The short answer. macOS controls volume per output device. Everything here controls it per application. If you want per-app and per-tab volume from one menu bar app, Mixio. If you want to record system audio as well as mix it, Background Music. If you want equalisation and multi-device output on top, FineTune or Mixio. If you already run a menu bar toolkit and want volume as part of it, Vorssaint. The recording capability is the real dividing line: only some of these install a virtual audio device, and that device is what makes recording possible.
This guide covers 5 per-app volume mixers for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Music | audio utility | Open source | GPL-2.0 | 0.5.0 |
| Fader | media app | Open source | MIT | 0.20.2 |
| FineTune | media app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.9.0 |
| Mixio | system tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.2.1 |
| Vorssaint | system tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 3.4.0 |
What actually decides this
- Mixer only, or also an audio device. Some tools create a virtual device to intercept audio. That gives them recording and routing power, and it also means a driver installed on your system that everything else must agree with.
- Whether it can record system audio. If you need to capture what an app is playing, you need a virtual device or a loopback, and only a subset of this group provides one.
- Per-app, per-output, or per-tab. The whole point is per-app. Tools that only switch output devices are not in the same category, however they are marketed, and a tool that also addresses browser tabs is solving a narrower problem again.
- What happens to Bluetooth devices. Per-app mixing and Bluetooth reconnection interact badly on some setups. Check the behaviour with the headphones you actually use, not with the built-in speakers.
- Whether the equaliser is the point. A ten-band equaliser is a settings screen most people open once. Decide whether you want it before paying attention to it.
Our picks
- Mixio — Its record describes per-app and tab volume control with a ten-band equaliser, which covers mixing and tone shaping in one place. Choose it when you want per-app and per-tab volume plus equalisation from one menu bar app.
- Background Music — It is described as controlling app volumes and recording system audio, which is the combination that needs a virtual device. Choose it when you also want to record system audio.
- Fader — Its record lists both, which together are the two things people open a volume tool for. Choose it when you want a mixer with one-click output switching and nothing else.
- FineTune — Equalisation and multi-device output put it beyond a mixer, which is useful only if you want those too. Choose it when you want per-app volume plus multi-device output.
- Vorssaint — Its record describes one toolkit covering per-app volume alongside monitoring and window control, which suits people who want fewer separate apps. Choose it when you already use a menu bar toolkit and want volume as part of it.
The apps
Background Music
Background Music is an audio utility for macOS. Control app volumes and record system audio. It is released under GPL-2.0.
What it does. Background Music, a macOS audio utility: automatically pause your music, set individual apps’ volumes and record system audio.
Background Music is listed with current version 0.5.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Background Music →
Fader
Fader is a media app for macOS. Menu bar volume mixer with per-app volume, one-click output switching, and Bluetooth headphone control. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Output switching — headphones, speakers, displays, and AirPlay targets, one click each. Paired Bluetooth headphones connect from the same list. Auto-switch — drag rows to rank devices; Fader follows the best one present. Several outputs at once — drag a device onto the Output section and both play together, each with its own slider. Per-app volume — a fader and mute for every app that plays sound; levels persist. Apps at full volume play untouched, bit-perfect.
Fader is listed with current version 0.20.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Fader →
FineTune
FineTune is a media app for macOS. Per-app volume controller with multi-device output and 10-band EQ. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. FineTune, a macOS menu bar app for per-app volume control, multi-device output, audio routing, and 10-band EQ. Free and open-source alternative to SoundSource.
FineTune is listed with current version 1.9.0.
Full profile and verified facts for FineTune →
Mixio
Mixio is a system tool for macOS. Menu bar app with per-app & tab volume control, 10-band EQ with native style UI. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. macOS menu bar app with per app & tab volume control, 10-band EQ with native style UI.
Mixio is listed with current version 1.2.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Mixio →
Vorssaint
Vorssaint is a system tool for macOS. Open-source menu bar toolkit for per-app volume, system monitoring, window control, clipboard history, keeping awake, and app cleanup. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. A free, open-source menu bar app built around your Mac. Install only the tools you use, remove the rest, and keep everything local.
Vorssaint is listed with current version 3.4.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Vorssaint →
How to choose
- No licence fee, source available. Background Music, Fader, FineTune, Mixio and Vorssaint — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
Open source: Background Music, Fader, FineTune, Mixio and Vorssaint (5 of 5).
Common mistakes
- Installing two per-app mixers. They both install a virtual device and the two devices conflict.
- Expecting per-app volume to apply to apps that output directly to a device. Some do, and no menu bar tool can intercept them.
- Assuming a virtual device survives every macOS update. Audio drivers are the part of the system most often broken by one.
- Buying equalisation you will never open. A mixer is the feature people use; the rest is a settings screen.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these per-app volume mixers?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 5 per-app volume mixers: Background Music, Fader, FineTune, Mixio and Vorssaint. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these per-app volume mixers free?
Pricing across this group: open source (Background Music, Fader, FineTune, Mixio and Vorssaint). We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these per-app volume mixers are open source?
Background Music (GPL-2.0), Fader (MIT), FineTune (GPL-3.0), Mixio (GPL-3.0) and Vorssaint (GPL-3.0) are open source.
Do these per-app volume mixers support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
