Comparison

iShala vs iTablaPro Lite

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

Head to head
About

iShala

This app provides accompaniment for Indian classical music practice, offering customizable tanpuras, tablas, and other instruments. It includes a vast library of rhythmic cycles and ragas, with advanced features like pitch correction and recording capabilities in its Pro edition.

Highlights
  • Customizable tanpuras and tablas
  • Vast library of ragas and rhythmic cycles
  • Pitch correction for vocal accuracy
  • Manual instrument playing via MIDI keyboard
  • Session recording and loop creation
  • Cloud access to user-created content
Features
Read full description

iShala is an Indian music mobile app that provides flawless accompaniment for classical music practice, be it vocal, instrumental or rhythmic. It comes in 2 Editions: Standard and Pro (previously known as Premium). It features: • 6 Tanpuras (10 on Pro Edition) • 2 Tablas (3 on Pro Edition) • a Swarmandal • a Vibraphone (Pro Edition only) • a Harmonium • 3 Manjeeras (6 on Pro Edition) all fully customisable in practice sessions that can then be loaded on demand. It effectively replaces a tabla machine, a lehra player and an electronic tanpura. It is therefore an ideal tool for anyone practicing Indian classical music, or just wishing to jam along virtual Indian musicians on any other musical style. iShala includes over 60 rhythmic cycles, melodies in more than 110 ragas and 7 different tempos. You can also create your own ragas and fine-tune each of their notes at micro-tones (or shrutis) level. Possible combinations are thus nothing short of endless! iShala initially comes in Standard Edition, but you can upgrade it to Pro Edition through an In-App purchase option. These are one-time payments; whatever the edition you choose, you can use the app forever. Standard Edition has all the features you need for your riyaaz, and more. But Pro Edition adds some really exciting functionality like: • pitch correction: iShala detects the note you are currently singing, along with a coloured meter highlighting whether you are right on pitch or not. This is a precious tool to improve your accuracy. • additional instruments: 4 tanpuras, a low pitch tabla, a vibraphone and 3 manjeeras • manual playing of all instruments: tabla, harmonium, tanpura, swarmandal, vibraphone and manjeera • NEW: plug a MIDI keyboard (USB/Bluetooth) and play any of these instruments through it! • record your own loops • record your practice session: adjust mic/music level, then press REC, sing, press STOP and the audio recording file will be generated for you to listen and share • pull items from the Cloud: download rhythmic and/or melodic cycles posted from SwarShala users directly on your device For more detailed info on features per edition, check the following topic: https://www.swarclassical.com/guides/ishala/topic.php?product=is&id=18 ---- Some sweet words from our users: "Best tanpura app. Concert like. Fully satisfied. I think incomparable with others. Price also reasonable compared to others. Anyone can perform even on stage with this app." "Amazing tool for your daily solo practice. Thanks for this help for music students. Love it, God bless" "This app is best investment for Indian classical musicians. I own this app for almost 4 years and I would say it's value for money. It is best app for riyaz with amazing tabla and tanpura." "After using this app for more than 1 year I am writing genuine review about this app. Wonderful service from the team. Even when I had queries and when I was in need of assistance, they replied through Email and helped me within 10 minutes. App is wonderful which I am using for my music practice, it's helping me a lot. If u are a true music learner, I would recommend this. Thanks a lot to the team members and developers of this IShala app." "Excellent app. Best for riyaz. Fine sounds. Perfectly tuned instruments." "Just one word... Perfect !!" "Excellent App. Wonderful to do Riyaz with this App. Best on the market. Well worth the price. Well done to the developers." FOLLOW US! • facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swarclassical • instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swarclassical • youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SwarClassical

About

iTablaPro Lite

This app provides realistic tabla and tanpura sounds for Indian classical musicians and students. It offers support for numerous taals, a metronome, and a mixer for independent instrument control. Ideal for daily practice and creating a concert atmosphere.

Highlights
  • Realistic tabla and tanpura sounds
  • Support for 47 taals
  • Metronome with common time signatures
  • Tap tempo functionality
  • Full-featured mixer
  • 7-band equalizer
  • Save and export presets
Read full description

