Comparison

SRF/YSS vs Alan Watts

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

Head to head
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.

About

Alan Watts

Explore the profound wisdom of a renowned philosopher and spiritual teacher. Access a vast, curated collection of remastered talks, lectures, and exclusive content for personal growth and self-discovery. Listen offline and track your progress through a comprehensive library.

Highlights
  • Remastered audio talks
  • Extensive streaming collection
  • Exclusive content access
  • Offline listening
  • Mark talks as completed
Features
Read full description

Dive into the wisdom of one of the most influential thinkers of our time with the Alan Watts app, presented by the official Alan Watts Org. Whether interested in philosophy, meditation, spirituality, or self-discovery, this app is the perfect resource for your personal journey. We've thoughtfully curated rare content and re-mastered old favorites to create the most authentic collection of Alan Watts' content available anywhere. Stream our vast collection of Alan Watts' talks, lectures, and seminars. The Alan Watts app lets you access Alan's wisdom wherever you go! Features: - Classic and Remastered Audio: We've restored and remastered your favorite Alan Watts content for a totally fresh experience. - Most Comprehensive Streaming Collection: Explore the most extensive collection of Alan Watts' talks and public lectures, streaming anywhere. - Exclusive Content: Access rare Alan Watts content exclusively available on the app. - Offline Listening: Download talks and listen anytime, anywhere, without needing an internet connection. - Mark Talks as Completed: Easily flag which recordings you've finished, helping you track your journey through Alan's library. To access all features and content you can subscribe to Alan Watts on a monthly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. *All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://app.audiorista.com/pages/terms/4483/ Privacy Policy: https://app.audiorista.com/pages/privacy/4483/

Screenshots

SRF/YSS4 screens
Alan Watts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SRF/YSS at none against Alan Watts's 9. SRF/YSS also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Alan Watts sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SRF/YSS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for SRF/YSS against 4.7 for Alan Watts. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 392 and 152 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of SRF/YSS's written reviews are positive against 87% of Alan Watts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SRF/YSS ships an update every 2 months, Alan Watts every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SRF/YSS versus Alan Watts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSRF/YSSAlan Watts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (392 ratings) — better4.7 (152 ratings)
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews87.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings392 — better152
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB60 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSelf-Realization Fellowship Church AppsElectronic Educational Programs Inc.

Customer experience

SRF/YSS

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

Alan Watts

All ratings152 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative8.4%

User reviews

SRF/YSS

From 392 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

Alan Watts

From 152 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙌 Excellent collection of Alan Watts content
  • 👍 User-friendly app design
  • 🔍 Genuine, non-AI recordings
  • 💾 Ability to download talks for offline listening
  • 🗓️ Tracking of listened content

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription-based model, some users prefer one-time purchase
  • 🔍 Confusing UI for favoriting/downloading talks
  • 🔧 Lack of customer support responsiveness
  • 🔀 Automatic playback of next talk not working
  • 🔒 Locked access to previously purchased content

Bugs and requests

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

Alan Watts

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App stops working when phone is locked
  • Issues with account access and renewal

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search by summary/topic functionality
  • Implement a queue system for playlisting
  • Provide an annual subscription plan
  • Improve UI cues for played/unplayed content

In-app purchases

None

SRF/YSS

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Alan Watts

Subscriptions2
  • Alan Watts Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Alan Watts Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time7
  • Alan Watts - 199$1.99
  • Alan Watts - 799$7.99
  • Alan Watts - 1599$15.99
Show 4 more
  • Alan Watts - 2299$22.99
  • Alan Watts - 3399$33.99
  • Alan Watts - 5999$59.99
  • Alan Watts - 6499$64.99

Questions

Is SRF/YSS free?
SRF/YSS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alan Watts free?
Alan Watts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SRF/YSS or Alan Watts?
SRF/YSS is rated higher. SRF/YSS averages 4.8 out of 5 from 392 ratings, while Alan Watts averages 4.7 from 152 ratings.
Do SRF/YSS or Alan Watts have ads?
Neither SRF/YSS nor Alan Watts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SRF/YSS or Alan Watts?
SRF/YSS ships an update every 2 months, and Alan Watts every 4 months. Most recently, SRF/YSS was updated on October 3, 2026 and Alan Watts on October 1, 2026.

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