Isotope MIDI Keyboard vs TAIL Sampler
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Isotope MIDI Keyboard
This app offers an intuitive and accessible way to play music and learn music theory. Its unique isomorphic grid layout simplifies chord playing and understanding note relationships, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced musicians.
- Isomorphic grid layout for intuitive playing
- Built-in Element sound engine
- Audio Unit v3 plugin support
- MIDI and MIDI over Bluetooth connectivity
- Velocity-based touch and accelerometer input
- Customizable themes and layouts
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Isotope is an isomorphic MIDI keyboard app for iOS. Isotope makes playing music fun and intuitive, while also making music theory more accessible. Unlike traditional keyboard, Isotope's isomorphic grid layout is based on mathematical and geometrical properties of sound itself. When you play it, it's much more intuitive. When you want to learn about music, it shows how notes relate to one another. # Isomorphic Keyboard - If the interval stays the same, the form of your hand stays the same. For instance, when you put your first finger on the C, third finger on the E and the second finger on the G, it's the C major chord. Now that your fingers are in a triangle, if you just go up by one row, now it becomes the F major chord. - Square-based isomorphic keyboards like Isotope resembles stringed instruments tuned in perfect 4th apart from one string to the next. Therefore, if you have an experience in playing stringed instruments like the guitar, the bass, the violin, or the cello, you will get learn to play Isotope quickly. # Element - Built-in Sound Engine for Isotope - Available as an Audio Unit v3 plugin - Element has a versatile sound characteristics resembles double bass and bass guitars in the lower range, electric piano in the mid range and woodwind in the higher frequency range. # Connectivity - Supports MIDI (Garageband, Drambo, FL Studio Mobile etcs.) - MIDI over Bluetooth (For connecting Isotope to your computers / or any other devices that support MIDI over Bluetooth) # Usability - Multi-window and Slide Over support on iPadOS - Velocity based on touch area and accelerometer - 3rd party Audio Unit instrument plugins # Customizability - Row Interval adjustment - Fully customizable themes - Resizable buttons / app windows
TAIL Sampler
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Record a sound. Chop it. Spread it across 128 pads and sequence it into a beat. All of it with no noticeable lag. TAIL Sampler is a one-time purchase. No subscription, no ads, no account, no feature locked behind a second payment. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Record anything — your voice, an instrument, a record, a field recording, any sound around you. • Chop and slice — trim on the waveform and drag the markers to where the hit actually starts. • 128 pads — 16 per bank, eight banks from A to H. Switching banks never cuts off a sound that is still playing. • Step sequencer — 16 tracks, 16 steps, with swing. Kicks, snares, hats and percussion, and a groove going in seconds. • Tune every pad — pitch, fine tune, attack and envelope, per pad. • Play it live — trigger with your fingers or from an external MIDI controller. • Bounce and export — render a sequence to WAV, or export your pads as WAV with the pitch baked in. • Save your projects — close the app, come back, pick up where you stopped. • Background audio — keep the sound running while you switch apps. Built on a low-latency audio engine, and touch-first: not a desktop interface squeezed onto a small screen. GET STARTED IN SECONDS 1. Record or import a sound. 2. Assign it to a pad. 3. Play. No project setup, no sign-in, no tutorial to sit through. FOR EVERY KIND OF MAKER • Beatmakers — build grooves from your own one-shots and loops. • Producers — capture raw ideas anywhere and refine them later. • Sound designers — record and reshape real-world audio. • Performers — trigger samples live with MIDI. Whether you are sketching on the train, capturing a field recording or playing live, TAIL keeps the workflow short so you stay in the idea.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Isotope MIDI Keyboard at every 2 days against TAIL Sampler's every 5 weeks. TAIL Sampler's advantage is chart position (#187 vs unranked) and price ($4.99 vs $6.99). On ads, in-app purchases, 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
Isotope MIDI Keyboard costs $6.99 and TAIL Sampler $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Isotope MIDI Keyboard ships an update every 2 days, TAIL Sampler every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Isotope MIDI Keyboard | TAIL Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (10 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #187 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jaewon Choi | Solid Grid Systems GmbH |
In-app purchases
Isotope MIDI Keyboard
No in-app purchases
TAIL Sampler
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Isotope MIDI Keyboard free?
Is TAIL Sampler free?
Do Isotope MIDI Keyboard or TAIL Sampler have ads?
Which is updated more often, Isotope MIDI Keyboard or TAIL Sampler?
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