Guides/Best volume mixers for Mac
The 7 best volume mixers for Mac
Quick answer
Vitals is the best volume mixer for Mac for most people: a slider and a mute for every app with sound open, in the menu bar, inside a full system monitor that also shows CPU, memory, battery and the apps using the microphone. It is $9 during the launch and $29 after it, once. SoundSource is the pick if you need each app on its own speakers with effects, at $49; SoundDial if you want profiles and music that ducks during calls. FineTune is the best free one, and Background Music the one for a Mac on an older macOS.
How to change one app's volume without a mixer
- 01 Use the app's own slider where it has one: Music, Spotify, VLC and QuickTime Player each change only themselves.
- 02 Mute a browser tab instead of the browser: click the speaker in Safari's tab, or Control-click a Chrome tab and choose Mute site.
- 03 Lower Alert volume in System Settings → Sound to quiet alert sounds without touching music or calls.
None of these gives one app its own level while another plays. For that, one of the mixers below.
macOS has one volume for everything, so a Windows-style mixer, one slider per app, needs another app. The apps below all give every app its own volume from the menu bar, and they differ in what else they do: send an app to another output, boost it past 100%, lower it during calls, or sit inside an app you already run. They are ranked on what most people want from a mixer, a volume and a mute for each app a click away, then on what each adds and what it costs, and each is labeled with the job it does best. How to turn one app down with nothing installed is in Mac volume mixer: how to change the volume of one app.
| # | App | Best for | Price | Runs in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitals Best overall | Per-app volume and the whole Mac, in one menu bar item | $9 during the launch | A window and the menu bar |
| 2 | SoundSource | Routing and effects per app | $49 once | The menu bar and a window |
| 3 | SoundDial | A mixer and nothing else, with profiles and call ducking | $12.99 once | The menu bar |
| 4 | FineTune | Free, with routing and EQ | Free | The menu bar |
| 5 | Background Music | Free, on Macs back to macOS 10.13 | Free | The menu bar |
| 6 | KE Volume Mixer | The lightest free one, a 1 MB menu bar app | Free | The menu bar |
| 7 | eqMac | An equalizer first; the mixer is a paid extra | Free EQ; the App Mixer needs Pro | The menu bar and a window |
- 01
Vitals
Best for: Per-app volume and the whole Mac, in one menu bar item
- Price
- $9 during the launch, then $29, once
- Runs in
- A window and the menu bar
Vitals gives every app its own volume, and you get a system monitor with it. Click its menu bar item and the Sound section lists every app with sound open, playing ones first, each with a slider and a mute button, under the output and input levels and the apps using the microphone right now. Levels are kept between launches. An app at 100% is not touched at all, and if Vitals quits, every app sounds as it did before. The same dropdown shows CPU, memory, battery and temperature and the apps behind them, so one menu bar item does the job of a mixer and a monitor, for less than SoundSource costs. It has no boost past 100%, routing or effects; if you need those, SoundSource is next.
Good
- A slider and a mute for every app with sound open, in the menu bar
- A full system monitor in the same item: CPU, memory, battery, temperature
- Shows which apps are using the microphone
- Levels kept between launches; an app at 100% is untouched
- No driver, no virtual device
- $9 during the launch, $29 after, once, every update for life
Good to know
- No boost past 100%, no routing, no effects
- Needs macOS 15 or later
- Sold direct, not on the Mac App Store
- 02
SoundSource
by Rogue AmoebaBest for: Routing and effects per app
- Price
- $49 once, $25 to upgrade from version 4 or 5, free trial
- Runs in
- The menu bar and a window
SoundSource is Rogue Amoeba's sound control app. Each app gets its own volume and its own output device, so music can go to the good speakers while everything else stays on the built-in ones, with a 10-band equalizer and Audio Unit effects per app or for the whole Mac, and Volume Overdrive for a quiet one. Devices and apps can sit in the menu bar with a mute a click away. It runs on macOS 15 to 27. At $49 it costs the most here, and it is the one to buy if routing or effects matter to you.
