Comparison

Tape vs Koala Sampler

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

Head to head
About

Tape

Relive the 80s with a virtual cassette player that emulates the feel of old-school music playback. Enjoy your iPhone music library with animated cassettes and intuitive touch controls. Choose from a variety of cassette designs for a nostalgic experience.

Highlights
  • Cassette player emulator
  • Plays music from Apple Music App
  • Animated cassette display
  • Large selection of cassette designs
  • Intuitive touch controls (play, pause, swipe)
  • Pinch to zoom for original cassette size
Features
Read full description

Do you still remember the cassettes from the 80s? Now you can have it again. You have all your songs from your iPhone or iPod Touch ready in the library. Tape is a cassette player emulator. It plays your music from Apple Music App and shows an animated cassette. There is a large selection of cassettes which you can choose from. This app bring's you back to the 80's. Very easy to use. - Touch for play or pause. - Swipe right for next song. - Swipe left for previous song. - Swipe down for next cassette. - Swipe up for cassette change. - Touch in the upper left corner to select songs. - you can zoom in to original cassette size (pinch to zoom). and because the control is very simple, This app is perfect for the car or on your iPod, iPhone docking Station, have fun with the app! THIS APP ONLY WORKS, IF YOU HAVE MUSIC IN THE APPLE MUSIC APP !!!

About

Koala Sampler

This app allows you to record sounds with your phone's microphone, transform them with effects, and create beats and tracks. Its intuitive interface focuses on a fast and fun music-making process.

Highlights
  • Record up to 64 samples with mic
  • Apply 16 built-in effects
  • Load and use own samples
  • Create beats with high-resolution sequencer
  • Export loops and tracks as WAV
  • AI sample separation
  • AUv3 and MIDI compatibility
Features
Read full description

Koala is the ultimate pocket-sized sampler. Record anything with your phone's mic or load your own sounds. Use Koala to create beats with those samples, add effects and create a track! Koala's super intuitive interface helps you make a track in a flash - there is no brake pedal. You can also resample the output of the app back into the input, through the effects, so the sonic possibilities are endless. Koala's design focuses totally on making the music-making process instant, keeping you in the flow and keeping it fun, not getting bogged down by pages of parameters and micro-editing. "Been putting that $4 koala sampler to good use lately. Undeniably great tool that puts some of these expensive beat boxes to shame. A must cop." -- flying lotus, twitter * Record up to 64 different samples with your mic * Transform your voice or any other sound with 16 superb built-in fx * Load your own samples * Choose from one of 250 built-in sounds * Resample the output of the app back into a new sample * Export loops or entire tracks as professional quality WAV files * Direct export to Ableton Live Set * Copy/paste or merge sequences just by dragging them * Create beats with the high-resolution sequencer * Import samples from the Files app or even from videos * Keyboard mode lets you play chromatically or one of 9 scales * Quantize, add swing to get the right feel * Normal/One-shot/Loop/Reverse playback of samples * 6 Choke groups * Attack, release and tone adjustable on each sample * Mute/Solo controls and note repeat * Add any (or all) of the 16 effects to the entire mix * AUv3 compatible - use in GarageBand, Logic, Cubasis etc etc * MIDI controllable - play your samples on a keyboard, map the effects to knobs * Jam with others over WiFi with Ableton Link * Free copy of Ableton Live Lite included * AudioShare compatible * Use AI to separate samples into individual instruments (drums, bass, vocals and other) * Set your own background image and choose from a growing list of background visual FX 8 Built-in Microphone FX: * More Bass * More Treble * Fuzz * Robot * Reverb * Octave up * Octave down * Synthesizer 16 Built-in DJ Mix FX: * Bit-crusher * Pitch-shift * Comb filter * Ring modulator * Reverb * Stutter * Gate * Resonant High/Low Pass Filters * Cutter * Reverse * Dub * Tempo Delay * Talkbox * VibroFlange * Dirty * Compressor Features included in SAMURAI In-App Purchase * Pro-quality Timestretch (5 modes: Modern, Retro, Beats, Re-pitch and Cyclic) * Piano roll editor * Auto-chop (auto, equal, and lazy chop) * 3 Band EQ * Pocket operator sync out * Quokka Synth - powerhouse polyphonic synthesizer * MIDI Out - control external MIDI hardware with Koala's sequencer * Chopper - multimodal sample chopping instrument Features included in MIXER In-App Purchase * Mix your beats professionally with a 4 channel mixer + main bus * Route any sample to any channel * Mute/solo, faders and accurate metering on every channel * 5 effect slots per channel * 29 high-quality effects - compressors, filters, phasers and more, with new effects to come * Host AUv3 plugins - both audio effects and instruments

