Comparison

pyka_loop vs Tapko

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

Head to head
About

pyka_loop

Create unique electronic music by recording and manipulating sounds from your environment. This app offers an intuitive and playful approach to sound design, making music creation accessible to everyone regardless of experience.

Highlights
  • Record sounds from your environment
  • Manipulate audio with touch gestures
  • Create electronic music loops
  • Intuitive and playful interface
  • Explorative sound design
Read full description

pyka_loop is an interactive sound environment that enables you to create remarkable music from the sounds of the world around you. This app is designed to make electronic music-making more immediate, explorative, and playful. With pyka_loop you can record anything from the clanging of the washing up to the crescendo of an orchestra - and then prod, push, pull, tap, twist, pinch, spin, slide, and squish to skronkify your loops to create unique soundworks. After a decade of responsive workshops and interventions, over 20,000 people from a range of backgrounds have helped us hone the design of an environment that provides you with a new way to engage in worlds of sound. pyka_loop celebrates an ‘object-oriented’ approach to interactive sound, and establishes an unguided experience that promotes exploration and rewards curiosity. It doesn’t matter your experience in music making, pyka_loop has been created for you. pyka_loop is developed by pyka with funding from The Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mae pyka_loop yn amgylchfyd sain rhyngweithiol sy’n galluogi chi i greu cerddoriaeth hynod o synau'r byd o'ch cwmpas. Mae'r ap hwn wedi'i gynllunio i wneud creu cerddoriaeth electronig yn fwy uniongyrchol, archwiliadol, a chwareus. Gyda pyka_loop gallwch recordio unrhyw beth o'r clansio'r golchi llestri, i grescendo cerddorfa - ac yna prod, gwthio, tynnu, tapio, troelli, pinsio, llithro a gwasgu i skronkio eich loops i creu gweithiau sain unigryw. Ar ôl degawd o weithdai ac ymyraethau ymatebol, dros 20,000 o bobl o amrywiaeth o gefndiroedd wedi ein helpu i gwellla y dyluniad amgylchedd sy'n rhoi ffordd newydd i chi ymgysylltu â bydoedd sain. pyka_loop yn dathlu dull ‘gwrthrych-gyfeiriadol’ i sain ryngweithiol, a sefydlu profiad di-arweiniad sy'n hyrwyddo archwilio a gwobru chwilfrydedd. Does dim ots eich profiad o greu cerddoriaeth, mae pyka_loop wedi'i greu ar eich cyfer chi. pyka_loop yn cael ei ddatblygu gan pyka gyda chyllid o Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a Llywodraeth Cymru.

About

Tapko

This powerful drum sampler allows musicians to load, shape, and play custom drum kits. It offers extensive per-pad sound manipulation, built-in effects like reverb and delay, and advanced sampling features. Seamlessly integrate with other music production apps or use it standalone.

Highlights
  • 16-pad grid with per-pad sample import
  • Per-pad EQ, volume, pan, and FX sends
  • Built-in reverb and delay effects
  • Advanced sampling with velocity layers and round robin
  • Sample Editor with waveform manipulation
  • Integrated sequencer with step editor
  • MIDI Learn for controller integration
Features
Read full description

