Audio Hijack alternatives for Mac.

Audio Hijack ($69) records any app and runs it through effects, on a schedule if you like. For less: Piezo ($29) records one app at a time, OBS Studio is free but built for video, and DOT ($49 once) records any app for musicians, with each take’s key, BPM and chords.

Just record an app

Piezo

Rogue Amoeba’s simple recorder, $29.

Spend nothing

OBS Studio

Free, and records an app’s sound with no driver on macOS 13 or later.

Record music

DOT

Each take trimmed, with its key, BPM and chords.

Prices from each maker’s own site, 7 November 2026.

Audio Hijack, from Rogue Amoeba, records any app on your Mac, or the whole Mac, and can pass the sound through effects, split it into files and start on a schedule. It costs $69. Most people looking for an alternative want less: one app recorded, for less money, or for free.

For musicians, DOT ($49 once, free for 10 recordings) records any Mac app or all Mac audio from the menu bar on macOS 14.4 or later, with no driver, and saves each take trimmed with its key, BPM and chords.

The alternatives compared

AppCostWhat it recordsThe catch
Audio Hijack$69. The free trial adds noise after 10 minutesAny app, input or the whole Mac, through effects, on a schedule if you likeThe most expensive, and more than one recording needs
Piezo$29One app, or a mic or inputNo effects or schedule
AirCheck$39The whole Mac or an input, as WAV or MP3Apple silicon only, and no trial
Sound SiphonA subscription on the App Store; 14-day trialAny app or the whole MacIts virtual inputs need a plug-in
OBS StudioFreeA screen or window with its sound, or one app’s soundBuilt for streaming, and saves video files
BlackHole with AudacityFree. BlackHole asks for a donation you can skipWhatever you send through BlackHoleA driver and a Multi-Output Device to set up
RecordiaFreeYour mic, the Mac’s sound or both, from the menu barNeeds BlackHole before macOS 26
DOTFree for 10 recordings, then $49 onceAny app, the whole Mac, a mic or an audio interface, with each take’s key, BPM and chordsMac only, macOS 14.4 or later. No effects or schedule
Loopback$99Nothing by itself. It routes apps and mics into other appsA router, not a recorder

What Loopback does and when you need it: Loopback audio on Mac.

Which one to pick

Which Audio Hijack alternative to pick: Piezo turns one app into an audio file for $29; OBS Studio saves a video with the sound, free; DOT saves a take with its key, BPM and chords for $49 once; Loopback ($99) or BlackHole (free) sends one app's sound into another.
  • OBS Studio saves video files. To keep only the sound, pull it out of the video afterwards.
  • The free audio-only route is BlackHole with Audacity. It takes a driver and a Multi-Output Device to set up.
  • Routing isn’t recording. Loopback and BlackHole send sound into another app, live; they don’t save a file by themselves.

What you give up

Audio Hijack can chain effects, record several sources into separate files at once, and start and stop on a timer. None of the cheaper recorders does all of that. If you record a radio show every week or process a podcast as it records, it’s still the one to buy.

To catch what one app plays, like a song idea in a browser or a call, any of the recorders above does the job. The free ones cost only setup time.

Sources

10

Record any app on your Mac, with its key and BPM.

DOT records one app or all Mac audio from the menu bar, and each take lands trimmed with its key, BPM and chords.

DOT Audio Recorder

Catch any sound your Mac plays. Each take trimmed, with its key, BPM and chords.

See DOT for Mac

Questions.

Is there a free Audio Hijack alternative?

Yes. OBS Studio is free and records an app’s sound, as part of a video file. BlackHole, a free driver, with Audacity also works, after some setup. On macOS 27 the Screenshot toolbar can include the Mac’s sound in a screen recording.

Is Piezo the same as Audio Hijack?

Both come from Rogue Amoeba. Piezo records one app, or a mic, with one button. Audio Hijack adds effects, several sources at once and scheduling.

Do I need BlackHole to record my Mac’s audio?

Not on macOS 14.4 or later. Apps like DOT and Audio Hijack record the Mac’s sound with one permission. BlackHole is for sending sound from one app into another, live.

What’s the best Audio Hijack alternative for musicians?

DOT, if you record to use the sound in a song: it shows each take’s key, BPM and chords and exports the chords as MIDI. Audio Hijack, if you need effects or a schedule.