Comparison

I Ching Lite vs Dharma Seed

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

Head to head
About

I Ching Lite

This app provides access to the ancient Chinese oracle, the Book of Changes, for guidance on life's challenges. It offers an elegant and accessible way to consult its wisdom, helping users find balance, perspective, and peace of mind.

Highlights
  • I Ching consulting tool
  • Complete odd-numbered passages
  • Coin tossing simulation
  • Elegant and easy-to-use interface
  • Access to ancient Chinese wisdom
Features
Read full description

For years the #1 I Ching app in the world, and perhaps the most elegant, distilled version of the I Ching there is. For centuries, the Book of Changes has been consulted for sage advice at life's turning points. When its wisdom is sought with sincerity and sensitivity, this ancient Chinese oracle will promote success and good fortune and impart balance and perspective to your life. Its lasting popularity lies in the profound lessons it teaches about how reliance on one's higher qualities leads to life's greatest rewards: well-being, understanding, and peace of mind.

 Now available as an elegantly designed and easy to use iOS app, it is both highly accessible to new users and a revelation to those long familiar with the text. Throw your own coins, or let the app cast for you, and make the wisdom of the sages your own. This lite version contains the I Ching consulting tool and complete odd-numbered passages. Additional content and emailing feature is available through an In App Purchase. Brian Browne Walker is the author of celebrated contemporary translations of the I Ching, Tao te Ching, Hua hu Ching, and Art of War which are published by Harper and St. Martin's Press and translated into over a dozen languages around the world. His "I Ching, or Book of Changes", long beloved for its clarity and accessibility, has received five star reviews on Amazon consistently for over a decade.

About

Dharma Seed

Access a vast library of dharma talks and guided meditations. Stream content, download for offline listening, and search by keyword or teacher. Support teachers through donations.

Highlights
  • Stream dharma talks and guided meditations
  • Download talks for offline playback
  • Search talks by keyword and teacher
  • Browse recent talks
  • View previously played talks
  • Support teachers via donations
Read full description

Features: • Stream dharma talks and guided meditations • Download your favorite dharma talks for offline playback • Search talk titles and descriptions by keyword • Browse the most recent talks • Find talks by specific teachers • Search a teacher's talks by keyword • View talks you have previously played • View teacher information • Support teachers with your donations Limitations: • Access to talks using a “retreat code” is not supported. Teachers offer their talks via Dharma Seed with the kind intention of dana, or generosity. These teachings are held to be priceless and made available to anyone who is interested, regardless of financial means. It is our deep wish and the wish of the teachers who offer teachings here that this continue. We also want our meditation teachers and Dharma Seed to thrive and continue their good work! To learn how you can offer support, please go to About - Donate in the app, or visit: https://dharmaseed.org/donate We hope you enjoy the app.

Screenshots

I Ching Lite4 screens
Dharma Seed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dharma Seed at none against I Ching Lite's 2. I Ching Lite's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months). On price, review sentiment and ads 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

Both are free to download. I Ching Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Dharma Seed asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

I Ching Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: I Ching Lite has 1.1K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of I Ching Lite's written reviews are positive against 85% of Dharma Seed's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

I Ching Lite ships an update every 3 months, Dharma Seed every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
I Ching Lite versus Dharma Seed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterI Ching LiteDharma Seed
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.1K ratings) — better4.4 (77 ratings)
Positive reviews82.4% of reviews85.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K — better77
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB20 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBrian WalkerDharma Seed Tape Library, Inc.

Customer experience

I Ching Lite

All ratings1,056 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative13.7%

Dharma Seed

All ratings71 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive85.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative8.0%

User reviews

I Ching Lite

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent translation and interpretation
  • 🔍 Insightful and wise guidance
  • 📓 Helpful journaling feature
  • 🔄 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🕰 Useful for daily reflection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes or freezes
  • 💰 Incomplete content without paid upgrade
  • 📱 Font size too small, difficult to read
  • 🔌 Issues with app updates and compatibility

Dharma Seed

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 Vast library of talks
  • 💎 Invaluable resource
  • 🙏 Grateful for free content
  • ✨ Wonderful app
  • 💡 Easy to use interface

Room to improve

  • 🐌 Clunky and antiquated interface
  • 🤔 Lacking modern features
  • 📉 No longer opens
  • 🚫 App not loading
  • 🪲 Faulty tech

Bugs and requests

I Ching Lite

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when trying to save journal entries
  • Paid upgrade not working as expected
  • Inconsistent or incomplete hexagram readings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save and review past journal entries
  • Option to adjust font size and background
  • Support for multiple translations or versions
  • Sharing capabilities to connect with others

Dharma Seed

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Never completes install
  • Stalls at 90%
  • Unable to complete app download
  • No longer opens on iPhone
  • App isn't opening at all
Show 7 more
  • Loading bar stalls halfway
  • Great talks, rubbish app
  • App started interrupting itself with network connection error
  • Trouble loading lately
  • Only two talks on history list after update
  • Latest update frequently cuts out sound
  • Can't access older talks due to iOS 7 update

Requested features

22 requests
  • Add a favorite/like button for talks
  • Support for playlists
  • Follow authors/teachers
  • Transcripts
  • Ability to download talks
Show 17 more
  • Access private talks using retreat codes
  • Listen later feature
  • Playlist tab with '+' symbol
  • Ability to reorder playlists
  • View all talks for a retreat
  • Default talks for beginners
  • Direct ways to contribute dana
  • Privacy policy display
  • Offline mode
  • Dark mode
  • 15-second rewind feature
  • Save/favorite meditations for offline listening
  • History tab for listened talks
  • Android version
  • Caching or downloading to phone
  • Rating system for talks
  • Wishlist/later section

In-app purchases

2 purchases

I Ching Lite

One-time2
  • I Ching: Book of Changes$5.99
  • Wei Wu Wei Ching$5.99
None

Dharma Seed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is I Ching Lite free?
I Ching Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dharma Seed free?
Dharma Seed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, I Ching Lite or Dharma Seed?
I Ching Lite is rated higher. I Ching Lite averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Dharma Seed averages 4.4 from 77 ratings.
Do I Ching Lite or Dharma Seed have ads?
Neither I Ching Lite nor Dharma Seed shows ads.
Which is updated more often, I Ching Lite or Dharma Seed?
I Ching Lite ships an update every 3 months, and Dharma Seed every 11 months. Most recently, I Ching Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and Dharma Seed on September 19, 2026.

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