Come sit down for a session with our Tabla Pro. Experience virtuoso, realistic tabla playing, and let the fantastic Tanpura sound inspire you to greater heights in your own musical journey! ________________________________________ And the reviews are in: ***** "REAL Tabla Sound!" ***** "Truly Amazing!" ***** "FANTASTIC app for riyaz" ***** "Best app ever, all I can say is WOW" ***** "Finally a first-class app to replace expensive mediocre hardware" ________________________________________ ◆ About iTablaPro Lite ◆ iTablaPro is the first electronic tabla and tanpura that actually sounds like the real thing, ideal for Indian Classical musicians and students. It includes support for all common taals used in Hindustani music, making it the perfect companion for daily riyaz (practice). And the beautiful Tanpura and Swar Mandal create an instant concert atmosphere! NOTE: iTablaPro 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. ________________________________________ √ FIVE fantastic instruments in one app: Tabla, two 5-string Tanpuras, a Sur-Peti (Shruti-Box), plus Manjira all controlled by a single set of pitch controls √ Uses sound samples from actual highest-quality instruments for the most realistic sound √ 47 taals: Ada Chautaal(14), Ardha Jai(6.5), Ardha Jhaptaal(5), Ardha Shikhar(8.5), Ashta Jhaptaal(8.5), Bhajani(8), Chachar(16), Chartal-ki-Sawari(11), Chautaal(12), Dadra(6), Dakshinatya Rupak(6), Deepchandi(14), Dhamar(14), Ektaal(12), Farodust/Firdost(14), Gajamukha(16), Jai(13), Jat(8), Jhampak(5), Jhaptaal(10), Jhoomra(14), Kalawati(9.5), Keherva(8), Matta Taal(9), Moghuli(7), Neel Taal (7.5), Pancham Sawari(15), Pashto(7), Pauri/Paudi(4), Punjabi / Sitarkhani(16), Rudra Taal(11), Rupak(7), Saatva(7),Sadra(10), Sardha Rupak(10.5), Sasthi(6), Shashanka(5.5), Shikhar (17), Shiva Taal(9), Soolfaak(10), Soolfakhta(5), Sooltaal(10), Sunand(9.5), Teentaal(16), Teevra(7), Tilwada(16), Yamuna(5) √ Multiple styles for most taals or use the EXPERT MODE for a more interactive experience √ MANJIRA: Manjira auto-play support for taals used in bhajans such as Bhajani, Keherva and Dadra √ METRONOME: Now includes a metronome with the most common time signatures! √ TAP TEMPO: Just tap out a beat on the lower display and watch the app sync the tempo! √ MIXER: Full-featured mixer to adjust volume and panning of each instrument independently, plus Airplay support. √ 7-BAND EQUALIZER: Customizable 7-band equalizer with presets √ PRESETS: Save your frequently-used combinations as named presets. Includes presets for the 100+ most popular raags. And now you can also export/import presets via email or iTunes File Sharing. √ Includes an option for "Sur" tabla for a more bass tabla sound suitable for vocal music √ Extremely accurate tempo from 10bpm to 700bpm (depending on the taal) √ Wide range of pitch from lower A (A2) through upper E (E4) for one and a half octaves of tuning √ Each taal has different thekas for slow, medium & fast tempos for more natural-sounding accompaniment √ Displays current matra being played as well as the current divisions (Sam, Taali, Khaali, etc.) ________________________________________ NOTE: iTablaPro 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. ________________________________________

Screenshots

iShala4 screens
iTablaPro Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iTablaPro Lite at Free against iShala's $12.99. iTablaPro Lite also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). iShala's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (161 vs 38). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

iTablaPro Lite is free to download; iShala costs $12.99 up front. iShala sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iTablaPro Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iShala holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 161 and 38 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of iShala's written reviews are positive against 41% of iTablaPro Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iShala ships an update every 3 months, iTablaPro Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iShala versus iTablaPro Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriShalaiTablaPro Lite
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (161 ratings) — better2.6 (38 ratings)
Positive reviews42.4% of reviews — better41.0% of reviews
Number of ratings161 — better38
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better12.1
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwar SystemsPrasad Upasani

Customer experience

iShala

All ratings161 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive42.4%
Neutral11.9%
Negative45.8%

iTablaPro Lite

All ratings38 ratings
Positive26.3%
Neutral18.4%
Negative55.3%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive41.0%
Neutral17.9%
Negative41.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iShala

One-time1
  • iShala 5 Pro Edition$9.99
None

iTablaPro Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iShala free?
iShala costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is iTablaPro Lite free?
iTablaPro Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iShala or iTablaPro Lite?
iShala is rated higher. iShala averages 4.6 out of 5 from 161 ratings, while iTablaPro Lite averages 2.6 from 38 ratings.
Do iShala or iTablaPro Lite have ads?
Neither iShala nor iTablaPro Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iShala or iTablaPro Lite?
iShala ships an update every 3 months, and iTablaPro Lite every 3 weeks. Most recently, iShala was updated on October 14, 2026 and iTablaPro Lite on October 13, 2026.

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