# Dharma Seed vs SGI

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dharma Seed at 85% against SGI's 50%. Dharma Seed also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.1). SGI's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (744 vs 80). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Dharma Seed holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SGI has 744 ratings behind it against 80, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Dharma Seed's written reviews are positive against 50% of SGI's.

Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, SGI every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dharma Seed | SGI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dharma-seed/id507779665/reviews)** | [4.1 (744 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sgi-usa/id1158895738/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 80 | **744** |
| Positive reviews | **85.3% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Dharma Seed Tape Library, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/507779668) | [Soka Gakkai International - USA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1158895737) |

## What reviewers say

### Dharma Seed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dharma-seed/id507779665)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Never completes install
- Stalls at 90%
- Unable to complete app download
- No longer opens on iPhone
- App isn't opening at all

**Requested features**

- Add a favorite/like button for talks
- Support for playlists
- Follow authors/teachers
- Transcripts
- Ability to download talks


### SGI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sgi-usa/id1158895738)

Support your daily Buddhist practice with tools for chanting, recitation, and goal tracking. Find local facilities and access Buddhist resources.

**Highlights:** Chanting calculator with target tracking, Audio guide for daily recitation, Goal setting and progress monitoring, SGI-USA facility locator, Links to World Tribune website

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for practice
- 🚀 Comprehensive app with many features
- 💡 Ability to chant with audio
- 💡 Access to publications and study materials
- 👍 Great for beginners and experienced users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
- 🔒 Login issues and need to log in frequently
- 🔋 Timer/stopwatch issues when phone is locked or app is closed
- 👎 Slow chanting/gongyo speed options
- 👎 Difficulty navigating and finding content

**Reported bugs**

- Daimoku count not updating accurately
- Writings of Nichiren Daishonin not loading
- Crashes or freezes when using certain features
- Incorrect or outdated content displayed

**Requested features**

- Ability to adjust chanting/gongyo speed
- Seamless looping of chanting audio
- Sync daimoku counts across devices
- More customization options (e.g. font size, themes)
- Improved navigation and organization of content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dharma Seed free?

Dharma Seed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SGI free?

SGI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dharma Seed or SGI?

Dharma Seed is rated higher. Dharma Seed averages 4.4 out of 5 from 80 ratings, while SGI averages 4.1 from 744 ratings.

### Do Dharma Seed or SGI have ads?

Neither Dharma Seed nor SGI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dharma Seed or SGI?

Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, and SGI every 4 months. Most recently, Dharma Seed was updated on November 6, 2026 and SGI on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*