Good
- A volume and an output device for each app
- A 10-band EQ and Audio Unit effects, per app or system-wide
- Volume Overdrive past 100%
- Free trial
Not so good
- $49, the most here
- More than a mixer, if a mixer is all you want
- 03
SoundDial
by Eduard BruchBest for: A mixer and nothing else, with profiles and call ducking
- Price
- $12.99 once, on the Mac App Store
- Runs in
- The menu bar
SoundDial does one job: a volume slider for every app, from 0% to 200%, in the menu bar, with a mute a click away. It saves a whole mix as a profile, such as Work or Late Night, and lowers the other apps by itself when a call starts in Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Discord, Slack and others, then puts them back. Its site also lists a 10-band equalizer and an output device per app. It is on the Mac App Store, so it is sandboxed and installs nothing, and it needs macOS 14.2 or later.
Good
- A slider and mute for every app, in the menu bar
- Profiles: save a mix and switch in one click
- Ducks music when a call starts
- Boost to 200%
- Mac App Store, sandboxed
Not so good
- Nothing about the rest of the Mac
- No trial stated
- 04
FineTune
by Ronit SinghBest for: Free, with routing and EQ
- Price
- Free, open source (GPL v3)
- Runs in
- The menu bar
FineTune is free and open source: a slider and a mute for each app, boost up to 4×, a different output device per app, a 10-band EQ with presets and AutoEQ headphone correction, plus the microphone level and the alert volume, all from the menu bar. It needs macOS 15 and asks for audio capture permission at first launch. Its latest release, 1.9.0, is from July 2026.
Good
- Free and open source
- A volume, a mute and an output device per app
- Boost up to 4×, 10-band EQ, headphone correction
- Installs from Homebrew or a download
Not so good
- Needs macOS 15 or later
- One developer, donations optional; no support commitment stated
- 05
Background Music
by Kyle NeideckBest for: Free, on Macs back to macOS 10.13
- Price
- Free, open source (GPL v2)
- Runs in
- The menu bar
Background Music is the long-standing free option: a volume slider for each app, with boost above its maximum, auto-pause for your music player when something else plays, and a virtual device for recording system audio. It installs an audio driver and runs on macOS 10.13 and later, which makes it the pick for an older Mac. Its README still calls it alpha; the latest release, 0.5.0, is from June 2026.
Good
- Free and open source
- Runs on macOS 10.13 and later
- Pauses your music player when another app plays
- Records system audio
Not so good
- Installs an audio driver
- Still alpha, by its own README
- No mute button stated
- 06
KE Volume Mixer
by Willy KeenanBest for: The lightest free one, a 1 MB menu bar app
- Price
- Free, open source (MIT)
- Runs in
- The menu bar
KE Volume Mixer is a 1 MB open-source menu bar app: per-app volume, mute and live meters, using a Core Audio process tap for each adjusted app, so it installs no driver. It remembers levels when you switch output devices and needs macOS 14.4. Its current build, 0.1.2 from September 2026, is a preview: signed ad hoc rather than notarized, so macOS asks before it opens the first time.
Good
- Free and open source
- 1 MB, no driver, no kernel extension
- Live meters next to the sliders
- Runs on macOS 14.4 and later
Not so good
- A preview build, not notarized
- No boost, profiles or routing stated
- 07
eqMac
by BitgappBest for: An equalizer first; the mixer is a paid extra
- Price
- Free EQ; the App Mixer needs Pro, $30 a year or $40 once
- Runs in
- The menu bar and a window
eqMac is an equalizer first: a basic and a 10-band EQ with headphone presets, free. Its App Mixer, the per-app volume, is a Pro feature at $3 a month, $30 a year or $40 for a lifetime licence. It runs on macOS 10.13 and later on Intel and Apple silicon, and its latest release, 1.9.2, is from September 2026. If you want an EQ with a mixer in it, it fits; for the mixer alone, the apps above cost less or nothing.
