SampleTank CS vs AudioKit FM Player 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
AudioKit FM Player 2
This app offers a classic 80s FM synth experience with a vast library of sounds, effects, and sequencing capabilities. It's designed for musicians and producers to explore award-winning tones and create music on their iPad.
- Classic 80s FM Synth, EP, and FM Tine sounds
- Multi-sampled recordings of famous classic presets
- Stand-alone, IAA & Audiobus, AUv3 support
- Vintage Arp & 16-Step Sequencer
- 200+ presets and 150+ multi-sampled PCMs
- Vintage Stereo Phaser, Chorus, Flanger, Amp Simulator
- MIDI in for keyboard control
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Beautiful iPad instrument featuring classic famous 80s FM Synth, EP, and FM Tine sounds. Featured by Apple. "BEST APPS OF 2017" - Electronic Musician Magazine "BEST iOS APPS – 2017" - Audio News Room (ANR) FM Player 2 is the secret weapon for major musicians and grammy-winning producers. Now, you can have all these award-winning sounds on your iPad. AWESOME FEATURES: - Faithful multi-sampled recordings of famous classic presets from original retro 80s FM Synthesizers - Stand-alone iPad Synth, plus IAA & Audiobus - Basic AUv3 Plugin support. We're working on upgrading Audio Unit support. - Vintage Arp & 16-Step Sequencer - 200+ presets and 150+ multi-sampled PCMs included! - NEW Vintage Stereo Phaser Effect - 1+ Gigabyte of sounds, compressed to under 300mb! - Dual layers per voice. KeyboardSplits. Morph between sounds - Full ADSR Envelopes for each Layer - 3 LFOs. Fun Routings. LFOs can modify other LFOs. - NEW FX: Vintage Chorus, Flanger, Amp Simulator, and more - Beautiful Reverb, Auto Pan, Bit Crush, Stereo Fatten, and more! - MIDI in (Play with a MIDI Keyboard) - Analog Tape Style Ping-Pong Delay - Mono glide & legato modes - Dual Independent Filters per layer - Tempo-sync controls & Ableton Link - GREAT for playing Live with a Keyboard: MIDI Mod Wheel, Pitch Wheel, Program Change, Velocity sensitive sounds, and Sustain Pedal support already added - All Knobs have MIDI Learn! NOTE: This app is amazing as a live instrument controlled with a MIDI Keyboard. The main Electric Piano and Full Tines sounds have 20+ layers for maximum expressiveness. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-FM-Player-2-DX-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14bcf6557a0880dba5eceab2ca1068bb?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-FM-Player-2-DX-Synth-Terms-Conditions-14bcf6557a0880dba5eceab2ca1068bb?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/AudioKit-FM-Player-2-DX-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14bcf6557a0880be8468ecef6beb62c8?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/AudioKit-FM-Player-2-DX-Synth-Privacy-Policy-14bcf6557a0880be8468ecef6beb62c8?pvs=21) Note: App may not work on older iPad 4 devices. - This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code. - This app has no official affiliation with Yamaha or the DX7 or DX7II. FM Player is an open-source project to bring the joy of music making to the world. We appreciate Yamaha's beautiful instruments. - * This app has no official endorsement with any artist or producer named in the description (including Herbie Hancock, Jay-Z, Drake, etc). We are humbled they have used our apps. They have received no payment or otherwise compensation for using our apps. :)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: AudioKit FM Player 2 at 79% against SampleTank CS's 29%. AudioKit FM Player 2 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.1) and ratings volume (3.4K vs 142). SampleTank CS's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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. SampleTank CS sells 15 one-off in-app purchases and AudioKit FM Player 2 sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AudioKit FM Player 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AudioKit FM Player 2 has 3.4K ratings behind it against 142, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of SampleTank CS's written reviews are positive against 79% of AudioKit FM Player 2's.
SampleTank CS ships an update every 2 months, AudioKit FM Player 2 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SampleTank CS | AudioKit FM Player 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (142 ratings) | 4.8 (3.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.9% of reviews | 79.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 142 | 3.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.5 GB | 357 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | Audiobus Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
SampleTank CS
AudioKit FM Player 2
User reviews
SampleTank CS
From 142 App Store ratingsWhat 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
AudioKit FM Player 2
From 3.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎹 Excellent DX7 emulation
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💯 Fantastic sound quality
- 🎨 Highly customizable
- 🔊 Great effects and filters
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔌 Battery drain problems
- 🔇 Occasional audio glitches
- 🤔 Compatibility issues with some DAWs
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)
AudioKit FM Player 2
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when switching presets
- Midi playback not working consistently
- Preset loading issues in some DAWs
Requested features
4 requests- Arpeggiator/sequencer functionality
- Ability to save and load custom presets
- Improved MIDI integration and mapping
- Expanded sound library and more DX-style presets
In-app purchases
SampleTank CS
- Organ$4.99
- Strings$4.99
- Brass$4.99
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- 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
AudioKit FM Player 2
- Weekly premium$2.997 Days
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Weekly premium$4.997 Days
- Yearly premium$9.991 Year
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Yearly premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Yearly premium$29.991 Year
Questions
Is SampleTank CS free?
Is AudioKit FM Player 2 free?
Which has better reviews, SampleTank CS or AudioKit FM Player 2?
Do SampleTank CS or AudioKit FM Player 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, SampleTank CS or AudioKit FM Player 2?
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