Why Does Mac Not Have a Volume Mixer Like Windows?
The lack of a native volume mixer becomes obvious when running a video call with background music. Lowering the system volume reduces both the call and the music equally. You have to open each application and adjust its own volume setting, if it has one.
LitLink fills this gap with a free volume mixer panel that lists every running application with its own volume slider and mute button, much like the Windows Volume Mixer. Since version 1.9.0 it costs nothing. We make LitLink, so this page sticks to what each developer publishes; competitor facts were checked on November 5, 2026.
What Does the Free LitLink Volume Mixer Include?
All macOS alert and interface sounds (screenshots, Trash, alerts), controlled as one group.
Balance every app's volume for your own listening. The mix plays through whatever output you already use (speakers, headphones, AirPods), a master fader rides the whole mix, and the same sliders live in the menu bar. Completely free, no Pro required.
Every app currently playing audio appears automatically with its own slider. Muting Safari while keeping Discord at full volume takes one click, and a master fader under the header adjusts the whole mix at once, independent of the system volume. macOS alert sounds (screenshots, Trash, notification chimes) appear as a single grouped System Sounds row, because macOS plays them all through one shared process.
Two details stand out. The FaceTime Calls entry ranges up to 200%: call voices often arrive much quieter than music, so LitLink allows boosting them beyond full volume while a limiter keeps the boosted audio from clipping. And the same sliders are available from the menu bar, so adjusting an app's level never requires switching windows.
The paid tier is for sound shaping, boost and routing: LitLink Pro ($29 one-time or $3.99 a month) adds a parametric EQ with spectrum analyzer and a limiter on every app row, boost up to 400% for any app, per-app output routing, and volume hotkeys you can bind to hardware knobs such as a Stream Deck +. The mixer itself is free.
What Are the Best Volume Mixer Apps for Mac?
Sources: SoundSource, SoundSource pricing, SoundSource permissions, Rogue Amoeba on ACE and ARK, Background Music README, Background Music releases.
Background Music suits users who mainly want to lower Spotify while keeping Discord at full volume, and it can also pause music automatically and boost a quiet app. It works by becoming your Mac's default output device when it runs, so check how it combines with other routing tools, such as the routing in soundboard applications on Mac.
SoundSource's ARK plugin asks for your administrator password when you install it, plus System Audio Access and Microphone Access. In return you get extras such as AirPlay streaming of single apps, Audio Unit plugins and volume keys for HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. LitLink's mixer uses a feature built into macOS 14.2 and later.
How Does a Mac Volume Mixer Work Under the Hood?
Before macOS 14.2, per-app volume control needed either kernel extensions (an older kind of system add-on that Apple has deprecated), components of the tool's own (Rogue Amoeba used its ACE component for SoundSource, which ARK has since replaced), or a device that sits in place of your normal output. That is why LitLink's mixer requires macOS 14.2 or later.
For you, the practical difference is setup: LitLink's mixer works with whatever output you already use, SoundSource installs its ARK plugin, and Background Music takes over the default output while it runs. Users who explored the per-app volume control options on Mac will recognise the same three approaches.
Can You Get a Free Volume Mixer for Mac?
Background Music's latest release is 0.5.0 (June 2026), which added per-app mute; the release before it was 0.4.3 in April 2024. It requires macOS 10.13 or later, and its README says no restart is required to install it.
LitLink's free tier also includes its one-toggle virtual audio cable for system-wide routing and microphone passthrough. Users who later need individual apps sent to different outputs, per-app EQ, or recording of separate apps can upgrade to Pro, but the volume mixer itself does not sit behind the paywall.
How Do You Set Up a Volume Mixer on Mac?
LitLink's mixer does not change your default audio output device. You keep your preferred speakers or headphones as the system default while LitLink manages per-app volumes in the background, and the whole mixer is reachable from the menu bar:
Streamers and content creators who already manage audio routing through OBS can keep their audio device settings as they are, because LitLink's volume mixer does not change them. Users who need per-app audio routing alongside volume control handle both in the same app by upgrading to Pro, which sends each application to its own output device.
Marcel Iseli is an indie developer, DJ, and music producer with over 20 years behind the decks and in the studio. Rooted in hip hop culture, he collects drum machines, samplers, and vintage audio gear. LitPads grew out of that obsession: decades of triggering samples on hardware led him to build the software equivalent he always wanted.