Music in one app, a video call in another, a game or a YouTube tab somewhere else, and one volume slider for all of them. Windows has had a volume mixer for years; macOS still does not. If you want the call loud and Spotify quiet, you need an app. This guide explains what macOS can and cannot do, how to set a different volume for each app, and how the options compare: SoundSource, Background Music, eqMac, FineTune, and the Sound page new in OneNotch 2.1.0.
Quick disclosure: we make OneNotch. Everything about OneNotch below describes version 2.1.0 (October 2026), where the Sound page is new. Facts about the other apps come from their own websites, documentation and GitHub pages, checked on October 21, 2026.
Does macOS have a volume mixer?
No. Apple's own guide to sound output settings lists one output volume with a mute button, an alert volume and balance, and notes that volume controls inside apps do not override what you choose in Sound settings (Apple Support). Many apps have their own volume slider (Music, Spotify, a browser's video player, Zoom), so without a mixer you end up hunting for each one, every time.
A small naming note, because search results mix them up: Background Music the per-app volume app is not Background Sounds, the macOS accessibility feature that plays rain or ocean noise.
What to look for in a per-app volume app
- Turn one app down without touching the others, and mute an app with one click.
- Boost quiet apps above their normal level, if you need it.
- Send an app to a different output, for example a call to headphones and music to speakers.
- An equalizer or effects, if you care about sound shaping.
- Price and upkeep: some of these apps install an audio driver and need updating for each new macOS.
Most people only need the first point. If you need the others, the bigger apps below are worth the money.
How to turn down one app on Mac with OneNotch
The Sound page is one of the tools in the left orb beside the open notch (the speaker icon).
- Open the Sound page. Hover the notch and click the speaker. Apps that are playing sound show up as faders.
- Allow audio access once. The first time you move an app's fader, OneNotch explains that it needs permission to hear other apps' audio to change their volume, and macOS asks you to allow it. OneNotch uses it only to set each app's level; nothing is recorded.
- Drag a fader down, or swipe with two fingers over it, to set that app anywhere from 0 to 100%. Click an app's speaker to mute it, or Reset Volume to put it back.
- Leave an app alone with Don't Touch This App, if it manages its own volume and you would rather OneNotch did not.
The same page also has:
- Output device: switch between your speakers, headphones, AirPods or a display without opening System Settings.
- System volume, with mute. Some devices, such as monitors connected over HDMI, set their own volume, and the page tells you when that is the case.
- Mute every microphone at once, with a red mic on the closed notch while they are muted so you never forget. One caveat the app itself shows: a call app may still display your microphone as on, because it is muted at the system level, not inside that app.
All of it is free in OneNotch. There is no Pro version of the Sound page.
What OneNotch's Sound page does not do
To be clear about the limits:
- No boost. It turns apps down from their normal level; it cannot make a quiet app louder than 100%.
- No per-app output. All apps play through the same output device.
- No equalizer or effects.
- No automatic pausing of music when something else plays.
If you need any of these, look at SoundSource, FineTune or Background Music below.
Per-app volume apps for Mac compared
| OneNotch Sound | SoundSource | FineTune | Background Music | eqMac | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $49 once (upgrade $25) | Free, open source | Free, open source | Free; mixer in Pro ($3/month, $30/year or $40 lifetime) |
| Per-app volume | 0 to 100%, mute | Yes, mute | Yes, mute | Yes, mute | Pro |
| Boost above 100% | No | Yes (Volume Overdrive) | Up to 4× | Yes (may clip above 50% per its README) | Not listed |
| Per-app output device | No | Yes | Yes | No | Not listed |
| Equalizer and effects | No | 10-band EQ, Audio Units, Magic Boost | 10-band EQ, presets per app | No | Free basic EQ; parametric EQ and Audio Units in Pro |
| Auto-pause music | No | Not listed | Not listed | Yes, its signature feature | Not listed |
| Also does | Output picker, mute all mics, the rest of the notch | Device groups, AirPlay output | Multi-device output | System-wide EQ | |
| macOS | 15+, Apple silicon | 15, 26 and 27 (legacy builds for older) | 15+ | 10.13+ | 10.13+ |
Notes from each project's own pages:
- SoundSource by Rogue Amoeba is the reference app here: per-app volume, per-app output redirection, EQ and Audio Unit effects for each app and the whole system, and a menu bar control. It installs Rogue Amoeba's audio plug-in, which needs your admin password, and asks for System Audio Access and Microphone Access. The free download is a trial with limits.
- FineTune describes itself as a free and open-source alternative to SoundSource. It adds per-app output routing, a 10-band EQ with presets saved per app, and boost presets up to 4×. It shipped an update about once a month from May to July 2026.
- Background Music is the long-standing free option. Its best trick is pausing your music player when another app plays sound and resuming afterwards. Its README still calls it alpha, and it went two years between releases before version 0.5.0 in June 2026.
- eqMac is mainly a system-wide equalizer. Its per-app Volume Mixer is part of the Pro plan. The public source code is an older snapshot; newer releases are built from a private fork.
Which one should you choose?
- You want everything (boost, per-app outputs, effects) and will pay for polish and support: SoundSource.
- You want those features for free: FineTune.
- You mostly want music to pause when a video or call starts: Background Music.
- You want an equalizer first and a mixer second: eqMac.
- You just want to turn Spotify down during calls, switch to your AirPods and mute your mic, from the notch, for free: OneNotch's Sound page.
The Sound page sits next to the other notch tools new in 2.1.0: Keep Awake, a notch teleprompter for calls and an eye break reminder that waits until your call is over. For everything else on the notch, see the best Mac notch apps.
OneNotch is free to download, with no account, for macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon. Pro, for the clipboard, screenshot and other extras, is a one-time purchase at $9.99 lifetime, or $6.99 with code LAUNCH30 for 2 Macs; a $24.99 Supporter plan covers 5 Macs with the same features.
Frequently asked questions
Can you change the volume of individual apps on a Mac?
Not with macOS alone. System Settings has a single output volume, and Apple notes that in-app volume controls do not override it. A per-app volume app such as SoundSource, FineTune, Background Music, eqMac Pro or OneNotch's Sound page lets you set each app separately.
Is there a free alternative to SoundSource?
Yes. FineTune and Background Music are free and open source; FineTune adds boost, per-app output and an EQ, and Background Music can pause your music when another app plays. OneNotch's Sound page is free too and turns each app down from 0 to 100%, but it has no boost, per-app output or EQ.
How do I mute one app on a Mac?
macOS has no per-app mute, so use the app's own control if it has one, or a per-app volume app. In OneNotch, open the Sound page from the notch and click the speaker next to the app, or drag its fader to zero.
Can OneNotch make an app louder than 100%?
No. OneNotch's per-app volume turns apps down from their normal level, between 0 and 100%. SoundSource, FineTune and Background Music can boost apps above their normal level.
Why does OneNotch ask for audio recording permission?
Changing another app's volume needs macOS's system audio permission (SoundSource and FineTune ask for similar access), so OneNotch asks once, the first time you change an app's volume. It uses the permission only to set each app's level, and nothing is recorded. Without it, the rest of the Sound page (output device, system volume and muting microphones) still works.
Is Background Music still maintained?
It is still updated, but slowly: version 0.5.0 came out in June 2026, two years after the previous release, and its README still describes it as alpha.
