SampleWiz vs Krill Synthesizer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SampleWiz
Record, manipulate, and play back sounds using various sampling techniques. Explore classic, granular, and modern synthesis modes to create unique musical instruments and expressive performances.
- Multiple sampling modes (classic, granular, modern)
- Real-time waveform editing
- Jordan Rudess signature sound presets
- Resampling capabilities
- Expressive playing surface modes
- Advanced pitch rounding
- Finger vibrato effect
Read full descriptionHide full description
SampleWiz was awarded Music Making App of the Year for 2011 by the Music Industries Association! Capture your sonic universe! Listen… Record… Create… Jordan says: In creating this instrument I wanted to create something that would appeal to the sonic explorer in all of us. Creating a sampler for iOS devices has allowed us to push the boundaries of traditional sampling instruments. From playing a selection of my signature sounds on the SampleWiz keyboard (JR lead anyone?) to getting up close and personal with sounds by playing directly on the waveform screen, our mission was to blow your mind, put a smile on your face, and expand your creativity. In creating SampleWiz, we have created partnerships with leading sound developers in addition to my personally selected onboard presets. "Inspiring! Just when you thought nothing could be new in the world of sampling, along comes SampleWiz to fire up the neurons of our creativity in new ways. I love the the new realtime interactive noises I can get by 'touching the sound'...the crazy and unique stuff you can do with it is really expressive and fresh!" - Eric Persing, Founder of Spectrasonics "SampleWiz gets you playing instantly, and if you like to sample, there's no quicker or more fun way to go from recording to playing your own samples. Amazing controls, easy to understand yet deep enough to let you create musical voices! And it comes with a library of great sounds from Jordan Rudess. SampleWiz is a wiz if ever there was!" - David Mash, VP of Technology and Education, Berklee College of Music We have poured our hearts and minds into this and driven our families, bandmates, and friends insane by sampling everything that moves. I hope you enjoy this very expressive and wild music app creation! *Choose from three different sampling modes: classic, granular, and modern. *Classic - the traditional method of sampling where the sound will speed up and slow down as you go higher or lower than the recorded pitch. *Granular - Wizdom Music's own take on a granular synthesis engine. Adjust grain size and speed while the entire range of notes maintain the same speed. *Modern - explore new sampling possibilities using Dirac technology to allow formants and time to be adjusted automatically over a device-selected range. *Up to 10 seconds per sample. *Jordan Rudess presets from his private collection. *Resample anything that you play on the playing surface to create all new samples derived from your existing presets! *Three playing surface modes allow you to play on the keyboard, wave-edit screen, and the ADSR window. *Wizdom Music's Advanced Pitch Rounding for initial attack as well as after a slide. *Every note you play is an independent event allowing powerful, expressive control of pitch and amplitude. *Finger vibrato effect allows you to use vibrato even when pitch lock is activated! *Unique visuals for each sampling mode. A glow tracks your fingers and respond to the amount of amplitude of every note you play. *Choose from many different scales and customize your own. *Play your samples forward or reverse! *Looping options include standard looping as well as back-and-forth looping. *Allows trimming of samples. *Unique visualization of the amplitude envelope on the ADSR page. *FX include delay with a choice of tap-tempo, BPM, and seconds control over the rate. *Have two keyboards on the screen, each with its own range and scale! *Unique hold mode where every held note can be in a different synthesis mode! *Share your presets with friends by mailing them as SampleWiz files or standard audio files. *Play directly on the waveform and hear the audio that is right under your finger. Slide each finger separately in any direction to change pitch and position in the sample. *MAPI AudioCopy/AudioPaste allows sharing of audio with top audio apps. *Load your own audio files with iTunes file sharing. *Onboard help screens explain every parameter. Touch the question mark to activate.
Krill Synthesizer
This virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer offers a streamlined interface for creating quick synth sounds on iPad. It features two oscillators, an LFO, a low-pass filter, two envelopes, and stereo effects, all accessible from a single screen.
- Virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer
- Single-screen interface
- Two oscillators
- One LFO
- Low-pass filter
- Stereo chorus and ping-pong delay
- 64 presets
Read full descriptionHide full description
The GSi Krill Synthesizer was born from a design originally conceived to work as a mono synthesizer on an embedded processor (RP2040), then it was modified to be polyphonic for a more powerful processor (ARM H7) and finally we thought it would be perfect as a AUv3 for iPad, for those quick and dirty synth sounds you sometimes need without getting lost in endless parameter navigation and menu diving. So here it is, just one screen, one knob - one function, what you see is what you get. Two oscillators, one LFO, one low pass filter, two envelopes, stereo chorus, ping-pong delay, 64 presets. Have fun!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Krill Synthesizer at 5.0 against SampleWiz's 4.4. Krill Synthesizer also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). SampleWiz's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $11.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On ratings volume, 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
SampleWiz costs $9.99 and Krill Synthesizer $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Krill Synthesizer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of SampleWiz's written reviews are positive against 100% of Krill Synthesizer's.
SampleWiz ships an update every 3 months, Krill Synthesizer weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SampleWiz | Krill Synthesizer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $11.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (16 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wizdom Music LLC | Genuine Soundware |
Customer experience
SampleWiz
Krill Synthesizer
Bugs and requests
SampleWiz
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch or after short usage
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable sample playback and export
Requested features
5 requests- Add Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support
- Increase sample recording time
- Implement MIDI controller support
- Allow importing custom samples from iTunes/Dropbox
- Add more effects and modulation options
Krill Synthesizer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SampleWiz
No in-app purchases
Krill Synthesizer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SampleWiz free?
Is Krill Synthesizer free?
Which has better reviews, SampleWiz or Krill Synthesizer?
Do SampleWiz or Krill Synthesizer have ads?
Which is updated more often, SampleWiz or Krill Synthesizer?
Other comparisons















