# Voicemeeter review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Virtual audio mixer for Windows, sold as donationware Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Voicemeeter is a Windows audio mixer with a virtual audio device that routes sound between microphones, applications and output devices. It comes in three editions, Voicemeeter, Banana and Potato, with more inputs, outputs and effects as you move up. It is distributed as donationware: you can install it and use it first, then pay a license price you choose. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** VB-Audio Software - **Website:** https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/ - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you use a Mac, since this is Windows software and the Mac apps are sold separately. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Voicemeeter has a free plan, and paid plans start at $15 one-time (default price; buyer picks from five amounts). - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Free to use with all functions, except optional features; after 30 days the About box invites you to buy a license or keep evaluating. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free use | $0 | Install and use the app first; payment is requested but not forced. | | Voicemeeter | $15 one-time, default price; permanent license for one PC configuration | Mixes 3 inputs to 3 outputs through 2 buses. The shop lets you choose from five contribution levels. | | Voicemeeter Banana | $30 one-time, default price; permanent license for one PC configuration | Advanced mixer with 3 physical and 2 virtual I/O, effects on input strips and a parametric EQ on every bus. | | Voicemeeter Potato | $35 one-time, default price; permanent license for one PC configuration | 5 physical and 3 virtual I/O, internal reverb and multitap delay, and external send/return. | Read from https://shop.vb-audio.com/en/12-win-apps on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Voicemeeter before buying. ## Key features - **Virtual audio device:** Acts as a virtual input and output so any microphone, application or device can be routed to any other. - **Wide interface support:** Supports MME, DirectX, KS, WDM, WASAPI and ASIO interfaces on Windows XP through Windows 11, including ARM64. - **Mixing a voice with other audio:** The vendor lists mixing a voice with music or a game for a call, a live podcast or a recording. - **Banana: EQ and recorder:** Banana adds a parametric EQ on all buses, effects on input strips and a multi-format audio player and recorder. - **Potato: effects and send/return:** Potato adds two internal effects, reverb and multitap delay, and an external AUX send and return. - **No internet needed:** The vendor says the application does not need an internet connection and does not collect user data. ## Good for - Streamers and podcasters mixing a microphone with music and game audio - Windows users who want to route sound between applications and devices - People who want to try a mixer before deciding what to pay ## Worth knowing - Windows only; the vendor's shop lists its Mac apps separately. - Prices shown are the shop's default amounts; the shop offers five contribution levels, and professional or business use is limited to levels P3 to P5. - The setup program must be run in administrative mode and needs a reboot after installation and after removal. - Banana and Potato are separate editions with their own prices; the Potato license is delivered as an activation code. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Voicemeeter is a virtual audio mixer for Windows that sells as donationware, with three editions from $15 to $35. It takes some learning, it needs admin rights and a reboot to install, and it is Windows only. - **Value for money: A.** $15 one-time for the base edition and $30 for Banana, both under a year of the typical utility subscription. These are default amounts and the shop offers five levels. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free to use with every function, but after 30 days the About box asks you to buy a licence. Business use is limited to the higher contribution levels. - **Features: B.** A virtual device that mixes voice with other audio, plus EQ and recorder in Banana and effects and send/return in Potato. No gap shown in the core job. - **Ease of use: C.** No rating on record, and you have to wire up inputs and outputs yourself. Setup runs in admin mode and needs a reboot after install and after removal. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows only. The Mac apps are listed separately in the shop. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from VB-Audio Software'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 - Voicemeeter's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 69 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 46. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 55 of 186) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Your call.** It depends on the utility: a converter or a calculator is an afternoon. Voicemeeter sits between: not beyond making, and not a weekend's work either. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. At $15, paid once, it costs less than the weekend it would take to replace, which is the argument for keeping it. - 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:** One-time purchase, Works offline ## Alternatives - [BlackHole](https://toolgpa.com/tools/blackhole): Virtual audio loopback driver for routing sound between Mac apps. [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/eqmac-vs-voicemeeter) - [FxSound](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fxsound): Free open-source Windows equalizer and volume booster. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fxsound-vs-voicemeeter) - [EarTrumpet](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eartrumpet): Per-app volume mixer for the Windows system tray. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/eartrumpet-vs-voicemeeter) - [SoundSource](https://toolgpa.com/tools/soundsource): Per-app volume, output routing and audio effects for the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/soundsource-vs-voicemeeter) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/ - https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/banana.htm - https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/potato.htm - https://vb-audio.com/Services/licensing.htm - https://shop.vb-audio.com/en/12-win-apps - https://shop.vb-audio.com/en/win-apps/10-voicemeeter-banana.html Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/voicemeeter Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).