Comparison

FunkBox Drum Machine vs Samplr

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

Head to head
About

FunkBox Drum Machine

This app offers a collection of vintage drum machine sounds for composing, recording, and performing music. It allows users to create custom drum kits, edit patterns, and export loops. It's compatible with various iOS devices and integrates with other music apps and hardware.

Highlights
  • Vintage drum machine sounds
  • Compose, record, and play music
  • Create custom drum boxes
  • Edit and create rhythm patterns
  • Export audio and MIDI loops
  • Audiobus 3 and Inter-App Audio support
  • Ableton Link and CoreMIDI sync
Currently charting
Read full description

Funkbox contains all your favorite vintage drum machine sounds in one funky quirky little app! FunkBox is a full featured drum machine that you can use to compose, record and play your songs live. It has been used in the studio by electronic artists such as Gorillaz (on their album “The Fall”) Tom Middleton (Global Communications, Jedi Knights) and Steve Cobby (Fila Brazillia), and also by alternative/indie musicians such as tUnE-yArDs, Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, QOTSA), Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), and Reggie Pace (Bon Iver, No BS Brass). It's also been used on stage by rock/pop musicians such as Joan Osborne and Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) live in concert. Its quirky vintage sounds, ease of use and advanced features have made it popular with many musicians worldwide who use it to make all sorts of different styles of music. FunkBox was featured in Computer Music Magazine's "Amazing Music Apps" special issue and Electronic Musician magazine's "Attack of the Killer Apps" best music tools for the iPad. 

FunkBox 4.0 features: The look, feel, sound and quirks of a classic vintage drum machine. iOS 10 compatible, iPhone 5 retina graphics compatible, iPad retina graphics compatible.
 Universal app that works great on iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Buy it once and you can use it on all your iOS devices. Fourteen classic boxes to choose from, including favorites like the 808, 909, CR-78, LM-2, MRK-2, DX, TOM, and more. 
Create your own custom boxes by mix and matching preset samples, or even import and use your own custom samples. Includes 36 preset rhythm patterns, plus several more bonus banks. Easily edit the included patterns to create your own beats.
 Export your drum loops as audio or midi via email, audio pasteboard, or the iTunes folder. Easily share your custom boxes and patterns via email with your friends, or between your devices. Use Audiobus 3 and Inter-App Audio to exchange live audio with other apps. 
Use Ableton Link or CoreMIDI to sync up with “real” music equipment or other music apps, multi-tasking in the background or on other nearby iOS devices. 
Use the bonus MIDI bass sequencer to play a bassline along with your beat using another iOS app or a “real” hardware synth! 
…and lots more. Need some old school beats? Grab yourself some funk in a box.

About

Samplr

This app offers a unique multitouch interface for exploring and manipulating audio samples. Create music through various play modes, record gestures for sequencing, and experiment with audio effects. It's designed for audio experimentation, composition, and live performance.

Highlights
  • 8 distinct play modes (Slicer, Looper, Granular, etc.)
  • Gesture recorder for sequencing
  • Audio input recording and resampling
  • 6 sample slots with 16 voices each
  • 5 per-sample effects (Distortion, Reverb, etc.)
  • Import audio from cloud storage and other apps
Read full description

The app used by renowned musicians like Fred again.., Richard Devine, Apparat, Weval or Matmos live and in the studio. Samplr introduced a brand new way to make music, only possible on multitouch devices. Explore the samples melody and texture using the different play modes and create compositions with the gesture recorder. Samplr is the ideal tool for audio experimentation, music composition and live performance. USER REVIEWS “The most profound audio manipulation tool on iOS” 5 stars “There is NOTHING on the market hardware or software like this” 5 stars “Stunningly beautiful interface and exceptionally easy to use” 5 stars “This is the most musical app I've ever used. It's polished, it's musical, it's fun, it's inspiring” 5 stars “It’s the best realization of what touch screen sampling should be” 5 stars FEATURES • 8 play modes: Slicer, Looper, Granular, Tape, Scratch, Arpeggiator, Keyboard and Loop Player • Gesture recorder for sequencing • Audio input recording and resampling • 6 sample slots (x16 voices) • 5 effects per sample: Distortion, Filter, Amplitude Modulator, Feedback Delay and Reverb COMPATIBILITY • Ableton Link • MIDI Keyboard, Controller and Sync input • IAA (Inter-App Audio) • Audiobus Input and Output • WAV and AIFF file support • Import files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, AudioShare, etc Learn more and see how it works on samplr.net. For feedback or support please reach out to support@samplr.net

