The short version
People search for a BlackHole alternative for two quite different reasons. Some want the same job, a virtual audio cable for routing sound between apps, but paid and with a finished interface. Others have an aggregate device already and just want its volume to behave. And some, without quite knowing it yet, do not need a virtual driver at all: they want their real speakers to play together, with one working volume, and per-app control that does not require any of this. All four tools below cover one of those cases.
BlackHole alternatives at a glance
| Option | Price | Has an interface | Installs a driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlackHole | Free | No | Yes |
| Loopback | $99 once | Yes | Yes |
| MultiSoundChanger | Free | Yes | No |
| Chorus | $4.99 once | Yes | No |
Going through the options
Loopback
Loopback, from Rogue Amoeba, is what BlackHole becomes once you pay for the finished version of the same idea. It creates virtual audio devices for routing sound between apps, the same underlying job, but wraps it in a proper interface: name your virtual devices, choose which apps and inputs feed into them, and save the setups you use. It is $99 as a one-time purchase.
That price buys you the part BlackHole deliberately leaves out. You are not editing Audio MIDI Setup by hand or trusting a third-party front end; Rogue Amoeba built the whole thing and supports it. If app-to-app routing genuinely is the job, and you would rather pay than configure, Loopback is the straightforward upgrade path from BlackHole.
MultiSoundChanger
MultiSoundChanger solves a narrower, more specific problem than either driver. Once you build a Multi-Output or Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup, macOS's own volume slider stops being able to adjust the individual devices inside it. MultiSoundChanger, a free, open-source menu-bar tool, gives you that missing control back.
It is worth being clear about what it is not: it does not create a new virtual device the way BlackHole or Loopback do. It manages an aggregate you have already built by hand elsewhere. If your BlackHole search actually started with "why won't my Multi-Output Device's volume work", MultiSoundChanger is the free, targeted fix, not a routing tool.
Chorus
Chorus starts from a different question: what if you never needed a virtual device at all? It is a native macOS menu-bar app for the real outputs already attached to your Mac. It groups them so several play as one, with a single volume that actually moves the sound, and balance between the devices so a quiet speaker can be brought up to meet a loud one. It sends individual apps to different outputs, saves the arrangements you use, and switches between them with a keyboard shortcut.
The contrast with BlackHole is worth making explicit. BlackHole is a virtual driver you install, and everything runs through the device it adds. Chorus adds no driver at all. It uses the output-grouping mechanism macOS already has, the same one behind Audio MIDI Setup's Multi-Output Device, so there is nothing new sitting in the system and dragging the app to the Trash leaves your Mac exactly as it was.
It is $4.99 once, free to trial for 30 days with every feature unlocked and no account or card details required, and one licence covers up to three Macs. It needs macOS 13 or later and runs on Intel and Apple Silicon. What it does not do is worth stating plainly too: no equaliser, no audio effects, no recording, and no app-to-app routing through a virtual device. It is not trying to be BlackHole. It is aimed at the more common problem sitting next to it.
Every feature free for 30 days. No account, no card details.
Download for MacSo which should you pick?
Want the exact same free, driver-level job as BlackHole and do not mind configuring it yourself? Stay with BlackHole, it is genuinely well made and there is nothing to gain by switching.
Want the same job, paid, with a proper interface and support behind it? Loopback, $99 once.
Already have an aggregate device built and just need its volume fixed? MultiSoundChanger, free.
Want your real speakers grouped together with a working volume and per-app control, and no virtual driver involved anywhere in the picture? Chorus, $4.99 once, with a 30-day free trial to find out before you pay for it.
For the technical detail on how the driver works, see BlackHole's own GitHub repository.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chorus a real alternative to BlackHole?
Not for the same job. BlackHole creates a virtual audio device and routes audio between apps at the driver level. Chorus does not create virtual devices or do app-to-app routing at all: it groups the real, physical outputs your Mac already has, with per-app volume and one-shortcut switching. If your actual need is simpler than a virtual routing pipeline, that is, real speakers grouped together with proper control, Chorus solves it without a driver.
What is the paid alternative to BlackHole?
Loopback, from Rogue Amoeba, is the paid alternative built on the same idea. It creates virtual audio devices for app-to-app routing, the same job as BlackHole, but with a proper interface, presets and support, for $99 as a one-time purchase.
Is BlackHole free and safe to use?
Yes to both. BlackHole is open source, its code is public on GitHub, and there is no paid tier: the project only accepts optional donations through GitHub Sponsors. It has no interface at all, so every bit of routing and grouping has to be configured by hand in Audio MIDI Setup or another app built on top of it.
What does MultiSoundChanger actually do?
It fixes one specific problem: macOS cannot adjust the volume of the individual devices inside a Multi-Output or Aggregate Device once you have built one. MultiSoundChanger is a free, open-source menu-bar tool that gives you that missing volume control. It does not create virtual devices the way BlackHole does; it manages an aggregate you already have.
Does Chorus install a driver or a kernel extension?
No. Chorus uses the audio grouping macOS already has, so nothing is added to the system. Drag the app to the Trash and your Mac is exactly as it was.
