The Best Audio Enhancement Software in 2026
We researched audio enhancement software through official pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Products are ranked by how well they handle the category’s core job, value for money, and verified features across equalization, noise reduction, surround sound, routing, and device control.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
SteelSeries Sonar#1 of 309.4/10A capable free Windows audio suite for gamers and streamers who want detailed control.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
Voicemeeter#2 of 309.2/10A deep Windows audio router with free tiers for mixing, effects, and network audio.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
Elgato Wave Link#3 of 309.1/10A free mixer for creators who need flexible routing, multiple mixes, and plugin effects.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 30 tools, best first
-
Best forWindows gamers and streamers
A capable free Windows audio suite for gamers and streamers who want detailed control.
- App-specific profiles
- Virtual surround
- Noise reduction
9.4/10★★★★★Visit site -
Best forAdvanced Windows audio routing
A deep Windows audio router with free tiers for mixing, effects, and network audio.
- Virtual surround
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
9.2/10★★★★★Visit VB-Audio -
Best forFree cross-platform stream mixing
A free mixer for creators who need flexible routing, multiple mixes, and plugin effects.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Elgato -
Best forCross-platform open-source audio production
A free, cross-platform audio router for live processing, recording, streaming, and DAW workflows.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Splitwave -
Best forFree microphone and stream mixing
A free Windows and macOS mixer for routing, processing, recording, and streaming audio.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit RØDE UNIFY -
Best forWindows creators needing DSP and routing
A capable Windows mixer with routing, DSP, recording, and voice tools.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Patchd -
Best forFree Windows system-wide enhancement
A free Windows system-wide enhancer with EQ, effects, routing, and spatial processing.
- Virtual surround
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit FxSound -
Best forAI noise removal and broadcast effects
Free Windows software for removing noise and adding broadcast-ready audio and video effects.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
8.6/10★★★★☆Try NVIDIA Broadcast -
Best forCross-platform surround and equalizer effects
A paid desktop audio enhancer for surround effects, detailed EQ, and app-level control.
- Virtual surround
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Boom 3D -
Best forMac users needing recording and routing
A versatile Mac audio workstation with deep routing, recording, and enhancement tools.
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Audio Hijack -
Best forMac users wanting deep EQ control
A focused Mac audio tool with advanced EQ, app mixing, and spatial effects.
- App-specific profiles
- Virtual surround
- Equalizer
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit eqMac -
Best forLinux users needing complete audio processing
A deep open-source effects suite for Linux audio and microphone processing.
- App-specific profiles
- Noise reduction
- Equalizer
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit EasyEffects -
Best forLinux DSP enthusiasts
A free Linux DSP suite with deep processing, routing, and scripting options.
- Virtual surround
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit JamesDSP -
Best forWindows equalization specialists
A free, open-source Windows EQ for detailed system-wide audio control.
- App-specific profiles
- Equalizer
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Equalizer APO -
Best forMac users needing per-app audio control
A focused Mac utility for controlling app volume, routing, effects, and equalization.
- App-specific profiles
- Equalizer
- Audio routing
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit SoundSource -
Best forAndroid users needing detailed EQ
A detailed Android EQ with per-app control, AutoEQ presets, and lifetime licensing.
- App-specific profiles
- Equalizer
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Poweramp -
Best forAndroid headphone equalization
A focused Android equalizer with extensive headphone profiles and detailed audio controls.
- Virtual surround
- Equalizer
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Wavelet -
Best forStudio monitoring calibration
A focused calibration suite for stereo, multichannel, headphone, and speaker monitoring.
- Virtual surround
- Equalizer
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forLow-latency multi-platform routing
Free, open-source routing infrastructure for synchronized audio and MIDI across major desktop platforms.
- Audio routing
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit JACK -
Best forFree Windows volume management
A free, open-source mixer for per-app volume control and Windows audio routing.
- Audio routing
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit EarTrumpet -
Best forWindows streamers mixing microphone audio
A free Windows mixer for routing microphone, music, and voice effects into one virtual microphone.
- Audio routing
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit MicMixer -
Best forDante network audio users
A focused Windows and macOS router for Dante-based computer audio workflows.
- Audio routing
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Dante Via -
Best forAdvanced Mac virtual-device routing
A deep Mac routing tool for complex virtual devices, priced at $99 one-time.
- Audio routing
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Loopback -
Best forFree Mac audio routing
A free, open-source Mac driver for flexible multi-channel audio routing.
- Audio routing
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit BlackHole -
Best forBasic cross-platform virtual audio cabling
A focused, low-cost way to route audio between applications on Windows and macOS.
- Audio routing
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit VB-Audio -
Best forLinux users managing PipeWire layouts
A focused, free routing tool for Linux users managing complex PipeWire layouts.
- Audio routing
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit qpwgraph -
Best forLinux PipeWire patchbay control
A focused Linux tool for managing PipeWire connections, not enhancing sound.
- Audio routing
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Helvum -
Best forSimple Mac virtual audio routing
A focused Mac utility for visual audio routing, mixing, and monitoring.
- Audio routing
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit SoundPipe -
Best forWindows spatial-audio listeners
A focused Windows spatial-audio app with broad headphone tuning, but limited audio controls.
- Virtual surround
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit DTS -
Best forMeetings needing transcription and summaries
A meeting assistant focused on searchable transcripts, summaries, and follow-up tasks.
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit Krisp
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Noise reduction | Equalizer | Audio routing | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SteelSeries Sonar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Voicemeeter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 3 | Elgato Wave Link | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 4 | Splitwave | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 5 | RØDE UNIFY | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 6 | Patchd | Yes | $5.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 7 | FxSound | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 8 | NVIDIA Broadcast | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 9 | Boom 3D | No | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | ||
| 10 | Audio Hijack | No | $69 one-time | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 11 | eqMac | Yes | $1/device/mo | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 12 | EasyEffects | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 13 | JamesDSP | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 14 | Equalizer APO | Yes | Free | Yes | 8.0 | ||
| 15 | SoundSource | No | $49 one-time | No | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 16 | Poweramp Equalizer | No | Yes | No | 7.8 | ||
| 17 | Wavelet | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |||
| 18 | SoundID Reference | No | $99 one-time | Yes | 7.6 | ||
| 19 | JACK Audio Connection Kit | Yes | Free | No | No | Yes | 7.1 |
| 20 | EarTrumpet | Yes | Free | Yes | 7.0 | ||
| 21 | MicMixer | Yes | Free | No | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 22 | Dante Via | No | Yes | 6.8 | |||
| 23 | Loopback | No | $99 one-time | Yes | 6.7 | ||
| 24 | BlackHole | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.6 | ||
| 25 | VB-CABLE | Yes | $5 one-time | Yes | 6.5 | ||
| 26 | qpwgraph | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.4 | ||
| 27 | Helvum | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.3 | ||
| 28 | SoundPipe | No | $10 one-time | Yes | 6.2 | ||
| 29 | DTS Sound Unbound | No | No | No | No | 6.0 | |
| 30 | Krisp AI Meeting Assistant | No | $8/user/mo | 5.0 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- SteelSeries Sonar vs Voicemeeter
- SteelSeries Sonar vs Elgato Wave Link
- SteelSeries Sonar vs Splitwave
- SteelSeries Sonar vs RØDE UNIFY
- SteelSeries Sonar vs Patchd
- SteelSeries Sonar vs FxSound
- SteelSeries Sonar vs NVIDIA Broadcast
- Voicemeeter vs Elgato Wave Link
- Voicemeeter vs Splitwave
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How we rank audio enhancement software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update