SoundDial vs Audio Hijack

SoundDial vs Audio Hijack at a glance

	SoundDial	Audio Hijack
Main job	Set the volume, EQ and output of each app while you listen	Record and process audio in sessions
Price model	€14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, no in-app purchases	One-time license key, $69 USD on Rogue Amoeba's store (checked 12 November 2026); $29 USD upgrade from Audio Hijack 3
Where you buy it	Mac App Store	Rogue Amoeba's own store (license key); other channels not stated
Try before buying	no free trial; refunds go through Apple	Trial; after 10 minutes of capture, noise is added to all audio passing through the app until you relaunch it
macOS	macOS 14.2 or later	macOS 14.4 or later (version 4.6.0)
How it installs	Mac App Store app, sandboxed; does not install a virtual audio driver	Drag to Applications; a driver install is not described; needs System Audio access, plus Microphone access for inputs
Recording	No	Yes, its core function
Per-app volume	0% to 200%, soft limiter above 100%	Volume block and a volume slider per source; boost range not stated
Per-app mute	Yes, plus Control-Option-M to mute all apps	Yes, per source
Equalizer	Per app: 10 bands, 11 presets, plus left/right balance	10 Band Equalizer block and Audio Unit effects in a session; balance slider per source
Output device per app	Yes (Play Through)	Output Device block per session
Lowering other apps	On calls: automatic, on by default, 5% to 80%	Ducking block: lowers a source when another source reaches a set volume
Profiles	Saved mixes (volume, mute, EQ, balance; not the output device)	Sessions you can reuse and import
Shortcuts and automation	Global hotkeys, six Shortcuts actions, sounddial:// links	Global hotkeys, Shortcuts actions, scripting
Checked on	SoundDial 2.0	Vendor pages, 12 November 2026 (version 4.6.0)

Why SoundDial is the better pick for controlling each app's volume

• It is built for exactly this job. Open the menu bar and every app that plays sound has a row: volume from 0% to 200%, mute, a 10-band equalizer per app, left/right balance and an output device. See per-app volume control on Mac.
• No sessions to build. Audio Hijack starts from a session you design. SoundDial needs no setup beyond one macOS audio permission, and it remembers each app's volume, mute, EQ and output device the next time the app opens.
• Calls are handled for you. When Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Discord and other listed call apps use the microphone, other playing apps drop to 30% of their level by default and come back when the call ends. The calling app is never lowered. Details: audio ducking on Mac.
• It runs on an older macOS. SoundDial needs macOS 14.2; Rogue Amoeba lists Audio Hijack 4.6.0 from macOS 14.4.
• One App Store purchase. SoundDial is bought, installed and updated through the Mac App Store: €14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, no in-app purchases. It does not install a virtual audio driver.

When Audio Hijack fits better

• You need to record. Audio Hijack records what you hear on your Mac, one app's audio or an input. SoundDial has no recording.
• You want effects in a chain. Audio Hijack supports Audio Unit effects from macOS and third parties, plus blocks such as the Simple Compressor and Magic Boost. SoundDial has no plug-in support and its equalizer is per app only.
• You work in repeatable sessions. Sessions can be saved, imported, scripted and, with the Scheduler add-on, timed. Rogue Amoeba also lists on-device transcription.
• You want to capture all system audio through its System Audio source and process it as one stream. SoundDial has no system-wide equalizer.

Is Audio Hijack a volume mixer?

Partly. Audio Hijack has a Volume block and a volume slider and mute for each source in a session, so you can turn one app up or down. But you build a session first, and the app is designed around capturing and processing audio. SoundDial is the reverse: a live list of every app that plays sound, with no session to build. The same maker also sells SoundSource, a per-app mixer; see SoundDial vs SoundSource.

Does SoundDial record or route audio?

No. SoundDial does not record audio, and it does not route audio between apps or create virtual devices. It sends an app to a different output device, nothing more. If you need to route audio between apps, that is the job of an app such as Loopback; see SoundDial vs Loopback.

Is Audio Hijack free?

No. Audio Hijack is a paid license: $69 USD on Rogue Amoeba's store, checked 12 November 2026. The trial adds noise to all audio passing through the app after 10 minutes of capture, and noise that is part of a recording cannot be removed. Quitting and relaunching resets the trial. Refunds are requested within 14 days and handled case by case.

Which macOS does each need?

SoundDial: macOS 14.2 or later. Audio Hijack 4.6.0 (released 27 August 2026): macOS 14.4 or later, per Rogue Amoeba's download box.

Can I use both?

Yes. They do different jobs. Audio Hijack records and processes; SoundDial sets how loud each app is while you listen. Audio Hijack can capture what you hear through the System Audio source. Whether a recording follows SoundDial's volume changes depends on where in the chain Audio Hijack captures, which neither vendor's pages state, so test it before an important recording.

How do I switch from Audio Hijack to SoundDial?

Only if you used Audio Hijack to turn single apps up or down. If you also record, keep it.

1. Note the volume and EQ you set for each app in your Audio Hijack sessions.
2. Quit any Audio Hijack session that is adjusting live playback, so two apps do not change the same audio.
3. Get SoundDial from the Mac App Store and follow its guided setup, which grants and tests audio access.
4. Click SoundDial in the menu bar and set each app's volume, EQ and output.
5. Choose "Save current mix as a profile" to keep that setup for one click later.

Who should pick which

• If you want to control the volume of each app from the menu bar, take SoundDial.
• If you want other apps lowered automatically during calls, take SoundDial.
• If you are on macOS 14.2 or 14.3, take SoundDial.
• If you want a per-app mixer bought once on the Mac App Store, take SoundDial.
• If you need to record audio, take Audio Hijack, and add SoundDial if you also want a live mixer.
• If you depend on Audio Unit effects or session scripting, take Audio Hijack.

How we compared

SoundDial's column comes from the app itself (see SoundDial facts). Audio Hijack's column comes only from Rogue Amoeba's own pages, checked on 2026-11-12: the Audio Hijack page, the store page, the manual, the release notes and the trial and refund articles in Rogue Amoeba's knowledge base. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages do not say. Audio Hijack was not run for this page; its features are as the vendor describes them. Every comparison is on Compare.