PulseAudio AlternativesAudio Routers & Volume Control Tools like PulseAudio

PulseAudio is described as 'Sound server system for POSIX OSes, meaning that it is a proxy for your sound applications. It integral part of all relevant modern Linux distributions and is used in various mobile devices, by multiple vendors' and is a Audio Router in the system & hardware category. There are five alternatives to PulseAudio for Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Linux Mobile. The best PulseAudio alternative is VB-Audio VoiceMeeter, which is free. Other great apps like PulseAudio are PipeWire, AudioBus, MIXLINE and Advanced Linux Sound Architecture.

filter to find the best alternatives

PulseAudio alternatives are mainly Audio Routers but may also be Audio Recorders or Software Frameworks.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of PulseAudio.
  • ...

PulseAudio is a sound server system for POSIX OSes, meaning that it is a proxy for your sound applications. It is an integral part of all relevant modern Linux distributions and is used in various mobile devices, by...

More about PulseAudio
PulseAudio alternatives page was last updated Jan 2, 2025
  1. VB-Audio VoiceMeeter icon
     71 likes

    Voicemeeter is Audio Mixer Application endowed with Virtual Audio Device used as Virtual I/O to mix and manage any audio sources from or to any audio devices or applications.

    26 VB-Audio VoiceMeeter alternatives
    VoiceMeeter (Basic)

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows

    VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Features

    1.  Virtual Mixer
    2.  Multi Channel
    3.  Live Streaming
    4.  Music Looper
    5.  Virtual Audio Cable
    6.  Autostart
    7.  Mix Music
    8.  Advanced volume mixing
    VB-Audio VoiceMeeter iconPulseAudio Icon

    VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VS PulseAudio

    Is VB-Audio VoiceMeeter a good alternative to PulseAudio?
     
    • VB-Audio VoiceMeeter is the most popular Windows alternative to PulseAudio.

    • VB-Audio VoiceMeeter is the most popular free alternative to PulseAudio.

    • VB-Audio VoiceMeeter is Freemium and ProprietaryPulseAudio is Free and Open Source
  2. PipeWire icon
     12 likes

    PipeWire is a project that aims to greatly improve handling of audio and video under Linux. It provides a low-latency, graph based processing engine on top of audio and video devices that can be used to support the use cases currently handled by both PulseAudio and JACK.

    6 PipeWire alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Linux Mobile

    PipeWire Features

    1.  Low Latency
    PipeWire iconPulseAudio Icon

    PipeWire VS PulseAudio

    Is PipeWire a good alternative to PulseAudio?
     
    Comments about PipeWire as an Alternative to PulseAudio
     
    headlines

    PipeWire is a seamless drop-in replacement for PulseAudio that also handles JACK applications at the same time.

    Positive commentNov 2, 2021
    1
    PulseAudio Icon
    PipeWire icon
    • PipeWire is the most popular Linux alternative to PulseAudio.

    • PipeWire is the most popular Open Source alternative to PulseAudio.

    • PipeWire is Free and Open SourcePulseAudio is also Free and Open Source
  3. AudioBus icon
     6 likes

    With Audiobus, the revolutionary new inter-app audio routing system, you can connect your Audiobus-compatible music apps together, just like virtual cables.

    19 AudioBus alternatives
    AudioBus screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad

    AudioBus Features

    1.  Support for MIDI
    2.  Sound Effects
    3.  Virtual Audio Cable
    4.  Mix Music
    AudioBus iconPulseAudio Icon

    AudioBus VS PulseAudio

    Is AudioBus a good alternative to PulseAudio?
     
    Comments about AudioBus as an Alternative to PulseAudio
     
    tadaddd111111

    Not a low level audio server

    Negative commentApr 12, 2023
    1
    PulseAudio Icon
    AudioBus icon
    • AudioBus is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to PulseAudio.

    • AudioBus is the most popular commercial alternative to PulseAudio.

    • AudioBus is Paid and ProprietaryPulseAudio is Free and Open Source
  4. MIXLINE icon
     1 like

    MIXLINE is an audio mixing software that performs audio routing, mixing, and streaming. All bundled into a beautiful User Interface!.

    24 MIXLINE alternatives
    MIXLINE screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Node Based
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Live Performance
    7.  Desktop Application
    8.  Simple installation
    9.  Drag and Drop
    10.  Offline
    11.  Virtual Audio Cable
    12.  Virtual Mixer
    MIXLINE iconPulseAudio Icon

    MIXLINE VS PulseAudio

    Is MIXLINE a good alternative to PulseAudio?
     
  5. Advanced Linux Sound Architecture icon
     8 likes

    Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (known by the acronym ALSA) is a free and open source software framework that provides an API for device drivers for sound cards. Some of the goals of the ALSA project at its inception were automatic configuration of sound-card hardware, and...

    3 Advanced Linux Sound Architecture alternatives
    AlsaMixer

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Advanced Linux Sound Architecture iconPulseAudio Icon

    Advanced Linux Sound Architecture VS PulseAudio

    Is this a good alternative to PulseAudio?
     
5 of 5 PulseAudio alternatives