Tapko is a no-nonsense drum sampler for iPhone and iPad, built for live use. Load your sounds, shape your kit and play—standalone or inside your AUv3 host (AUM, Loopy Pro, GarageBand, Cubasis, and more). Swipe to mix, connect your MIDI controller and add a groove when you need one. 16 PADS, TOTAL CONTROL • 16-pad grid with per-pad sample import (WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC, CAF) • Per-pad 3-band EQ, volume, pan, gain, choke groups, and Fade Out • Swipe pads to set volume, EQ, pan, reverb send, and delay send on the fly • MIDI Learn — tap a pad, play a note, done • Swipe left/right on single-sample pads to cycle saved versions • Varispeed pitch per pad, per velocity layer, and per round-robin sample SOUND FX ON EVERY PAD • Pitch envelope, transient shaper, saturation, bitcrusher, and a resonant filter with a per-hit sweep • Everything is automatable from your host TAPKO SPACE REVERB & DELAY • Reverb: Room, Plate, Hall, and Cosmos, with Space, Decay, Pre-delay, Color, Clarity, and Modulation • Delay: Clean, Warm, Diffuse, and Reverse, synced to your host's tempo (1/2 to 1/32, straight, dotted, or triplet) or free-running, and it can feed its echoes into the reverb • Per-pad sends and dry level, global wet levels • Drum-focused factory presets plus your own, to save, export, and import; shared kits sound the same anywhere ADVANCED SAMPLING • Velocity layers — up to 5 per pad with adjustable ranges • Round robin — up to 5 samples per pad, sequential or random • Layer mode — stack up to 5 samples and trigger them together • Sample Editor with a zoomable waveform, trim handles, start delay, attack, and gain. Play sounds exactly like hitting the pad • Render Pad — bounce a pad to a new sample with its EQ, pitch, Sound FX and, if you like, reverb and delay baked in • Sample Recorder (standalone app) — record from the mic or an audio interface straight into your Media Library • Global Media Browser — import clips once and use them in any kit, with nested folders, multi-select, and export/import KITS & SHARING • Create, rename, duplicate, and delete kits; import and export .tapkokit files • Sort your kits into categories • Kit Store — browse featured kits and categories and download free community kits, with each kit's icon and info kept in your kit list • Full backup of kits, media, and presets to one .tapkobackup file • iCloud backup and restore with live progress • Web Manager (Beta) — edit kits and your Media Library from a browser on your computer BUILT-IN SEQUENCER • A bonus for when you want a groove: open it from the toolbar, press Play, and your own kit plays the pattern • Ready-made grooves plus percussion and hi-hat parts, each with A, B, C loops and a Fill • Switch loops and trigger fills while it plays; changes land on the next bar • Step editor with velocity and extra reverb or delay per hit; save your own patterns and share grooves as files • Assign each instrument to any pad, per kit • Internal clock, or follow your host's tempo and transport • Control it from function pads, host parameters, or MIDI CC (optional preset on channel 16) MULTI-OUTPUT ROUTING • 9 stereo outputs (1 Main + 8 Aux) for multi-output hosts • Send any pad to its own Aux bus for separate mixing MIDI & HOST INTEGRATION • MIDI input with customizable note mapping (GM drums by default) • Per-pad MIDI channel (omni or 1–16) • Chromatic MIDI Channels (Beta) — play each pad chromatically from its own channel • MIDI output and Program Change for kit switching • Function pads — one tap can mute pads, switch effects, set sends, play pads, send MIDI CC, or load a kit, and your host can press them too • Pad, Sound FX, and Mixer parameters automatable from the host BUILT FOR PERFORMANCE • Real-time C++ DSP engine with vDSP acceleration, designed for low CPU use • Standalone: optional Play in Background (Settings > Other) • 48-voice polyphony with smart voice stealing

Screenshots

Tapko4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: pyka_loop at Free against Tapko's $5.99. pyka_loop also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 18.2). Tapko's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

pyka_loop is free to download; Tapko costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tapko holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of pyka_loop's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tapko's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pyka_loop ships an update every 3 months, Tapko weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
pyka_loop versus Tapko: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterpyka_loopTapko
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperpykaDavid Lars Guva

Customer experience

pyka_loop

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral12.5%
Negative8.3%

Tapko

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

pyka_loop

No in-app purchases

None

Tapko

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pyka_loop free?
pyka_loop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tapko free?
Tapko costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, pyka_loop or Tapko?
Tapko is rated higher. pyka_loop averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Tapko averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do pyka_loop or Tapko have ads?
Neither pyka_loop nor Tapko shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pyka_loop or Tapko?
pyka_loop ships an update every 3 months, and Tapko weekly. Most recently, pyka_loop was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tapko on November 5, 2026.

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