Why Does macOS Lack a Per-App Volume Mixer?
Without a per-app volume mixer, Mac users adjust volume inside each application. Spotify has its own slider, Discord has its own slider, and games have their own audio settings. Switching between apps to balance audio levels during a stream or voice call is tedious and breaks your flow.
LitLink gives you per-app volume sliders in a single window and in the menu bar, free of charge, on macOS 14.2 or later. We make LitLink, so this page sticks to what each developer publishes; competitor facts were checked on November 5, 2026.
How Does LitLink Compare to SoundSource and Background Music?
Sources: SoundSource, SoundSource pricing, SoundSource permissions, Background Music README, Background Music releases.
SoundSource comes from Rogue Amoeba, the same company behind Loopback and Audio Hijack. Its per-app volume costs $49 where LitLink provides it free, and LitLink Pro's $29 adds EQ and routing for $20 less. SoundSource also has extras LitLink does not, such as AirPlay streaming of single apps, Audio Unit plugins and volume keys for HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. Its ARK plugin asks for your administrator password plus System Audio Access and Microphone Access.
Background Music works by becoming your Mac's default output device when it runs, so check how it combines with other routing tools, such as the ones in soundboard setups for Discord. Its latest release is 0.5.0 (June 2026). LitLink's mixer leaves your output device as it is.
What Can You Do with Per-App Volume Control?
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.
Streamers benefit in particular from central volume control. During a live stream, adjusting the balance between game audio, alert sounds, and music otherwise means touching several app settings. LitLink puts these adjustments in a single panel, and the Pro tier's per-app audio routing capability lets streamers send each source to a different destination at the same time.
Musicians working with DAWs and reference material can keep a YouTube tutorial at low volume while their DAW runs at full level, all without adjusting the master volume that affects both. LitLink Pro adds an EQ on each app row (a high-pass filter, one parametric band and a low-pass filter), so you can shape each app's sound on its own with a parametric EQ for each application on Mac.
How Do You Set Up Per-App Volume Control on Mac?
Background Music sets itself as your default output device when you run it, and you control individual app volumes in its own menu. Its README says no restart is required to install it.
LitLink's mixer works without changing your system output. You keep your preferred audio device as the system default while LitLink handles per-app adjustments in the background. The same app also includes the LitLink Pro feature set with routing and EQ.
Does Per-App Volume Control Affect Audio Quality?
LitLink's mixer does not ask you to switch your system output to a virtual audio device. The audio of each app plays to your normal output, with only its level changed.
Users working with high-sample-rate audio in DAWs can use LitLink's per-app volume to manage other applications without changing their DAW's own audio settings. The Mac volume mixer functionality stays separate from each application's internal audio processing.
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.