Comparison

SampleTank CS vs Colossus Piano

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

Head to head
About

SampleTank CS

This professional mobile sound and groove workstation brings desktop-level virtual instrument power to your iPhone and iPad. It offers a vast array of world-class instruments and patterns for live performance and composition, with expandable sound libraries available for purchase.

Highlights
  • 23 free instruments in 16 categories
  • 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 and new sound engine
  • Song and Live environments
Read full description

SampleTank 2 for iOS is a professional, fully featured mobile sound and groove workstation that brings the sound, power and features of desktop virtual instruments to your iPad and iPhone — without compromise. It is designed for professional live performance, song composition and puts a comprehensive array of world-class instruments, sounds and patterns right at your fingertips. SampleTank CS provides all the functionality of the full app, with 23 instruments in 16 categories, so you can try out this powerful workstation for free. Additional sounds are available a la cart via in-app purchase. SampleTank gives you 8 multitimbral instrument slots that you can easily layer or split. Choose from a comprehensive, expandable sound collection that covers virtually every acoustic and electronic sound imaginable. Plus, each instrument category includes instrument riffs and grooves so you can start composing and playing in no time. The included instruments and the new sound engine are derived from the desktop version of SampleTank, IK's flagship workstation, offering you unmatched realism, variety of sound and audio performance. For the first time on iOS, thousands of professional sample-based sounds and patterns can be easily accessed, layered and used for playing live or in the studio. What’s more, SampleTank offers an ever-growing library of sounds and are available via in-app purchase: • Elektronika - a series of electronica and EDM-oriented groove libraries and sound collections that make it easy to create hits in today’s most popular styles • Miroslav Philharmonik — the legendary orchestral libraries, now available on your mobile device! Stunningly realistic and expressive samples of a wide range of orchestra and percussion instruments. • SampleTank PRO - the latest and most high-end sounds and grooves available, letting you create professional-grade compositions on your mobile device • Plus additional libraries covering cinematic sounds, the finest pianos, drum libraries from iconic drummers and much more! SampleTank for iOS offers over 2,300 instruments and over 1,200 MIDI patterns — the largest collection of sounds available for any virtual instrument for iOS. Features: • 23 sounds in 16 categories included free • 8-part multitimbral professional quality sound and groove module • Expandable sound library with 2300+ instrument • Over 1,200 melodic and rhythmic patterns • 8-track MIDI recorder with audio export • Totally redesigned intuitive interface • New sound engine derived from SampleTank 3 for Mac/PC • Zones feature lets you easily create splits & layers on your controller • Song and Live environments for composing and playing • Built-in insert effects and master reverb • MIDI learn feature makes programming external controllers easy • Plug-and-play compatibility with iRig interfaces and controllers • Polyphony: up to 64 voices on new Apple devices

About

Colossus Piano

Experience incredibly realistic piano sounds with a vast library of acoustic and electric piano models. This app offers advanced features like multi-velocity layers, pedal support, and MIDI integration for a professional playing experience.

Highlights
  • 13 high-quality piano models
  • 24 velocity layers per key
  • Sustain, Sostenuto, and Soft pedal support
  • MIDI integration (In/Out)
  • Audio Unit v3 and Inter-App Audio support
  • Low latency disk streaming
  • Adjustable tuning options
Features
Read full description

