SoundDial vs eqMac

SoundDial vs eqMac at a glance

	SoundDial	eqMac
Price model	€14.99 one-time purchase, one-time, no subscription, no in-app purchases	Free tier; Pro from $3 per month or $30 per year; Pro lifetime $40 for one Mac (eqmac.app, checked 12 November 2026; currency code not stated)
Where you buy it	Mac App Store	eqmac.app (Mac App Store and Setapp: not stated)
Try before buying	no free trial; refunds go through Apple	Free tier with no time limit stated; 7-day Pro trial mode
macOS	macOS 14.2 or later	macOS 10.13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon
How it installs	Mac App Store app, sandboxed; does not install a virtual audio driver	Installs a system audio capture driver (HAL plug-in) and a privileged helper; may ask for the administrator password
Per-app volume	Yes, 0% to 200%, soft limiter above 100%	Pro "App Mixer"; range not stated
Per-app mute	Yes, plus Control-Option-M to mute all apps	Not stated
Equalizer	Per app: 10 bands, 11 presets, plus left/right balance per app. Not system-wide	System-wide: Basic and 10-band Advanced free; unlimited-band Expert EQ in Pro. Per-app EQ: not stated
Output device per app	Yes (Play Through)	Not stated
Lowering other apps during calls	Yes, on by default, 5% to 80%	Not stated
Profiles	Saved mixes (volume, mute, EQ, balance; not the output device)	Presets and "Super Presets" that switch by output device or main audio app
Shortcuts and automation	Global hotkeys, six Shortcuts actions, sounddial:// links	Hotkeys and an HTTP API are listed as in development
Checked on	SoundDial 2.0	Vendor pages, 2026-11-12 (eqMac 1.9.2, published 19 September 2026)

Why SoundDial is the better pick

• Control for each app. Volume, mute, a 10-band equalizer per app, left/right balance and an output device for every app, from the menu bar. eqMac's pages state per-app volume only, in Pro.
• Calls are handled for you. During a Zoom, Teams, FaceTime or Discord call, other playing apps drop to 30% of their level by default and come back afterwards. eqMac's pages do not state call ducking. More in lower music during calls.
• One purchase, one place. SoundDial is bought, installed and updated through the Mac App Store: €14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, no in-app purchases. People who bought SoundDial 1.x got 2.0 as a free update.
• Installed by the App Store. SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver. Its guided setup asks for one macOS audio permission and tests that it works.
• Per-app volume is not a paid add-on. In SoundDial it is part of the app. In eqMac it is listed as Pro.

When eqMac fits better

• You want one equalizer over everything you hear. eqMac's EQ is system-wide, up to unlimited bands in Pro. SoundDial's equalizer is per app only.
• You use Audio Unit plug-ins. eqMac Pro lists Audio Unit hosting; SoundDial has no plug-in support.
• Your Mac is on macOS 13 or older. eqMac states macOS 10.13 and later; SoundDial needs macOS 14.2.
• You want a free equalizer. eqMac lists its Basic EQ, 10-band Advanced EQ, volume boost and headphone presets for 4,600+ headphones as free.
• You want headphone presets or a spatial effect. eqMac lists them; SoundDial has neither.

Other limits of SoundDial: stereo only, no recording, and per app rather than per browser tab. Profiles do not save the output device.

Is eqMac free?

Partly. On eqmac.app the Basic EQ (bass, mids, treble), the 10-band Advanced EQ, volume boost and headphone presets are marked free. The App Mixer (per-app volume), the Expert EQ with unlimited bands, Spatial Audio and Audio Unit hosting are marked Pro. The vendor also states a 7-day Pro trial mode.

How much does eqMac Pro cost?

eqmac.app lists Pro as a subscription from $3 per month or $30 per year, or a lifetime license for $40 on one Mac (checked 12 November 2026; the page gives a dollar sign, no currency code). Future updates are included in the subscription. The lifetime license lists "Forever Security & Compatibility updates" and notes that future Pro features might need a partial upgrade. SoundDial is €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store. The two are sold through different channels, so compare the price models rather than subtracting the numbers.

Does eqMac install an audio driver?

Yes, per the vendor. First launch installs a "System Audio capture driver" (an audio plug-in in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/) plus a privileged helper. eqMac states you may be prompted for the administrator password, and the manual install steps end with restarting the Mac. The vendor adds that the driver runs in user space, not in the kernel.

SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver. It is a sandboxed Mac App Store app whose only entitlement is audio input.

Is eqMac safe?

"Safe" is a judgement, so here is only what eqMac's own pages say about how it installs and what it needs:

• It installs an audio driver and a privileged helper, and may ask for your administrator password.
• At first launch you choose whether to share analytics and crash reports.
• Its license text lists some system information as "Mandatory" for updates, maintenance and fraud detection. The full privacy policy was not retrievable on 12 November 2026.
• A Pro license is tied to an eqMac account.

For SoundDial, the same questions: sandboxed, one entitlement (audio input), no network entitlement, no account. SoundDial does not read or record microphone audio; it only checks whether a call app is using the microphone.

eqMac review: what its pages state

eqMac is made by Bitgapp Ltd. The current version on its GitHub releases is 1.9.2 (19 September 2026). Its public GitHub code is v1.3.2 without Pro features; the vendor says newer releases are made on a private fork. Hotkeys, recording and an HTTP API are listed as in development, not available. These points come from the vendor's pages, not from running the app. In short: it is a system-wide EQ with a long feature list, a free tier and a Pro tier, and several announced features that are not yet available.

Which macOS does each need?

SoundDial: macOS 14.2 or later. eqMac: 10.13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon, per its download button. Its 1.9.2 release notes mention a capture method that is selectable per output device on macOS 14.2 and later.

Can I use both?

They do different jobs: eqMac's equalizer is for system audio, SoundDial adjusts each app. Neither vendor describes running the two together, and it was not tested for this page. If you try both and the sound is odd, quit one of them first.

How do I switch from eqMac to SoundDial?

1. Note your volume levels and the EQ settings you use most in eqMac.
2. Quit eqMac, so two tools don't adjust the same audio at once.
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.

Remember that SoundDial's EQ is per app: set it on the apps you care about. To remove eqMac, follow the vendor's own instructions.

Who should pick which

• If you want separate volume, mute, EQ and output for each app, take SoundDial.
• If you want other apps lowered automatically during calls, take SoundDial.
• If you want a per-app mixer bought once on the Mac App Store, take SoundDial.
• If you do not want an audio driver installed, take SoundDial.
• If you want one equalizer for all audio and per-app control from one app, see SoundDial vs SoundSource; for equalizers in general, see Best Mac equalizer.
• If you want one equalizer for all system audio or Audio Unit hosting, take eqMac.

A shorter overview is on the eqMac alternative page; every comparison is on Compare.

How we compared

SoundDial's column comes from the app itself (see SoundDial facts). eqMac's column comes only from eqMac's own pages, checked on 2026-11-12: the eqMac home page and pricing, its help pages, the refund text, the license text and the GitHub repository. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages do not say. eqMac was not run for this page; its features are as the vendor describes them.