Comparison

AmpliTube CS vs Marshall Gateway

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

Head to head
About

AmpliTube CS

This app provides a mobile guitar and bass tone studio with a vast collection of virtual gear. Users can build custom rigs, practice, play, and record with professional-sounding tones anytime, anywhere. It offers expandable libraries of amps and effects for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Virtual guitar and bass rig builder
  • Extensive library of amps and effects
  • Live Mode for stage performance
  • 2-track recorder (expandable)
  • Loop drummer module
  • Speed trainer, metronome, and tuner
Read full description

Want the ultimate mobile guitar and bass tone studio? AmpliTube gives you a massive collection of virtual gear that you can use to practice, play and record with world-class tone anytime and anywhere. Build your own guitar or bass rig with up to 6 stompbox FX, an amplifier and cabinet with mics. Plug your instrument into your iPhone with one of IK's interfaces like iRig 2 or iRig HD 2, and get ready to be blown away. AmpliTube CS gives you 7 stompbox effects, 3 amplifiers, 3 speaker cabinets and 2 mics, a free Loop Drummer Rock groove pack and a 2-track recorder. You can expand this via a massive library of over 150 amps and stompboxes from top brands like Fender™, Ampeg®, Orange®, Mesa/Boogie®, and many more, or unlock the rigs of your heroes with gear from Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell, and Brian May. Ready to hit the stage? AmpliTube’s Live Mode offers an optimized GUI for live use, with all the settings and controls you need in an easy-to-read format. Control your virtual rig just like real gear: change presets, trigger FX, loops and more all right from your feet. AmpliTube pairs with iRig Stomp I/O for a powerful all-in-one stage rig, works wirelessly with iRig Blueboard, and supports other MIDI controllers as well. AmpliTube also offers innovative ways to play, practice and record with an optional Looper, more drum track loops, a full 8-track recorder and DAW-style studio all available for in-app purchase. Whether it’s at home, in the studio or on stage, AmpliTube is the dream rig you’ve always wanted, in a device that’s always with you! AmpliTube CS features: • Create guitar & bass rigs with up to 6 stomps, 1 amp and 1 cab with 2 mics • Includes 7 stomps, 3 amp, 3 cabinet and 2 mics • Expandable with over 150 gear models available from Fender™, Ampeg®, Orange®, Mesa/Boogie®, Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell and Brian May • Live Mode shows your entire rig at a glance, with all the parameters you need on stage easily accessible • Included 2-track recorder (in-app purchase unlocks up to 8-tracks) • Studio mode for intuitive DAW-style editing (unlocked via in-app purchase) • Loop drummer module that plays in sync with the recorder • Includes speed trainer, metronome and tuner • Inter-App Audio and AudioBus support • Project sharing between versions and devices • Import and play songs as backing tracks from your Music Library or computer • Export audio via E-mail, SoundCloud or File Sharing • MIDI controllable and with built-in integration for iRig Stomp I/O, iRig Blueboard and other controllers • Low-latency for real-time playing More info: www.amplitube.com/ios Accessory info: www.ikmultimedia.com/irig

About

Marshall Gateway

Control your Marshall CODE Series guitar amplifier wirelessly via Bluetooth LE. Save and access your amplifier presets from the cloud, and discover new sounds from the community.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth LE amplifier control
  • Real-time setting adjustments
  • Cloud preset saving
  • Preset sharing
  • Online preset discovery
  • Community preset access
Features
Read full description

Take control of your Marshall CODE Series guitar amplifier with Marshall Gateway. Connect using Bluetooth LE for real-time control of your amplifier settings. Save all of your presets to the Marshall Cloud for access on any of your devices and share them with friends or publish them to the Marshall CODE community. Search and play on-line presets directly in Gateway.

