The short answer. These seven split into four jobs, and the job decides the tool. To capture one application’s audio — a call, a stream, a browser tab — rather than everything the Mac is playing, Audio Hijack is the one here built around that; Recordia covers the simpler case of a menu-bar recorder that can take the microphone, the system output or both. To move audio between applications you need a virtual driver, and that is BlackHole; SystemEQ for Mac is built on the same idea, placing an equalizer in the system signal path. If you want per-application volume without installing a virtual device, Background Music does that. If the problem is switching between sets of input and output devices, Audio Profile Manager saves and restores those setups. XLD is the odd one out: it converts lossless audio files rather than processing sound as it plays, and it is here because converting a library is the other thing people reach for an audio utility to do.
This guide covers 7 audio utilities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Hijack | audio utility | not published | not published | 4.6.0 |
| Audio Profile Manager | audio utility | not published | not published | — |
| Background Music | audio utility | Open source | GPL-2.0 | 0.5.0 |
| BlackHole | audio utility | Open source | not published | 0.7.1 |
| Recordia | media app | not published | not published | 2.12.0 |
| SystemEQ for Mac | media app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.4.0 |
| XLD | media app | Open source | not published | 1.5.0 |
What actually decides this
- Recording, or routing. Recording captures audio to a file. Routing moves it to another application. They are different problems, and a tool built for one is not a substitute for the other.
- Real time, or a file. Some of these sit in the signal path while the Mac is playing — a router, an equalizer, a per-application volume control. Others take a file and hand you a different file back. A converter cannot stand in for a router, and the reverse is also true.
- One application, or the whole system. Capturing a single app keeps the recording clean and lets you keep working. Capturing the system captures everything, including the notification sound that ruins the take.
- Whether it installs a driver. A virtual audio device appears to every application on the Mac as an input or output. That is what makes routing possible and it is also why a misconfigured one can silence the machine.
- Channels and sample rates. These are the numbers that decide whether a driver fits a specific job — multi-channel routing, or a sample rate your interface needs. For ordinary recording they are irrelevant.
- What happens when a device disappears. Audio devices come and go when you unplug an interface or connect headphones. What an application does at that moment — keep running, or stop — decides whether it is usable unattended.
Our picks
- Audio Hijack — Its record describes recording any application’s audio, including calls and web streams, which is the per-application case. Choose it when you want to capture one application’s audio rather than the whole system.
- BlackHole — It is a virtual audio driver rather than a recorder, with a configurable channel count and a mirror device, which is the routing layer. Choose it when you need to route audio between applications.
- SystemEQ for Mac — Its record describes a system-wide parametric equalizer with AutoEQ presets and calibration, sitting in the system path rather than inside one application. Choose it when you want to apply an equalizer to everything the Mac plays.
- Background Music — Its record describes setting individual applications’ volumes and recording system audio, which covers the volume case without a separate driver. Choose it when you want per-application volume without installing a virtual device.
- Audio Profile Manager — Its record describes saving and restoring input and output setups, which is device management rather than audio processing. Choose it when the problem is switching between sets of devices.
- Recordia — Its record describes recording from the menu bar or a global shortcut, taking the microphone, the system audio or both. Choose it when you want the simplest way to capture audio without building a routing chain.
- XLD — Its record describes decoding, converting and playing lossless audio files, which is file conversion rather than real-time routing. Choose it when the job is converting or decoding lossless audio files.
The apps
Audio Hijack
Audio Hijack is an audio utility for macOS. Record any application’s audio, including VoIP calls from Skype, web streams from Safari, and much more. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Rogue Amoeba is home to fantastic MacOS audio products for consumers and professionals alike. Rogue Amoeba - Strange Name. Great Software.
Audio Hijack is listed with current version 4.6.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Audio Hijack →
Audio Profile Manager
Audio Profile Manager is an audio utility for macOS. Audio device manager for saving input and output setups. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for Audio Profile Manager →
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 →
BlackHole
BlackHole is an audio utility for macOS. Freemium, open-source virtual output/input audio driver for recording/routing internal audio. It is open source.
What it does. Builds 2, 16, 64, 128, and 256 audio channels versions. Customizable channel count, latency, hidden devices. Customizable mirror device to allow for a hidden input or output. Supports 8kHz, 16kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz and 768kHz sample rates.
BlackHole is listed with current version 0.7.1.
Full profile and verified facts for BlackHole →
Recordia
Recordia is a media app for macOS. Record audio directly from the menu bar or with a global keyboard shortcut. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Quickly record audio. Record audio directly from the menu bar or with a global keyboard shortcut. It can record from the microphone, system audio, or both at….
Recordia is listed with current version 2.12.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Recordia →
SystemEQ for Mac
SystemEQ for Mac is a media app for macOS. Free, open-source system-wide parametric equalizer with AutoEQ presets, hearing calibration, and real-time visualization. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Free, open-source system-wide parametric audio equalizer for macOS. AutoEQ presets, calibration tools, room tuning, MilkDrop visualizer. Powered by BlackHole.
SystemEQ for Mac is listed with current version 1.4.0.
Full profile and verified facts for SystemEQ for Mac →
XLD
XLD is a media app for macOS. Tool to decode, convert and play various ‘lossless’ audio files. It is open source.
XLD is listed with current version 1.5.0.
Full profile and verified facts for XLD →
How to choose
- No licence fee, source available. Background Music, BlackHole, SystemEQ for Mac and XLD — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Audio Hijack, Audio Profile Manager and Recordia — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Background Music, BlackHole, SystemEQ for Mac and XLD (4 of 7).
Common mistakes
- Buying a routing tool to record. Routing moves audio; it does not write it to a file, and the two get advertised together.
- Reaching for a converter when the problem is live. Converting a file and routing audio in real time are different operations, and no amount of format support makes one do the other.
- Installing a virtual audio driver and forgetting it is there. It becomes a device every application can select, and the default device is the one that decides whether you hear anything.
- Choosing by channel count. Unless you are routing multi-channel audio, the number is a specification with no bearing on the job.
- Setting up a device profile and never checking what the defaults are after a reboot or an unplug.
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 audio utilities?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 7 audio utilities: Audio Hijack, Audio Profile Manager, Background Music, BlackHole, Recordia, SystemEQ for Mac and XLD. 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 audio utilities free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Audio Hijack, Audio Profile Manager and Recordia) and open source (Background Music, BlackHole, SystemEQ for Mac and XLD). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. 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 audio utilities are open source?
Background Music (GPL-2.0), BlackHole (not published), SystemEQ for Mac (GPL-3.0) and XLD (not published) are open source.
Do these audio utilities 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.
