Comparison

SampleTank vs KORG iM1

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

Head to head
About

SampleTank

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
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 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. SampleTank 2 comes with over 140 instruments and 1,000 patterns including pianos, electric pianos, synths, organs, drums, basses, guitars, strings, brass, woodwinds, voices, ethnic instruments, percussion and sound FX. 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: • 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 controller • Polyphony: up to 64 voices on new Apple devices

About

KORG iM1

This app faithfully reproduces the legendary M1 synthesizer, offering its iconic sounds and expanded features for modern music creation. It provides a vast library of presets and intuitive performance tools, making it accessible to both experienced musicians and beginners.

Highlights
  • Faithful reproduction of original M1 sound
  • Expanded filter resonance and 18 effects
  • Gigantic library of 3,300 sounds
  • Intuitive KAOSS pad for performance
  • Smart Sound Browser for quick sound selection
  • Compatible with KORG Gadget
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A complete reproduction - and more - of the legendary M1 that defined an era. Mobile Digital Synthesizer for the iPad. ● Selected by Apple as "App Store Best of 2015" ● Ranked #1 on the App Store on Top Paid Music category in more than 20 countries! (15/5/27) Since it went on sale in 1988 the legendary M1 music workstation rapidly achieved record-breaking sales, becoming a mainstay of the music scene from the late 1980s and beyond. The common element of electronic instruments that have left their name in history is that they had a unique sound that was difficult if not impossible to replicate. Sounds such as the “M1 Piano” is instantly recognizable and have appeared on countless hit records over many years, and yet these are sounds that could only be produced by the M1. And that’s what you can now have on your iPad! ● A faithful reproduction of the original M1 Sound The PCM data provides the library of the original M1. For the hardware, we analyzed the circuit diagram of the original design, and completely replicated it in software down to the last detailed parameters. Engineers with an exhaustive knowledge of the M1 made careful adjustments in order to obtain the sound of the original unit, something that cannot be obtained simply by sampling the original sounds. ● A continued evolution of the M1 Not content with simply reproducing the original, iM1 provides further evolutionary developments. Synth parts now have the Filter Resonance that was requested at the time of the original. The effect parts, originally consisting of only two effects, have been powered-up to 18 effects. The user interface has also been refreshed with additions such as a KAOSS pad. iM1 is the ultimate version of the KORG M1. ● A gigantic library encompassing 3,300 sounds and 34 cards* In addition to all 19 of the ROM cards originally released for the M1, iM1 also covers the sounds of the M1EX which expanded the internal PCM of the M1, as well as the sounds of the T-series which appeared as an evolution of the M1. There’s also “BEST OF M1”, a selection of 100 great M1 programs. The new “Smart Sound Browser” makes it quick to find the desired sound. You can also view the sounds ranked by how often they are selected by iM1 users around the world. *with all the expansion card installed via in-app purchase ● KAOSS pad lets anybody perform iM1 features a KAOSS pad from the popular KAOSSILATOR, allowing you to perform intuitively just by touching the screen. By using the dual KAOSS pads to play phrases or adjust the sound, even people who are not accustomed to keyboard instruments or knowledgeable about synthesizers can enjoy performing the iM1. There’s also a conventional keyboard, as well as the “Smart Keyboard”, which lets you specify a scale setting and play phrases with a single finger. ● Use with KORG Gadget for song production iM1 can be used together with Gadget, the music production DAW app that won the App Store Best App of 2014 award in Japan. If both apps are installed, you can use iM1 as a sound module within Gadget, taking advantage of the program sounds in iM1 for music production. iM1 also supports Audiobus and Inter-App Audio, so it can also be used for GarageBand etc. ● Connect a MIDI keyboard and use as a sound module In addition to enjoying iM1 on its own, you can connect a USB MIDI keyboard* via a Lightning adaptor and play the iM1 as an external sound module. You can easily take along an even more powerful workstation sound module as part of your iPad-based compact mobile system. *microKEY, nanoKEY etc. ● Interchangeable with the KORG Legacy Collection and the original M1 Sounds that you create in iM1 can be sent from your iPad via iTunes to a Mac/PC. If you have the Legacy Collection M1, you can use those sounds in a DAW. More info at korg.com

Screenshots

SampleTank4 screens
KORG iM14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: KORG iM1 at 82% against SampleTank's 30%. KORG iM1 also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.7) and ratings volume (1K vs 107). SampleTank's advantage is price ($24.99 vs $29.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

SampleTank costs $24.99 and KORG iM1 $29.99 up front. SampleTank sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and KORG iM1 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KORG iM1 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KORG iM1 has 1K ratings behind it against 107, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of SampleTank's written reviews are positive against 82% of KORG iM1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SampleTank ships an update every 2 months, KORG iM1 every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SampleTank versus KORG iM1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSampleTankKORG iM1
Price$24.99 — better$29.99
Rating2.7 (107 ratings)4.7 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.8% of reviews81.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1071K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#155 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.5 GB200 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIK Multimedia US, LLCKORG INC.

Customer experience

SampleTank

All ratings107 ratings
Positive33.6%
Neutral16.8%
Negative49.5%
Written reviews305 reviews
Positive29.8%
Neutral13.4%
Negative56.7%

KORG iM1

All ratings1,007 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews487 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral7.4%
Negative11.1%

User reviews

SampleTank

From 107 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great sounding app
  • 👍 Lots of instrument options
  • 🚀 Useful for live performance
  • 👍 Decent sound quality
  • 👍 Intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔒 Lack of user manual access
  • 🔒 Aggressive advertising for other products

KORG iM1

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Authentic M1 sound reproduction
  • 💰 Great value for money
  • 🎹 Faithful recreation of the original hardware
  • 🎨 Powerful sound customization options
  • 🔗 Works well with MIDI controllers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or stability issues
  • 🔇 Low output volume compared to other apps
  • 🤔 Confusing UI for patch editing and saving
  • 🔴 Missing AUv3 support for integration with DAWs

Bugs and requests

SampleTank

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

KORG iM1

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing or missing purchased sound cards
  • Bluetooth MIDI connectivity issues
  • Compatibility problems with certain iOS versions or devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add AUv3 support for better DAW integration
  • Improve preset management and saving capabilities
  • Increase master volume control options
  • Expand sound library with more cards/expansions

In-app purchases

13 purchases

SampleTank

One-time13
  • Organ$4.99
  • Strings$4.99
  • Brass$4.99
Show 10 more
  • Synth Pads$4.99
  • Synth Leads$4.99
  • Electric Piano$7.99
  • The Grid$14.99
  • 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
  • Miroslav Philarmonik 2 - All Sounds Pack$64.99
2 purchases

KORG iM1

One-time2
  • M1 Cards Pack$4.99
  • T1 Cards Pack$4.99

Questions

Is SampleTank free?
SampleTank costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is KORG iM1 free?
KORG iM1 costs $29.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SampleTank or KORG iM1?
KORG iM1 is rated higher. SampleTank averages 2.7 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while KORG iM1 averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do SampleTank or KORG iM1 have ads?
Neither SampleTank nor KORG iM1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SampleTank or KORG iM1?
SampleTank ships an update every 2 months, and KORG iM1 every 7 months. Most recently, SampleTank was updated on October 15, 2026 and KORG iM1 on October 13, 2026.

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