Tap That Tempo vs Koala Sampler
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Precise BPM detection by tapping
- Automatic reset after customizable intervals
- Clean, minimal interface
- Tempo measurement for musical ideas
- Quick tempo reference for production
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Tap That Tempo ships an update every 2 months, Koala Sampler fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Tap That Tempo | Koala Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (566 ratings) | 4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | 88.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 566 | 1.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norman Sander | Mazbox Limited |
Customer experience
Tap That Tempo
Koala Sampler
User reviews
Tap That Tempo
From 566 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Tap That Tempo
- Ad-Free Experience$3.99
Koala Sampler
- Koala AUv3 Plugin$1.99
- Ese-O's Sample Pack$2.99
- Solar Studies Samplepack$2.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- 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









