Comparison

Sivudesa vs Hiru StepUp

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

Head to head
About

Sivudesa

This app provides essential tools for Sri Lankans, including a user-friendly Sinhala keyboard with enhanced layouts, a Sri Lankan calendar for scheduling, a note-taking feature, and an English-to-Sinhala dictionary.

Highlights
  • Enhanced Sinhala keyboard (Wijesekara & Singlish layouts)
  • Sri Lankan calendar and diary with reminders
  • Note-taking for ideas and to-do lists
  • English to Sinhala dictionary
  • Customizable keyboard themes
  • Sinhala speech-to-text (premium)
Features
Read full description

Sivudesa Made for Sri Lankans ------------------------- Sivudesa is your go-to mobile solution, offering a range of tools to keep you connected, informed, and productive. Key Features: ** Sinhala Keyboard: Seamlessly type in Sinhala with our user-friendly custom keyboard, designed for fast and accurate input, featuring the two best Sinhala typing layouts available in the App Store. ** Sri Lankan Calendar & Diary: Manage your schedule, set reminders, and easily track important events. ** Notebook: Jot down ideas, to-do lists, or anything important with our easy-to-use note-taking feature. ** Dictionary: English to Sinhala dictionary. Sinhala Keyboard --------------- *** Enhanced Wijesekara layout *** The Wijesekara layout in the Sinhala keyboard is an enhanced & highly optimised version of the traditional Wijesekara layout. We have focused on designing a `user-friendly` and `easier to use` Wijesekara layout, and our Wijesekara layout will maximize & simplify your Sinhala typing experience with much fewer typing errors. ‣ type `pilla` twice to get the longer `pilla` (no need to use the shift button to move to the shifted layout) ‣ long press for `Murdhaja` letter ‣ tap & hold the space bar to move the cursor ‣ auto-remove partial vowels or letters *** Enhanced Singlish layout *** Singlish is a transliteration layout for people who like to type Sinhala with equivalent English letter sounds. This is the most popular layout on our keyboard with a superior Sinhala typing experience. This layout is much easier and faster to use, and anyone can type without any prior experience. We have optimised and enhanced the performance of this layout with a completely redesigned Unicode rendering and a powerful text building engine. ‣ ability to type normal socially accepted phonetic sounds without memorising new & complicated key combinations. ‣ phonetic letter suggestion for faster typing [eg. D will suggest all the letters with sounds like D, DH, etc. - this is separate from word suggestions] ‣ letter + H for `Murdhaja` letters [eg. T & TH, P & PH etc] ‣ examples - ng, nd, etc for ganga, sandha - gna, kna, etc gnaanhaya, sinkno - bh, th, nh, etc thuupaaraamaya, bhaarathaya - quick quiz: can you read this `gnaanapaala`, that is how you write it on this keyboard *** English, Emoji & Symbol layouts **** Fully featured layouts for English, Emoji & Symbols *** Special features **** ‣ long-press on any key to change the cursor position ‣ smart Unicode rendering (insert valid full Unicode characters without dangling/partial vowel symbols) ‣ double-tap on the spacebar for the period (dot) symbol ‣ double-tap on the period (dot) key for the comma symbol ‣ double-tap on the `pilla` symbol to get `longer pills` (e.g., double-tap on Papilla to get Longer Papilla) *** Customizable themes *** ‣ Many pre-defined or fully customizable themes are completely free *** Advanced Features *** ‣ Sinhala speech-to-text in the base app (premium feature) - Unfortunately, we cannot integrate this module with the keyboard, due to Apple's restriction on microphone usage within the keyboard layouts. *** Privacy Policy *** User data belongs to the user; we will not collect, share, or sell any kind of data belonging to our users. *** Google Ads *** Our only source of income is showing ads on this app. We use Google Ads for advertising, and Google may ask you to enable user tracking for targeted ads. Please visit our Facebook page for more details, and don't forget to like our page.

About

Hiru StepUp

Features
Read full description

HIRU STEP UP VOTE for the FIRST-ever interactive LIVE dancing reality TV program in ASIA. Another UNIQUE format from HIRU TV that promises to be. The NEXT REVOLUTION of LIVE TELEVISION in Sri Lanka. As for the FIRST TIME ever, the audience will watch a live television dancing show with LIVE VOTING as it Happens, when it Happens! A breakthrough free app allows the audience to vote in real time for their favorite dancers. Hiru Step-Up features a cast of celebrity Super Judge & Experts and ELEVATES the VIEWERS at home to be the JUDGES.

Screenshots

Sivudesa4 screens
Hiru StepUp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hiru StepUp at none against Sivudesa's 3. Hiru StepUp also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sivudesa sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Hiru StepUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sivudesa ships an update every 2 weeks, Hiru StepUp every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sivudesa versus Hiru StepUp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSivudesaHiru StepUp
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (30 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings30 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRajeev PrasadLotus Technologies

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Sivudesa

One-time3
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Speech to Text (Three days)$2.99
  • Speech to Text (One month)$10.99
None

Hiru StepUp

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sivudesa free?
Sivudesa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hiru StepUp free?
Hiru StepUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sivudesa or Hiru StepUp have ads?
Sivudesa shows ads; Hiru StepUp does not.
Which is updated more often, Sivudesa or Hiru StepUp?
Sivudesa ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hiru StepUp every 9 days. Most recently, Sivudesa was updated on October 26, 2026 and Hiru StepUp on October 27, 2026.

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