macOS has no built-in per-app volume mixer — there's one system volume slider, and it moves everything at once. If you want Chrome quieter while Spotify stays loud, or Discord routed to headphones while everything else plays through speakers, you'll need a third-party tool. Here's exactly what your options are, what each costs, and what to pick.
Why doesn't macOS have a volume mixer?
Windows has had a per-app volume mixer since Vista. Mac never got one. Apple's audio model has always been system-wide: one output device, one volume level. The closest macOS gets natively is the application-level mute that some individual apps (like Spotify) expose themselves — but that's the app choosing to offer it, not macOS providing it.
This bites Windows switchers immediately. You're used to right-clicking the taskbar speaker icon and dragging individual app sliders. On Mac, that panel simply doesn't exist.
Can you do anything without installing extra software?
A little — but not much.
In-app volume controls are the free option. Spotify, Apple Music, and most media players have their own volume sliders that are independent of system volume. If Chrome tabs are too loud, you can click the speaker icon on a noisy tab and mute it directly. But these are all per-app workarounds baked into individual applications — not a unified mixer you can manage from one place.
System Settings → Sound gives you output device selection and one master slider. That's it. There's no per-app breakdown anywhere in System Settings.
AppleScript can technically set volume on some apps (osascript -e 'tell application "Spotify" to set sound volume to 50') but this only works with apps that expose their volume via AppleScript, which is a small minority. It's also not practical for everyday use.
If your needs are simple — just muting one browser tab occasionally — the native tab mute in Chrome or Safari is probably enough. For anything beyond that, you need third-party software.
What third-party options actually work?
There are four realistic choices:
SoundSource (Rogue Amoeba, $49 one-time) is the most capable option on the market. It handles per-app volume, per-app output routing, a 10-band EQ per app, Audio Unit plugin support, and AirPlay routing. If you're a podcaster, musician, or audio professional, SoundSource is probably the right answer — it's genuinely excellent software.
Sound Control (~$29 one-time) covers the core per-app volume and routing features without the EQ depth. A reasonable middle ground.
eqMac (free tier + $40 Pro) is worth mentioning because the free version includes system-wide EQ and some routing. The Pro tier adds per-app control. It's the only option with a meaningful free tier for audio control.
Soundish ($7–8 one-time, appish.app/soundish) sits at the affordable end: per-app volume from 0–200%, per-app output routing, per-app mute, audio profiles (saved configurations you can switch between), and multi-process app support for browsers like Chrome, Brave, and Edge. It doesn't have EQ or Audio Unit plugins — if those matter to you, SoundSource is the better fit. But if you want to turn down Chrome without touching Spotify, route Discord to your headphones, or save a work-from-home audio profile you can restore in one click, Soundish does all of that.
One technical note worth knowing: Soundish requires macOS 14.2 or later because it uses Apple's Core Audio Tap API — the same API that makes per-process audio interception reliable. There's also a one-time driver install on first launch (takes about 30 seconds).
How does per-app volume actually work under the hood?
This is where it gets interesting. macOS doesn't natively expose each app's audio stream to third parties — so tools like Soundish use the Core Audio Tap API (introduced in macOS 14) to intercept and process audio streams at the system level. Before that API existed, solutions had to use more invasive approaches, which is why many older tools required kernel extensions.
The trickier problem is multi-process apps. Chrome, Slack, Discord, and most Electron-based apps don't emit audio from the main process — they spin up helper processes that look completely separate at the system level. Attributing those audio streams back to the right parent app is genuinely hard. (It's the problem that took longer to solve than anything else in building Soundish.)
This is also why some older or simpler audio tools show Chrome's audio under a generic process name instead of "Chrome" — they haven't solved the attribution problem.
Which option should you pick?
Here's a simple way to think about it:
- Just need to mute browser tabs occasionally → use native tab mute, no install needed
- Want per-app volume + routing, basic needs → Soundish (lowest cost, does the core job)
- Want per-app volume + routing + EQ → Sound Control or eqMac Pro
- Want everything including Audio Units, AirPlay routing, and EQ → SoundSource (worth the $49 if you'll use those features)
The honest answer is that SoundSource is the most powerful tool in this space. Soundish exists for people who want the core per-app volume and routing features without paying $49 for capabilities they won't use.
How to set up per-app volume control in Soundish
If you want to try Soundish:
- Download from appish.app/soundish and install
- On first launch, follow the prompt to install the audio driver (you'll need your Mac password)
- Soundish lives in your menu bar — click the icon to open the mixer
- Apps currently playing audio appear automatically with their own volume sliders
- To change an app's output device, click the device name next to that app and pick from your connected outputs
- To save a configuration (e.g. "Working from home" with Discord on headphones, Spotify on speakers), use the Profiles section
Requires macOS 14.2 or later. One-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring charges.
Common questions
Does macOS Sequoia add per-app volume control?
No. macOS Sequoia added native window tiling and some iPhone Mirroring features, but audio control remained unchanged. There's still no system-level per-app volume mixer in Sequoia — you'll need a third-party app for that.
Can I control Chrome and Brave volume separately from other apps?
Yes, but only with tools that handle multi-process audio attribution. Chrome, Brave, and Edge all use helper processes for audio, which simpler tools may list as separate unnamed processes. Soundish handles multi-process browser audio so Chrome shows up as a single controllable app rather than a collection of unnamed helpers.
Will per-app volume tools work with AirPods or Bluetooth headphones?
Yes — per-app volume control works regardless of your output device. You can set Discord's volume independently and have it output to AirPods while Spotify plays through your Mac speakers, as long as the software supports per-app output routing (Soundish, SoundSource, and Sound Control all do).
Originally published at appish.app
