# FxSound review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source Windows equalizer and volume booster Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. FxSound is a Windows program that processes a PC's audio output with an equalizer, effects and presets, aiming to raise volume, bass and clarity on laptop speakers and other basic hardware. It was a paid product for over 20 years before becoming free in 2022 and open source in 2023. It is now funded by donations from users. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** FxSound (since 1999) - **Website:** https://www.fxsound.com/ - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you use a Mac, Linux, Android or iOS, as it is Windows only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, FxSound is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The whole app is free; the project accepts donations. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Full app with equalizer, effects and presets, funded by user contributions. | Read from https://www.fxsound.com/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with FxSound before buying. ## Key features - **Equalizer and presets:** An equalizer with presets for tuning music, calls, games and spoken audio. - **Volume and bass boost:** Raises volume with controlled peaking, and a Bass effect adds low-end punch. - **Voice emphasis:** The vendor says it targets the frequency range of the human voice, which it presents as useful for transcription work. - **Audio routing and volume control:** Includes audio routing and volume control for matching the sound to your headphones or speakers. - **Windows Intel/AMD and ARM64 builds:** The download page offers installers for x86/x64 PCs and for ARM64, plus legacy DFX Audio Enhancer and FxSound Enhancer versions. ## Good for - Windows users with quiet laptop speakers or basic headphones - People who want a free system-wide equalizer - Anyone who prefers software with public source code ## Worth knowing - Windows only; the vendor says it hopes to build Mac and Linux versions if contributions allow. - System-wide processing is not possible on Android or iOS because of operating system restrictions, the vendor says. - Funded by donations from users and run by a small team of contributors. - Older paid versions are kept on the site as legacy downloads. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. FxSound is a free Windows equalizer with volume and bass boost and presets. It runs only on Windows and is kept going by donations and a small team. - **Value for money: A.** Free with no paid tier, which is below any price the utilities category charges. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole app is free, with no cap and no trial. It asks for donations. - **Features: B.** Equalizer, presets, volume and bass boost, voice emphasis and audio routing. The listing shows no gap in the job. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record. You install it and pick a preset; nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows only (Intel/AMD and ARM64). The vendor only hopes for Mac and Linux builds. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from FxSound'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 - FxSound's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 27. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). - FxSound has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 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.** FxSound is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade. - You could not: Audio cleaned up live as you speak. - You could not: A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. 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, Noise cancellation ## Alternatives - [eqMac](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eqmac): System-wide equalizer and per-app volume mixer for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/eqmac-vs-fxsound) - [Voicemeeter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/voicemeeter): Virtual audio mixer for Windows, sold as donationware. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fxsound-vs-voicemeeter) - [SoundSource](https://toolgpa.com/tools/soundsource): Per-app volume, output routing and audio effects for the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fxsound-vs-soundsource) - [EarTrumpet](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eartrumpet): Per-app volume mixer for the Windows system tray. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/eartrumpet-vs-fxsound) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.fxsound.com/ - https://www.fxsound.com/download - https://www.fxsound.com/contribute - https://www.fxsound.com/about Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/fxsound Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).