SoundSource Alternatives for Per-App Volume on Mac
Short answer: SoundSource ($49, macOS 15+) is the most complete audio control app on the Mac: per-app volume, per-app output, EQ, Audio Unit effects and AirPlay per app. If you only want a volume slider per app, you have cheaper options. Background Music is free and open source. On macOS 14.2 or later, newer mixers like SoundDial and FavTray use Core Audio process taps, so there’s no driver to install.
TL;DR
- Routing, EQ, effects, AirPlay per app: SoundSource. Nothing cheaper does all of it.
- Free: Background Music (installs a virtual audio driver).
- System-wide EQ, free: eqMac.
- Just per-app volume, no driver, macOS 14.2+: SoundDial, or FavTray’s per-app volume (Pro, alongside FavTray’s other tools).
How do the SoundSource alternatives compare?
Checked on 28 September 2026 from each app’s site, manual or release notes.
| App | Price | Needs | How it works | Key features | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoundSource 6 | $49 once ($25 upgrade). Trial degrades audio after 20 min | macOS 15+ | ARK plugin (admin install) | Per-app volume and output, 10-band EQ, Audio Units, AirPlay, Super Volume Keys | Full control of Mac audio |
| Background Music | Free, open source (GPL) | Varies; check its README | Virtual audio driver | Per-app volume and mute, auto-pause music | Free per-app volume |
| eqMac | Free, open source; paid tier | Recent macOS | System audio processing | System-wide EQ | Free EQ |
| SoundDial | €14.99 once (its own site) | macOS 14.2+ | Core Audio process taps | Per-app volume, profiles, ducking | A focused paid mixer |
| FavTray | Pro, $4.99 once at launch | macOS 14.2+ | Core Audio process taps | 0 to 150% or mute per app, remembered, inside a menu bar toolkit | Volume per app plus the rest of FavTray |
All of them process audio on your Mac.
What does SoundSource do?
SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba is the long-standing answer to “why doesn’t my Mac have a volume mixer?”. From one menu bar window you can:
- set a volume for each app, and send each app to a different output (Zoom in your headphones, music on the speakers);
- add a 10-band EQ or any Audio Unit plug-in, per app or system-wide, plus Volume Overdrive, Magic Boost and Headphone EQ;
- stream a single app to AirPlay, group outputs, and save setups as Quick Configs;
- get working volume keys on devices macOS won’t control (Super Volume Keys), and automate it with Shortcuts.
SoundSource 6 came out in December 2025. The current version, 6.1.4, shipped on 17 September 2026 and needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later. It installs Rogue Amoeba’s ARK plugin, which needs your admin password and System Audio and Microphone access. It costs $49, or $25 to upgrade. The trial has every feature, but after 20 minutes per launch the audio it adjusts is degraded.
If you’ll use the routing and effects, it’s worth it. People search for alternatives mostly because they want only the volume sliders, are on macOS 14, or don’t want to install an audio component.
Is Background Music a good free alternative?
Background Music is the classic free answer: open source, in the menu bar, with a volume slider per app and an option to pause your music player when another app starts playing. Version 0.5.0 (10 June 2026) added a per-app mute button, better per-app volume for browsers and Discord, and stops processing audio when nothing is playing.
The catch is how it works: it installs a virtual audio driver and routes your sound through it. That’s the older approach, and some users report glitches or install failures on recent macOS versions (Setapp’s roundup mentions Tahoe issues). If it works on your Mac, it’s hard to beat free.
What about eqMac and SoundDial?
eqMac is free and open source, with a paid tier, and it’s an equalizer first. If you want a system-wide EQ, start there. If you want per-app volume sliders, a dedicated mixer fits better.
SoundDial is a newer paid mixer that uses Core Audio process taps on macOS 14.2 or later, so there’s no driver. Its site lists €14.99 once and features like volume profiles and ducking. We haven’t tested it ourselves.
How does per-app volume work without a driver?
Since macOS 14.2, Core Audio has process taps: an app can capture another app’s audio output, mute the original while it reads it, and play it back at whatever level it likes. Everything runs in user space, and when the mixer quits, macOS removes its taps and sound goes back to normal. The trade-off is a permission: apps that do this appear under System Audio Recording Only in Privacy & Security. We explain it step by step in per-app volume on macOS without a driver.
Where does FavTray fit?
Full disclosure: FavTray is our app. Its per-app volume is the tap-based kind:
- Each app goes from 0 to 150%, or mute, and FavTray remembers the level per app.
- Above 100%, peaks are rounded off rather than clipped harshly. Boosting can’t add detail that isn’t there, so a quiet recording also gets louder noise.
- You find it under System › Audio › Apps, or from the output chip in FavTray’s menu bar window. The same Audio section lists every output and input with a button to switch the default.
- It asks for System Audio Recording permission and uses it only to change volume. It never records or saves audio.
What it doesn’t do: send apps to different outputs, EQ, Audio Unit effects, AirPlay per app, or volume keys for unsupported devices. That’s SoundSource’s territory.
Price and requirements: per-app volume is part of FavTray Pro, $4.99 once during launch ($9.99 after 8 October 2026), and every install gets 7 days of Pro free with no card. Free shows the apps that played recently, with the sliders locked. It needs macOS 14.2 or later and arrives in FavTray 2.0.2.
Which SoundSource alternative should you pick?
| If you want | Pick |
|---|---|
| Routing, EQ, effects and AirPlay per app | SoundSource |
| Free per-app volume, and a driver is fine | Background Music |
| A free system-wide EQ | eqMac |
| A focused paid mixer, no driver | SoundDial |
| Per-app volume inside a toolkit you already use, no driver | FavTray |
If per-app volume is the one thing you’re missing and your menu bar is already busy, a mixer inside an app you already run saves you another icon. If you produce audio, stream or juggle headsets all day, SoundSource earns its $49.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free alternative to SoundSource?
Background Music. It's free and open source, sets volume per app from the menu bar, can auto-pause music when other audio plays, and version 0.5.0 (June 2026) added a per-app mute button. It works by installing a virtual audio driver, and some users report problems on recent macOS versions, so try it before relying on it.
How much does SoundSource cost?
$49 once for a new licence, or $25 to upgrade to SoundSource 6 from an earlier version. The free trial is fully featured, but audio adjusted by SoundSource is degraded after 20 minutes per launch. SoundSource 6 needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
Can I control per-app volume on a Mac without installing a driver?
Yes, on macOS 14.2 or later. Core Audio process taps let an app capture another app's audio, mute the original and play it back at a different level, all from user space. FavTray's per-app volume and SoundDial work this way. SoundSource installs Rogue Amoeba's ARK plugin, and Background Music installs a virtual audio driver.
Does FavTray's per-app volume replace SoundSource?
Only for volume. FavTray sets each app from 0 to 150% or mutes it, and remembers the level per app. It doesn't route apps to different outputs, add EQ or Audio Unit effects, or stream an app to AirPlay; SoundSource does all of those. It arrives in FavTray 2.0.2 as part of Pro and needs macOS 14.2 or later.
Is eqMac a per-app volume mixer?
eqMac is mainly a system-wide equalizer, free and open source with a paid tier. If what you want is EQ for everything your Mac plays, it's a good choice. For per-app sliders, a dedicated mixer is the better fit.
Why does a volume app need System Audio Recording permission?
Because changing another app's volume means reading its audio first. On macOS 14.2 and later, apps that use process taps are listed under System Audio Recording Only in Privacy & Security. FavTray uses it only to change volume and never records or saves audio.