# SRF/YSS vs Alan Watts

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.

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.

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.

SRF/YSS ships an update every 2 months, Alan Watts every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SRF/YSS | Alan Watts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (392 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/srfyss/id1380804297/reviews)** | [4.7 (152 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **392** | 152 |
| Positive reviews | 82.8% of reviews | **87.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 70 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Self-Realization Fellowship Church Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1380804296) | [Electronic Educational Programs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679927720) |

## What reviewers say

### SRF/YSS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/srfyss/id1380804297)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Incompatibility with latest iOS updates
- Unreliable login and authentication
- Broken lesson access for some users

**Requested features**

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


### Alan Watts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alan Watts Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Alan Watts Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Alan Watts - 199 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 799 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 1599 | $15.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 2299 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 3399 | $33.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 5999 | $59.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 6499 | $64.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙌 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- App stops working when phone is locked
- Issues with account access and renewal

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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 16, 2026 and Alan Watts on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*