Home / Guides / Sound Siphon Alternative
Sound Siphon, by Static Z Software, is a long-standing macOS tool for capturing system and app audio. It works well, but two things send people looking for an alternative: it keeps asking for permission on newer macOS, and it is Mac-only. AudioRoute covers the same core job — record whatever your computer is playing, to a file or straight into a DAW — on both macOS and Windows. This is the honest comparison.
AudioRoute is the closest cross-platform alternative to Sound Siphon. It captures system audio to a WAV file or straight into a DAW via a bundled VST3/AU plugin, grants audio permission once instead of prompting on every boot, and runs on Windows as well as macOS. It costs €29 one-time (Sound Siphon is $49, Mac-only), with a 14-day free trial.
Switch in 3 steps:
Sound Siphon creates virtual audio input devices on macOS. It can capture all of your Mac's audio, or just specific applications, and hand that audio to another app where it can be recorded, streamed, or processed. It includes a built-in recorder, live mixing and channel mapping, the ability to mute apps while recording them, and recording timers. It is a mature, capable, Mac-only utility.
Two reasons come up again and again:
Both tools solve the same fundamental problem: get the audio your computer is playing into a recording or a DAW. Both can:
If that is all you need, either one works. The differences are platform, permission behaviour, price, and how deep the feature set goes.
Sound Siphon can isolate a single application's audio and offers live mixing, channel mapping, and mute-while-recording. AudioRoute captures your system's output mix (and can exclude your DAW to prevent feedback), but isolating one specific app the way Sound Siphon does is on our roadmap, not shipping yet. If per-app isolation is central to your workflow today, Sound Siphon has the edge.
AudioRoute uses Apple's modern process-tap API, which requires macOS 14.2 or newer. Sound Siphon supports older macOS releases. If you are on an older Mac you cannot upgrade, Sound Siphon may be your only option.
This is the big one. Sound Siphon is macOS-only. AudioRoute works on Windows 10 and 11 with the same workflow, using the modern WASAPI process-loopback API. If you searched "Sound Siphon for Windows" and found nothing, this is the answer: AudioRoute does that job on the PC.
AudioRoute uses Core Audio process taps rather than a persistent capture driver, so on macOS you grant audio permission once and are not re-prompted on every startup. It removes the exact friction that sends people looking for a Sound Siphon replacement.
AudioRoute ships a VST3 and AU plugin that installs with the app. Drop it on a track in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase, or Pro Tools and the captured audio arrives as a live signal in your session — ideal for sampling. No separate plugin purchase.
AudioRoute targets macOS 14.2+ and the latest releases, and auto-updates. You are not fighting compatibility with each new macOS version.
AudioRoute is €29 one-time versus Sound Siphon's $49, with a 14-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Sound Siphon 3 is $49 as a one-time purchase (macOS only); a separate Audio Unit plug-in version is sold on its own. AudioRoute is €29 one-time, includes both the app and the VST3/AU plugin, and covers macOS and Windows. Both offer a trial, so you can compare on your own machine before paying.
| Capability | Sound Siphon | AudioRoute |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49 one-time | €29 one-time, 14-day trial |
| Platforms | macOS only | macOS 14.2+ & Windows 10/11 |
| Capture system audio | Yes | Yes |
| Capture a single app in isolation | Yes | Roadmap (system mix today) |
| DAW plugin (VST3 / AU) included | Sold separately | Yes, bundled |
| Permission prompt on every boot | Reported on recent macOS | No (grant once) |
| Built-in file recorder | Yes | Yes |
| Capture method | Virtual audio devices | Core Audio taps / WASAPI loopback |
| Older macOS support | Yes | Requires macOS 14.2+ |
| Auto-updates | Manual | Automatic (Sparkle / WinSparkle) |
Switching takes about five minutes. Do it during the 14-day free trial — no card required.
Download the macOS or Windows build from audio-route.com and run the installer. On macOS, grant audio permission when asked — once.
They do not conflict. Run both during the trial and switch per-recording while you decide.
Click the AudioRoute icon, press Record, play your audio, press Stop. The WAV lands in your Music/AudioRoute folder. See the Mac and Windows walkthroughs.
Open your DAW, rescan plugins, and add AudioRoute Capture to a track. Follow the Ableton, Logic, or Reaper guide for the exact steps.
Two weeks side-by-side will make it obvious. If AudioRoute fits, €29 buys the license. If you need Sound Siphon's per-app features, keep it — they coexist cleanly.
Note on per-app capture: if your reason for using Sound Siphon is isolating one application's audio, AudioRoute captures the system mix today (per-app is on the roadmap). Everything else in this guide still applies, but that one feature is worth trying against your workflow during the trial.
No. Sound Siphon is macOS-only. AudioRoute does the same job on Windows 10 and 11 using the modern WASAPI process-loopback API.
That prompt is a known friction with virtual-driver capture tools on recent macOS. AudioRoute uses Apple's Core Audio process-tap API instead, so you grant permission once and it is not re-requested on every boot.
Yes. It is built on the current process-tap API, requires macOS 14.2 or newer including the latest releases, and auto-updates.
Yes. AudioRoute is €29 one-time with a 14-day trial; Sound Siphon 3 is $49 one-time (Mac-only).
AudioRoute captures your system's output mix and can exclude your DAW to prevent feedback. Isolating a single app the way Sound Siphon does is on the roadmap; if that is essential today, Sound Siphon still has an edge there.
Mac and Windows. No card required. Grant permission once and record whatever is playing — to a file or straight into your DAW.
Download free trial All guides