GranSample vs SplitStage
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 16-pad granular sampler
- AUv3 plugin support
- Step sequencer
- Modulation matrix
- Sample chopping
- Kit sharing
- Per-pad effects
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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 engine either way. Free to try. One purchase unlocks GranSample Pro — everything listed at the bottom. No subscription, no ads, no telemetry. NEW IN 1.7 Your Projects in the plugin: open them from the host's preset menu or the plugin's library, save new ones. Free. Export to Files: a free .gskit copy of any project. PATTERN BANK & SONG MODE Eight patterns per project (A–H). Switch live; the change waits for the bar end. Then chain them into a song with repeats per section, looped or played 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. 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. KIT SHARING One .gskit file holds a project — samples, settings, effects, patterns, song. Import and Export to Files are free; sharing 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 and engine, the 10 Scenes and your Projects, 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 Scenes + your Projects, shared with the plugin — 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. 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. TRACKS shows every track in one grid; tracks 9–16 need Pro. INT SEQ lets MIDI alone play the pads. SAMPLE EDITOR Waveform view — drag the grain region, trim playback range, loop, reverse, normalize per pad. LINEAR or GRAN preview. Trim works in the plugin too. EFFECTS Per-pad AND master bus. Reverb, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Filter — up to 8 per chain. Hand-tuned presets; save your own in the app. 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. Background Audio plays on in other apps. 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 SCENES, 16 SAMPLES Late Night Room, Outer Space, Neon City, Midnight Dub, 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. Free pads work in AUv3 too. Kit import and Export to Files (.gskit) are free as well. GRANSAMPLE PRO — ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION All 16 pads and tracks 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 sharing (.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.
SplitStage
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Build a complete performance, one part at a time. SplitStage is a local-first multitrack studio for musicians. Record your first video or audio part, listen through headphones, then add vocals, guitar, keys, percussion or any other performance while the earlier parts play back. CREATE LAYERED PERFORMANCES - Record video or high-quality audio inside the app - Add up to four audio or video layers - Add multiple clips to the same layer and choose where each clip begins - Monitor earlier parts through headphones while recording a new one - Use count-in, metronome and timing compensation tools EDIT THE RESULT - Choose layouts for two, three or four video layers - Reorder layers and select which performance appears in each tile - Trim clips non-destructively or match every layer to a duration - Adjust each clip's timing while previewing the full mix - Control volume, mute and audio effects per layer - Shape the sound with reverb, room size, compression and brightness EXPORT AND SHARE - Export a social-ready 1080p MP4 video - Save the result to Photos - Share through the native iOS share sheet PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account is required. SplitStage does not show ads or send your recordings to the developer. Projects, recordings and effect settings stay on your device unless you choose to export or share them. The free version includes one saved project and two unique exports. A one-time SplitStage Pro purchase unlocks unlimited saved projects and exports. No subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: GranSample at 16.0 against SplitStage's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. GranSample sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SplitStage sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | GranSample | SplitStage |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (16 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chih Han Lin | Mertcan Gokkaya |
In-app purchases
GranSample
- GranSample Pro$3.99
SplitStage
- SplitStage Pro$3.99









