SoundDial vs FineTune

SoundDial vs FineTune at a glance

	SoundDial	FineTune
Price model	€14.99 one-time purchase, one-time, no subscription, no in-app purchases	Free and open source (GPL v3); optional tip link
Where you buy it	Mac App Store	GitHub (DMG) and Homebrew; Mac App Store: not stated
Try before buying	no free trial; refunds go through Apple	The whole app is free; no limits stated
macOS	macOS 14.2 or later	macOS 15.0 or later
How it installs	Mac App Store app, sandboxed; does not install a virtual audio driver	Drag-install; a driver is not mentioned; needs Screen & System Audio Recording permission
Per-app volume	Yes, 0% to 200%, soft limiter above 100%	Yes; 2x, 3x and 4x boost presets (up to 400%)
Per-app mute	Yes, plus Control-Option-M to mute all apps	Yes
Equalizer	Per app: 10 bands, 11 presets, plus left/right balance per app. Not system-wide	Per app: 10 bands, 20 presets in 5 categories; AutoEQ headphone correction. System-wide EQ: not stated
Output device per app	Yes (Play Through)	Yes, plus multi-device output
Lowering other apps during calls	Yes, on by default, 5% to 80%	Not stated as a feature
Profiles	Saved mixes (volume, mute, EQ, balance; not the output device)	Settings restored when a device reconnects; named profiles not stated
Shortcuts and automation	Global hotkeys, six Shortcuts actions, sounddial:// links	Global hotkeys and finetune:// URL schemes
Checked on	SoundDial 2.0	Vendor pages, 2026-11-12 (FineTune 1.9.0, 9 July 2026)

Why SoundDial is the better pick

• It runs on macOS 14.2. FineTune states macOS 15.0 or later, so a Mac on macOS 14 can use SoundDial but not FineTune.
• 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. FineTune's pages do not list this; they name volume ducking only as a known issue. See lower music during calls.
• Balance and saved mixes. Left/right balance per app, and named profiles that store volume, mute, EQ and balance for every app. FineTune's pages do not state per-app balance or named profiles.
• Installed and updated by the App Store. SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver, and its guided setup asks for one macOS audio permission and tests that it works.
• 34 app languages. FineTune's app languages are not stated; its README is in English and Simplified Chinese.

When FineTune fits better

• You want a free app. FineTune is free, with no feature limits stated.
• You want open-source code. It is published under the GPL v3 on GitHub.
• You need more than 200%. FineTune offers 2x, 3x and 4x boost presets; its URL scheme accepts up to 400. SoundDial stops at 200%.
• You want headphone correction. FineTune lists AutoEQ profiles you can search or import, and loudness compensation. SoundDial has neither.
• You want one app sent to several outputs at once. FineTune lists multi-device output.
• You want more EQ presets. FineTune has 20 across 5 categories, plus saved custom presets. SoundDial has 11.

Limits of SoundDial that apply here: its equalizer is per app, not system-wide; it is stereo only; it does not record; control is per app, not per browser tab.

Is FineTune free?

Yes. FineTune's README says it is "free and open source, forever" and mentions an optional tip link, "genuinely not expected". It is available on GitHub as a DMG and through Homebrew. SoundDial is a paid Mac App Store app at €14.99 one-time purchase; if free is your requirement, FineTune answers it.

Is FineTune open source?

Yes. The repository at github.com/ronitsingh10/FineTune lists the GNU General Public License v3.0. The maker is listed as the GitHub user ronitsingh10; no company is named. SoundDial is not open source.

Does FineTune install an audio driver?

A driver or a restart is not mentioned. FineTune's troubleshooting guide says it uses Core Audio process taps. It requires the Screen & System Audio Recording permission; Microphone (for input devices) and Accessibility (for media keys) are optional. After granting the permission, the vendor says to restart FineTune. Whether it asks for an administrator password is not stated.

The guide also lists known issues: some apps, particularly audio processors, DAWs and VoIP tools, may not work well with process taps; calling apps may need to be ignored; and high boost levels can cause clipping.

SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver; it asks for one macOS audio permission.

FineTune Mac: what its pages state

FineTune is a menu-bar app. Its README lists per-app volume and mute, boost presets, multi-device output, a 10-band EQ, AutoEQ headphone correction, loudness compensation, a level meter on each app row, keyboard shortcuts (App Volume Up, Down, Mute, Toggle Popup) and finetune:// URL schemes usable from Shortcuts, Raycast and scripts. The latest release at the check date was v1.9.0 (9 July 2026). Apple silicon and Intel support, Audio Unit support, recording and privacy statements are not stated. These points are the vendor's own wording; the app was not run for this page.

Does FineTune have a per-app equalizer?

Yes. FineTune lists a 10-band EQ with 20 presets across 5 categories and says "EQ is per-app, not per-device". You can save, rename and manage custom EQ configurations per app. The dB range per band is not stated, and a system-wide EQ is not stated. SoundDial gives each app a 10-band equalizer too: 31 Hz to 16 kHz, each band up to 12 dB up or down, 11 presets, and a switch to turn it off. Read more in per-app equalizer on Mac.

How do the shortcuts and automation compare?

Both can be controlled without clicking. FineTune lets you bind your own keys to App Volume Up, App Volume Down and App Mute in Settings, plus a Toggle Popup key, and offers finetune:// URL schemes (set-volumes, step-volume, set-mute, toggle-mute, set-device, reset). Media keys are opt-in and need the Accessibility permission. SoundDial has global hotkeys that need no Accessibility permission (Control-Option-S to show or hide it, Control-Option-M to mute all apps), six actions in the Shortcuts app and sounddial:// links. See automate volume with Shortcuts.

What is a FineTune alternative for Mac?

The best FineTune alternative for a paid, App Store option is SoundDial. If you want to stay free, Background Music is open source (GPLv2 or later); its README calls it alpha, it requires macOS 10.13 or later, and it installs a virtual audio device. The FineTune alternative page has the overview.

Which macOS does each need?

SoundDial: macOS 14.2 or later. FineTune: macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later, per its README.

Can I use both?

Both adjust the volume of individual apps, so running them together means two tools changing the same audio. Neither vendor describes using them together and it was not tested for this page. Quit one before opening the other.

How do I switch from FineTune to SoundDial?

1. Note the levels, EQ settings and outputs you use most in FineTune.
2. Quit FineTune, 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.

Profiles do not save the output device, but the per-app output is remembered per app when "Remember last" is on.

Who should pick which

• If you are on macOS 14.2 to 14.x, take SoundDial.
• If you want other apps lowered automatically during calls, take SoundDial.
• If you want per-app balance and saved mixes, take SoundDial.
• If you want a per-app mixer from the Mac App Store, take SoundDial.
• If you want a free app, a boost above 200% or open-source code, take FineTune.

See also the FineTune alternative page and every comparison on Compare.

How we compared

SoundDial's column comes from the app itself (see SoundDial facts). FineTune's column comes only from the project's own pages, checked on 2026-11-12: the README, its troubleshooting and URL scheme guides, and the releases page. "Not stated" means those pages do not say. FineTune was not run for this page; its features are as the project describes them.