A slider for every app
Per-app volume and mute, grouped by the app, not by cryptic helper processes. Turn Chrome down to 30%, mute Discord, leave your music where it is.
Levels puts a volume slider on every app, plus a single shortcut to mute everything except the one you're actually using.
What it does
macOS gives you one volume slider for everything. If you're building, testing, or just running a lot at once, that's not enough.
Per-app volume and mute, grouped by the app, not by cryptic helper processes. Turn Chrome down to 30%, mute Discord, leave your music where it is.
One keystroke mutes every app except the one in front. Switch apps and the audible one follows you. Press again and everything comes back exactly as it was.
Save your setup as scenes (Work, Call, Playtest) and switch between them in a click when the context changes.
Built on Apple's Core Audio, so there's no kernel extension or virtual sound device to install, and nothing to uninstall. Your audio never leaves your machine.
Apps at full volume are never touched, so they stay bit-perfect and Levels has almost nothing to do. It only processes the audio you actually turn down or mute. One menu-bar app, no background service, a couple of megabytes.
Per-app volume, a focus hotkey, and profiles. That's the whole app, on purpose. No account, no telemetry, no upsells, and nothing extra to slow it down or get in your way.
No subscription, no account, no upsells. The 14-day trial is the whole app, so try it on a noisy afternoon and decide. Refunds handled by Paddle.
Buy Levels for $9.99Pricing
Questions
No. Levels uses Apple's built-in Core Audio (process taps), so there's nothing system-level to install, and nothing left behind if you remove it.
No. Anything left at full volume isn't processed at all, so it passes through bit-perfect. Levels only does work on apps you've actually turned down or muted, and it's a single menu-bar app with no driver and no background service running in the background.
No. Everything happens locally on your Mac. Levels has no servers and no account.
No, it's a one-time $9.99 purchase. The 14-day trial is the complete app, not a limited version.
Anything that plays through your Mac's audio: browsers, chat apps, music, games, and the preview or notification sounds that pile up while you work.
It's a direct download for now, signed and notarized by Apple so it opens without warnings.
Help
Most things are answered right here. A quick read usually sorts it out in under a minute.
Yes. macOS files per-app audio access under that one permission, so it's the switch Levels needs to set individual app volumes. Levels does not record your screen or your audio, has no servers, and nothing leaves your Mac. Turn it on under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording.
macOS only applies a new permission to a fresh launch. Quit Levels (menu-bar icon › Quit) and open it again. The Levels setup card also has a Relaunch button that does this in one click.
Levels lists apps that are currently playing audio. Start playback in the app, then click Refresh at the bottom of the panel. Some notification and system sounds only appear while they're actually making noise.
Another app may already use that combination. Quit the app that owns it, or check System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts for a conflict. You can always trigger Focus mode from the toggle at the top of the Levels panel instead.
After purchase, Paddle emails your key to the address you checked out with. Open Levels › Activate, paste the whole key, and click Activate. If it doesn't validate, make sure you copied the entire key.
Check your spam or promotions folder for a message from Paddle (the reseller that handles checkout). If it's still missing after a few minutes, email me with the address you used to buy and I'll resend it.
Quit Levels, then drag Levels.app from your Applications folder to the Trash. You can also remove its toggle under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording. There's no driver or background service, so nothing else is left behind.
Checkout and refunds are handled by Paddle, the reseller. Reply to your Paddle receipt, or email me and I'll help sort it out.
If your question isn't covered above, email me with your macOS version and a short description of what's happening (a screenshot helps a lot). I read every message.
Email support