[ Guide / Volume mixers on Windows ]
EarTrumpet alternative
EarTrumpet is a free, open source, actively maintained per-app volume mixer for Windows, and a lot of people are right to keep using it. It was not built with a controller in one hand and a game in fullscreen in the other, which is a different problem.
Most "alternative to EarTrumpet" pages either trash it to sell you something or copy its feature list without checking it. EarTrumpet is good software. This is what it actually does, what it does not do, and when reaching for something else is worth it.
[ 01 ]
What EarTrumpet actually does well
EarTrumpet puts every running app's volume on one slider each, in a flyout you open from the tray. No Windows sound settings menu to dig through. It was built by former Microsoft engineers to feel like a feature Windows should have shipped, and for a lot of people it is the only volume tool they will ever need.
| Feature | State |
|---|---|
| Per-app volume sliders in a tray flyout | Yes |
| Move an app between playback devices | Yes |
| Configurable hotkeys (flyout, mute, device switch) | Yes |
| Free and open source (MIT) | Yes |
| Automatic updates via Microsoft Store | Yes |
| Audio ducking | Not in the feature list |
| On-screen track info while gaming | Not in the feature list |
It is maintained at File-New-Project/EarTrumpet on GitHub, ships through the Microsoft Store, and gets regular updates. None of that is in question here.
[ 02 ]
Whether you need something else
The honest split is about how you want to interact with volume, not which app is "better."
You probably do not need to switch
If clicking the tray icon and dragging a slider is fine by you, EarTrumpet already does that better than the built-in Windows mixer, for free, forever. There is no reason to add another app for the same job.
You probably do want something else
If you play in fullscreen and do not want to alt-tab or reach for the mouse just to turn music down. If you want the music to duck itself the moment someone talks in Discord, instead of you noticing and doing it by hand. Or if you want a volume level tied to which game is running, not something you reset every session.
One thing to try first: Windows has a built-in "duck other sounds during communications" setting in the Sound control panel. It is system-wide rather than per-app, and it only reacts to apps using the legacy communications audio category, which is why it does not reliably catch Discord. Worth ten seconds to check before installing anything.
[ 03 ]
The options, compared honestly
Including the fork that closes part of the gap, and the catch with it.
BetterTrumpet
An unofficial community fork of EarTrumpet. It adds a hover media player with cover art and seek, per-app profiles you can save and restore, and a "focus-lost" mode that attenuates apps when their window loses focus. That last part is the closest any EarTrumpet variant gets to automatic behavior, though it reacts to window focus, not to whether the other app is actually making sound. It is not on the Microsoft Store, so you are trusting a third-party build rather than an auto-updating one.
Volume2
Open source, older interface, has its own hotkey system and per-app volume control. Popular with people who want something that has been around a while and does not change much.
Stock EarTrumpet
Covered above. Free, open source, official, no ducking, no game awareness.
What we make
DuckDeck is the reason this guide exists, so treat the next section as what it is. The comparison is meant to be accurate, including the rows where EarTrumpet wins.
[ 04 ]
What to check before you switch
- Do you need the per-app device routing? Moving one app's output to a different speaker or headset is an EarTrumpet feature DuckDeck does not have.
- Does the hotkey reach a fullscreen exclusive game? A shortcut that only fires when the app has focus will not help mid-match.
- Do you want ducking based on sound or on focus? EarTrumpet forks like BetterTrumpet duck on focus loss. DuckDeck watches the actual audio peak of the app you pick, so it reacts to Discord making sound, not to which window is active.
- Official store app or a third-party fork? If auto-updates and Microsoft Store distribution matter to you, that rules out BetterTrumpet specifically.
- Keep EarTrumpet installed while you test. The two do not conflict, so there is no reason to uninstall it before you know the replacement covers what you need.
[ 05 / Our answer ]
What we actually built
DuckDeck is not a general volume mixer. It is built around one app, usually your music player, and one situation: you are in a fullscreen game and do not want to leave it. Here is how it lines up against EarTrumpet, including where EarTrumpet wins.
| Feature | EarTrumpet | DuckDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Per-app volume slider in a tray flyout | Yes | Yes, free |
| Global hotkey scoped to one app | Not by default | Yes, free |
| Reaches fullscreen exclusive games | Only via the flyout | Yes, free |
| Move an app to a different playback device | Yes | No |
| On-screen HUD with track, artist, album art | No | Yes, Pro |
| Ducks music when Discord actually makes sound | No | Yes, Pro |
| Per-game volume profiles | No | Yes, Pro |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Price | Free | Free, Pro €5.99 incl. VAT once |
The straight version: if you want a free, open source mixer for every app on your system and do not mind clicking a tray icon, EarTrumpet is the simpler, more general tool, and you should keep it. DuckDeck exists for one narrower thing: a hotkey instead of a flyout, and ducking that happens on its own while you stay in the game.
The free download gives you the volume and mute hotkeys scoped to your music app and a tray slider. The overlay, media hotkeys, ducking and per-game profiles are Pro, €5.99 incl. VAT paid once, not a subscription.
Download DuckDeckFree, no card. Your email, then the download. Windows 10 and 11.
[ 06 / Common questions ]
Does EarTrumpet have global hotkeys?
Yes, EarTrumpet lists configurable hotkeys as a feature, for things like opening the flyout, muting, and switching the default device. It does not ship a single hotkey pre-scoped to just one app's volume the way DuckDeck's up and down keys are, out of the box.
Does EarTrumpet duck music automatically when Discord talks?
No. EarTrumpet's own feature list does not include audio ducking. It gives you per-app sliders you adjust yourself, not automatic behavior tied to another app's audio activity.
Is EarTrumpet free and open source?
Yes. EarTrumpet is MIT licensed, distributed through the Microsoft Store and GitHub, and actively maintained at File-New-Project/EarTrumpet.
What is BetterTrumpet?
An unofficial community fork of EarTrumpet. It adds a hover media player with cover art, per-app profiles, and focus-lost auto-attenuation for apps that lose window focus. It is not on the Microsoft Store and is not affiliated with the original project.
Do I actually need to replace EarTrumpet?
Not if you are happy clicking the tray icon and dragging a slider when you need to. Replace it if you want a hotkey that reaches a fullscreen game without alt-tabbing, or ducking that reacts to Discord actually making sound rather than to which window has focus.
Does DuckDeck do everything EarTrumpet does?
No. EarTrumpet moves apps between playback devices and shows every app's volume at once in a flyout; DuckDeck does not. What DuckDeck adds is a hotkey scoped to one app, ducking based on real audio activity, and per-game volume profiles.
Related: how to lower Spotify volume while gaming without alt-tabbing, and how Windows' own audio ducking setting works.
[ Still stuck? ]
If none of this fixed it, or your setup does something these steps do not cover, tell me what you are seeing and I will help you work it out. It is one person answering, not a ticket queue.
Send a messageOr email support@duckdeck.app. Same inbox either way.