Teclo vs Tappy
Updated
Tappy is a keyboard sound app that skips keyboards: its eight sounds are ASMR textures such as nails on plastic, wet squishy pops and wax cracking. Teclo has a few non-keyboard packs of its own, and lets you record any sound you like as a pack.
1-day free trial · $4.99 once · up to 3 Macs · macOS 13+
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Pick a pack, then press any key or tap the keys below. These are the same samples the app plays.
Side by side
| Teclo | Tappy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once | Listed free with a USD 4.99 unlock, though its notes say every pack is now included1 |
| Free trial | 1 day, no account | Not listed |
| Macs per licence | Up to 3 | Not listed |
| macOS | 13 or later | 14.0 or later1 |
| Where to get it | Direct, at teclo.app, through Polar | Mac App Store; a download on its site with a Stripe checkout2 |
| Sounds | 16 packs in 5 categories, synthesized | 8 ASMR sounds, from nail taps and wax cracking to bubbles1 |
| Press, release and variation | Separate press and release; 5 variants for ordinary keys plus Space, Return and Delete; small random pitch and level changes | Own sounds for Space, Return, Delete and modifiers1 |
| 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 | Not listed |
- Tappy on the Mac App Store (US), read October 2026
- Tappy's site, read October 2026
Teclo's column is ours. Other apps change their prices and features; check their pages before you buy.
The short answer
- Pick Tappy for ASMR textures that no keyboard makes, such as Wax Cracking, Wet Squishy Pop and Wood Brush, in a small menu bar app.
- Pick Teclo for nine keyboards next to its non-keyboard packs, mouse, scroll and trackpad sounds, a pet, or a pack recorded from any sound you can make.
Eight textures against seven non-keyboard packs
Tappy lists eight sounds: Tapping Nails on Plastic, Wood and Sand Blocks, Wet Squishy Pop, Wax Cracking, Bubbles, Mechanical Ticks, Star Level Up and Wood Brush. It gives standard keys, Space, Return, Delete and modifier keys their own cues.
Teclo’s non-keyboard packs lean musical and retro, and each is measured from the file the app plays. Bubble is a round pop that rises, with a spectral centroid of 576 Hz, the lowest of Teclo’s 16 packs. Rain is a small falling drop at 1,088 Hz. Marimba is a soft mallet on a wooden bar at 713 Hz, and at 120 ms the longest pack. Pixel, Laser, Terminal and Typewriter complete the set. Like Tappy, Teclo plays its own sounds for Space, Return and Delete, and can silence modifier keys.
Record the sound you want
If no pack matches the texture you have in mind, Teclo can take it from you. Open Create, choose Record, then Any sound, and tap, crinkle or pop whatever you like three times into the microphone. The pack joins your list, and Export saves it as one .teclo file for a friend’s Mac. The custom sounds guide explains the WAV route too.
For an app with rain, marimba and bubble sounds and recorded keyboards, see Teclo vs Thock It.
Questions
Is Tappy free?
Its listings disagree. On 25 October 2026 the US App Store showed it free with a USD 4.99 "Unlock All Packs" purchase, while its 1.1.0 notes say it "is now a paid-upfront app with every sound pack included". Its own site offers a free download with premium packs for USD 4.99 through Stripe.
Can I make my own ASMR typing sound in Teclo?
Yes. On Teclo's Create page, choose Record, then Any sound, and make the sound three times into your microphone; Teclo turns it into a pack. Teclo asks for the microphone only while you record.
Do both apps need Input Monitoring?
Yes. Tappy's listing says it uses Input Monitoring only to play feedback and reads physical key codes to choose the sound. Teclo uses the same permission with a listen-only event tap.
Sources
Other facts on this page come from these pages, read on or before the date above.