Colossus Piano sets a new standard in terms of realism, detail and overall quality of piano sounds on your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. There are 8 acoustic piano models available as 8 individual in-app purchases, plus 5 E-Piano legends bundled as 1 sound set with this app, together those 13 piano models make up 30 Gigabyte of sound material. All keys of all piano models were recorded in full length with a recording quality of 24 bit and 96 kHz stereo. Note: this app requires in-app purchases to provide its functionalities! Minimum Requirement: at least iPad 3 / iPad Air 1 / iPad mini 2 / iPhone 5 / iPod touch 6th gen. Recommended: iPad Air 2 / iPad mini 4 / iPad Pro / iPhone SE / iPhone 6s or higher. The dark brown „Colossus Concert Grand” model:³ • 24 velocity layers per key. • Dedicated sustain samples. • Release hammer sound. • Optional pad sound. • 14 GB in size (SSD space). The white „Baby Grand” model: • 12 velocity layers per key. • Dedicated sustain samples. • Release hammer sound. • Optional pad sound. • 6 GB in size (SSD space). The „Upright Piano” model: • 8 velocity layers per key. • Dedicated sustain samples. • Release hammer sound. • Optional pad sound. • 3.4 GB in size (SSD space). The „E-Piano” sound set: • 5 legendary E-Piano models (plus different model generations or configurations). • 17 E-Piano sounds in total. • Optional pad sound. • Optional tremolo effect. • 1.6 GB in size (SSD space). For information about the other piano models, please visit our product website! This app supports Audio Unit v3, Inter-App Audio and Bluetooth LE MIDI ! Software features: • Modulation wheel support for controlling the most relevant sound parameter of the currently selected sound. • Warm pad sound of a well known analogue synthesizer (not available for all models) can be turned on/off as support for the piano sound; volume can be controlled by mod. wheel and expr. controller. • Sustain pedal support for holding notes. • Sostenuto pedal support for holding individual notes. • Soft pedal support for a more gentle sound. • Expression pedal support for controlling optional pad layer's volume. • Hammer sound when releasing keys, uses round robin, can be turned on/off and volume controlled (some acoustic pianos only). • Polyphony of up to several hundred stereo voices.² • Low latency disk streaming. • Configurable audio latency down to 1 ms. • Integrated effects (18 presets). • App States: Save app's entire state as user presets. • MIDI velocity response curve editor. • App can keep running in the background. • Master Tune, Scale Tuning & Hermode Tuning. • Provides Audio Unit v3 plugin version of this app, which allows it to be used as virtual instrument directly within 3rd party multi-track DAW apps. • Supports Apple's "Inter-App Audio" system. • Virtual on-screen piano keyboard with velocity support, scalable & scrollable. MIDI Player / Recorder: • Record, save and load your songs in standard MIDI file format. • Share your songs easily as audio file. • Unlimited amount of tracks. • Unlimited recording and playback length. • Open MIDI (.mid) files directly from other apps (i.e. from Safari, Mail). • Download or upload MIDI files with iTunes. • Metronome. • Use the "Tempo Zoom" dial knob to i.e. slow down playback at any time, learn your favorite songs more easily. ¹ For more information about supported adapters and MIDI keyboards, please visit our product website. ² Some sounds might use several voices per note. Polyphony depends on the exact device model being used. You find a polyphony table on our product website. ³ Important: the dark brown „Colossus Grand” piano model requires a large amount of main memory, so we only recommend this piano model for device models mentioned as „recommended” above.

Screenshots

SampleTank CS4 screens
Colossus Piano4 screens

Verdict

The call

SampleTank CS and Colossus Piano both sit at 3.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 54% of Colossus Piano's written reviews are positive against 29% of SampleTank CS's. On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SampleTank CS sells 15 one-off in-app purchases and Colossus Piano sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.1 for SampleTank CS against 3.3 for Colossus Piano. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 142 and 65 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of SampleTank CS's written reviews are positive against 54% of Colossus Piano's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
SampleTank CS versus Colossus Piano: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSampleTank CSColossus Piano
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (142 ratings)3.3 (65 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.9% of reviews54.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings142 — better65
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.5 GB384 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIK Multimedia US, LLCChristian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte

Customer experience

SampleTank CS

All ratings144 ratings
Positive52.1%
Neutral8.3%
Negative39.6%
Written reviews298 reviews
Positive28.9%
Neutral10.4%
Negative60.7%

Colossus Piano

All ratings65 ratings
Positive50.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative35.7%

User reviews

SampleTank CS

From 142 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great sound quality
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Excellent for live performances

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔒 Issues with in-app purchases and restoring purchases
  • 🔋 High memory usage
  • 👎 Lack of updates and support

