BlackHole vs eqMac (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BlackHole and eqMac share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and BlackHole has no paid plan to buy, against $2.50 a month when paid by the year for eqMac.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BlackHole grades higher on value for money and the free plan. eqMac grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BlackHole
Virtual audio loopback driver for routing sound between Mac apps
eqMac
System-wide equalizer and per-app volume mixer for macOS
Which one is for you
Pick BlackHole if
- Fits if you record or stream your Mac's own sound
- Works for people who already use an audio app that can pick an input device
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a mixer, since it has no interface of its own
- Skip it if you use Windows, as the vendor says it isn't ready there
- Watch out: projects that aren't GPLv3 need a licence from Existential Audio, and the readme gives no price
- Watch out: the readme advises against the AirPods microphone as the clock device
Pick eqMac if
- Fits if you want one equalizer for everything your Mac plays
- Works for people who want to set volume per app
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because the unlimited-band equalizer, app mixer and spatial audio are all Pro
- Skip it if you want open source: the public GitHub repo holds only v1.3.2 and newer releases live in a private fork
- Watch out: recording, hotkeys, cloud sync and remote control are listed as in development, not available
- Watch out: the Lifetime licence covers one Mac and current Pro features only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABlackHoleFair | 2.4GPAeqMacFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, with a Homebrew or Discord route instead of donating. | BPro is $30 a year, about $2.50 a month, which is in the cheaper quarter, and Lifetime is $40 for one Mac. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with no cap, under GPLv3. No cap, no trial and no donation needed. | BThe basic equalizer, headphone presets and volume boost are free for good, with no trial clock. One person could stay there. |
| Features | DIt is a driver and not a mixer: sound goes to other apps or devices you set up, so it needs another product to be useful. | CEqualizers, a per-app mixer and presets, but recording, hotkeys, cloud sync and virtual output are listed as still in development. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Routing needs aggregate or multi-output devices to be set up by hand. | BNo rating on record. Install it and move sliders; it works with any output device. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only. The vendor's Windows page says it is not ready. | DMac only. No Windows, Linux, phone or web version. |
| Best for | routing audio between Mac apps for free | a system-wide equalizer on a Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BlackHole and eqMac. How we grade
Price against what you get
BlackHole has no paid plan and scores 1.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. eqMac starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
eqMac scores higher, and starts $2.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than BlackHole for less, and 28 score higher than eqMac for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BlackHole is open source, according to its own site.
- eqMac can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- eqMac also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| BlackHole | eqMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $3 per month, or $30 per year |
| Free plan | Free: get it through Homebrew or the vendor's Discord instead of donating. | Basic: bass, mids and treble equalizer, 10-band equalizer, headphone presets, volume and balance (including boost beyond 100%), and support for any audio device. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Existential Audio | Bitgapp Ltd. |
| Price read from | existential.audio | eqmac.app |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BlackHole
- Mac only; the vendor's Windows page says BlackHole is not ready for Windows.
- It is a driver with no mixer of its own; sound is sent to other apps or devices that you set up.
- Projects that are not GPLv3 need a license from Existential Audio; the readme gives no price.
- The readme advises against using the AirPods microphone as the clock device in an aggregate or multi-output device.
eqMac
- The unlimited-band equalizer, app mixer and spatial audio are Pro only.
- Recording, hotkeys, cloud sync, virtual output and remote control are listed as in development, not available yet.
- The Pro Lifetime License covers one Mac and current Pro features only.
- The public GitHub repository holds only v1.3.2 without Pro features; newer releases are developed in a private fork, so the current app is not open source.
Key features
BlackHole
- Audio loopback between apps
- Lets applications pass audio to other applications through a virtual device, with zero additional latency according to the vendor.
- 2, 16 and 64 channel versions
- The download page names 2-channel and 16-channel versions, and Homebrew offers blackhole-2ch, blackhole-16ch and blackhole-64ch.
- All standard sample rates
- Supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz.
- Customizable build
- The GitHub readme says channel count, latency and hidden devices can be customized.
- Intel and Apple silicon
- Built for both, and compatible with macOS 10.10 Yosemite and newer.
eqMac
- Equalizers
- Basic (bass, mids, treble) and 10-band equalizers are free. The Expert equalizer has unlimited bands with gain, Q factor or octave bandwidth, several filter types and a spectrum analyzer, and needs Pro.
- App mixer
- Sets the volume of each application separately across the system. This is a Pro feature.
- Headphone presets
- Reference presets for more than 4,600 headphones, with the site marking the feature as available in both tiers.
- Spatial audio and left/right EQ
- Pro adds spatial audio effects for different listening environments and separate equalization of the left and right channels.
- Super presets and Audio Unit hosting
- Presets can switch automatically when the output device or main audio app changes; Pro can host Audio Units and chain them with eqMac effects.
- Works with any output device
- Supports built-in, Bluetooth, AirPlay 1, USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, aggregate and multi-output devices.
Plans
BlackHole
Free$0
Open source under the GPLv3; the download page's button is a $10 donation that also gives the installer, and Homebrew and Discord are free.
eqMac
Basic$0
Free features with community support; no access to Pro features.
Pro Subscription$3
per month, starting at; or $30 per year
Expert equalizer, app mixer, spatial audio and all other features; the page says one device license costs $1 per month.
Pro Lifetime License$40
one-time, for one Mac
Lifetime access to current Pro features and security and compatibility updates; future Pro features might require a partial upgrade.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BlackHole or eqMac?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BlackHole is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.50 a month when paid by the year for eqMac. BlackHole is free, and eqMac starts at $3 per month, or $30 per year.
Which has a free plan, BlackHole or eqMac?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both BlackHole and eqMac have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.