Teclo vs Thock
Updated
Search for the Thock app and you find two products with one name: a free, open-source Thock by kamillobinski on GitHub, and a paid "Thock - Mechanical Keyboard" on the Mac App Store. Both play keyboard sounds; neither is Teclo.
Side by side
| Teclo | Thock (open source) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once | Free, open source (MIT)1 |
| Free trial | 7 days, 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 | GitHub and a Homebrew cask1 |
| Sounds | 16 packs in 5 categories, synthesized | 23 keyboard packs, mostly from kbsim and Mechvibes; 12 have key-up sounds2 |
| Press, release and variation | Separate press and release; 5 variants for ordinary keys plus Space, Return and Delete; small random pitch and level changes | Optional pitch variation, at most ±10 cents3 |
| Stereo by key position | Yes | Not listed |
| Mouse and trackpad | A click pair for every pack; trackpad swipe and pinch sounds | 3 mouse packs2 |
| Scroll sounds | Yes, optional | Not listed |
| Your own sounds | Yes, folders of WAV files | Yes, JSON sound packs1 |
| Muting | Pause from the menu bar; no per-app or automatic mute | Mutes while music plays1 |
| 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 | Raycast extension and a command-line tool1 |
- Thock on GitHub, read October 2026
- Thock's sound pack manifest, read October 2026
- Thock issue 24, pitch variation, read October 2026
Teclo's column is ours. Other apps change their prices and features; check their pages before you buy.
Two apps called Thock
| Thock (open source) | Thock - Mechanical Keyboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | kamillobinski, on GitHub | Alan Agon, on the Mac App Store |
| Price | Free, MIT | USD 4.99 |
| Install | Homebrew cask or GitHub release | Mac App Store |
| Last release we saw | v1.23.0, 2026-03-28 | Updated 2026-01-27 |
The table above compares Teclo with the open-source one, the Thock people usually mean: its latest release had been downloaded 22,821 times on GitHub when we checked in October 2026. The App Store Thock lists Cherry and Gateron switch profiles, a 15-minute snooze, a hotkey and a choice of output device.
The short answer
- Pick the open-source Thock if you want free and open source, packs you can write in JSON, a Raycast extension, or an app that mutes itself while music plays.
- Pick Teclo if you want packs no one else ships (a deep thock, rain, a typewriter with a bell), trackpad and scroll sounds, or the keycap pet, for $4.99 once after a free trial.
Thocky, the word
The app took its name from the sound. Keyboard builders call a deep, round, low note a thock; the thock, clack and creamy guide lets you hear the difference on Teclo’s packs. Boulder is Teclo’s deepest keyboard.
After a macOS update
If a keyboard sound app stops making sound after an update, check that it still has its permission: System Settings, Privacy & Security, then Input Monitoring or Accessibility, depending on what the app asked for. Switching the app off and on again there often helps. Teclo’s support page walks through the same fix. For the other free options, see free keyboard sound apps for Mac.
Questions
Is the Thock app free?
The open-source Thock on GitHub is free under the MIT licence and installs with Homebrew. "Thock - Mechanical Keyboard" on the Mac App Store is a different app and costs USD 4.99.
Where do the open-source Thock's sounds come from?
Its sound pack manifest lists 23 keyboard packs, mostly credited to the free kbsim and Mechvibes sets, and 3 mouse packs.
Why choose Teclo over a free app?
Teclo's packs are its own, synthesized, including sounds that are not keyboards, and it adds trackpad and scroll sounds and a keycap pet. If free and open source matter most, the open-source Thock is a good choice.
Sources
Other facts on this page come from these pages, read on or before the date above.