Comparison

jAmpler vs GranSample

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

Head to head
About

jAmpler

Record, import, and manipulate audio samples with a versatile instrument plugin. Create unique sounds using granular synthesis and a wide array of effects. Assign samples to a keyboard for intuitive musical performance.

Highlights
  • Record and import audio samples
  • Assign samples to keyboard keys
  • Granular synthesis controls
  • Extensive per-sample editing
  • Global effects suite
  • Adjustable velocity curve and temperament
Features
Read full description

jAmpler is a sample-based instrument plugin for iOS and macOS, designed as an Audio Unit v3 (AUv3) instrument. It enables you to record, import, assign, and manipulate samples with a rich set of controls and global effects — all accessible in a compact, intuitive interface. Features: * 4 banks, each with 8 samples. * Each sample is represented by a unique color. * Record samples directly using your device’s built-in microphone. * Import audio files to use as samples. * Assign samples to keyboard keys using their color codes. * Detailed controls per sample: - Copy, paste, and trim samples. - ADSR envelope (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release). - Crossfade and crossfade overlap for seamless looping. - Octave shifting and drive/distortion. - Filter and pitch shift options. - Granular synthesis controls (wet, density, size, spray, stereo spread, window shape). * Global effects: - Velocity Controlled Filter. - Low Frequency Oscillator. - Compressor. - Distortion. - Equalizer. - Chorus. - Cabinet. - Reverb. * Adjustable velocity curve and keyboard temperament.

About

GranSample

This app offers a 16-pad sampler with a powerful granular engine for sculpting unique audio textures and sequencing patterns. It functions as a standalone application and an AUv3 plugin for popular DAWs. Unlock advanced features with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • 16-pad granular sampler
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Step sequencer
  • Modulation matrix
  • Sample chopping
  • Kit sharing
  • Per-pad effects
Features
Read full description

A 16-pad sampler with a granular engine underneath. Standalone app + AUv3 plugin for GarageBand / Logic / AUM / Drambo / Loopy Pro. Tap pads, sculpt textures, sequence patterns, chain songs. Same instrument either way. Free to try. One purchase unlocks GranSample Pro — everything listed at the bottom. No subscription, no ads, no telemetry. NEW IN 1.5 Swing, in the app and in your host. Choke groups: hi-hats that cut each other off. Resample (Pro): record your beat back onto a pad as a bar-locked loop. A rebuilt AUv3 plugin editor. PATTERN BANK & SONG MODE Eight patterns per project (A–H). Switch live — the change waits for the bar end so the groove never stumbles. Then chain them into a song: tap letters to build, set repeats per section, loop or play once (song mode is Pro). Patterns, song and BPM save with the project. MODULATION MATRIX (PRO) LFO + ADSR envelope on 8 destinations per pad: grain position / size / pitch / density, volume, pan, pitch, playback start. Drag the envelope chart, set depth per lane — host-automatable in AUv3. SAMPLE CHOP (PRO) Slice any sample across the pads — equal grid, transient detection, or manual markers you drag. Audition before you commit; the grid shows where every slice lands. KIT SHARING Export any kit as a single .gskit file — samples, settings, effects, patterns. Send it anywhere. Importing is free for everyone; exporting is Pro. PAD NAMES, COLORS & CHOKE GROUPS Name your pads, pick from 8 colors, set one of 8 choke groups. AUv3 PLUGIN Load "nono.audio: GranSample" under AU Instruments in any AUv3 host. Same grid, Kits and engine, with Sound, Grain and Sequence tabs. 900 host-automatable parameters. Load your own samples without leaving the host. Sequencer locks to host transport; everything persists in the host project. LIBRARY Factory Kits + your Projects in one place — load, tweak, save. GRANULAR ENGINE Eight knobs per pad. Position scans the sample; grain size + density set the texture from pebbles to glass. Pitch + jitter, spray + stereo spread, four window shapes, an ADSR cloud envelope, Freeze for infinite sustain. 128 grains per voice — and you can watch them fire. CHROMATIC MODE Any pad becomes the root; the grid plays chromatically. STEP SEQUENCER Per-pad patterns at 16/32/64 steps, per-step velocity, drag-to-paint, swing. SAMPLE EDITOR Waveform view — drag the grain region, trim playback range, loop, reverse, normalize per pad. LINEAR or GRAN preview. Works inside the plugin too. EFFECTS Per-pad AND master bus. Reverb, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Filter — up to 8 per chain, automatable from any DAW. Hand-tuned presets; save your own. IPAD Pads bigger than an MPC; recorder, properties and sequencer get their own column. MIDI USB, Bluetooth (built-in browser), or virtual MIDI. MIDI Learn on every knob standalone, per-pad channel routing. The plugin routes MIDI in through the host and emits MIDI out for pad taps. RECORDING 60 seconds from the mic straight into a pad with a live waveform. Resample the master onto a pad, free or locked to 1–8 bars (Pro). Master bounces to WAV/M4A (Pro). 10 FACTORY KITS, 16 SAMPLES Late Night Room, Outer Space, Neon City, Midnight Dub, Tape Machine, Crystal Cave, and more — each with bespoke granular settings. FREE TIER Pads 1–8 — drums and melody, enough to finish a track — with the full granular engine, effects, pattern bank, mixer, MIDI in/out. Same in standalone and AUv3. Kit import (.gskit) is free too. GRANSAMPLE PRO — ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION All 16 pads unlocked everywhere — standalone AND AUv3 plugin Song mode — chain patterns into an arrangement Modulation matrix — LFO + envelope on 8 destinations per pad Sample chop to pads Resample to pads Kit export (.gskit) Per-pad ADSR envelope editor Custom backgrounds — wallpapers or your own photo, with dim and pad-opacity WAV / M4A export Made by one person who wanted a granular beat pad that fit on a phone — and in their DAW.

Screenshots

jAmpler4 screens
GranSample4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: GranSample at every 5 days against jAmpler's every 3 months. GranSample also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2). jAmpler's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 40%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. jAmpler sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GranSample sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GranSample holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 16 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of jAmpler's written reviews are positive against 40% of GranSample's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

jAmpler ships an update every 3 months, GranSample every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
jAmpler versus GranSample: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterjAmplerGranSample
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (6 ratings)4.6 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings616 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJan MaesChih Han Lin

Customer experience

jAmpler

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

GranSample

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

jAmpler

One-time1
  • jAmpler Activation$7.99
1 purchases

GranSample

One-time1
  • GranSample Pro$3.99

Questions

Is jAmpler free?
jAmpler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GranSample free?
GranSample is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, jAmpler or GranSample?
GranSample is rated higher. jAmpler averages 4.2 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while GranSample averages 4.6 from 16 ratings.
Do jAmpler or GranSample have ads?
Neither jAmpler nor GranSample shows ads.
Which is updated more often, jAmpler or GranSample?
jAmpler ships an update every 3 months, and GranSample every 5 days. Most recently, jAmpler was updated on October 11, 2026 and GranSample on October 14, 2026.

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