# Dharma Seed vs Alan Watts

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dharma Seed | Alan Watts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dharma-seed/id507779665/reviews) | **[4.7 (152 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 77 | **152** |
| Positive reviews | 85.3% of reviews | **87.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 20 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dharma Seed Tape Library, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/507779668) | [Electronic Educational Programs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679927720) |

## 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


### Alan Watts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alan-watts/id6446987890)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alan Watts Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Alan Watts Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Alan Watts - 199 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 799 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 1599 | $15.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 2299 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 3399 | $33.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 5999 | $59.99 | one-time |
| Alan Watts - 6499 | $64.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙌 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- App stops working when phone is locked
- Issues with account access and renewal

**Requested features**

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


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