Audiout enables multi-room audio playback from a Mac, routing any app’s audio to AirPlay, Bluetooth, and Chromecast speakers simultaneously. (€30, one-time)
The menu bar interface provides per-room volume faders for connected speakers. Users can control speaker levels independently — raising the kitchen HomePod while lowering the bedroom speaker — without opening a separate settings window. Scene saving allows named speaker configurations to be recalled quickly when switching between listening setups.
Per-app audio routing gives independent volume control for individual applications, so Spotify can run on all speakers at full volume while system alerts route only to the Mac. Audiout supports lossless audio over AirPlay and includes a Bluetooth delay adjustment to synchronize playback across mixed speaker types. An iPhone remote app is listed as an upcoming feature. The source code is published under the GPL-2.0 license on GitHub.
System requirements: Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 14.4 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
Pricing: (€30, one-time); 14-day free trial available.
Limitations: Requires Apple Silicon; Intel Macs cannot run Audiout. The iPhone remote control feature was not available at launch. Chromecast support may have higher latency than AirPlay in mixed-speaker setups.
Alternatives: Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback (advanced audio routing, $109, Intel and Apple Silicon), Audio Hijack (per-app routing with recording, $59), and Apple’s built-in AirPlay mirroring (single destination only). Audiout is differentiated by targeting multi-room, multi-destination routing from the menu bar at a lower price point.
Suitable for users who listen to audio across multiple rooms and want unified volume control from the Mac menu bar without a dedicated home audio system.
