Faders vs FineTune
FineTune is free, open source and does a lot. For many people that's the end of the comparison. Faders costs money, does less on the audio side, and focuses on calls, Bluetooth and monitors. Here's how to pick.
Short answer
Get FineTune if you're on macOS 15 Sequoia or later and want per-app volume, an equalizer or headphone correction. It's free, and it does more audio processing than Faders.
Get Faders if you're on macOS 14 Sonoma, your monitor doesn't support DDC, or you want calls handled for you: music ducking, AirPods staying in high quality, and one key to mute every mic.
At a glance
| Faders | FineTune | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 once (launch price, $15.99 regular) | Free, open source (GPL v3) |
| macOS | 14.2 Sonoma or later | 15 Sequoia or later |
| How it works | Core Audio process taps, no driver | Core Audio process taps, no driver |
| Per-app volume and mute | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boost above 100 % | ✓ to 200 %, with limiter | ✓ 2x / 3x / 4x presets |
| Equalizer | — (planned) | ✓ 10-band, 20 presets |
| Headphone correction (AutoEQ) | — | ✓ |
| Send an app to another output | ✓ one output per app | ✓ plus several devices at once |
| Monitor volume | ✓ software volume, any HDMI / DisplayPort display | ✓ hardware volume over DDC (monitor must support it) |
| Volume keys and HUD | ✓ | ✓ opt-in |
| Device priority | ✓ outputs and mics, “never auto-select” | ✓ choose device on connect, fallback on disconnect |
| Per-app volume hotkeys | — | ✓ |
| Global mic mute | ✓ ⌃⌥⌘M, every mic | Not listed |
| Other apps duck during calls | ✓ automatic | Not listed |
| AirPods stay high-quality on calls | ✓ keeps the Mac mic | Not listed |
| Support | Email the developer | GitHub issues, community project |
“Not listed” means we couldn't find it in FineTune's README or release notes, not that it's confirmed missing. Checked October 2026.
Where FineTune is better
If you're on macOS 15 or later and don't care about the call features below, FineTune is the better deal. We mean that.
- Price. Free beats $5.99. If per-app volume is all you want, there's no reason to pay.
- Equalizer and headphone correction. FineTune has a 10-band EQ with 20 presets, AutoEQ profiles for thousands of headphones, and a loudness leveler. Faders has no EQ yet.
- Several outputs at once. FineTune can play audio on multiple devices together. Faders sends each app to exactly one output.
- Real monitor volume. If your monitor supports DDC, FineTune changes the monitor's own hardware volume. Faders adds volume in software instead.
- Hotkeys per app. FineTune lets you bind global keys to turn the current app up, down or mute it.
- Open source. You can read the code, build it yourself and install it with Homebrew. Faders is closed source.
Where Faders is better
- macOS 14 Sonoma. FineTune needs macOS 15 Sequoia. Faders runs on 14.2 and later.
- Any monitor. DDC only works when the monitor supports it, and many TVs and some docks don't. Faders' software volume works on any HDMI or DisplayPort output.
- Calls. Faders notices when Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime, Slack or Discord is using your mic and turns other apps down until the call ends. FineTune doesn't list this.
- AirPods on calls. Faders keeps the Mac's built-in mic in use when Bluetooth headphones connect, so AirPods stay at 48 kHz stereo instead of dropping to muffled call mode. FineTune's 1.8 release fixed crackling during that switch, but doesn't say it avoids call mode.
- One key mutes every mic. ⌃⌥⌘M mutes all physical mics, including ones an app picked for itself, and restores them exactly.
- A paid product. You pay, and the developer answers email. FineTune is a community project with no support promise. That's a trade-off, not a flaw.
What they both do well
Both are menu-bar apps built on Apple's audio-tap APIs, so neither installs a driver. Both give every app its own volume and mute, boost quiet apps past 100 %, send apps to a different output, make volume keys work on external displays, and fall back to another device when one disconnects.
Who should pick which
Pick FineTune if you…
- Are on macOS 15 or later and want the free option
- Want an EQ or headphone correction
- Want audio on several devices at once
- Prefer open-source software
Pick Faders if you…
- Are on macOS 14 Sonoma
- Have a monitor or TV without DDC volume
- Spend your day on calls and want music to duck by itself
- Use AirPods for calls and hate the muffled call mode
Questions
Can I run Faders and FineTune together?
No. Both tap the same apps' audio and will fight over the volume. Pick one and quit the other.
Is FineTune safe?
It's open source with about 9,500 GitHub stars, so the code is public. Like Faders, it asks for the system audio recording permission because that's the API that lets an app change another app's volume.
Why pay for Faders when FineTune is free?
Only if you need what it adds: macOS 14 support, monitor volume without DDC, or the call features. If you don't, use FineTune.
On calls all day, or still on Sonoma?
Faders is $5.99 once at launch. Try the live demo on the homepage first.
More comparisons
Sources
- FineTune on GitHub (features, macOS 15+, GPL v3, DDC, AutoEQ)
- FineTune releases (v1.9.0 July 2026; v1.8.0 Bluetooth call-mode fix)