Comparison

SrutiBox vs Tala Shruti

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

Head to head
About

SrutiBox

This app simulates an Indian harmonium, generating drones with customizable timbres and precise intonations. It offers a realistic bellows-pumping feature and can be used for musical practice, spiritual chanting, or as a tuning aid.

Highlights
  • Indian harmonium simulation
  • Customizable drone timbres
  • Precise intonation control
  • Background audio playback
  • Bellows-pumping realism
  • Pitch source for tuning
Features
Read full description

SrutiBox simulates an Indian harmonium, used as a base tone in Indian music and in spiritual practices of chanting and droning. SrutiBox 1.4 now works under iOS8, iPhone 4,5,6, and 6+ sizes, has a slightly different look, and fixes a few bugs that you may have encountered. SrutiBox is a synthesizer, creating drones with various timbres and precise intonations that blur the distinction between tones, timbres and chords. The drone can be fairly static or undergo slow modulation and harmonic change. It now plays in the background under iOS 4.0 like many other music apps! Pop over to http://www.jhhl.net/iPhone/SrutiBox/ and listen to some examples! "I wanted you to know that I have made my debut in Vienna a couple of weeks ago as an iPHONEist. I played two simultaneously - one with sruti box and the other with a variety of apps. I am enjoying sruti box immensely! Thank you!" — Dr. Pauline Oliveros I also have another Droning app, Droneo, which has a similar interface, but more droning options! SrutiBox uses 12 "reeds" which can be tuned to a great number of scales, randomly detuned, and chorused and modulated. The pitch interval and volume of each "reed" can be set individually, making for a wide variety of drones. The reeds can be set to various timbres suitable for drones, including vocal-like timbres and low frequency-friendly chirps. A special iPhone feature of SrutiBox is that you can wave the phone in an imitation of pumping the bellows, adding a touch of realism to the simulation. SrutiBox can also be used as a pitch source for instrument tuning purposes, or as an aid for learning the difference between Just and Equal Tempered intervals. As with other iPhone/iPod touch audio applications, it'll sound better through headphones, although in a quiet room, it's quite effective! Make sure to use the volume controls on the side of the phone to set the volume level you like. See the SrutiBox web pages for more information, hints, and possibly tales of YOUR performances and discoveries: http://www.jhhl.net/iPhone/SrutiBox It's also the place to ask for support and advice, or email tutti-srutti at jhhl.net also: visit my iPhone App Facebook group for starting discussions etc! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150360054839 Thank You! Check out my other apps: Droneo, Tondo, the iPhone Wind Chimes, Lake Piano and Enumero!

About

Tala Shruti

This app provides essential tools for Carnatic music practice and learning. It includes a virtual shruti box, a customizable metronome, pre-recorded percussion loops, and a universal instrument tuner. Designed for musicians of all levels, it's a comprehensive practice companion.

Highlights
  • Adjustable virtual Shruti box
  • Customizable metronome with tempo and rhythm control
  • Pre-recorded Mridangam and Tabla loops
  • Universal instrument tuner
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Tala Shruti — Your Carnatic Practice Companion Everything you need for Carnatic music practice, in one app. Tala Shruti combines a shruti box, talam machine, percussion loops, raga training, and tuner — built for students, teachers, and performers. Shruti Box A clean, adjustable tanpura drone across all 12 pitches. Set your shruti and practice with a steady, authentic reference tone. Talam Machine All 7 Suladi Sapta Talams with configurable jathi — from Tisra to Sankeerna. Visual beat tracking helps you stay aligned with the cycle. Percussion Loops Pre-recorded Tabla and Mridangam patterns with adjustable tempo. Practice with the feel of a real accompanist. Raga Training Practice raga swaras with real-time pitch detection. The app listens and guides you note by note. Tuner A precise chromatic tuner with needle gauge and cents display. Works with veena, violin, flute, mridangam, and more. Built for Carnatic musicians. Whether you're warming up, preparing for a kutcheri, or learning a new raga, Tala Shruti keeps your essential tools in one place — no ads, no clutter, just practice.

Screenshots

SrutiBox2 screens
Tala Shruti4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tala Shruti at Free against SrutiBox's $1.99. Tala Shruti also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (80 vs 11). SrutiBox's advantage is iOS requirement (7.1 vs 16.6). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

Tala Shruti is free to download; SrutiBox costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tala Shruti holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tala Shruti has 80 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of SrutiBox's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tala Shruti's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SrutiBox ships an update every 3 months, Tala Shruti every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SrutiBox versus Tala Shruti: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSrutiBoxTala Shruti
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (11 ratings)4.8 (80 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1180 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHenry LowengardSUMIT JHAMB

Customer experience

SrutiBox

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative23.4%

Tala Shruti

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

SrutiBox

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Background battery drain
  • iPhone overheating
  • Audible glitches when changing sliders
  • Clicks when changing some settings

Requested features

10 requests
  • Audiobus support
  • Built-in sleep timer
  • Echo effect
  • Preset for Tanbura
  • Distort waveform for Tanbura sound
Show 5 more
  • Save custom settings/patches
  • Add Tamboura sounds
  • Stereo reverb setting
  • Hide top controls and expand sliders
  • Larger help text / better scrolling

Tala Shruti

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SrutiBox

No in-app purchases

None

Tala Shruti

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SrutiBox free?
SrutiBox costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tala Shruti free?
Tala Shruti is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SrutiBox or Tala Shruti?
Tala Shruti is rated higher. SrutiBox averages 4.3 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Tala Shruti averages 4.8 from 80 ratings.
Do SrutiBox or Tala Shruti have ads?
Neither SrutiBox nor Tala Shruti shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SrutiBox or Tala Shruti?
SrutiBox ships an update every 3 months, and Tala Shruti every 2 months. Most recently, SrutiBox was updated on October 31, 2026 and Tala Shruti on October 30, 2026.

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