Roadie vs SoundSource.
People compare these two because both live in the menu bar and both are about audio devices. They are not competitors. SoundSource decides which device each app plays through. Roadie decides which device macOS picks by default, and puts it back when macOS picks wrong. Here is how to tell which one you need, from someone who makes one of them.
Comparison by Yash Raj, published 15 September 2026. SoundSource facts come from Rogue Amoeba's own product and purchase pages on that date: version 6.1.2, $49, macOS 15 and later.
The one-question version
Answer this: is your complaint that the wrong app is playing through the wrong device, or that macOS keeps changing your device?
- Wrong app, wrong device — music should stay on speakers while calls go to headphones, or one app needs an equalizer. That is SoundSource. Roadie cannot do it and never will.
- macOS keeps changing your device — your mic jumps to the webcam when the monitor wakes, or output jumps to display speakers. That is Roadie. SoundSource has no ranked priority list and will not correct it.
The table
| Roadie | SoundSource | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 once, up to 3 Macs | $49 once, $25 upgrade from 5 or 4 |
| What it is | Device priority utility | Full audio control suite |
| Ranked device priority list | Yes, microphone and output | No |
| Corrects the system default automatically | Yes | No |
| Per-app output routing | No | Yes |
| Per-app volume | No | Yes |
| Equalizer and Audio Units effects | No | Yes, 10-band EQ plus Audio Units |
| AirPlay to multiple devices | No | Yes |
| Avoid list for devices macOS should never pick | Yes | No |
| Notification with undo when a device changes | Yes | No |
| Captures audio | No, sets the default device only | Yes, that is how per-app control works |
| Signed and notarized | Not yet | Yes |
| macOS | 13 or later | 15 to 27 |
| Trial | Full 7 days, no account | Free trial available |
Disclosure: Roadie is mine. The SoundSource column is taken from Rogue Amoeba's published product page and store, not from a hands-on test of every feature.
What SoundSource is genuinely better at
Almost everything that is not device priority. Rogue Amoeba has been making Mac audio software for two decades, SoundSource is notarized, mature, and version 6.1.2 shipped in August 2026. Per-app volume and routing, a 10-band equalizer with Audio Units support, AirPlay to multiple destinations, Shortcuts automation, volume keys for devices that do not support them, and a proper menu bar mixer. If you produce audio, stream, or want music and calls on different devices at the same time, $49 is not expensive for what it does.
Two things to check first: it requires macOS 15 or later, so it is out if you are on Ventura or Sonoma, and it works by capturing per-app audio, which means it installs an audio capture component and appears in the relevant privacy prompts.
What Roadie does that SoundSource does not
SoundSource sets a device. It does not have an opinion about what should happen next time your monitor wakes up and macOS decides the webcam microphone is the default input. There is no ranked list to fall back to and nothing watching for the change.
Roadie is only that. You rank your microphones and outputs once. When devices connect, disconnect, wake, or you log in, the highest-ranked connected device wins. Devices on the avoid list — display speakers, webcam mics, a virtual device some app installed — are never chosen automatically. Every correction posts a notification naming the device, with one-click undo. A device you pick by hand stays put until your connected devices change. Bluetooth gets a settling window so reconnecting AirPods do not cause a double switch, and if another app keeps fighting, Roadie stops after three attempts rather than looping.
It runs on macOS 13 or later, needs no microphone permission because it never opens an audio stream, and costs $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs. The honest gap against Rogue Amoeba: Roadie is not notarized yet, so first launch needs a Control-click and Open.
Try Roadie free for 7 days No account, no audio access, $9.99 once after that.
Owning both is a reasonable answer
They do not conflict. SoundSource routes each app wherever you want; Roadie makes sure the system default underneath is the device you meant. If you already own SoundSource and your mic still jumps to the webcam, that is not a SoundSource failure, it is a job it does not do.
If you want both jobs in one purchase
Sound Control from Static Z Software is $25 on the Mac App Store and has both a Priority Devices feature and per-app volume and routing, on macOS 11.4 or later. It is less capable than SoundSource on effects and less focused than Roadie on the switching edge cases, but it is the cheapest single purchase that touches both. More options, including free ones →
Related
Quick answers
Does SoundSource stop macOS switching my microphone?
No. SoundSource has no ranked device priority list. It lets you set and route devices per app, but nothing in it watches for macOS re-picking the default input and puts your microphone back.
Is Roadie a cheaper SoundSource?
No, it is a smaller tool for a different problem. Roadie only manages which device macOS defaults to. It has no per-app routing, no per-app volume and no effects, and adding them is not planned.
Can I use Roadie and SoundSource together?
Yes. They operate at different levels: Roadie keeps the system default on the right device, SoundSource sends individual apps wherever you want. Neither interferes with the other.
How much does SoundSource cost and what macOS does it need?
A new SoundSource license is $49, with a $25 upgrade for owners of version 5 or 4. Version 6.1.2 requires macOS 15 or later. Roadie is $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs and runs on macOS 13 or later.
Is there something that does device priority and per-app routing for less?
Sound Control from Static Z Software, $25 on the Mac App Store, runs on macOS 11.4 or later and includes both a Priority Devices feature and per-app volume and routing.