Colossus Piano

From 65 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎶 Amazing piano sound quality
  • 🎹 Realistic and detailed samples
  • 🎧 High-fidelity audio
  • ✨ Professional-grade instrument
  • 💡 Inspiring and expressive

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🚫 No free trial or demo sounds
  • 💸 Overpriced for some users
  • 💾 Large storage requirements
  • 🐌 Slow download times

Bugs and requests

SampleTank CS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatible with latest iOS versions
  • MIDI issues and lack of device detection
  • Purchased content not properly restored

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add AU/AUv3 support for better DAW integration
  • Improve MIDI functionality and mapping
  • Allow importing custom samples
  • Enhance performance controls (e.g., pitch bend, modulation)

Colossus Piano

Reported bugs

27 issues
  • Crashes when exporting to WAV/M4A in GarageBand
  • App crashes when switching piano models
  • Audio Unit extension crashes
  • No sound when exporting to GarageBand
  • Plugin crashes in DAWs during export/freeze
Show 22 more
  • App crashes when loading MIDI files
  • Hammer sound too loud even at lowest settings
  • Low C1 note out of tune
  • Electric Grand F4 note sample start time issue
  • Electric Grand G#4, D5 notes have noise on attack
  • Plugin not loading properly in hosts
  • AUv3 interface scaled back
  • Exporting to WAV results in silence
  • App crashes during export/freeze
  • Japanese Grand has low volume
  • Colossus Concert Grand needs improvement
  • G1 key has loud, annoying noise
  • B flat 3 key sounds too flat
  • Crashing in AU mode
  • Bass notes drop out when holding damper pedal
  • Voice stealing makes piano perform unacceptably
  • Bass is muddy in Concert Grand
  • Note 26 (Bb2) sounds like an upright
  • Subtle nuance playing is nearly impossible
  • App crashes or freezes randomly
  • MIDI player doesn't work with GarageBand
  • Audio Units extension terminates unexpectedly

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add chorus effect
  • Global EQ
  • Release control
  • Tap tempo for modulation speed
  • Save velocity curves
Show 9 more
  • More intuitive UI
  • Zoom function for keys
  • Add release samples
  • MIDI export/import
  • Three-band EQ
  • Layering sounds on multiple MIDI keyboards
  • Ability to save setups
  • Improve AUv3 functionality
  • Add more piano models

In-app purchases

15 purchases

SampleTank CS

One-time15
  • Organ$4.99
  • Strings$4.99
  • Brass$4.99
Show 12 more
  • Synth Leads$4.99
  • Synth Pads$4.99
  • Woodwinds$4.99
  • Acoustic Drums$4.99
  • Electric Piano$7.99
  • The Grid$14.99
  • Upgrade to SampleTank$24.99
  • Miroslav Philharmonik - Mobile Edition$24.99
  • Sample Moog - Mobile Edition$24.99
  • Sonik Synth - Mobile Edition$24.99
  • All Sounds$64.99
  • SampleTank PRO - All Sounds Pack$64.99
9 purchases

Colossus Piano

One-time9
  • Vintage Upright$9.99
  • Historic S Grand$9.99
  • Pianino$12.99
Show 6 more
  • Japanese Grand$12.99
  • Classic B Grand$15.99
  • Upright Piano$19.99
  • Colossus E-Piano Set$19.99
  • Baby Grand Piano$26.99
  • Colossus Concert Grand$49.99

Questions

Is SampleTank CS free?
SampleTank CS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Colossus Piano free?
Colossus Piano is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SampleTank CS or Colossus Piano?
Colossus Piano is rated higher. SampleTank CS averages 3.1 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while Colossus Piano averages 3.3 from 65 ratings.
Do SampleTank CS or Colossus Piano have ads?
Neither SampleTank CS nor Colossus Piano shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SampleTank CS or Colossus Piano?
SampleTank CS ships an update every 2 months, and Colossus Piano every 2 months. Most recently, SampleTank CS was updated on October 23, 2026 and Colossus Piano on October 24, 2026.

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