Comparison

Tapko vs Algonautic

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

Head to head
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

About

Algonautic

This app provides an interactive ambient chord pad instrument for iPad, allowing musicians to generate full chord voicings with a single tap. It offers various modes for sequencing, strumming, and evolving chord progressions, and can be integrated with DAWs as an AUv3 MIDI effect.

Highlights
  • Pads fire complete chord voicings
  • Sync to DAW or trigger freely
  • Gate and Latch modes
  • Strum mode for natural movement
  • Transition rules for evolving progressions
  • Mutation mode for harmonic variations
  • AUv3 MIDI effect compatibility
Features
Read full description

Algonautic A MIDI chord pad instrument for iPad. Each pad maps to a full voiced chord. Route the output to your DAW, layer it, sequence it, and capture it as MIDI. The chord library comes from my own catalogue: a harmonic language I developed across Sonic Dreams Vol. 1 & 2, now available as a playable instrument. *** Features • Pads fire complete chord voicings — one tap, full harmony • Sync to your DAW or trigger freely • Gate and Latch modes hold chords for as long as you need • Strum mode spreads chord attacks for natural movement • Transition rules step through chords in order or randomly — useful for progressions that evolve on their own • Mutation mode introduces inversions and harmonic variations over time • Two Part Doublers add bass and top-voice doublings in real time, each on its own MIDI output channel • Runs as an AUv3 MIDI effect in Logic Pro, AUM, Cubasis, and other compatible hosts — or standalone • MIDI only. No audio engine, no added audio latency *** Compatibility Notice Requires an AUv3-compatible host for plugin functionality.

Screenshots

Tapko4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tapko at 100% against Algonautic's 50%. Tapko also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). Algonautic's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Tapko costs $5.99 and Algonautic $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 — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Tapko's written reviews are positive against 50% of Algonautic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tapko ships an update weekly, Algonautic every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tapko versus Algonautic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTapkoAlgonautic
Price$5.99$5.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS18.212.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid Lars GuvaAxart Labs OU

Customer experience

Tapko

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

Algonautic

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tapko

No in-app purchases

None

Algonautic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tapko free?
Tapko costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Algonautic free?
Algonautic costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tapko or Algonautic?
Tapko is rated higher. Tapko averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Algonautic averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Tapko or Algonautic have ads?
Neither Tapko nor Algonautic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tapko or Algonautic?
Tapko ships an update weekly, and Algonautic every 3 days. Most recently, Tapko was updated on November 5, 2026 and Algonautic on October 31, 2026.

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