Screenshots

FunkBox Drum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FunkBox Drum Machine at $4.99 against Samplr's $19.99. FunkBox Drum Machine also leads on chart position (#199 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Samplr's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.2). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

FunkBox Drum Machine costs $4.99 and Samplr $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Samplr holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 69 and 149 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of FunkBox Drum Machine's written reviews are positive against 79% of Samplr's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FunkBox Drum Machine ships an update every 2 months, Samplr every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and July 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
FunkBox Drum Machine versus Samplr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFunkBox Drum MachineSamplr
Price$4.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.2 (69 ratings)4.7 (149 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better79.5% of reviews
Number of ratings69149 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#199 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS9.3 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynthetic Bits, LLCMarcos Alonso

Customer experience

FunkBox Drum Machine

All ratings69 ratings
Positive81.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews178 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral8.4%
Negative10.7%

Samplr

All ratings149 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews404 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral7.2%
Negative13.4%

User reviews

FunkBox Drum Machine

From 69 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent little classic drum machine with sequencer
  • 👍 Great for messing around with some beats offline
  • 👍 Usability and interface are superb (even moreso on an iPad)
  • 👍 Samples sound good
  • 👍 Fun, fast and simple keep inspiration at the forefront

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes whenever trying to open settings
  • 🐛 App won't close, have to reboot every time
  • 🐛 Saving patterns not working, crashes
  • 🐛 Cannot access the settings, puts me back to Home Screen
  • 🐛 Midi is a pain, always asks about Bluetooth, doesn't stay set

Samplr

From 149 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and responsive interface
  • 🎨 Powerful sample manipulation capabilities
  • 🎶 Excellent for live performance and sound design
  • 💰 Great value for the price
  • 🎉 Inspiring and creative app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Lack of audio import/export options
  • 🔀 Difficulty with sample organization and management
  • 🔇 Missing features like panning, MIDI support, and AUv3

Bugs and requests

FunkBox Drum Machine

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 7 for iPhone 5s
  • Presets disappearing after update, unable to load saved banks

Requested features

11 requests
  • Please refresh and update the app a bit
  • Add ability to customize drum sounds beyond just volume and panning
  • Implement copy/paste functionality for sequences
  • Allow programming in 3/4 time signature
  • Add ability to adjust the pitch and tuning of drum sounds
Show 6 more
  • Implement song mode to chain patterns together
  • Add ability to export each instrument as a separate WAV file
  • Implement Ableton Link support
  • Add ability to adjust the speed of the roll button
  • Implement more effects and sound manipulation options
  • Add a drop-down list for recalling presets instead of individual buttons

Samplr

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recording functionality not working as expected
  • Dropbox integration causing crashes
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Implement Ableton Link for better sync
  • Add support for more audio file formats
  • Improve sample import/export workflow
  • Introduce a more robust sequencing and automation system
  • Provide multi-channel audio output

In-app purchases

None

FunkBox Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

None

Samplr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FunkBox Drum Machine free?
FunkBox Drum Machine costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Samplr free?
Samplr costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FunkBox Drum Machine or Samplr?
Samplr is rated higher. FunkBox Drum Machine averages 4.2 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while Samplr averages 4.7 from 149 ratings.
Do FunkBox Drum Machine or Samplr have ads?
Neither FunkBox Drum Machine nor Samplr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FunkBox Drum Machine or Samplr?
FunkBox Drum Machine ships an update every 2 months, and Samplr every 3 months. Most recently, FunkBox Drum Machine was updated on September 30, 2026 and Samplr on July 25, 2026.

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