Comparison · Mac
Loopback vs BlackHole
Both put one app’s sound where another app can hear it, and they’re the two names every Mac audio guide mentions. They’re very different tools, though: one is a free building block, the other a paid router that does the building for you.
A note before you read: we make Patch, a third option mentioned at the end. We don’t make either of these, and we’ve tried to be fair to both.
The short version
- BlackHole is a free virtual cable. It moves sound between apps and leaves the mixing and wiring to you.
- Loopback is a $99 router. It builds virtual devices from any apps and hardware, with levels, channel mapping and monitors.
- If all you need is your mic and a few apps in one call, a smaller mixer such as Patch does that job for less.
At a glance
| BlackHole | Loopback | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, open source (GPL‑3.0) | $99; $49 upgrade from Loopback 1 |
| Current version | 0.7.1, July 2026 | 2.5.0, August 2026 |
| Needs | macOS 10.10 or later | macOS 14.5 or later |
| Setup | Audio MIDI Setup | Its own window |
| Mixes sources | No | Yes, with a level for each |
| Captures one app | Only if the app has an output picker | Yes, any app |
| Volume keys | Not with a Multi-Output Device | Yes |
| Trial | Not needed | Noise after 20 minutes |
From Existential Audio’s and Rogue Amoeba’s own pages, checked on 29 September 2026.
BlackHole: a free cable
BlackHole, from Existential Audio, is an open-source virtual audio driver in 2, 16 and 64-channel versions, for Intel and Apple silicon Macs. It’s free, with a suggested donation. Whatever plays into it comes out as an input another app can choose.
That’s its whole job. To hear what you send it, you build a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup, and macOS can’t change that device’s volume, so the volume keys stop working. To send your mic with it, you build an Aggregate Device, which puts the two side by side as channels rather than mixing them. To send one app rather than everything, the app needs its own output picker. More on the BlackHole setup.
Loopback: the full router
Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback builds virtual devices from any apps and hardware you choose, in its own window. Each source gets a level, channels can be mapped by hand, monitors let you hear a device, and a device can carry up to 64 channels. It captures a single app’s sound even when the app has no output picker.
Version 2.5.0 came out on 31 August 2026 and needs macOS 14.5 or later. It costs $99, or $49 to upgrade from Loopback 1, and there’s a bundle with Audio Hijack. The trial is complete, but adds noise after 20 minutes until you turn the device off and on. Loopback and its alternatives.
Job by job
- Moving audio between music apps: BlackHole, especially if the apps have their own output pickers.
- A podcast with remote guests and several tracks: Loopback, often with Audio Hijack.
- Recording a single app in OBS: often neither; OBS 30 and later capture app audio on macOS 13 and later.
- Your mic and music together in a call: Loopback does it cleanly; BlackHole needs workarounds. A smaller mixer does it too, as below.
Where Patch fits
Most people searching this comparison want one thing: their mic and an app, mixed, in a call. Patch, which we make, does only that. It mixes your mic and up to four apps, with a level for each and a limiter, into a virtual microphone called Patch Mix, for $39 once.
It needs a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later, makes one mix rather than any number of devices, and has no channel mapping. If you need those, Loopback is the tool. For music in Zoom, Discord or Meet, see play music through your mic.
Questions
Is Loopback better than BlackHole?
It does more. Loopback builds devices from any apps and hardware and mixes them with levels, in its own window. BlackHole is a free driver that carries sound and nothing else. If BlackHole plus Audio MIDI Setup already does your job, Loopback won’t add much; if you’re fighting the wiring, it will.
Is there a free version of Loopback?
Loopback has a free trial: every feature works, and after 20 minutes it adds noise to the audio until you turn the device off and on. There’s no free tier. BlackHole is the usual free choice, without the mixer.
Can I use BlackHole and Loopback together?
Yes. They’re separate devices. Loopback can include BlackHole as a source like any other input, though most people who buy Loopback stop needing BlackHole.
Which is better for Zoom or Discord?
For your mic and music together, Loopback is simpler: one virtual device with both sources and a level for each. BlackHole needs an Aggregate Device, which puts your mic and the music on separate channels rather than mixing them. Patch does just this job for less.
Which is better for OBS?
On macOS 13 or later, you may need neither: OBS 30 and later has a macOS Audio Capture source that records one app or the whole Mac. Reach for BlackHole or Loopback when OBS can’t capture a source, or when you want one routed device shared by several apps.