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ballast vs Background Music

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

ballast

7.0
Utilities

Status Bar app to keep the audio balance from drifting

Background Music

7.0
Utilities

Audio utility

Metric ballast Background Music
Category Utilities Utilities
AI Score 7.0 7.0
30-day Installs 4 1.6K
90-day Installs 7 4.8K
365-day Installs 34 23.0K
Version 2.0.0 0.4.3
Auto-updates No No
Deprecated Yes No
GitHub Stars 469 18.7K
GitHub Forks 9 748
Open Issues 3 523
License MIT GPL-2.0
Language Swift C++
Last GitHub Commit 3y ago 2mo ago
First Seen Mar 8, 2019 Aug 9, 2023

Reviews

ballast

Ballast is a status bar app that maintains audio balance, preventing drift. It's ideal for audio professionals and heavy listeners who need consistent sound quality.

Monitors and maintains audio balance in the status bar to prevent drift.

Pros

  • + Small footprint and integrates seamlessly with macOS status bar
  • + Addresses a specific audio stability need effectively
  • + Free and open-source under MIT license

Cons

  • - No auto-update feature
  • - Limited community discussion and traction

Background Music

Background Music is a macOS utility that automatically pauses your music and allows you to set individual app volumes, benefiting users who need background audio management.

Automates background music management and system audio recording.

Pros

  • + Free and open-source under GPL-2.0
  • + System-wide volume control and recording features
  • + Automatically pauses music for productivity

Cons

  • - No auto-updates for security or compatibility
  • - High number of open issues suggests potential instability