Screenshots

Tape4 screens
Koala Sampler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Koala Sampler at every 3 weeks against Tape's every 7 months. Koala Sampler also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). Tape's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Tape costs $1.99 and Koala Sampler $4.99 up front. Tape sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Koala Sampler sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Koala Sampler holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Koala Sampler has 1.4K ratings behind it against 259, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Tape's written reviews are positive against 88% of Koala Sampler's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tape ships an update every 7 months, Koala Sampler every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tape versus Koala Sampler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTapeKoala Sampler
Price$1.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (259 ratings)4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews88.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2591.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.514.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander RutkowskijMazbox Limited

Customer experience

Tape

All ratings259 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews148 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral8.1%
Negative10.1%

Koala Sampler

All ratings1,414 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews603 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative7.5%

User reviews

Tape

From 259 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Authentic nostalgic cassette player design
  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 🎵 Realistic animations with moving reels and playheads
  • 💰 Free app with extensive cassette designs included
  • 🎮 Interactive controls with swipe gestures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 🐛 App doesn't close properly with swipe gesture
  • 🐛 Tape head animation reversed (plays down, pauses up)
  • ❌ Limited to Apple Music only
  • ❌ No local file playback support

Koala Sampler

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🚀 Smooth workflow and fast performance
  • 💡 Powerful sampling and sequencing capabilities
  • 🔥 Excellent value for the price
  • 🎨 Creative and inspiring sound design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔇 Limited effects and sound manipulation options
  • 📁 Difficulty managing and organizing samples/projects
  • 🎚️ Lack of advanced MIDI mapping and control options
  • 🔍 Unclear or confusing UI elements in certain areas

Bugs and requests

Tape

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes when using menus
  • Freezes on iPhone iOS 14.4.2 and later
  • Swipe-to-close doesn't stop playback
  • Playhead and capstan roller animation reversed
  • App closes unexpectedly for no reason
Show 3 more
  • Doesn't recognize hand gestures or song selections
  • Won't play selected songs
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS updates

Requested features

13 requests
  • Save and switch between custom mixed tapes
  • Playlist duration limits based on cassette type
  • Clicking sounds for play/stop button presses
  • Support for local MP3 and M4A files
  • Screen sleep toggle while music plays
Show 8 more
  • Additional cassette designs (especially Memorex and movie-themed)
  • Spotify integration
  • iPad version with larger interface
  • Tape malfunction/degradation simulation
  • Record function for music production
  • Remove 'tap to load' text overlay
  • More realistic button control styling
  • Classic 80s Memorex shell design

Koala Sampler

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Samples not loading or disappearing after app updates
  • Sequencer timing and quantization issues
  • Crashes when using certain features or with large projects

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to record and edit MIDI sequences
  • More comprehensive effects and sound processing tools
  • Improved sample management and organization features
  • Support for external MIDI controllers and hardware integration
  • Customizable color schemes and UI themes

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Tape

One-time2
  • New Cassette Pack$0.99
  • Cassette collection 2$1.99
8 purchases

Koala Sampler

One-time8
  • Koala AUv3 Plugin$1.99
  • Ese-O's Sample Pack$2.99
  • Solar Studies Samplepack$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Soon Come Dub Sample Pack$2.99
  • Analog Astronaut Samplepack$2.99
  • Cirrus Cuts Sample Pack$2.99
  • Samurai Edition$3.99
  • Mixer$4.99

Questions

Is Tape free?
Tape costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Koala Sampler free?
Koala Sampler costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tape or Koala Sampler?
Koala Sampler is rated higher. Tape averages 4.5 out of 5 from 259 ratings, while Koala Sampler averages 4.8 from 1.4K ratings.
Do Tape or Koala Sampler have ads?
Neither Tape nor Koala Sampler shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tape or Koala Sampler?
Tape ships an update every 7 months, and Koala Sampler every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tape was updated on September 28, 2026 and Koala Sampler on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons