Teclo vs kbsim
Updated
kbsim, at kbs.im, is a free mechanical keyboard simulator in the browser: pick a switch, type on its page, hear it. It cannot make a sound when you type anywhere else. Teclo is a Mac app that does, and this site has its own browser simulator for trying Teclo's packs first.
1-day free trial · $4.99 once · up to 3 Macs · macOS 13+
Secure checkout, payments byStripe· 14-day refund, no questions asked
Pick a pack, then press any key or tap the keys below. These are the same samples the app plays.
Side by side
| Teclo | kbsim | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once | Free, open source (MIT)1 |
| Free trial | 1 day, no account | Not needed: free1 |
| Macs per licence | Up to 3 | Not listed |
| macOS | 13 or later | Not listed |
| Where to get it | Direct, at teclo.app, through Polar | A website, kbs.im; no app1 |
| Sounds | 16 packs in 5 categories, synthesized | 13 switch sound folders, from Cherry MX Blue to Topre and buckling spring2 |
| Press, release and variation | Separate press and release; 5 variants for ordinary keys plus Space, Return and Delete; small random pitch and level changes | Unique sounds for specific keys1 |
| Stereo by key position | Yes | Not listed |
| Mouse and trackpad | A click pair for every pack; trackpad swipe and pinch sounds | Not listed |
| Scroll sounds | Yes, optional | Not listed |
| Your own sounds | Yes: shape a pack with sliders, record one from the microphone or drop in WAV files; share it as a .teclo file | Not listed |
| Muting | Pause from the menu bar; no per-app or automatic mute | Not listed |
| Typing pet | Yes, a keycap pet with moods and power-ups | Not listed |
| Worth knowing | Rain, marimba, typewriter, arcade and sci-fi packs next to nine keyboards | Plays while you type on its own page; a 1-minute typing test1 |
- kbsim on GitHub, read October 2026
- kbsim's sound folders, read October 2026
Teclo's column is ours. Other apps change their prices and features; check their pages before you buy.
The short answer
- Use kbsim to hear what named switches sound like, try layouts and case colours, or take its one-minute typing test, free and without installing anything.
- Use Teclo to hear a sound in every app you type in, from your editor to Slack, with mouse, scroll and trackpad sounds and a keycap pet on your desktop.
A page against an app
kbsim’s README calls it a “website that simulates typing on a variety of custom keyswitches”. It plays sounds for the keys you press while its page has focus. Leave the tab and it goes quiet, because a web page cannot hear keys typed into other apps.
A Mac app can, once you allow it under Privacy & Security, Input Monitoring. Teclo uses that permission with a listen-only event tap: it learns which key moved, never what letter it made, and plays the pack you chose. The privacy guide explains what the permission allows.
The two overlap in one place. Teclo’s sound simulator runs in your browser like kbsim, with the same synthesized packs the app plays. The keyboard above has three of them.
Where kbsim’s sounds turn up
kbsim’s README lists 11 switches, and its sound folder holds 13: Alpaca, Gateron Black and Red Ink, SKCM Blue Alps, Kailh Box Navy, buckling spring, NovelKeys Cream, Holy Panda, Cherry MX Black, Blue and Brown, Topre and Turquoise Tealio. The repository was last updated in March 2023.
Those sounds travel. The open-source Thock credits many of its packs to kbsim, and Kiiwi’s developer wrote that its packs come from kbsim and MechvibesDX. Keycap on the App Store lists 13 switches with the same names as kbsim’s 13 folders; we have not compared the audio. If you liked a switch on kbsim, an app built on its sounds may give you that sound everywhere.
Teclo’s packs come from none of these sets. Each is synthesized from a model of switch, keycap, plate and case, so it describes what a pack imitates, such as Buckle’s “vintage buckling spring”, rather than naming a switch.
Questions
Can kbsim play sounds while I type in other apps?
No. kbsim is a website; it hears only what you type on its own page. Playing a sound for every key in every app needs a native app with the Mac's Input Monitoring permission.
Is kbsim free?
Yes. Its code is open source under the MIT licence on GitHub, and the site has no account or payment.
Do other apps use kbsim's sounds?
Some say so. The open-source Thock credits many of its packs to kbsim, and Kiiwi's developer wrote that its packs come from kbsim and MechvibesDX. Teclo's packs are synthesized, not taken from kbsim.
Where can I try Teclo's sounds without installing anything?
On teclo.app/sounds: every one of Teclo's 16 packs plays in the browser, and each has its own page.
Sources
Other facts on this page come from these pages, read on or before the date above.