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Background Music vs Sound Control: catalog facts
Background Music	Sound Control
Free Free and open source under the GPL-2.0 licence.	Paid Paid licence with a free trial, or a subscription through the Mac App Store.
macOS	macOS
Per-application volume control with boost above maximum Auto-pauses music when other audio plays	Separate volume, balance and EQ for each app Hosts Audio Unit effects per app and output device
Still labelled alpha by its developer Auto-pause works only with supported music players	Mac only Direct and Mac App Store purchases are not interchangeable
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.