Amplitude Soundboard vs AudioPad

Amplitude Soundboard is a desktop app for playing audio clips to express yourself and entertain friends. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with downloads listed for Windows x64, macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, and Linux x64. Supported formats include AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, MP4, OGG, OPUS, and WAV. Clips can play through multiple output or input devices, with volume controls for the full app and individual clips. Users can assign hotkeys to sounds. The interface offers light or dark themes, custom tile backgrounds, and controls for tile size and grid dimensions. Listed languages include English, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. The app is free at free, and its repository is identified as GPL-3.0 licensed. The project page describes update notices at startup and automatic updating on Windows. Routing sound to an input such as a microphone requires additional audio-routing software. Linux hotkeys work under X11, not Wayland; macOS hotkeys require accessibility permission and an app restart, and a security warning may need to be bypassed because the app is not signed with an Apple Developer ID.

AudioPad is a desktop soundboard for sending music, memes, sound effects, and voice clips through a microphone in voice chats, meetings, streams, and games. It runs on Windows 10 and 11 and Linux, with deb, rpm, and AppImage packages. The app accepts MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, and M4A files directly. Global hotkeys with custom bindings can trigger sounds from anywhere, and playback latency is described as sub-20ms. AudioPad mixes clips with a live microphone, or can send sound without the mic. The maker lists Discord, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, OBS Studio, Steam, and Slack, and says the app works with any software that reads a microphone. It runs on the user's machine without accounts, cloud services, analytics, or telemetry; crash reporting is opt-in. The free plan costs nothing and includes unlimited sounds and custom hotkeys. First installation requires admin rights to register a virtual audio device; routine use does not.