Comparison

SOUNDBOKS vs Koala Sampler

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

Head to head
About

SOUNDBOKS

Control your speaker's sound with customizable profiles and EQ settings. Link multiple speakers for a powerful audio experience and fine-tune inputs for professional use. Manage speaker energy levels, colors, and security with this comprehensive app.

Highlights
  • Customizable sound profiles
  • Adjustable EQ settings
  • Link multiple speakers (TeamUp)
  • ProPanel for input fine-tuning
  • Energy level and color control
  • Speaker PIN-code protection
  • Firmware upgrades
Features
Read full description

Sound Profiles & Stereo Roles Pick between different sound profiles to find the right sound for your vibe. Change stereos roles for surround sound setups. Custom EQs Want more bass? Need to tweak the treble? The power is at your fingertips. There’s no limit on how many you can create. TeamUp & SKAA Pro Mode Link up to five Soundboks to create DIY sound systems and unlimited Lightboks* for immersive atmospheres. You can rely on SKAA Pro’s audio quality and latency to come in clutch. Pro Panel & Performance Modes Does your mic need more volume? Mixer sounding thin? Use the ProPanel’s performance modes to fine-tune your inputs. Energy Levels & Mirroring Choose between four energy levels to fit your mood and control the effects. Mirror multiple Lightboks to create more immersive lightshows. FXPad & Uplight FXPad’s four real time effects add extra energy to the lights. Uplight’s constant glow fills your space with ambient light. Color Palettes Either choose between 10 curated color palettes or create your own for ultimate atmosphere control. PIN-Code & Session Lock Set your pin to protect your Soundboks or Lightboks from gate crashers. Session lock the physical control panel to freeze volume, connection, and more. Firmware Upgrades Get firmware upgrades direct to your app and keep your product tip top. In-App Feedback Form Something playing up? Take a screenshot to trigger the feedback from and tell us how we can help. *subject to environment

About

Koala Sampler

This app allows you to record sounds with your phone's microphone, transform them with effects, and create beats and tracks. Its intuitive interface focuses on a fast and fun music-making process.

Highlights
  • Record up to 64 samples with mic
  • Apply 16 built-in effects
  • Load and use own samples
  • Create beats with high-resolution sequencer
  • Export loops and tracks as WAV
  • AI sample separation
  • AUv3 and MIDI compatibility
Features
Read full description

Koala is the ultimate pocket-sized sampler. Record anything with your phone's mic or load your own sounds. Use Koala to create beats with those samples, add effects and create a track! Koala's super intuitive interface helps you make a track in a flash - there is no brake pedal. You can also resample the output of the app back into the input, through the effects, so the sonic possibilities are endless. Koala's design focuses totally on making the music-making process instant, keeping you in the flow and keeping it fun, not getting bogged down by pages of parameters and micro-editing. "Been putting that $4 koala sampler to good use lately. Undeniably great tool that puts some of these expensive beat boxes to shame. A must cop." -- flying lotus, twitter * Record up to 64 different samples with your mic * Transform your voice or any other sound with 16 superb built-in fx * Load your own samples * Choose from one of 250 built-in sounds * Resample the output of the app back into a new sample * Export loops or entire tracks as professional quality WAV files * Direct export to Ableton Live Set * Copy/paste or merge sequences just by dragging them * Create beats with the high-resolution sequencer * Import samples from the Files app or even from videos * Keyboard mode lets you play chromatically or one of 9 scales * Quantize, add swing to get the right feel * Normal/One-shot/Loop/Reverse playback of samples * 6 Choke groups * Attack, release and tone adjustable on each sample * Mute/Solo controls and note repeat * Add any (or all) of the 16 effects to the entire mix * AUv3 compatible - use in GarageBand, Logic, Cubasis etc etc * MIDI controllable - play your samples on a keyboard, map the effects to knobs * Jam with others over WiFi with Ableton Link * Free copy of Ableton Live Lite included * AudioShare compatible * Use AI to separate samples into individual instruments (drums, bass, vocals and other) * Set your own background image and choose from a growing list of background visual FX 8 Built-in Microphone FX: * More Bass * More Treble * Fuzz * Robot * Reverb * Octave up * Octave down * Synthesizer 16 Built-in DJ Mix FX: * Bit-crusher * Pitch-shift * Comb filter * Ring modulator * Reverb * Stutter * Gate * Resonant High/Low Pass Filters * Cutter * Reverse * Dub * Tempo Delay * Talkbox * VibroFlange * Dirty * Compressor Features included in SAMURAI In-App Purchase * Pro-quality Timestretch (5 modes: Modern, Retro, Beats, Re-pitch and Cyclic) * Piano roll editor * Auto-chop (auto, equal, and lazy chop) * 3 Band EQ * Pocket operator sync out * Quokka Synth - powerhouse polyphonic synthesizer * MIDI Out - control external MIDI hardware with Koala's sequencer * Chopper - multimodal sample chopping instrument Features included in MIXER In-App Purchase * Mix your beats professionally with a 4 channel mixer + main bus * Route any sample to any channel * Mute/solo, faders and accurate metering on every channel * 5 effect slots per channel * 29 high-quality effects - compressors, filters, phasers and more, with new effects to come * Host AUv3 plugins - both audio effects and instruments

Screenshots

SOUNDBOKS4 screens
Koala Sampler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SOUNDBOKS at Free against Koala Sampler's $4.99. SOUNDBOKS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8). Koala Sampler's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (88% vs 61%). On update cadence, ads 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

SOUNDBOKS is free to download; Koala Sampler costs $4.99 up front. Koala Sampler sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. SOUNDBOKS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Koala Sampler holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 352 and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of SOUNDBOKS's written reviews are positive against 88% of Koala Sampler's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SOUNDBOKS ships an update every 2 weeks, Koala Sampler every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
SOUNDBOKS versus Koala Sampler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSOUNDBOKSKoala Sampler
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.4 (352 ratings)4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews88.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3521.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#4 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.414.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSOUNDBOKSMazbox Limited

Customer experience

SOUNDBOKS

All ratings352 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative13.4%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral15.7%
Negative23.5%

Koala Sampler

All ratings1,411 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews597 reviews
Positive88.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative7.4%

Bugs and requests

SOUNDBOKS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Koala Sampler

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Samples not loading or disappearing after app updates
  • Sequencer timing and quantization issues
  • Crashes when using certain features or with large projects

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to record and edit MIDI sequences
  • More comprehensive effects and sound processing tools
  • Improved sample management and organization features
  • Support for external MIDI controllers and hardware integration
  • Customizable color schemes and UI themes

In-app purchases

None

SOUNDBOKS

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Koala Sampler

One-time8
  • Koala AUv3 Plugin$1.99
  • Ese-O's Sample Pack$2.99
  • Solar Studies Samplepack$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Soon Come Dub Sample Pack$2.99
  • Analog Astronaut Samplepack$2.99
  • Cirrus Cuts Sample Pack$2.99
  • Samurai Edition$3.99
  • Mixer$4.99

Questions

Is SOUNDBOKS free?
SOUNDBOKS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Koala Sampler free?
Koala Sampler costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler?
Koala Sampler is rated higher. SOUNDBOKS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 352 ratings, while Koala Sampler averages 4.8 from 1.4K ratings.
Do SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler have ads?
Neither SOUNDBOKS nor Koala Sampler shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler?
SOUNDBOKS ships an update every 2 weeks, and Koala Sampler every 3 weeks. Most recently, SOUNDBOKS was updated on September 25, 2026 and Koala Sampler on September 25, 2026.

Other comparisons