# Buddhist Sun vs Alan Watts

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Buddhist Sun at none against Alan Watts's 9. Buddhist Sun also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Alan Watts's advantage is ratings volume (152 vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Alan Watts sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Buddhist Sun asks for nothing beyond the download.

Buddhist Sun holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Alan Watts has 152 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Buddhist Sun's written reviews are positive against 87% of Alan Watts's.

Buddhist Sun ships an update every 10 days, Alan Watts every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddhist Sun | Alan Watts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddhist-sun/id1585091207/reviews)** | [4.7 (152 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **152** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 82 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Path Nirvana Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434955292) | [Electronic Educational Programs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679927720) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddhist Sun

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddhist-sun/id1585091207)

This app calculates Solar Noon and Dawn times with a speech countdown timer. It's designed for Buddhist monks and those observing 8 or 10 precepts, utilizing GPS and city search for accurate timing.

**Highlights:** Solar Noon calculation, Dawn time calculation, Speech countdown timer, GPS location services, City name search (40,000+ cities), Safety buffer for dawn times

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Buddhist Sun free?

Buddhist Sun 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, Buddhist Sun or Alan Watts?

Buddhist Sun is rated higher. Buddhist Sun averages 5.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Alan Watts averages 4.7 from 152 ratings.

### Do Buddhist Sun or Alan Watts have ads?

Neither Buddhist Sun nor Alan Watts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddhist Sun or Alan Watts?

Buddhist Sun ships an update every 10 days, and Alan Watts every 4 months. Most recently, Buddhist Sun was updated on September 10, 2026 and Alan Watts on August 26, 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.*