Comparison

Dharma Seed vs Buddhability

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

Buddhability

Access daily inspiration, guided Buddhist chanting, and an AI-powered chat for Buddhist wisdom. Engage in courses, challenges, and connect with friends to support your personal growth journey.

Highlights
  • Daily inspiration and wisdom
  • Guided Buddhist chanting with progress tracking
  • AI-powered Buddhist Q&A
  • Social features for friends and encouragement
  • Courses and challenges for personal development
Features
Read full description

DAILY INSPIRATION Discover 300+ words of inspiration and wisdom to power your day. In a world where each day brings a new set of challenges, dive into your daily routine with hope and bravery. You can also read, watch or listen to a community of Buddhists sharing their stories whether it be about relationships, money or jobs. GUIDED BUDDHIST CHANTING & PERSONAL GOALS Receive guided Buddhist chanting at the best speed for you, whether that’s slow, medium or ideal. You can start or finish your chanting at any time along with an audio guide of how to do it. You can set personal and chanting goals to track your progress and see the positive impact chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can have in your daily life. ASK BUDDHABILITY Don’t know where to start? Just “Ask Buddhability” and our AI-powered chat will source from our 500+ library of materials any answers to your questions from a Buddhist perspective. TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS Buddhability is more fun with friends! So, invite your friends to do challenge together or just send each other encouragement as you strive toward your personal and chanting goals. COURSES & CHALLENGES Take your Buddhability journey to the next level with courses and challenges that fit your level and interest. Whether it’s a 30 Day Buddhability Challenge to see how chanting can work for you or “How to Get Unstuck in 10 Days” when you’re feeling in a rut. Whatever it may be, these courses and challenges are here to help you take a step forward. Read the terms and conditions here: https://buddhability.org/terms-conditions/ Read the privacy policy here: https://buddhability.org/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Dharma Seed4 screens
Buddhability4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Dharma Seed at none against Buddhability's shown. Buddhability's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 11 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Buddhability holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 28 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Dharma Seed's written reviews are positive against 78% of Buddhability's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, Buddhability every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dharma Seed versus Buddhability: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDharma SeedBuddhability
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (77 ratings)4.9 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.3% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings77 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB117 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperDharma Seed Tape Library, Inc.Soka Gakkai International - USA

Customer experience

Dharma Seed

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

Buddhability

All ratings28 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral22.2%
Negative0.0%

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

Buddhability

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Dharma Seed

No in-app purchases

None

Buddhability

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dharma Seed free?
Dharma Seed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buddhability free?
Buddhability is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dharma Seed or Buddhability?
Buddhability is rated higher. Dharma Seed averages 4.4 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Buddhability averages 4.9 from 28 ratings.
Do Dharma Seed or Buddhability have ads?
Buddhability shows ads; Dharma Seed does not.
Which is updated more often, Dharma Seed or Buddhability?
Dharma Seed ships an update every 11 months, and Buddhability every 10 days. Most recently, Dharma Seed was updated on October 12, 2026 and Buddhability on October 13, 2026.

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