Good
- A capable free equalizer
- Runs on macOS 10.13 and later
- Released often
Not so good
- Per-app volume is paid
- A subscription or $40, for a mixer
Tools that do one job well
These are not volume mixers, so they are not ranked against the list above. Each is the best pick for its one job.
Surround sound and a big equalizer, with per-app volume
An audio enhancer: 3D surround, a 31-band equalizer, bass boost and headphone profiles, with per-app volume control among them. Buy it for the sound, not for the mixer.
Playing through two devices at once
Its Multi-Output Device sends everything to two outputs at once, and an Aggregate Device combines inputs. It does not set apps apart.
When you do not need a volume mixer
If the app that is too loud has its own slider, use it: Music, Spotify and most video players do, and a web player has one in the page. Safari and Chrome can mute a tab. Alert volume, in System Settings → Sound, changes alert sounds and nothing else.
A mixer earns its place when two apps play at once and you want them at different levels: music under a call, a game over the chat next to it, a video quieter than the podcast. Why macOS cannot do that itself is in Mac volume mixer: how to change the volume of one app.
How we checked
Every price and feature comes from the maker's own site on September 30, 2026: the pricing page, product page or App Store listing, and for open-source tools the README and the release history on GitHub. Where a maker does not say whether their app does something, the entry does not claim it either way. Prices change; check the maker's site before you buy.
Vitals is our app, and it is first because it does what most people want a mixer for, a volume and a mute for every app from the menu bar, and adds what no other app here does: the rest of the Mac in the same menu bar item, for less than SoundSource. Its entry says what it does not do. SoundSource is second because it does the most per app: a volume, an output device and effects. SoundDial is third, the most complete mixer that is only a mixer. The free apps are ranked on what they do and on how they are shipped: FineTune above Background Music for routing and EQ without a driver, KE Volume Mixer below both while its build is a preview. eqMac is last because its mixer is a paid extra to an equalizer. If something here is out of date, email us and we will fix it.
Questions people ask
What is the best volume mixer for Mac?
Vitals, for most people: a slider and a mute for every app in the menu bar, inside a system monitor, for less than SoundSource. SoundSource if you need each app on its own output with effects; SoundDial for profiles and call ducking. FineTune is the best free one.
What is the best SoundSource alternative?
Vitals, if per-app volume is what you use SoundSource for: a slider and a mute for every app from the menu bar, with a system monitor included, for less than SoundSource costs. It does not route apps to other outputs or add effects. FineTune is the free alternative with routing and an EQ.
Does macOS have a built-in volume mixer?
No. The volume keys and the Sound control in the menu bar change every app at once. A volume for each app needs one of the apps above, or the app's own slider.
What is the best free volume mixer for Mac?
FineTune, on macOS 15 or later: a volume and a mute per app, boost, routing and an EQ. Background Music runs on Macs back to macOS 10.13 but installs a driver. KE Volume Mixer is the lightest, at 1 MB, while its build is a preview.
Which Mac volume mixer works without installing a driver?
SoundDial is sandboxed on the Mac App Store, and KE Volume Mixer and Vitals use Core Audio process taps, so none of the three installs anything. Background Music installs an audio driver. SoundSource, FineTune and eqMac do not say on their sites.
Can a volume mixer make an app louder than 100%?
SoundDial goes to 200%, FineTune to 4×, Background Music above an app's maximum, and SoundSource has Volume Overdrive. Vitals goes from mute to 100% and no further.
Which volume mixer lowers music when a call starts?
SoundDial. It ducks the other apps when a call starts in Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Discord, Slack and others, and restores them after. No other app here states it.
Can I control the volume of each app from the Mac menu bar?
Yes. Every app in this list puts its sliders in the menu bar. In Vitals they are in the same dropdown as CPU, memory and battery, so there is one item to click rather than two.