iTanpura Lite vs Dhol
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iTanpura Lite
This app provides the meditative drone of a tanpura, a key instrument in Indian classical music. It offers two tanpuras and a Sur-Peti/Shruti box with adjustable tuning and stereo placement for a realistic sound experience.
- Two 5-string tanpuras with independent controls
- Sur-Peti / Shruti Box functionality
- Realistic sounds sampled from real tanpuras
- Adjustable pitch and fine-tuning in cents
- Save custom presets for popular raags
- Stereo placement for precise sound imaging
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Got tanpura? Well guess what, we have two for you, PLUS a Sur-Peti / Shruti box! Come listen to the beautiful, meditative sound of real Hemraj tanpuras, and get lost in the mysteries of Indian Classical music. ________________________________________ ◆ Also check out iTablaPro which ◆ includes ALL iTanpura features + tabla NOTE: iTanpura Lite has most the features of the full version except the sound stops playing after 60 seconds, and it does not include the Swar Mandal or the Tuner. ________________________________________ ◆ THE TANPURA ◆ The Tanpura is a musical instrument used in Indian classical music to provide a background "drone" against which the rest of the music is performed. It is a 4-stringed instrument with a base made from cured pumpkin gourd and a stem made from wood. ________________________________________ ◆ AND NOW PRESENTING ◆ iTanpura Lite is an electronic Tanpura for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It uses stereo digital sound to simulate a set of two tanpuras each of which can be tuned with a different string combination. It uses sounds sampled from real Hemraj tanpuras to provide beautiful yet realistic sound in a pleasing design. The sound quality has to be heard to be believed! ________________________________________ ◆ FEATURES ◆ √ Includes two 5-string tanpuras with independent pan and volume controls, plus a Sur-Peti / Shruti Box √ Uses sounds sampled from actual male & female tanpuras for realistic tanpura sound throughout the pitch range √ Adjust pitch by name (C#, G, etc.) using pitch up/down buttons √ Wide range of pitch from lower A (A2) through upper E (E4) for one and a half octaves of tuning √ Suitable for vocal or instrumental music √ Fine-tune pitch in cents. The display shows the fine-tune value to allow exact recreation of any pitch √ Tempo Control: use the pitch/tempo switch to change the function of the slider in the top section √ Play one or two simultaneous tanpuras both controlled by the master pitch controls √ Each tanpura's first string can be tuned to Pa, Ma or Ni, or any custom note such as Re, Ga, Dha, etc √ Or tune first string to any shruti in the octave using a slider √ Each tanpura has its own pan and volume controls to allow precise placement within the stereo image. For example you can have a tanpura with Pa on your left and one with Ni on your right √ PRESETS: Save your frequently-used combinations as named presets. Includes presets for the 100+ most popular raags. √ Turn the Sur-Peti/Shruti Box on or off and adjust its volume from the settings page √ Can be used with speakers, headset, or the internal speaker (a high-quality speaker dock is recommended for maximum effect) Still using your old electronic tanpura or shruti box? The future of the tanpura is here! ________________________________________ NOTE: iTanpura Lite has all the features of the full version except the sound stops playing after 60 seconds and it does not include the Swar Mandal or the Tuner. The full version has no time limits and keeps playing till the user turns it off. ________________________________________
Dhol
Experience the joy of playing the Dhol on your iPhone or iPod Touch. This app allows you to tap out rhythms with your fingers, offering multiple drum sounds and the ability to play along with your music library. It also features a unique Bluetooth connection mode for interactive learning and playing with friends.
- Virtual Dhol instrument
- Multiple drum sounds
- Play along with music
- Bluetooth Dhol-E Connect
- Interactive learning mode
- Tap-based controls
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For all the Bhangra fans around the world, you can now play the Dhol on the go on your iPhone or iPod Touch using Dhol-E. Dhol is a musical instrument played in the Asian subcontinent especially in the northern part of India in Punjab. Playing the Dhol on Dhol-E is as simple as tapping on the screen using your fingers. Other features of Dhol-E include 3 sounds (one for each side of the Dhol and one for tapping on the Dhol barrel itself) and the ability to play the Dhol to a song in your iPod collection. For optimal sound quality use headsets or for even better results connect to powered external speakers. Let Dhol-E bring out the real Dholi inside you. Version 2.0 adds a revolutionary new method to teach and learn the Dhol using "Dhol-E Connect". Using "Dhol-E Connect" you can connect to a another iPhone/iPod running Dhol-E over Bluetooth. Once connected you can see your friend play the Dhol on your screen and follow/play along. To connect using Dhol-E Connect just follow these easy steps -Make sure both phones are running the latest version of Dhol-E -On both devices press the Dhol-E Connect button. -Within a few minutes both the devices should see each other and display the name of the device. -On any one of the device tap on the device name and click the accept button on the other device. -To change Dhol-E Connect options tap on the Settings icon on your iPhone home screen and scroll down to Dhol-E. (Note: Dhol-E Connect requires an in-app upgrade on both devices and does not support the original iPhone and the original iPod) iPad Owners: Download the exclusive iPad only Dhol-E HD app! Check out the Dhol-E Fan Page on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dhol-E-iPhoneiPod-App/130114227036549
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dhol at 91% against iTanpura Lite's 40%. Dhol also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.9) and ratings volume (155 vs 40). iTanpura Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Dhol sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. iTanpura Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dhol holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 155 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of iTanpura Lite's written reviews are positive against 91% of Dhol's.
iTanpura Lite ships an update monthly, Dhol every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iTanpura Lite | Dhol |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (40 ratings) | 4.6 (155 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 90.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 40 | 155 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Prasad Upasani | Mutual Image LLC. |
Customer experience
iTanpura Lite
Dhol
Bugs and requests
iTanpura Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Dhol
Reported bugs
4 issues- Lags and delays when playing
- Not working, no shop beats
- Doesn't load, stuck on settings
- No sound on iPhone 5
Requested features
8 requests- Update and improve sound effects
- Add kin and ke as well as dha ne ge and click
- Add option to record when playing with songs
- Add more accurate sounds and ghir ghira
- Add volume setting to be louder when playing along to tracks
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- Add ability to change sounds, dugga side could use different sample
- Add dark mode option
- Add advanced analytics dashboard
In-app purchases
iTanpura Lite
No in-app purchases
Dhol
- Peer Connect Upgrade$0.99
- Dhol With Khanda$0.99
- Disable Ads$0.99
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- Dhol Bling$0.99
- DholE Dance$0.99
- Get Everything!$4.99