Screenshots

AmpliTube CS4 screens
Marshall Gateway4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marshall Gateway at none against AmpliTube CS's 17. Marshall Gateway also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, 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

Both are free to download. AmpliTube CS sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Marshall Gateway asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AmpliTube CS ships an update every 4 months, Marshall Gateway every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
AmpliTube CS versus Marshall Gateway: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmpliTube CSMarshall Gateway
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.7 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.9% of reviews — better29.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—33 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size753 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIK Multimedia US, LLCMarshall Amplification plc

Customer experience

AmpliTube CS

Written reviews482 reviews
Positive30.9%
Neutral14.9%
Negative54.1%

Marshall Gateway

All ratings33 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews230 reviews
Positive29.6%
Neutral11.7%
Negative58.7%

User reviews

AmpliTube CS

From App Store reviews

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for practice and recording
  • 👍 Excellent amp and effect modeling
  • 🎨 Vast selection of amps and pedals
  • 🎛️ Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔇 Poor sound quality and latency
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔒 Purchases not transferable across devices
  • 🤯 Confusing and cluttered UI

Marshall Gateway

From 33 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use interface when working properly
  • 🎛️ Comprehensive amp parameter customization
  • 💾 Ability to save and manage multiple presets
  • 📱 Convenient mobile control of amp settings
  • 🎵 Built-in tuner feature (in earlier versions)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Persistent Bluetooth connection issues
  • 🔌 Unreliable app-to-amp connectivity
  • ❌ Frequent disconnections during use
  • ⚠️ App crashes and freezes
  • 🔄 Requires constant reconnection attempts

Bugs and requests

AmpliTube CS

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 16
  • Distorted and sped-up audio playback
  • Metronome and tempo controls not working
  • Purchases not restoring after reinstall
  • Frequent crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to import songs from music library
  • Improved recording and looping capabilities
  • More bass-focused amp and effect options
  • Better integration with other music apps
  • Grandfathered access to all purchases

Marshall Gateway

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Bluetooth connection drops frequently
  • App fails to recognize amp despite Bluetooth connection
  • Connection rejected error messages
  • App won't launch on certain iOS versions
  • Preset settings reset randomly when saved
Show 9 more
  • Firmware update compatibility issues
  • App crashes on iPad Air and other tablets
  • Pairing requires manual 'forget device' process every session
  • Email verification not working for account creation
  • Preset data loss after disconnection
  • Unreadable text display after reinstallation
  • App freezes during preset editing
  • Incompatibility with iPhone 12 and iOS 14+
  • Bluetooth range extremely limited (2 feet)

Requested features

13 requests
  • Landscape mode orientation support
  • iPad compatibility and multitasking features
  • Bulk preset synchronization between amp and phone
  • Auto-sync feature for amp and phone banks
  • EQ controls in the app
Show 8 more
  • Ability to use compressor with distortion/overdrive
  • Footswitch programming from app
  • Restore tuner and playback features
  • Better documentation and pairing instructions
  • Preset organization by numerical or alphabetical order
  • Improved visual identification of amp models and effects
  • VoiceOver accessibility support
  • Separate Bluetooth playback volume control

In-app purchases

17 purchases

AmpliTube CS

One-time17
  • Distortion$2.99
  • Chorus$3.99
  • Wah$3.99
Show 14 more
  • Overdrive$3.99
  • Reverb$3.99
  • Metal Distortion$3.99
  • Flanger$3.99
  • Octave$3.99
  • Envelope$3.99
  • Phazer$3.99
  • Fuzz$3.99
  • Clean amp$4.99
  • Metal amp$4.99
  • Bass amp$4.99
  • Crunch amp$4.99
  • Recorder + Master FX$19.99
  • Fender Collection 1$24.99
None

Marshall Gateway

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AmpliTube CS free?
AmpliTube CS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marshall Gateway free?
Marshall Gateway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AmpliTube CS or Marshall Gateway have ads?
Neither AmpliTube CS nor Marshall Gateway shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AmpliTube CS or Marshall Gateway?
AmpliTube CS ships an update every 4 months, and Marshall Gateway every 3 months. Most recently, AmpliTube CS was updated on September 17, 2026 and Marshall Gateway on September 8, 2026.

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