Side by side

CoreEQ vs EasyEffects

Both stand on audio equalizer software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

CoreEQ

Free plan Mac

Choose CoreEQ if you want system-wide macOS equalization, configurable filters, and output-device profiles without a virtual audio driver. Look elsewhere if you need controls for individual apps or cannot use software that requires system-audio recording permission.

Visit CoreEQ

EasyEffects

Free plan Linux

EasyEffects offers configurable audio processing for PipeWire streams, with saved presets and application exclusions. Confirm PipeWire and plugin availability for your setup before relying on particular effects.

Visit EasyEffects

The facts

	CoreEQ	EasyEffects
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Mac	Linux
Lowest paid plan	Not published	Free or on request
Plans published	None	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	github.com	github.com
On audio equalizer software	#10 of 22	#6 of 22

CoreEQ: what it does well

Equalizes audio across applications system-wide.
Offers an eleven-band graphic EQ and up to sixteen parametric filters.
Includes 22 presets, custom presets, gain matching, and A/B comparison.
Stores settings by output device and provides menu bar tone controls.
Imports and exports AutoEQ and EqualizerAPO presets.

What to know first

Requires macOS 14.2 or later and system-audio recording permission.
Release builds are unsigned and unnotarized, which may block first launch.
Does not provide per-app controls.

EasyEffects: what it does well

Offers equalizer, noise reduction, and stereo effects.
Users can order effects in the processing chain.
Configurations can load automatically for selected devices.
Processed audio can be shared with recording apps.

What to know first

Requires the PipeWire audio server.
Some effects may need separately installed plugin packages.
Available only on Linux.

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