Sampletoy vs Poly 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sampletoy
Capture and manipulate sounds using a unique musical instrument and plaything. This app allows you to record audio, then loop, pitch, and distort it live with multitouch controls. Explore creative sound design with filters, delays, and envelopes, and export your performances as high-quality audio files.
- Capture sounds via microphone
- Live playback, looping, pitching, and distortion
- Multitouch control for up to 5 notes
- Resonant filters, delays, and envelopes
- Stepped and free playback modes
- Record and email performances as WAV files
- Import audio from various sources
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Sampletoy is a radical new musical instrument/plaything; part sampler, part granular synthesiser. Use it to capture sounds through the microphone, then play, loop, pitch and distort them live on the screen. There are plenty of features under the hood, such as resonant filters, delays and envelope. You can enable "stepped" mode to play your sounds like a traditional keyboard, or keep it in "free" mode for some microtonal madness. Once you've recorded a sound, use the main area of the screen to play it back at different pitches (up to 5 fingers at a time). You can crop the sound by dragging a selection over the waveform. The crop area is also multitouch and you can adjust the crop while playing the sound too. The y-axis is pitch of the sound, and the x-axis is configurable to control filters or envelope. You can record your performances on Sampletoy and send them via email within the app as a CD-quality wav file (mono or stereo) FEATURES ------- * Create your own instruments out of any sound. * Email your performances as audio files straight from the app. * Built-in resonant filters, delay and envelope. * Auto-saves current recording and state and recalls it again on next launch. * Stepped mode allows chromatic, major, minor, pentatonic and whole-tone scales to be played. * Totally multitouch - play up to 5 notes at once. * 44kHz/16bit - professional quality sound. * AudioBus3 output * Import any audio file to Sampletoy from Files, Voice memos, DropBox etc * Open non-audio files and hear what they sound like * Bluetooth / Airplay support * Built-in comprehensive manual.
Poly 2
This app generates evolving musical patterns and melodies using polyrhythms. It offers extensive sound manipulation with a sampler, multiple effects, and the ability to store numerous configurations. Users can also import their own sounds and integrate with other music production tools.
- Generative polyrhythm sequencing
- Up to 8 simultaneous sounds
- Sampler with envelopes and filters
- Randomize capabilities
- Built-in delay, reverb, distortion, and EQ FX
- AUv3, Audiobus, and IAA support
- Import custom samples
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Poly 2 is a generative sequencer that creates evolving patterns and melodies based on the power of polyrhythms. Check out the promo video: https://youtu.be/ovCXtBynEkw Features: - Up to 8 different sounds at any time - Store up to 16 different configurations for each project - A sampler that includes envelopes, filters, loop crossfading, an LFO and more - Randomise capabilities - Delay, reverb, distortion and EQ FX - Over 100 samples included for free - 13 premade collections of sounds - 13 example projects - AUv3 support, both MIDI and Audio - Audiobus and IAA - Ableton Link - MIDI notes in / out, MIDI CC in / out and MIDI clock in - Import your own samples via iOS Files or WIFI transfer
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Poly 2 at 4.8 against Sampletoy's 4.2. Poly 2 also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (686 vs 104). Sampletoy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Poly 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sampletoy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Poly 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Poly 2 has 686 ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Sampletoy's written reviews are positive against 84% of Poly 2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Sampletoy ships an update every 7 months, Poly 2 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sampletoy | Poly 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (104 ratings) | 4.8 (686 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 89.8% of reviews — better | 84.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 | 686 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mazbox Limited | James Milton |
Customer experience
Sampletoy
Poly 2
Bugs and requests
Sampletoy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Poly 2
Reported bugs
3 issues- In-app purchase not working for some users
- MIDI connectivity issues with certain apps
- Crashes upon opening for some users
Requested features
8 requests- Ability to preview samples before importing
- Autoslice/autochop functionality for samples
- Support for larger sample imports and automatic slot filling
- Granulizer effect
- Note repeat and vinyl effects
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- More built-in effects and processing options
- Ability to create and arrange full songs
- M1 Mac compatibility
In-app purchases
Sampletoy
No in-app purchases
Poly 2
- Pro mode$11.99
Questions
Is Sampletoy free?
Is Poly 2 free?
Which has better reviews, Sampletoy or Poly 2?
Do Sampletoy or Poly 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sampletoy or Poly 2?
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