Amplitude Soundboard vs Soundplant

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.

Soundplant is a desktop app that turns a computer keyboard into a sample trigger and playable instrument. Users can assign sound files to 88 keys by dragging and dropping them, or trigger sounds with MIDI. It supports playlists, recording, unlimited sound polyphony, and per-key effects such as volume, panning, EQ, pitch, reverb, and distortion. Soundplant runs on Windows and macOS; listed minimums are 64-bit Windows 10 or later and macOS 10.14 or later. The free version is for noncommercial use, supports 16-bit uncompressed WAV files, and includes 25 launches of paid features; after those, a reminder appears every five launches. A Single User License costs $69 as a one-time purchase and covers one user on Windows and Mac, with installation on multiple computers for that person. It lasts for the purchased version and includes 2 years of free upgrades. The standalone app works offline, has no ads or account requirement, and collects no user data.