# SampleTank vs BeatHawk

The clearest difference is price: BeatHawk at $9.99 against SampleTank's $24.99. BeatHawk also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.7) and review sentiment (67% vs 30%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

SampleTank costs $24.99 and BeatHawk $9.99 up front. SampleTank sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and BeatHawk sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BeatHawk holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 107 and 394 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of SampleTank's written reviews are positive against 67% of BeatHawk's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SampleTank | BeatHawk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $24.99 | **$9.99** |
| Rating | [2.7 (107 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletank/id464783893/reviews) | **[4.3 (394 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beathawk/id839563064/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 107 | **394** |
| Positive reviews | 29.8% of reviews | **67.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.5 GB | 981 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.3** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IK Multimedia US, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/323694278) | [UVI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1108452322) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### BeatHawk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beathawk/id839563064)

Create, record, and mix music on the go with this portable production studio. It offers a vast library of sounds, instruments, and effects, allowing you to import your own samples and collaborate with other apps. Export your creations in various formats or share them directly to social media.

**Highlights:** Create beats and compose tracks, Sample, record, and sequence music, Mix and arrange your own music, High-quality UVI sounds and effects, Import your own samples, Export mixes, stems, and MIDI, Share on YouTube and SoundCloud

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| World Percussion | $1.99 | one-time |
| Latin Percusion | $1.99 | one-time |
| 808 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Trip Hop | $3.99 | one-time |
| Atlanta Urban | $4.99 | one-time |
| Funk | $4.99 | one-time |
| Guitar Loops | $4.99 | one-time |
| Acoustic Drums | $4.99 | one-time |
| Choirs | $7.99 | one-time |
| Acoustic Grand | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 High-quality sounds and sound packs
- 💻 Works well as an AUv3 plugin
- 🎶 Excellent for creating beats and music ideas
- 🔥 Powerful and flexible

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues, especially on older devices
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find samples/packs
- 💰 Sound packs are expensive
- 🖼️ Interface could use better visual clarity and customization
- 🔌 Bluetooth connectivity problems

**Reported bugs**

- Repeat Quantize setting not working properly
- Saving and loading projects can be unreliable
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices
- Latency and performance problems when used as an AUv3

**Requested features**

- Add more pad banks and sample editing capabilities
- Improve file management and integration with cloud storage
- Implement MIDI learn and more advanced MIDI functionality
- Add built-in synth engine and more effects
- Enhance song mode and multi-track capabilities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SampleTank free?

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

### Is BeatHawk free?

BeatHawk costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

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

BeatHawk is rated higher. SampleTank averages 2.7 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while BeatHawk averages 4.3 from 394 ratings.

### Do SampleTank or BeatHawk have ads?

Neither SampleTank nor BeatHawk shows ads.

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

SampleTank ships an update every 2 months, and BeatHawk every 2 months. Most recently, SampleTank was updated on October 1, 2026 and BeatHawk on September 29, 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.*