Comparison

Dharma Seed vs Alan Watts

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

Head to head
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.

About

Alan Watts

Explore the profound wisdom of a renowned philosopher and spiritual teacher. Access a vast, curated collection of remastered talks, lectures, and exclusive content for personal growth and self-discovery. Listen offline and track your progress through a comprehensive library.

Highlights
  • Remastered audio talks
  • Extensive streaming collection
  • Exclusive content access
  • Offline listening
  • Mark talks as completed
Features
Read full description

Dive into the wisdom of one of the most influential thinkers of our time with the Alan Watts app, presented by the official Alan Watts Org. Whether interested in philosophy, meditation, spirituality, or self-discovery, this app is the perfect resource for your personal journey. We've thoughtfully curated rare content and re-mastered old favorites to create the most authentic collection of Alan Watts' content available anywhere. Stream our vast collection of Alan Watts' talks, lectures, and seminars. The Alan Watts app lets you access Alan's wisdom wherever you go! Features: - Classic and Remastered Audio: We've restored and remastered your favorite Alan Watts content for a totally fresh experience. - Most Comprehensive Streaming Collection: Explore the most extensive collection of Alan Watts' talks and public lectures, streaming anywhere. - Exclusive Content: Access rare Alan Watts content exclusively available on the app. - Offline Listening: Download talks and listen anytime, anywhere, without needing an internet connection. - Mark Talks as Completed: Easily flag which recordings you've finished, helping you track your journey through Alan's library. To access all features and content you can subscribe to Alan Watts on a monthly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. *All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://app.audiorista.com/pages/terms/4483/ Privacy Policy: https://app.audiorista.com/pages/privacy/4483/

Screenshots

Dharma Seed4 screens
Alan Watts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dharma Seed at none against Alan Watts's 9. Alan Watts's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Alan Watts sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Dharma Seed asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alan Watts holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 152 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Dharma Seed's written reviews are positive against 87% of Alan Watts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, Alan Watts every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Dharma Seed versus Alan Watts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDharma SeedAlan Watts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (77 ratings)4.7 (152 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.3% of reviews87.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings77152 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS26.115.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB60 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperDharma Seed Tape Library, Inc.Electronic Educational Programs Inc.

Customer experience

Dharma Seed

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

Alan Watts

All ratings152 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative8.4%

User reviews

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

Alan Watts

From 152 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙌 Excellent collection of Alan Watts content
  • 👍 User-friendly app design
  • 🔍 Genuine, non-AI recordings
  • 💾 Ability to download talks for offline listening
  • 🗓️ Tracking of listened content

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription-based model, some users prefer one-time purchase
  • 🔍 Confusing UI for favoriting/downloading talks
  • 🔧 Lack of customer support responsiveness
  • 🔀 Automatic playback of next talk not working
  • 🔒 Locked access to previously purchased content

Bugs and requests

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

Alan Watts

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App stops working when phone is locked
  • Issues with account access and renewal

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search by summary/topic functionality
  • Implement a queue system for playlisting
  • Provide an annual subscription plan
  • Improve UI cues for played/unplayed content

In-app purchases

None

Dharma Seed

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Alan Watts

Subscriptions2
  • Alan Watts Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Alan Watts Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time7
  • Alan Watts - 199$1.99
  • Alan Watts - 799$7.99
  • Alan Watts - 1599$15.99
Show 4 more
  • Alan Watts - 2299$22.99
  • Alan Watts - 3399$33.99
  • Alan Watts - 5999$59.99
  • Alan Watts - 6499$64.99

Questions

Is Dharma Seed free?
Dharma Seed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alan Watts free?
Alan Watts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dharma Seed or Alan Watts?
Alan Watts is rated higher. Dharma Seed averages 4.4 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Alan Watts averages 4.7 from 152 ratings.
Do Dharma Seed or Alan Watts have ads?
Neither Dharma Seed nor Alan Watts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dharma Seed or Alan Watts?
Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, and Alan Watts every 4 months. Most recently, Dharma Seed was updated on September 19, 2026 and Alan Watts on August 26, 2026.

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