Comparison

Sampletoy vs Poly 2

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Sampletoy4 screens
Poly 24 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Poly 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sampletoy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Sampletoy versus Poly 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSampletoyPoly 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (104 ratings)4.8 (686 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews — better84.1% of reviews
Number of ratings104686 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB153 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMazbox LimitedJames Milton

Customer experience

Sampletoy

All ratings104 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral10.6%
Negative14.4%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive89.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.1%

Poly 2

All ratings686 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.1%

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
Show 3 more
  • More built-in effects and processing options
  • Ability to create and arrange full songs
  • M1 Mac compatibility

In-app purchases

None

Sampletoy

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Poly 2

One-time1
  • Pro mode$11.99

Questions

Is Sampletoy free?
Sampletoy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Poly 2 free?
Poly 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sampletoy or Poly 2?
Poly 2 is rated higher. Sampletoy averages 4.2 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while Poly 2 averages 4.8 from 686 ratings.
Do Sampletoy or Poly 2 have ads?
Neither Sampletoy nor Poly 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sampletoy or Poly 2?
Sampletoy ships an update every 7 months, and Poly 2 every 4 weeks. Most recently, Sampletoy was updated on September 29, 2026 and Poly 2 on September 30, 2026.

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