Seven apps that give your Mac per-app volume or a boost past 100%, and calmdoo, side by side. We make calmdoo, so we stuck to what each app says on its own page, and we name where the others do things calmdoo does not.
Checked 18 October 2026 on each app's own website, GitHub page or Mac App Store listing. Prices and features change: check before you buy. "Not stated" means the app's own page does not say.
| App | Price | Per-app volume | Boost past 100% | Per-app EQ | Installs a driver or plugin | Open source | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| calmdoo | No signed release yet | Yes | Up to 400% | 5 bands, plus a compressor | No | Yes, MIT | 15+ |
| SoundSource | $49 one-off (2025 launch price) | Yes | Up to 400% | 10 bands, plus Audio Units | Yes, the ARK plugin | No | 15+ |
| FineTune | Free | Yes | Up to 4x | 10 bands | Not stated (uses an audio tap) | Yes, GPL-3.0 | 15+ |
| Background Music | Free | Yes | Yes, maximum not stated | Not stated | Yes, a virtual audio device | Yes, GPLv2+ | 10.13+ |
| eqMac | Free; Pro from $3 a month | Pro only | Yes, maximum not stated | Not stated | Yes, an audio driver | Older versions only | 10.13+ |
| SoundDial | $14.99 one-off | Yes | Up to 200% | 10 bands | Not stated | Not stated | 14.2+ |
| Boom 3D | Free download, lifetime pack $49.99 | Yes | Yes, maximum not stated | Not stated (system-wide EQ) | Yes, an audio component | No | 11+ |
| VolumeHub | $4.99 one-off | Yes | No (0 to 100%) | 10 bands | No | Not stated | 14.2+ |
The most complete paid option, from Rogue Amoeba. It sends each app to a different output, streams to AirPlay, and hosts Audio Units effects. Pick it if you route sound between devices or want pro plugins. It needs its ARK plugin, installed with your admin password, and it is a trial until you buy it.
Free and open source, with boost up to 4x, a 10-band EQ per app, and routing an app to several outputs at once. If you want a free open-source mixer with routing, it is the closest thing to calmdoo.
Free, open source, and runs on macOS as old as 10.13. It can pause your music automatically when another app starts playing, and record system audio. Its own page calls it alpha, and it works by installing a virtual audio device.
A system-wide equalizer first. The free version boosts past 100% and has headphone presets; Pro adds the per-app mixer, an EQ with unlimited bands, and Spatial Audio. It installs a driver.
A paid Mac App Store app with a per-app EQ and a separate output per app, for example music on a USB DAC while calls stay on headphones. It turns other apps down during calls, and it runs on macOS 14.2.
Built around virtual 3D surround sound for any headphones, with a 31-band system-wide EQ. One licence covers Mac and Windows. It needs an audio component for its system-wide effects.
A low-cost per-app mixer with a 10-band EQ per app and "Focus Audio", which turns other apps down during a call. It does not boost past 100%. No driver, and it runs on macOS 14.2.
calmdoo does four things in one menu bar panel: a volume per app, boost up to 400% with a limiter, a 5-band EQ per app, and a compressor per app for films (Off, Light or Strong). It installs no driver, has no account and no network code, and is open source under the MIT license.
What it does not do: it always plays to your current default output, so it cannot send apps to different speakers. It needs macOS 15. And there is no signed download yet: until the first release, you build it from the source on GitHub.
A slider for every app that plays sound, boost up to 400% with a limiter, and an EQ and compressor per app. Open source, no driver, no account. macOS 15 or later.
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