How StreamPod compares
Checked November 2026 on each app’s website and Apple’s support pages.
StreamPod does one thing: it sends Spotify, Apple Music or Podcasts from your Mac to your AirPlay speakers, and every other sound stays on the Mac. The apps below do more, and each is the better choice for some setups. StreamPod is not affiliated with any of them.
| StreamPod | macOS on its own | Airfoil | SoundSource | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Only the music leaves your Mac | Yes | Not from Control Center | Yes, from the app you pick | Yes, from the app you pick |
| Several rooms at once | Yes | In the Apple Music app | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications stay on your Mac | Yes | Sound effects only, with a setting | Yes | Yes |
| Apps it can send | Spotify, Apple Music, Podcasts | All sound, or Apple Music and Podcasts | Any app | Any app |
| Price | Free | Included | $35, free trial | $49, free trial |
| Nothing to install | Yes, no driver | Yes, built in | Yes, drag it to Applications | Installs an audio plugin |
Prices in the table are in US dollars, before tax. Something out of date? Write to [email protected].
StreamPod
For Spotify, Apple Music or Podcasts in one room or several, each at its own volume, while alerts and calls stay on your Mac. It lives in your menu bar, is free and needs macOS 26 or later. Not yet: Apple TV, Chromecast or Bluetooth.
macOS on its own
Control Center sends all of your Mac’s sound to one AirPlay speaker. The Apple Music app plays to several speakers from its own AirPlay button, and the Podcasts app has an AirPlay button of its own. With HomePod software 27.2, a HomePod (2nd generation) or HomePod mini 2, alone or as a stereo pair, can be the sound output of a Mac that supports Wi-Fi 6E or later. Choose it when you listen in Apple Music or Podcasts, or to put everything on one HomePod, calls and videos included.
Airfoil
Airfoil, by Rogue Amoeba, dates from 2005. It sends any audio playing on your Mac to AirPlay speakers, HomePods, Apple TV, Chromecast, Sonos and Bluetooth speakers, several at once. It runs on macOS 14.4 to 27. It costs $35, with a free trial that degrades the sound after ten minutes of streaming. Choose it for Apple TV, Chromecast or Bluetooth, for sound from any app, or on macOS 14.4 to 15.
SoundSource
Also by Rogue Amoeba, SoundSource sets the sound of each app from the menu bar: volume, a 10-band equalizer, Audio Units effects and the output it plays to, AirPlay devices and HomePods included. It runs on macOS 15 to 27 and installs an audio plugin, which asks for your administrator password. It costs $49, with a free trial that degrades the sound after 20 minutes per launch. Choose it to adjust the sound of every app.
Other apps
- Unisson, free, plays your Mac’s sound on HomePods over AirPlay 2, a stereo pair included, with 0.1 s of delay according to its publisher. Choose it to hear calls and videos on your HomePods.
- Audiout, €24.99 with a 14-day trial, sends everything your Mac plays to AirPlay, Bluetooth and Chromecast speakers at once, and can route each app to its own speaker.
- SoundFerry, $49 with a 7-day trial, sends your Mac’s sound to AirPlay and Google Cast speakers. It installs a virtual audio driver, which needs administrator authentication and a restart.
Try StreamPod
Free, for macOS 26 or later. No trial, no account, no ads.