# TouchBells vs SampleTank

TouchBells and SampleTank both sit at 2.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of TouchBells's written reviews are positive against 30% of SampleTank's. TouchBells also leads on price ($1.99 vs $24.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 13). SampleTank's advantage is ratings volume (109 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On rating and ads there is nothing between them.

TouchBells costs $1.99 and SampleTank $24.99 up front. SampleTank sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. TouchBells asks for nothing beyond the download.

SampleTank holds the better App Store score, 2.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SampleTank has 109 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of TouchBells's written reviews are positive against 30% of SampleTank's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, SampleTank every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TouchBells | SampleTank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $24.99 |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touchbells/id378697992/reviews) | **[2.7 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletank/id464783893/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **109** |
| Positive reviews | **77.8% of reviews** | 29.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 66 MB | 1.5 GB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Braun](https://appshunter.io/developer/296553965) | [IK Multimedia US, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/323694278) |

## What reviewers say

### TouchBells

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touchbells/id378697992)

This app is a virtual carillon instrument for iPad, offering xylophone, vibraphone, and tubular bell sounds. Users can play freely, record and share songs, and learn to play through a teach mode. It's designed for musical exploration and early childhood education.

**Highlights:** Virtual carillon instrument, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Tubular Bells sounds, Song recording and playback, Song sharing with other users, Teach mode for learning songs, Adjustable stereo effect, Tunable instrument pitch

**In-app purchases:** none


### SampleTank

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletank/id464783893)

This professional mobile workstation offers a vast collection of world-class instruments, sounds, and patterns for live performance and composition. Layer or split instruments across 8 multitimbral slots, with an expandable library and a powerful new sound engine.

**Highlights:** 8-part multitimbral sound module, Expandable sound library with 2300+ instruments, Over 1,200 melodic and rhythmic patterns, 8-track MIDI recorder with audio export, Intuitive interface, New sound engine, Zones feature for splits & layers

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Organ | $4.99 | one-time |
| Strings | $4.99 | one-time |
| Brass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Synth Pads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Synth Leads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Electric Piano | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Grid | $14.99 | one-time |
| Miroslav Philharmonik - Mobile Edition | $24.99 | one-time |
| Sample Moog - Mobile Edition | $24.99 | one-time |
| Sonik Synth - Mobile Edition | $24.99 | one-time |
| All Sounds | $64.99 | one-time |
| SampleTank PRO - All Sounds Pack | $64.99 | one-time |
| Miroslav Philarmonik 2 - All Sounds Pack | $64.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great sounding app
- 👍 Lots of instrument options
- 🚀 Useful for live performance
- 👍 Decent sound quality
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔒 Lack of user manual access
- 🔒 Aggressive advertising for other products

**Reported bugs**

- Freezes when adjusting parameters
- Crashes on launch for some users
- Incompatible with certain iOS versions
- Issues with downloading and restoring in-app purchases

**Requested features**

- Add support for Audio Unit (AUv3)
- Improve MIDI integration and control
- Implement a more robust sequencer
- Allow user-defined pitch bend range
- Add ability to back up and restore custom presets


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TouchBells free?

TouchBells costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SampleTank free?

SampleTank costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TouchBells or SampleTank?

SampleTank is rated higher. TouchBells averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while SampleTank averages 2.7 from 109 ratings.

### Do TouchBells or SampleTank have ads?

Neither TouchBells nor SampleTank shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TouchBells or SampleTank?

TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, and SampleTank every 2 months. Most recently, TouchBells was updated on October 29, 2026 and SampleTank on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*