CACHE vs Tapko
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CACHE
This app provides a dedicated sample browser for iOS music producers. It allows users to quickly browse, preview, and drag audio files directly into compatible DAWs and AUv3 hosts, streamlining music creation workflows.
- Browse sample folders and subfolders
- Preview one-shots and loops
- Detect sample key
- Drag samples into compatible DAWs
- Access local and cloud storage
- Bookmark folders without copying samples
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CACHE is a fast and simple sample browser for iPhone, iPad, and AUv3 hosts. It lets you open your own sample folders, browse collections instantly, preview audio files, detect sample key, and drag sounds straight into compatible apps and hosts. Built for producers who work across iOS and iPadOS, CACHE solves a problem that has been strangely overlooked for years: some DAWs and AUv3 hosts still don’t include a proper sample browser. Until now, that often meant digging through Files, switching between apps, and dragging samples in from outside your music workflow. CACHE puts that missing browser exactly where you need it. Use CACHE to: Browse your own sample folders and subfolders Preview one-shots and loops quickly Detect likely sample key for one-shots Drag samples directly into compatible DAWs, hosts, and apps Access collections from local storage, cloud locations, or external drives CACHE does not include any samples and does not make sound on its own beyond sample preview. You must supply your own sample folders. CACHE also does not copy or store your samples internally. It simply bookmarks and browses the folders you choose, so it won’t take up extra storage space with duplicate sample libraries. That makes it especially useful if your sounds live on external storage or outside the app itself.
Tapko
This app is a powerful drum sampler for musicians, offering a 16-pad grid for loading and manipulating sounds. It provides extensive per-pad editing, advanced sampling features like velocity layers and round robin, and seamless integration with music hosts.
- 16-pad grid with per-pad sample import
- Per-pad editing (EQ, pan, reverb)
- Velocity layers and round robin sampling
- MIDI Learn for instant assignment
- Built-in stereo reverb
- Kit creation, import, and export
- Multi-output routing
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Tapko is a fast, no-nonsense drum sampler built by a musician for musicians. Load your sounds, build your kit, and play — standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite host. Use Tapko on its own as a playable drum machine, or load it as an AUv3 instrument in AUM, Loopy Pro, GarageBand, Cubasis, and more. 16 PADS, TOTAL CONTROL • 16-pad grid with per-pad sample import (WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC, CAF) • Per-pad 3-band EQ with adjustable gain and frequency, volume, pan, gain, choke groups, and configurable Fade Out • Swipe pads to tweak volume, EQ, pan, and reverb send on the fly • MIDI Learn — tap a pad, play a note, instantly assign note and channel • Swipe left/right on single-sample pads to cycle saved versions • Built-in stereo reverb with per-pad send, per-pad dry level, and global room/decay/wet-level controls • Built-in delay/echo with per-pad send and global time, feedback, damping, and wet-level controls • Per-pad varispeed pitch — retune a pad up or down, turntable-style • Let a pad's hits overlap and ring out instead of cutting each other off — perfect for cymbals and pads ADVANCED SAMPLING • Velocity layers — up to 5 layers per pad with adjustable velocity ranges • Round robin — cycle through up to 5 samples per pad (sequential or random) • Layer mode — stack up to 5 samples per pad and trigger them simultaneously • Random velocity — override incoming velocity with base +/- variation for natural dynamics • Sample Editor with zoomable waveform: high-detail zoom view above, full-file overview below with a draggable zoom-window and in/out markers, pinch-to-zoom, trim handles, start delay, attack, and per-pad gain • Global media browser — import clips once, assign to any pad in any kit; organize into folders, multi-select to move or delete, and export/import your whole library as a single file KITS & SHARING • Create, rename, duplicate, and delete kits • Import and export kits as .tapkokit files • Kit Store — browse and download free community kits • Full backup and restore of all kits and media to a single .tapkobackup file • iCloud backup — upload your kits and Media Library and restore them on another device, with live progress and a clear confirmation once everything is in iCloud • Build kits on your computer at tapko.davidguva.se MULTI-OUTPUT ROUTING • 9 stereo output buses (1 Main + 8 Aux) for hosts that support multi-output • Assign each pad to an individual output bus for separate mixing and effects • Pads assigned to an Aux bus are isolated to that bus, so you can send drums to individual channel strips without duplicating them on Main • Single-output hosts hear every pad that's still assigned to Main • Pads routed to an Aux bus show which output they use right on the pad MIDI & HOST INTEGRATION • MIDI input with customizable note mapping (GM drum layout by default) • Per-pad MIDI channel assignment (omni or channel 1–16) • MIDI output and Program Change for kit switching • All parameters exposed to the host for automation • Delay syncs to the host's tempo • Factory presets support BUILT FOR PERFORMANCE • Real-time C++ DSP engine with vDSP acceleration • 48-voice polyphonic playback with intelligent voice stealing • Efficient CPU usage for most kits; usage increases with kit complexity (more layers, longer samples/tails, and heavier FX/routing) STANDALONE & PLUGIN Tapko works as a standalone drum machine right out of the box. It also registers as an AUv3 instrument plugin so any compatible host can load it.
Screenshots
Verdict
CACHE and Tapko both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Tapko's written reviews are positive against 67% of CACHE's. CACHE's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (10 vs 2). On rating, update cadence, 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
CACHE costs $2.99 and Tapko $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for CACHE against 5.0 for Tapko. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CACHE has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of CACHE's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tapko's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CACHE | Tapko |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (10 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LEWIS GARETH K LE VAL | David Lars Guva |
Customer experience
CACHE
Tapko
In-app purchases
CACHE
No in-app purchases
Tapko
No in-app purchases









