GranSample vs Pocket Looper
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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Pocket Looper
Read full descriptionHide full description
The phrase you just played becomes a loop. Pocket Looper is a loop station built for one thing: practising guitar and bass. Tap the big button in the middle to start recording. Tap it again and the phrase loops. Tap once more and you are overdubbing on top of it. That single button is the whole interface. ONE BUTTON FOR EVERYTHING Record, overdub, stop, resume. Every state change happens on the centre button, so you can drive it the way you would stomp a pedal on the floor. You never have to hunt for a small control while your hands are on the instrument. SEE WHAT YOU ARE LAYERING Your loop is drawn as a waveform with a playhead showing exactly where the playback is. You can see which beat you are overdubbing onto, which makes it much easier to come in on time. Undo and redo let you take back a bad take instantly. BE YOUR OWN BACKING BAND Record a chord progression, let it loop, and practise your solo over it. You get accompanied repetition without booking a rehearsal room or waiting for a band. It works just as well for writing riffs and for singer-songwriter practice. BUILT FOR DRILLING (PREMIUM) - Slow practice: drop the speed to 0.5x while keeping the original pitch, so you can take a fast lick apart and rebuild it - A-B section loop: mark A and B on the waveform and repeat only that stretch - Save and recall loops: name a phrase and come back to it tomorrow - Export your recordings to other apps - All in-app ads removed TEN LANGUAGES The interface follows your device language automatically: English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean. WHO IT IS FOR - Guitarists and bassists who drill the same phrase every day - Players who want to build their own backing track and improvise over it - Anyone who would rather just record and layer than learn a large app first Premium is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription and no expiry. The free tier lets you record and overdub loops of up to 30 seconds. https://tenmais.jp/?lang=en
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: GranSample at none against Pocket Looper's shown. On price, update cadence, 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 Pocket Looper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GranSample ships an update every 5 days, Pocket Looper every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GranSample | Pocket Looper |
|---|---|---|
| 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 — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chih Han Lin | Kenichi Ando |
In-app purchases
GranSample
- GranSample Pro$3.99
Pocket Looper
- Premium Unlock$2.99









