SoundSource

What it is for

SoundSource is a macOS per-app audio desk: you set System Output to 100%, drop Safari to 75%, and keep Zoom on the MacBook while Spotify goes to a USB speaker. Use it when the job is routing you start at a public $, not when you need a DAW.

Soft-note: US$49 single-user license (USD; local taxes may apply via Paddle) + US$25 upgrade from SoundSource 4/5 — buy.php. Current build lists macOS 15–27. Distinct from Bartender, Stats, and BetterTouchTool (no dedicated audio peer IN-seed).

What makes it unique: the cover is Rogue Amoeba’s official System + Applications still (Output 100% USB Speaker, Input 50% MacBook Air Microphone, Safari 75% / zoom.us 100% / Spotify 100% with Redirect) — not a wordmark. The Safari 75% row itself is ops of Applications.

Key features

• System devices — Output / Input / Sound Effects volumes (cover still; product). One desk. Cover Output 100% sits here.
• Per-app volume — Safari 75% / zoom.us 100% / Spotify 100% (cover). A fader, not a $49 meter.
• Redirect audio — Safari → MacBook, zoom.us → No Redirect, Spotify → HomePod on the cover (cover). A route, not Get started.
• AirPlay + output groups — send one app to one or more AirPlay devices (product). A stream, not Enterprise.
• Per-app EQ / Audio Units — 10-band EQ plus AU plugins (product). An EQ, not a license tile.
• Super Volume Keys — keyboard volume on HDMI / DisplayPort outputs that ignore the keys (product). A key, not SSO.

Download / Purchase Now are CTAs (not desks). US$49 / US$25 stay in Pricing. There is no AI extra to drop.

Who it's for

Best fit: Mac users who will buy the US$49 license after they route a first Safari 75% / Spotify→HomePod row — not Bartender $24.99 first unless they only need menu-bar hiding, and not if they need Windows or a full DAW.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from rogueamoeba.com/soundsource/buy.php plus soundsource (macOS 15–27; SoundSource 6.1.5). Soft-note: USD buttons; taxes may apply.

• Single-user license — US$49. One user on personally owned Macs (license dialog on buy.php).
• Upgrade from SoundSource 4/5 — US$25.
• Refund — contact within 14 days; case-by-case (printed). Do not invent a money-back $.
• The product is not OSS. We omit a GitHub CTA.

Limitations / costs

• macOS-only (vendor lists macOS 15–27 for the current build). Older systems are out.
• Needs system audio / permission grants. Capture is not a one-click mute.
• Not a DAW. Per-app routing / EQ / AirPlay — not Logic-as-a-rack as a full substitute.
• No IN-seed audio twin. Menu-bar neighbors are the closest catalog peers.

Alternatives

• Bartender — a menu-bar manager when you want Bartender 7 $24.99 / Pro $19.99/yr, not per-app EQ.
• Stats — a menu-bar sensor when you want Free / MIT readouts, not AirPlay redirect.
• BetterTouchTool — input automation when you want Standard ~$15 / Lifetime ~$25, not system audio faders.

Official tutorial

We resolved Rogue Amoeba’s channel at youtube.com/c/rogueamoebavideos (HTTP 200). We did not oEmbed a first-party SoundSource how-to we could treat as getting-started. No official YouTube how-to to embed. Written path: rogueamoeba.com/soundsource plus buy.php. Channel: Rogue Amoeba.

Website

https://rogueamoeba.com/soundsource

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is SoundSource’s official System + Applications still (Output 100% / Safari 75% / Redirect). Dollars checked on buy.php (US$49; upgrade US$25). No GitHub. No official YouTube embed.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.