Elgato Wave Link vs Steinberg MixKey

Elgato Wave Link is a free audio routing and effects app for streamers, podcasters, professionals, and other content creators. It works with USB and XLR microphones, third-party interfaces, headsets, and capture cards recognized by the computer. A horizontal routing matrix lets users direct audio sources to outputs, with up to five independent mixes and separate routing and volume levels. Users can group multiple applications, such as Zoom, Teams, Discord, Spotify, or Chrome, into one channel. The app supports VST3 effects on Windows and Audio Unit effects on macOS, with unlimited effects per input. Mixes can feed OBS Studio, MS Teams, or any application that accepts audio input. Its Stream Deck plugin can change volume, mute channels, toggle effects, and switch mixes. The Wave Link 3.0 plan lists up to eight software or non-Wave inputs, four Wave-device inputs, and five virtual mixes. Windows requires Windows 11 and 8 GB RAM; macOS requires version 15.0 or newer and 8 GB RAM.

Steinberg MixKey is a free audio mixer for streamers and creators on Windows and macOS. Auto Gain adjusts levels automatically, while stream-level monitoring lets users hear the mix as the audience hears it. A cue function previews a channel in headphones before it reaches the fader or mix, and a built-in low-cut filter reduces unwanted low frequencies in speech. MixKey records the full mix as a WAV file and can send a separate microphone output to applications such as Discord or Zoom. Panic controls can mute the microphone or cut all output instantly. Elgato Stream Deck can trigger functions including microphone mute and panic controls. Users can rename channels, change colors and appearance, and resize the interface. Steinberg lists MixKey as a free download for Mac and Windows. The software supports live audio input and WAV export, with no paid plan listed.