Koala Sampler vs Band Mine Underground
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Band Mine Underground
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You know that feeling when someone plays you a band you've never heard of and it immediately becomes your favorite? Band Mine Underground exists to give you that feeling every day. Drop any seed into the search box — an artist you love, a genre, a city, a decade, a vibe — and our AI digs deep into the crates. In seconds you get five real, obscure, under-the-radar artists curated specifically around your seed. Every result comes with context: where they're from, what era they belong to, why a fan of your seed would love them, and their best tracks. DISCOVER DIFFERENTLY • Search by artist, genre, city, region, era, or any combination • "70s Detroit soul", "shoegaze", "Scandinavian jazz" — it all works • 5 obscure picks every dig, with full artist context • Dig deeper from any result to follow a thread down the rabbit hole EARN YOUR DIGS • Start with 3 free Digs the moment you open the app • Earn 1 free Dig every day just by coming back • Watch a short optional ad for 3 bonus Digs instantly • No subscription. No paywall. Just music. SAVE WHAT YOU LOVE • Star your favourite artists and access them any time • Rate bands with thumbs up or down to track your taste • Connect Spotify to save artists and tracks directly to your library • Search across everything you've ever discovered YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE Band Mine Underground doesn't build a profile on you. Your favorites, ratings, and discovery history are stored locally and never leave your phone. If you care about music — really care — Band Mine Underground will find you bands that change everything. Start digging. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Band Mine Underground at Free against Koala Sampler's $4.99. Band Mine Underground also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7). Koala Sampler's advantage is chart position (#9 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Band Mine Underground is free to download; Koala Sampler costs $4.99 up front. Koala Sampler sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Band Mine Underground asks for nothing beyond the download.
Koala Sampler ships an update fortnightly, Band Mine Underground every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Koala Sampler | Band Mine Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #9 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mazbox Limited | RONALD LOUIS JONES JR |
Bugs and 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
Band Mine Underground
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Koala Sampler
- Ese-O's Sample Pack$2.99
- Solar Studies Samplepack$2.99
- Soon Come Dub Sample Pack$2.99
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- Analog Astronaut Samplepack$2.99
- Cirrus Cuts Sample Pack$2.99
- Samurai Edition$3.99
- Mixer$4.99
Band Mine Underground
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Koala Sampler free?
Is Band Mine Underground free?
Do Koala Sampler or Band Mine Underground have ads?
Which is updated more often, Koala Sampler or Band Mine Underground?
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