# BlackHole review (2026): is it any good? > Virtual audio loopback driver for routing sound between Mac apps Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. BlackHole is a macOS virtual audio driver that lets one application send its audio to another with no added driver latency. It comes in 2-channel, 16-channel and 64-channel versions, and its source code is on GitHub under the GPLv3. The installer is offered for a suggested donation, or free through Discord or Homebrew. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Existential Audio - **Website:** https://existential.audio/blackhole/ - **Runs on:** macOS - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want a mixer, since it has no interface of its own. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, BlackHole is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free: get it through Homebrew or the vendor's Discord instead of donating. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://existential.audio/blackhole/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with BlackHole before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Streamers and podcasters capturing one app's sound in another - Instructors and producers who record or process a Mac's audio - Developers who want a driver whose source they can build ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. BlackHole is a free virtual audio driver for Mac that passes sound from one app to another. It has no mixer or window of its own, so you build the routing yourself. - **Value for money: A.** Free, with a Homebrew or Discord route instead of donating. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright with no cap, under GPLv3. No cap, no trial and no donation needed. - **Features: D.** It 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No rating on record. Routing needs aggregate or multi-output devices to be set up by hand. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Mac only. The vendor's Windows page says it is not ready. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Existential Audio's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - BlackHole's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 35 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 33. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on features (D, above 0). - BlackHole has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** BlackHole is free, so making your own would save you nothing. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 118 of the 186 other desktop utilities grade higher. - You could not: A real app for macOS. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Open source, Works offline ## Alternatives - [Voicemeeter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/voicemeeter): Virtual audio mixer for Windows, sold as donationware. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blackhole-vs-voicemeeter) - [eqMac](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eqmac): System-wide equalizer and per-app volume mixer for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blackhole-vs-eqmac) - [SoundSource](https://toolgpa.com/tools/soundsource): Per-app volume, output routing and audio effects for the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blackhole-vs-soundsource) - [FxSound](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fxsound): Free open-source Windows equalizer and volume booster. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blackhole-vs-fxsound) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://existential.audio/blackhole/ - https://existential.audio/blackhole/windows/ - https://github.com/ExistentialAudio/BlackHole Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/blackhole Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).