SrutiBox vs Tala Shruti
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Indian harmonium simulation
- Customizable drone timbres
- Precise intonation control
- Background audio playback
- Bellows-pumping realism
- Pitch source for tuning
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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!
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.
- Adjustable virtual Shruti box
- Customizable metronome with tempo and rhythm control
- Pre-recorded Mridangam and Tabla loops
- Universal instrument tuner
- User-friendly interface
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | SrutiBox | Tala Shruti |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (11 ratings) | 4.8 (80 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.5% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 80 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.1 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 115 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Henry Lowengard | SUMIT JHAMB |
Customer experience
SrutiBox
Tala Shruti
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
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- 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
SrutiBox
No in-app purchases
Tala Shruti
No in-app purchases









