Guides/Vitals vs eqMac

Vitals vs eqMac

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Founder, Vitals

eqMac checked

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Quick answer

Vitals includes per-app volume in one price, $9 during the launch and $29 after: a slider and a mute for every app, next to CPU, memory, battery and temperature in the menu bar. eqMac is an equalizer first; its free version has no per-app volume, which is part of Pro at $3 a month, $30 a year or $40 once. Choose Vitals if the mixer is what you are after; choose eqMac for an equalizer.

VitalseqMac
What it is
VitalsA system monitor with a volume mixer in its menu bar
eqMacA system-wide equalizer, with a per-app mixer in Pro
Volume for each app
VitalsYes, included
eqMacIn Pro only, as the App Mixer
Mute for each app
VitalsYes
eqMacNot stated
Equalizer
VitalsNo
eqMacFree basic and 10-band EQ, more in Pro
Apps using the microphone
VitalsListed under the input level
eqMacNot stated
CPU, memory, battery and temperature
VitalsYes, in the same menu bar item, with the apps behind each
eqMacNo, it is audio only
Price
Vitals$9 during the launch, $29 after, once
eqMacFree EQ; Pro is $3 a month, $30 a year or $40 once
Requirements
VitalsmacOS 15 or later
eqMacmacOS 10.13 or later, Intel and Apple silicon

Choose Vitals if

  • You want per-app volume without a subscription
  • You want the mixer next to CPU, memory and battery
  • You want to see which apps are using the microphone
  • You do not need an equalizer
Get Vitals for $9

Choose eqMac if

  • You want a system-wide equalizer
  • You want the equalizer free, and the mixer later
  • You are on a macOS older than 15
eqMac website

Where Vitals pulls ahead

The mixer is included, with no subscription

In eqMac, per-app volume is a Pro feature, $30 a year or $40 once. In Vitals it is part of the one price, $9 during the launch and $29 after, with every update for life.

One app for the Mac and its sound

The Sound section sits in the same dropdown as CPU, memory, battery and temperature, with the apps behind each. eqMac is audio only.

Nothing touched at 100%

Vitals takes an app's sound only while it is turned down or muted. At 100% the app plays exactly as it would without Vitals, and if Vitals quits, every app sounds as it did before.

Everything Vitals does

One app, one payment, every update for life.

  • Processes grouped by app. Every helper process is added to the app that launched it, so a working Mac shows about 60 apps instead of about 1,000 processes, each with one figure for memory, CPU, energy, disk and network.
  • A tab per subsystem. Overview, CPU, Memory, Disk, Network, GPU, Battery, Sound, Bluetooth and Projects, plus Containers while Docker runs, each with its live figures and the apps behind them.
  • Inside your browser. Click Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Arc or Dia to see its memory and CPU split into tabs, extensions, graphics and the browser itself. Slack, VS Code and similar apps are split by window.
  • 30 days of history. CPU, memory, energy, disk and network for the last hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, 7 days and 30 days, with the apps that used the most, ranked hour by hour for the last two days.
  • What keeps the Mac awake, and the fans on. The Battery tab lists the apps holding sleep off, what each said it is doing and for how long. When the Mac runs hot, Vitals names the apps behind it, with Quit beside each.
  • Alerts for misbehaving apps. A notification when an app keeps the CPU busy, keeps growing in memory, or hammers the disk or network.
  • Dev servers and open ports, by project. Processes grouped by the project folder they run in, with their listening ports, and dev servers left idle for days pointed out and offered to stop.
  • A menu bar you arrange. Every readout can be its own menu bar item: CPU, memory, GPU, network, disk, temperature or battery, as a value, a graph or both, ⌘-dragged into any order. Behind it, a dropdown with every metric, the busiest apps, and a tab for each metric.
  • Arrange the window and the dropdown. Choose the window’s tabs and their order, and show, hide or reorder the sections, cards and lists on every tab. The dropdown has its own tiles and a List layout with one line per metric. Reset puts everything back.
  • Docker containers. A Containers tab with every Docker container’s memory, CPU, network and ports, in the window and the dropdown, and Stop on each, after a confirmation.
  • Sound and Bluetooth tabs. The Mac’s output device and level with a slider for every app playing sound, the microphone and the apps using it, and every connected Bluetooth device with its battery, lowest first.
  • Units you choose. Celsius or Fahrenheit, bytes or bits for network speed, and CPU per core or per Mac, each with a live example in Settings.
  • Temperatures and fans. CPU and GPU temperature on Intel and Apple silicon, M5 included, and fan speed. Hold any fan at a speed you choose, and hand it back to the Mac in one click. The menu bar temperature can follow the CPU, the GPU or the hottest sensor.
  • Quit and force quit. Quit an app or a single process, always after a confirmation.
  • Keyboard shortcuts and Shortcuts actions. Open the dropdown or the window from any app, and get a reading or the busiest app from the Shortcuts app.
  • Export as an image. Save or copy a snapshot of the Mac as a 1200 × 630 share card or a dashboard image.
  • In the Dock, if you like. Show in Dock keeps Vitals in the Dock like Activity Monitor. Opened by hand it shows its window; at login it stays in the menu bar.

What Mac users say

Now I find myself stealing quick glances at the menu bar, instead of taking another sip of coffee.

Ed WisemanVerified on X Emmy-winning director and producer

macOS Activity Monitor is horrible when I’m juggling dev projects and local AI. Vitals is so much better.

KnowixVerified on X Developer and AI builder

cant keep vibecoding everything for $5, i get a finished product, clean ui, and bug fixes

Sai KrishnaVerified on X Founder of Superblog

Read all 126 on the wall of love

Common questions

Is Vitals an eqMac alternative?

For per-app volume, yes: a slider and a mute for every app, included in one price, with a system monitor around it. For an equalizer, no; eqMac's free equalizer is the better pick.

Does Vitals have an equalizer?

No. Vitals sets each app's level and mutes it; it does not change how anything sounds.

Is there a trial?

No. Vitals has a 14-day refund instead: buy it, and if it is not for you, email and the money comes back.

Get Vitals for $9 while the launch price lasts

One-time paymentLifetime updates14-day refund

Get Vitals for $9

How we compared

The eqMac column comes from its maker's own site on September 30, 2026. Where the site does not say whether it does something, the cell says "Not stated". If a cell is out of date, email us and we will fix it.

More comparisons

How to turn one app down with nothing installed, and why macOS has no mixer: Mac volume mixer: how to change the volume of one app.