Outgrowth vs Tāl Chakra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Outgrowth
This app is a sample-based instrument designed for creative audio manipulation. It offers five unique engines for processing samples and five audio effects for sound shaping, with extensive modulation capabilities. Explore a vast library of presets and samples to reimagine your audio.
- Sample processing engines (Stem, Retain, Reflect, Radiate, Delve)
- Audio effects (Subvert, Submerge, Strike, Ripple, Smear)
- Robust modulation matrix
- MPE compatibility
- 100+ presets and 200+ samples
- Preset system
Read full descriptionHide full description
Outgrowth is a sample-based instrument built collaboratively by Aqeel Aadam Sound and BlankFor.ms. Designed with creativity, flexibility, and performance in mind, Outgrowth provides unique, multifaceted ways to reimagine audio with your mouse or keyboard. MPE compatible. Includes 100+ presets and 200+ samples built by BlankFor.ms. Outgrowth features five unique engines for processing samples: - Stem: A basic one-shot style player that repitches the sample - Retain: A granular stretching engine that sustains the sample indefinitely - Reflect: A looping algorithm that loops the sample at a consistent rate across all pitches - Radiate: An additive resynthesizer that maps each harmonic of the sample to a sine wave oscillator - Delve: A wavetable synthesizer in which the sample becomes the basis for a completely unique wavetable Outgrowth also features five standout audio effects for shaping your sounds further: - Subvert: A unique shaper that flattens or inverts the sample’s volume - Submerge: A singular effect for adding dimensional realism to sample repitching - Strike: A dynamic control for adding an acoustic-like response to sample playback and performance - Ripple: A one-knob tape emulation handcrafted by BlankFor.ms that can be subtle, deconstructive, and anywhere in between - Smear: A pre-ADSR reverb for congealing notes and blurring boundaries between pitch and texture And further still, Outgrowth offers a robust modulation matrix for generative or performative control over all parameters. Control every single parameter within Outgrowth via LFOs, unique random sources, velocity, note pitch, aftertouch, MPE control, and more. Finally, Outgrowth offers a robust preset system, including more than 50 bespoke presets and over 100 samples by BlankFor.ms. Explore ethereal ambient pads, haunted lofi keys, shimmering tape-infused plucks, gnarled percussive textures, and more.
Tāl Chakra
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your guru draws a circle on the board, marks the beats, claps the vibhags, and suddenly the taal makes sense. Tāl Chakra puts that moment in your pocket. This is not a tabla machine. It is an interactive guide to the rhythmic architecture of Hindustani classical music. Each taal is drawn as a circle (the way musicians have understood rhythm for centuries) and brought to life with real tabla recordings, animated playback, and tools that let you take the structure apart and put it back together. 16 TĀLS, ONE CIRCLE From the 6-beat Dādrā to the 16-beat Tīntāl and the rare 14-beat Ārā Chautāl, each taal plays with studio-recorded tabla samples across three dynamic layers. Watch the bead travel the cycle, hear each bol as it lands, and build an intuitive sense of the rhythm that no metronome click can give you. X-RAY MODE Peel back the layers of any taal. Concentric rings reveal vibhāg groupings, tālī and khālī accents, and mātrā positions side by side. See instantly why Rūpak feels nothing like Jhaptāl, even though they are only one beat apart. Compare two tāls with the same beat count by crossfading between them. LAYKĀRĪ LAB Practice subdivisions against a running cycle. Choose from nine ratios: from barābar (1:1) up through sātgun (7:1), plus the fractional cross-rhythms kuāḍ and āḍ. Colour-coded chips group the ratios into three families. Tap Auto and the app cycles through whichever family your current ratio belongs to, advancing one step per full taal cycle, the way your guru would push your speed in a lesson. Watch the subdivision dots appear between the beats and hear a second layer play against the taal. TIHĀĪ BUILDER Compose three-phrase cadences that resolve on sam. Set the starting beat, phrase length, and gap, then watch three coloured arcs draw themselves around the circle in real time. Green means it lands. Red means it doesn't. Tap play to hear your tihāī against the running taal, and feel the resolution when the third phrase hits sam. Includes 48 classic preset patterns across the tāl library, tailored to each rhythmic cycle. TEMPO LAB AND PERFORMANCE MAP Explore the relationship between tempo and density across five laya zones, from Ati Vilambit to Ati Drut. Then zoom out with the Performance Map to see how rhythm lives inside a full rāg performance: from the unmeasured ālāp, through the gathering intensity of the gat sections, to the climactic final cadence. BUILT FOR SERIOUS PRACTICE A tanpura drone in all 12 keys gives your practice a tonal anchor. Haptic pulses mark sam or every beat, so you can close your eyes and still feel the cycle. A session counter tracks completed cycles and elapsed time. A glossary of 50+ terms with Devanāgarī script helps you learn the vocabulary alongside the music. Designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tāl Chakra at $11.99 against Outgrowth's $19.99. Tāl Chakra also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Outgrowth's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Outgrowth costs $19.99 and Tāl Chakra $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Outgrowth ships an update every 3 weeks, Tāl Chakra weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Outgrowth | Tāl Chakra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $11.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (20 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aqeel Aadam | TheMM |
In-app purchases
Outgrowth
No in-app purchases
Tāl Chakra
No in-app purchases









