Comparison

Tap That Tempo 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

Tap That Tempo

Measure the BPM of any song by simply tapping along to the beat. This utility is ideal for musicians, producers, DJs, and anyone needing quick tempo references. It offers precise detection with automatic resets for continuous use.

Highlights
  • Precise BPM detection by tapping
  • Automatic reset after customizable intervals
  • Clean, minimal interface
  • Tempo measurement for musical ideas
  • Quick tempo reference for production
Features
Read full description

Just tap along the beat of your favorite music to measure the BPM of any song. "The perfect app for discovering BPM. Way faster and more accurate than anything that claims to be able to detect it automatically." Tap That Tempo is a simple yet powerful utility for musicians, music producers, DJs, or anyone who wants to know the tempo of their musical ideas. Simply tap the button in rhythm with the music, and the app calculates the BPM using advanced algorithms. Key Features: • Precise BPM detection by tapping along the beat • Automatic reset after customizable intervals (1-4 seconds) • Clean, minimal interface designed for musicians Perfect for: • Discovering the BPM of songs • Measuring tempo of musical ideas • Quick tempo reference during music production • DJs who need to know track tempos The tempo tracking automatically resets after a few seconds, so you can easily measure multiple songs or sections. No complicated setup - just tap and get your BPM.

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

Tap That Tempo1 screens
Koala Sampler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tap That Tempo at Free against Koala Sampler's $4.99. Koala Sampler's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On rating, ratings volume, 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

Tap That Tempo is free to download; Koala Sampler costs $4.99 up front. Tap That Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Tap That Tempo against 4.8 for Koala Sampler. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 566 and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Tap That Tempo's written reviews are positive against 88% of Koala Sampler's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tap That Tempo ships an update every 2 months, Koala Sampler fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tap That Tempo versus Koala Sampler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTap That TempoKoala Sampler
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (566 ratings)4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.8% of reviews88.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5661.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#8 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorman SanderMazbox Limited

Customer experience

Tap That Tempo

All ratings524 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.5%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive76.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative17.9%

Koala Sampler

All ratings1,438 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews618 reviews
Positive88.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative7.4%

User reviews

Tap That Tempo

From 566 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Accurate tempo detection
  • ✅ Works offline
  • 💪 Reliable and dependable
  • 💡 Multi-use tool (music, heart rate)

Room to improve

  • 💸 Intrusive and disruptive ads
  • 📉 Inaccurate readings sometimes
  • 😵‍💫 Ads cover the whole screen
  • 🚫 No option to remove ads
  • 🤔 Unskippable ads

Koala Sampler

From 1.5K 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

Tap That Tempo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Ads are disruptive and manipulative
  • First tap often gives a very low BPM
  • Accuracy issues, especially when app is open for a while
  • Ads are sketchy and suggest device hacks

Requested features

2 requests
  • Option to hear a clicktrack
  • Calculator for pitch change between tempos

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

1 purchases

Tap That Tempo

One-time1
  • Ad-Free Experience$3.99
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 Tap That Tempo free?
Tap That Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Koala Sampler free?
Koala Sampler costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tap That Tempo or Koala Sampler?
Koala Sampler is rated higher. Tap That Tempo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 566 ratings, while Koala Sampler averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Tap That Tempo or Koala Sampler have ads?
Tap That Tempo shows ads; Koala Sampler does not.
Which is updated more often, Tap That Tempo or Koala Sampler?
Tap That Tempo ships an update every 2 months, and Koala Sampler fortnightly. Most recently, Tap That Tempo was updated on October 29, 2026 and Koala Sampler on October 29, 2026.

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