AmpliTube CS vs Spark
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Spark
This intelligent amp and app combination creates a virtual band that learns your playing style to generate accompanying bass and drums. Access millions of songs with auto-displayed chords, over 10,000 tones, and voice command functionality. It's designed to enhance your practice and performance experience.
- Auto chord display for millions of songs
- Smart Jam with AI-generated bass and drums
- Voice command control
- BIAS tone engine with 10,000+ presets
- Tempo control and looping for practice
- Realistic virtual tube amps and effects
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The smart amp and app that jam along with you using intelligent technology. Play and practice with millions of songs and access over 10,000 tones powered by our award-winning BIAS tone engine. *Auto Chords* Automatically display chords for millions of songs. Choose any song, and Spark will auto display its chords in real-time as you play. Easy controls let you slow down the song’s tempo or loop a difficult section as you master playing it. *Smart Jam* The Spark amp and app work together to learn your style and feel, and then generate authentic bass and drums to accompany you. It’s a smart virtual band that goes wherever you go! *Voice Command* The Spark app responds to your voice commands. Tell it to stream a rock song or a blues backing track, or ask for a virtual band to follow your playing. *Tone Engine* Whether you play pristine melodies, crunchy chords or soaring leads, Spark gives you a full amp modeling and multi-effects engine, powered by Positive Grid’s state-of-the-art BIAS with the most realistic virtual tube amps and effects on the planet. *Requires Spark Amp* *10,000+ Tones* The Spark app provides over 10,000 killer guitar and bass amp -and-FX presets from famous guitarists, professional session players, expert studio engineers and hit-making producers from around the world. If you have any questions or feedback, contact us via https://help.positivegrid.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Spark at every 2 weeks against AmpliTube CS's every 4 months. Spark also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 31%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. AmpliTube CS sells 17 one-off in-app purchases and Spark sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AmpliTube CS ships an update every 4 months, Spark every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AmpliTube CS | Spark |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.8 (25K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.9% of reviews | 55.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 25K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 753 MB | 562 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | Positive Grid Inc |
Customer experience
AmpliTube CS
Spark
User reviews
AmpliTube CS
From App Store reviewsWhat 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
Spark
From 25K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Versatile, powerful, and full of features
- 👍 Great sound quality and tone options
- 🎨 Impressive amp and effects modeling
- 💡 Useful smart jam and play-along features
- 🎸 Excellent for practice and jamming
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity and pairing issues with app
- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Difficult to organize and find saved tones
- 🔊 Muddy or harsh tones at times
- 🔋 Battery life could be better
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
Spark
Reported bugs
5 issues- App frequently disconnects from amp
- Tone selection issues and inconsistencies
- Sudden loud noises or feedback from amp
- Firmware update process is cumbersome
- Spotify integration not working as advertised
Requested features
6 requests- Add looping functionality
- Improve auto-chord detection and playback
- Allow more customization of signal chain and effects
- Integrate with more music services beyond Spotify
- Add EQ controls for Bluetooth speaker mode
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Sync saved tones across devices
In-app purchases
AmpliTube CS
- Distortion$2.99
- Chorus$3.99
- Wah$3.99
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- 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
Spark
- Experience Jimi Hendrix™$19.99








