# SampleTank vs iSymphonic Orchestra

The clearest difference is price: iSymphonic Orchestra at $9.99 against SampleTank's $24.99. iSymphonic Orchestra also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.7) and review sentiment (63% vs 30%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

SampleTank costs $24.99 and iSymphonic Orchestra $9.99 up front. SampleTank sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and iSymphonic Orchestra sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

iSymphonic Orchestra holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 107 and 103 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of SampleTank's written reviews are positive against 63% of iSymphonic Orchestra's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SampleTank | iSymphonic Orchestra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $24.99 | **$9.99** |
| Rating | [2.7 (107 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sampletank/id464783893/reviews) | **[3.8 (103 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isymphonic-orchestra/id892220800/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **107** | 103 |
| Positive reviews | 29.8% of reviews | **62.5% 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 | 1.3 GB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IK Multimedia US, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/323694278) | [Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte](https://appshunter.io/developer/428367741) |

## 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


### iSymphonic Orchestra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isymphonic-orchestra/id892220800)

This app provides sophisticated, realistic orchestral sounds for musicians. Connect a MIDI keyboard to your device to access a wide range of instruments for live performance or composition. It supports advanced audio and MIDI connections with other apps.

**Highlights:** Realistic orchestral instrument sounds, MIDI keyboard connectivity, Audio Unit and Inter-App Audio support, Low latency audio engine, Integrated effects with presets, MIDI recording and playback

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Arpa Sound Set | $8.99 | one-time |
| Vento Sound Set | $8.99 | one-time |
| Pro Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Canto Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Boato Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Voce Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Varia Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Aulos Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Perla Sound Set | $11.99 | one-time |
| Cupra Sound Set | $16.99 | one-time |
| Corda Sound Set | $16.99 | one-time |
| Keys Sound Set | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Exceptional sound quality and realistic orchestral samples
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎹 Highly responsive to MIDI keyboard input and expression controls
- 🔌 Seamless integration with DAWs like GarageBand, Cubasis, and AUM
- 🎼 Wide variety of articulations and instrument combinations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for additional sound packs
- 🐛 Crashes when used as AU plugin with multiple instances
- ⚠️ Random loud distortion artifacts at unpredictable times
- 🎹 On-screen keyboard is too small and difficult to use
- 🔊 Inconsistent volume levels across different notes and instruments

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when using multiple AU instances in AUM
- GarageBand integration fails during export and audio merging
- Audio cuts out or plays only partially during export
- Track deletion causes complete app crash and data loss
- Reverberation artifacts on specific notes (C4, C5)

**Requested features**

- Ability to hide unowned sound packs for easier navigation
- Zoom function for keyboard section
- Adjustable attack and release envelope controls
- Filter to show only owned sounds
- Dedicated save/record/play controls on main screen


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SampleTank free?

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

### Is iSymphonic Orchestra free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SampleTank or iSymphonic Orchestra?

iSymphonic Orchestra is rated higher. SampleTank averages 2.7 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while iSymphonic Orchestra averages 3.8 from 103 ratings.

### Do SampleTank or iSymphonic Orchestra have ads?

Neither SampleTank nor iSymphonic Orchestra shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SampleTank or iSymphonic Orchestra?

SampleTank ships an update every 2 months, and iSymphonic Orchestra every 2 months. Most recently, SampleTank was updated on September 23, 2026 and iSymphonic Orchestra on September 22, 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.*