Comparison

Ragya vs Swarmandal

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

Head to head
About

Ragya

This music streaming service specializes in Indian classical music. It offers a curated listening experience based on the time of day, following the raga system. Users can also explore details about artists, ragas, and compositions.

Highlights
  • Indian classical music streaming
  • Time-of-day curated playlists
  • Raga system integration
  • Artist and composition details
  • Discovery of Indian classical music
Read full description

Ragya is the first-of-its-kind music streaming service dedicated to Indian classical music. Ragya's default mode makes enjoying and discovering Indian classical music simple for listeners as it curates and plays ICM based on the time of the day. This is based on the raga system in Indian classical music which is structured around the 8 time sections in the day. Further, listeners on Ragya can dive deeper and learn about the artiste, raga and the composition too.

About

Swarmandal

This app simulates the Indian swarmandal and tanpura instruments for Hindustani classical music. It allows users to play individual strings, set custom layouts, and explore thaats and raags with visual cues. Features like SmartPlay enable phrase generation and automatic deceleration.

Highlights
  • Swarmandal string simulation
  • Tanpura drone accompaniment
  • Thaat and Raag modes
  • Customizable string layouts
  • Shruti (microtone) support
  • SmartPlay phrase generation
Read full description

Swarmandal is a Hindustani classical music instrument app that brings the swarmandal and tanpura to your iPhone and iPad. * Swarmandal - Pluck individual strings to play swars across one, two, or three octaves. Each string is sampled from a real swarmandal and pitch-shifted to your chosen Sa, so the instrument always sounds authentic, in any key. * Tanpura - Toggle a continuous tanpura (drone) loop as a harmonic foundation for practice or performance. Adjust the volume to blend it under your playing. * Thaat & Raag Modes - Choose from all 10 thaats of Hindustani music, or switch to Raag Mode to explore individual raags. In Raag Mode, strings are coloured to show which notes belong to the aaroh (ascending) and avroh (descending) of the raag. Play the pakad, aaroha, or avroha with a single swipe. * Design custom layouts - Create a completely customised string layout that supports split strings (same swar but different variant for aaroh vs. avroh). * Shruti support - Use microtones for raags and custom layouts. * SmartPlay - Swipe across the strings to play a phrase. SmartPlay detects your direction and velocity, then continues the sequence automatically, decelerating naturally as it reaches the end. * Choose Your Sa - Set Sa anywhere from G#2 to A#3 across multiple octaves. The app reloads all sounds for the new key instantly, and the tanpura follows automatically.

Screenshots

Ragya4 screens
Swarmandal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ragya at 4.2 against Swarmandal's 1.0. Ragya also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (13 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Swarmandal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ragya asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ragya holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ragya has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ragya versus Swarmandal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRagyaSwarmandal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (13 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAditya DipankarPrasanna Joshi

In-app purchases

None

Ragya

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Swarmandal

One-time1
  • Premium Mode$3.99

Questions

Is Ragya free?
Ragya is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swarmandal free?
Swarmandal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ragya or Swarmandal?
Ragya is rated higher. Ragya averages 4.2 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Swarmandal averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ragya or Swarmandal have ads?
Neither Ragya nor Swarmandal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ragya or Swarmandal?
Ragya ships an update every 3 weeks, and Swarmandal every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ragya was updated on October 29, 2026 and Swarmandal on October 28, 2026.

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