 with bundle but still feel cheated.

### 4/5 — Problem needs to be solved…

*2024-05-18*

Tanpura Sound and pitching are good, soothing, perfect. But I face another problem, whenever I play this app my phone gets hot. It’s very bothersome.

### 1/5 — Bass is Missing

*2024-04-20*

Please add some bass on the Tanpuras in by default settings. I know we can level up the bass by using PAN left and right settings but it’s reduced the output that’s why please add some bass in by default settings. Without harming or changing any settings. I am using Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 7 expensive Bluetooth Speaker for the better sound output but still there is NO BASS.

**Developer response:** If you want to adjust EQ and panning upgrade to iTablaPro.

### 4/5 — iphone earphone not working with tuner

*2024-02-24, version 9.4.4*

pls help to support it

## Frequently asked questions about iTanpura

### What is iTanpura?

iTanpura is an electronic musical instrument simulator for iPhone and iPod Touch. It provides realistic stereo digital sounds of multiple Indian classical instruments, including two tanpuras, a Swar Mandal, and a Sur-Peti/Shruti Box. It's designed for music practice, concerts, and meditation.

### What instruments are included in iTanpura?

The app includes two 5-string tanpuras with independent pan and volume controls, a 15-string Swar Mandal that can be played manually or auto-looped, and a Sur-Peti/Shruti Box. The tanpuras and Swar Mandal are fully tunable.

### How much does iTanpura cost?

Based on the provided information, iTanpura is a paid application. All updates for the app are provided for free.

### Can I use iTanpura to tune other instruments?

Yes, iTanpura features an integrated auto-tuner that can be used to tune your own instruments, such as a harmonium. This feature requires microphone capability on your device.

### Is iTanpura suitable for different styles of Indian music?

Yes, iTanpura is suitable for both Hindustani and Carnatic music, whether vocal or instrumental. The wide range of pitch and fine-tuning options allow for precise recreation of desired pitches for various musical contexts.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 9.4.7 — 2025-01-19

- Fixed issue in importing shared presets
- Minor enhancements & fixes

### 9.4.6 — 2024-10-22

- Added preset for raag Parmeshwari. Reload Original presets from presets screen to load new presets.
- Minor compatibility fixes for iPhone 16

### 9.4.5 — 2024-10-10

- Fixed issue in importing shared presets
- Improved preset for raag Sampoorna Bageshri / Bageshri Kanada
- Improved preset for raag Kaushik Ranjani
- Minor enhancements & fixes

### 9.4.4 — 2023-09-28

- Fix for tuner not working sometimes when connected to Bluetooth
- Enable auto-shutdown of audio engine when not in use
- Fix for AirPlay button not showing sometimes
- Minor UI fixes for iOS compatibility on newer devices

### 9.4.3 — 2023-09-25

- Fix for AirPlay button not showing sometimes
- Minor enhancements & fixes

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## More apps by Prasad Upasani

- [iTanpura Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itanpura-lite/id327862615)
- [iLehra - Lehra Nagma Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ilehra-lehra-nagma-player/id333183750)
- [iTablaPro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itablapro/id337350026)
- [iManjira](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imanjira/id356726404)
- [iTablaPro Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itablapro-lite/id919001492)

All apps by Prasad Upasani: https://appshunter.io/developer/326115061

## Related topics

[itanpura](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/itanpura) · [itanpura lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/itanpura-lite) · [prasad upasani](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/prasad-upasani) · [tambura](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/tambura)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*