Free Volume Mixer for Mac: What You Actually Get
If you search for "free volume mixer for Mac", the honest answer has two parts: macOS doesn't include one, and the best-known free option is a third-party open-source app called Background Music. Here's what that means in practice.
Does macOS have a built-in volume mixer?
No. macOS gives you one output volume for everything that plays sound. There is no panel where each app gets its own slider.
The closest built-in control is the alert volume slider in System Settings > Sound. It only changes system alert sounds, not the audio from your apps. Beyond that, your only native option is each app's own volume control, if it has one (Music, Spotify, Zoom and most video players do).
More on why: Why doesn't Mac have a volume mixer like Windows?
The free option: Background Music
Background Music is a free, open-source app that adds per-app volume control to macOS. It costs nothing, and the source code is public.
Before you install it, check the project page for its current status and the macOS versions it supports, and follow its install instructions. We don't repeat feature or compatibility claims about other apps that we can't keep up to date.
A side-by-side is on our Background Music alternative page.
The paid options
- SoundSource by Rogue Amoeba: a broader audio tool, $49, sold directly by Rogue Amoeba rather than on the Mac App Store.
- SoundDial (our app): a menu-bar app focused on per-app volume, €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, no subscription.
When free is enough
Background Music is a reasonable first try if:
- You want per-app volume and don't want to spend anything
- You're comfortable installing and maintaining an open-source app yourself
- You're happy to check the project page when you update macOS
When it's worth paying
A paid app makes sense if you want something you buy once from the Mac App Store and don't have to think about. SoundDial gives you:
- A volume slider for each app you have open, from the menu bar
- Per-app mute: silence one app without touching the rest
- Boost above 100%: push one quiet app up to 200%
- Works per app, not per browser tab
- Does not record anything
- macOS 14.2 or later, €14.99 one-time purchase one-time, no subscription
See how it handles per-app volume control on Mac, or read our comparison of volume mixer apps for Mac.
The short version
There is no free built-in volume mixer on Mac. If you want free, try Background Music. If you want a one-time purchase from the Mac App Store with per-app volume, mute and boost, try SoundDial, a per-app volume mixer for Mac.
SoundDial: a volume slider and mute button for every app on your Mac.
€14.99 one-time purchase · macOS 14.2+ · no subscription