KORG iKaossilator vs Samplr
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KORG iKaossilator
Create music with intuitive touch controls and a variety of built-in sounds. This app lets you play melodies and phrases by simply touching the screen, layering up to five parts with a loop sequencer. Share your creations or perform live with DJ-style controls.
- Intuitive X-Y pad for sound control
- 150 diverse built-in sounds
- Loop sequencer for up to five parts
- Real-time loop control for live performance
- Audio export and SoundCloud sharing
- Visual effects synchronized with performance
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The inspiringly creative Kaossilator comes to iPhone! Korg has revolutionized the musical instrument world with their dynamic line of Kaoss products, using an intuitive X-Y pad to provide expressive musical control. The palm-sized KAOSSILATOR synthesizer placed modern music-making in the hands of thousands of musicians and non-musicians alike. Now that same excitement has been captured in the iKaossilator app for iPhone! [Highlights] ● Play sounds by simply stroking, tapping, or rubbing the screen with your finger ● Bold Visual Effects move along with your performance and add excitement ● 150 diverse built-in sounds cover any style of dance music ● Scale/Key settings allow anyone to perform with musical precision ● Easily create tracks with the loop sequencer using up to five parts ● Control loops in real time for DJ-Style live performances ● Audio Export records and saves your performance, just as you heard it ● SoundCloud allows users to share and remix loops with other users worldwide ● WIST capability allows wireless sync-start with other music apps ● AudioCopy/AudioPaste Support ● Audio Loop Import ● Seamless operation in tandem with the Kaossilator 2 ■ Perform Using A Single Finger iKaossilator uses the unique X-Y interface made famous by Korg’s entire Kaoss Line, including the original hand-held KAOSSILATOR. Create melodies and phrases simply by stroking, tapping, or rubbing the touch screen with your finger; no musical knowledge is required. ■ Bright, Colorful Visual Effects iKaossilator is also focused on its graphic design, which shows up beautifully on the iPhone's high-quality display. The visual effects on the iPhone's display move along with your performance and add excitement. These bold, colorful graphics provide an exciting performance experience. ■ 150 Diverse Sounds Covering Many Musical Styles Use the 150 built-in sounds to perform and produce a broad range of dance music styles including hip-hop, house, techno, dubstep, nu-disco, and electro. Enjoy the synth leads and synth bass sounds you expect from a synthesizer. The drum sounds let you play and manipulate various patterns simply by moving your finger. ■ Loop Sequencer The built-in loop sequencer lets you layer up to five musical parts. To create a track, simply assign a loop such as synth, bass, chords, sound effects, or drums to each part. Fifty loops created by professional musicians are built-in to help you get started quickly. In addition to its track-making capabilities, this loop sequencer is also a great feature for live performance. The Mix Play feature makes it easy to enjoy live remixing; you can switch seamlessly to another loop or extract a specific part from another loop while the playback continues. ■ Audio Export You can record your performance in real time, or export a completed loop as an audio file. By sending your creations to a Mac or PC via iTunes, you can share them with your friends or use them in a full-fledged music production. You can also upload them directly to SoundCloud. ■ Share Loops on SoundCloud n online audio platform that's very popular among musical creators. The loops you create can be uploaded directly to SoundCloud from within the app. If you attach the loop data, it will be shared to other users' loop lists. Users worldwide will be exposed to new loops they've never heard, and can combine them with their own loops to create remixes. It's a new way of enjoying music by and unleashing your iKaossilator’s potential throughout the world. ∗ When using SoundCloud, you must observe SoundCloud Ltd.'s terms of use, such as the prohibition on uploading songs whose copyright is the property of a third party. Follow us! ● Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/korg.iapps ● Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/korg_iapps
Samplr
This app offers a unique multitouch interface for exploring and manipulating audio samples. Create music through various play modes, record gestures for sequencing, and experiment with audio effects. It's designed for audio experimentation, composition, and live performance.
- 8 distinct play modes (Slicer, Looper, Granular, etc.)
- Gesture recorder for sequencing
- Audio input recording and resampling
- 6 sample slots with 16 voices each
- 5 per-sample effects (Distortion, Reverb, etc.)
- Import audio from cloud storage and other apps
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The app used by renowned musicians like Fred again.., Richard Devine, Apparat, Weval or Matmos live and in the studio. Samplr introduced a brand new way to make music, only possible on multitouch devices. Explore the samples melody and texture using the different play modes and create compositions with the gesture recorder. Samplr is the ideal tool for audio experimentation, music composition and live performance. USER REVIEWS “The most profound audio manipulation tool on iOS” 5 stars “There is NOTHING on the market hardware or software like this” 5 stars “Stunningly beautiful interface and exceptionally easy to use” 5 stars “This is the most musical app I've ever used. It's polished, it's musical, it's fun, it's inspiring” 5 stars “It’s the best realization of what touch screen sampling should be” 5 stars FEATURES • 8 play modes: Slicer, Looper, Granular, Tape, Scratch, Arpeggiator, Keyboard and Loop Player • Gesture recorder for sequencing • Audio input recording and resampling • 6 sample slots (x16 voices) • 5 effects per sample: Distortion, Filter, Amplitude Modulator, Feedback Delay and Reverb COMPATIBILITY • Ableton Link • MIDI Keyboard, Controller and Sync input • IAA (Inter-App Audio) • Audiobus Input and Output • WAV and AIFF file support • Import files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, AudioShare, etc Learn more and see how it works on samplr.net. For feedback or support please reach out to support@samplr.net
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Samplr at none against KORG iKaossilator's 1. KORG iKaossilator's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 153) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
KORG iKaossilator costs $19.99 and Samplr $19.99 up front. KORG iKaossilator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Samplr asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for KORG iKaossilator against 4.7 for Samplr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KORG iKaossilator has 1.2K ratings behind it against 153, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 80% and 79% positive.
KORG iKaossilator ships an update every 4 months, Samplr every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KORG iKaossilator | Samplr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) | 4.7 (153 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.3% of reviews — better | 79.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 153 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KORG INC. | Marcos Alonso |
Customer experience
KORG iKaossilator
Samplr
User reviews
KORG iKaossilator
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Great sounds and features
- 🎨 Versatile and creative
- 🎉 Lots of fun to play with
- 💻 Works well on both iPhone and iPad
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔇 Limited sound library
- 🔒 No ability to import own samples
- 🔊 No individual volume control for instruments
- 🔍 Difficult to precisely hit notes
Samplr
From 153 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and responsive interface
- 🎨 Powerful sample manipulation capabilities
- 🎶 Excellent for live performance and sound design
- 💰 Great value for the price
- 🎉 Inspiring and creative app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔌 Lack of audio import/export options
- 🔀 Difficulty with sample organization and management
- 🔇 Missing features like panning, MIDI support, and AUv3
Bugs and requests
KORG iKaossilator
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when trying to export to Ableton
- Shared tracks not loading properly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Dropbox integration not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Add more sound packs and expansion options
- Implement MIDI sync and export capabilities
- Include a grid view for more precise note input
- Allow individual volume control for each instrument
- Add an arpeggiator feature
Samplr
Reported bugs
3 issues- Recording functionality not working as expected
- Dropbox integration causing crashes
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Implement Ableton Link for better sync
- Add support for more audio file formats
- Improve sample import/export workflow
- Introduce a more robust sequencing and automation system
- Provide multi-channel audio output
In-app purchases
KORG iKaossilator
- EDM Sound Set$2.99
Samplr
No in-app purchases








