SOUNDBOKS vs Koala Sampler
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
SOUNDBOKS ships an update every 2 weeks, Koala Sampler every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | SOUNDBOKS | Koala Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (352 ratings) | 4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.9% of reviews | 88.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 352 | 1.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #4 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 94 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SOUNDBOKS | Mazbox Limited |
Customer experience
SOUNDBOKS
Koala Sampler
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
SOUNDBOKS
No in-app purchases
Koala Sampler
- Koala AUv3 Plugin$1.99
- Ese-O's Sample Pack$2.99
- Solar Studies Samplepack$2.99
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- 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?
Is Koala Sampler free?
Which has better reviews, SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler?
Do SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler have ads?
Which is updated more often, SOUNDBOKS or Koala Sampler?
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