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Sound Siphon vs Background Music: catalog facts
Sound Siphon	Background Music
Paid Paid, with a free trial; also offered as a Mac App Store subscription.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-2.0 licence.
macOS	macOS
Captures audio from specific apps only Virtual microphones usable in other audio apps	Per-application volume control with boost above maximum Auto-pauses music when other audio plays
macOS only Mac App Store version needs an additional download for virtual inputs	Still labelled alpha by its developer Auto-pause works only with supported music players
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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