Comparison

SGI vs SRF/YSS

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

Head to head
About

SGI

Support your daily Buddhist practice with tools for chanting, recitation, and goal tracking. Find local facilities and access Buddhist resources.

Highlights
  • Chanting calculator with target tracking
  • Audio guide for daily recitation
  • Goal setting and progress monitoring
  • SGI-USA facility locator
  • Links to World Tribune website
Features
Read full description

This app provides resources to support your daily practice of SGI Nichiren Buddhism. First, there is a chanting calculator that allows you to set and track chanting targets (campaigns). There is also an audio guide useful as an aid in learning the daily recitation of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and the Lotus Sutra. You can set your goals and watch your progress! There are several other useful tools such as a location finder for SGI-USA facilities and links to the new World Tribune website.

About

SRF/YSS

Explore spiritual teachings and guided meditations based on Paramahansa Yogananda's wisdom. Access digital lessons, audio recordings, and live online meditations to cultivate peace, joy, and a balanced spiritual life.

Highlights
  • Guided meditations
  • Live online meditations
  • Digital SRF/YSS Lessons
  • Audio recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda
  • Video instruction in Energization Exercises
  • SRF/YSS News and Events
Read full description

Experience a life-transforming awakening of the peace, joy, and wisdom of the soul through the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi. The SRF/YSS app is for everyone—whether you are brand new to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda or have been immersing yourself in this great teacher’s wisdom for decades. It is also for anyone who wants to learn more about meditation, the science of Kriya Yoga, and practical ways to live a spiritually balanced life. Featuring: - Guided Meditations on Peace, Living Fearlessly, God as Light, Expansion of Consciousness, and more — with customizable meditation times from 15 to 45 minutes - Free access to live online meditations - SRF/YSS News and Event Information For those who are students of the SRF/YSS Lessons, the app includes the digital versions of your Lessons along with a rich variety of multimedia content to help you apply the SRF/YSS Kriya Yoga teachings in your daily life. Including: - Audio recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda - Guided meditations and visualizations led by SRF/YSS monastics - Classes on the SRF/YSS meditation techniques - Step-by-step video instruction in the SRF/YSS Energization Exercises If you are an SRF or YSS Lessons student, please use your verified account information to access the Lessons in the app. About SRF/YSS Self-Realization Fellowship and Yogoda Satsanga Society of India are an invitation to the spiritual seeker to journey together on a life-transforming discovery of the soul. This journey embraces the “how-to-live” teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, which embody the highest techniques for realizing who we truly are and show how to bring lasting peace, joy, and love into our lives and into the world. The goal of SRF and YSS is to offer not just a course of philosophical study, but the actual transmission of sacred knowledge through the living words of one of the great spiritual masters of the modern era. Yogoda Satsanga Society of India was founded in 1917 by Paramahansa Yogananda. Self-Realization Fellowship was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920, to spread the teachings of Kriya Yoga worldwide.

Screenshots

SGI4 screens
SRF/YSS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SRF/YSS at 4.8 against SGI's 4.1. SRF/YSS also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SRF/YSS holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 742 and 400 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of SGI's written reviews are positive against 83% of SRF/YSS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SGI ships an update every 4 months, SRF/YSS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SGI versus SRF/YSS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSGISRF/YSS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (742 ratings)4.8 (400 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings742 — better400
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB70 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSoka Gakkai International - USASelf-Realization Fellowship Church Apps

Customer experience

SGI

All ratings734 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral9.7%
Negative17.7%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral18.6%
Negative31.4%

SRF/YSS

All ratings386 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative11.2%

User reviews

SGI

From 742 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for practice
  • 🚀 Comprehensive app with many features
  • 💡 Ability to chant with audio
  • 💡 Access to publications and study materials
  • 👍 Great for beginners and experienced users

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
  • 🔒 Login issues and need to log in frequently
  • 🔋 Timer/stopwatch issues when phone is locked or app is closed
  • 👎 Slow chanting/gongyo speed options
  • 👎 Difficulty navigating and finding content

SRF/YSS

From 400 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient access to lessons
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🌟 Exceptional content quality
  • 🌍 Global accessibility
  • 🔍 Helpful search and navigation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and login issues
  • 📱 Limited functionality on mobile devices
  • 🔒 Restrictive access controls
  • 🔋 Requires constant internet connection

Bugs and requests

SGI

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Daimoku count not updating accurately
  • Writings of Nichiren Daishonin not loading
  • Crashes or freezes when using certain features
  • Incorrect or outdated content displayed

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to adjust chanting/gongyo speed
  • Seamless looping of chanting audio
  • Sync daimoku counts across devices
  • More customization options (e.g. font size, themes)
  • Improved navigation and organization of content
Show 1 more
  • Ability to maintain active campaigns/goals across updates

SRF/YSS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with latest iOS updates
  • Unreliable login and authentication
  • Broken lesson access for some users

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode for lessons
  • Landscape mode support
  • Customizable highlighting and note-taking
  • Integrated dictionary
  • Widgets with inspirational content

In-app purchases

None

SGI

No in-app purchases

None

SRF/YSS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SGI free?
SGI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SRF/YSS free?
SRF/YSS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SGI or SRF/YSS?
SRF/YSS is rated higher. SGI averages 4.1 out of 5 from 742 ratings, while SRF/YSS averages 4.8 from 400 ratings.
Do SGI or SRF/YSS have ads?
Neither SGI nor SRF/YSS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SGI or SRF/YSS?
SGI ships an update every 4 months, and SRF/YSS every 2 months. Most recently, SGI was updated on October 26, 2026 and SRF/YSS on October 29, 2026.

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