Free & Open Source

Your volume.
Under control.

SoundBrake quietly runs in your system tray and watches how long you listen at high volumes — then warns you before the damage is done. No subscriptions. No accounts. Just protection.

Download Free See How It Works

Windows Windows  ·  macOS macOS  ·  Linux Linux

SoundBrake now

Hearing Warning

You've been listening at 87% volume for 20 minutes. Consider lowering the volume.

87%

Running quietly in the system tray

Why SoundBrake?

Hearing loss from loud audio is permanent and painless until it's too late.
SoundBrake gives you real-time awareness — so you can act before the damage happens.

Real-Time Volume Watch

Constantly monitors your system output. Tracks cumulative exposure time at each danger level — not just peak loudness.

Smart Warnings

Three-tier alert system: gentle reminder after 60 minutes at moderate levels, stronger warning at 20 minutes of high volume, automatic reduction at critical levels.

Activity-Aware

Detects whether audio is actually playing. It won't penalise you for leaving volume at 80% while nothing is playing.

13 Languages Built-In

Notifications appear in your system language automatically — no setup needed. Supports English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.

Ultra Lightweight

Written in Go. Under 5 MB. Starts with Windows/macOS/Linux. Uses near-zero CPU and memory in the background.

Completely Private

No telemetry. No internet connection required. No accounts. Your listening habits never leave your machine.

Available in 13 Languages

Detects your system language automatically. Every notification and menu item appears in your native tongue — no setup needed.

English English Türkçe Türkçe Deutsch Deutsch Français Français Español Español Italiano Italiano Русский Русский Português Português Nederlands Nederlands Polski Polski 日本語 日本語 한국어 한국어 中文 中文（简体）

Language is detected from your OS automatically. Falls back to English if unsupported.

How It Works

Three simple rules — based on the same guidelines audiologists recommend.

1

SoundBrake watches your volume

Every 5 seconds it reads your current system volume and checks whether audio is actually playing. Exposure time accumulates only when sound is audible.

2

Thresholds trigger smart notifications

Level 1 (75–84%) — reminder after 60 continuous minutes.
Level 2 (85–94%) — warning after 20 continuous minutes.
Critical (≥95%) — automatic volume reduction after 5 minutes, with a notification you can't miss.

3

You stay in control

Dismiss a warning and the next one waits longer (smart backoff). Need a break from alerts? Use "Silence for 24 hours" from the tray icon.

Download SoundBrake

Free for everyone. Always.

Windows

Windows

Windows 10 / 11 · 64-bit

⬇ Download Installer

Installer (Inno Setup) · ~4 MB

macOS

macOS

macOS 12+ · Intel & Apple Silicon

⬇ Download .dmg

Universal binary · ~5 MB

Linux

Linux

Ubuntu 20.04+ · Fedora 36+ · amd64

⬇ Download Binary

Requires PulseAudio or PipeWire

Prefer to build from source? View on GitHub →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SoundBrake really free?

Yes — 100% free, forever. No trial period, no premium tier, no hidden fees. The source code is MIT-licensed and available on GitHub.

Does it slow down my computer?

No. SoundBrake is written in Go and compiles to a single native binary under 5 MB. It checks your volume every 5 seconds and uses almost no CPU or RAM between checks.

Does it collect any data?

No data ever leaves your machine. There is no telemetry, no analytics, no account system. SoundBrake doesn't even make network connections during normal use.

Can it actually damage my hearing?

No — it can only help protect it. When the critical threshold is reached, SoundBrake lowers your volume to 70% and shows a notification. It cannot and does not raise your volume.

Why does it warn at 75%, not 100%?

Hearing damage depends on both loudness and duration. Listening at 75% volume for an hour can be more damaging than a few seconds at 100%. SoundBrake tracks cumulative exposure time, not just peak levels — similar to occupational noise-exposure guidelines (NIOSH, WHO).

What if I want to ignore an alert?

You can dismiss any warning. SoundBrake uses a smart backoff: each dismissal makes the next reminder wait progressively longer (up to 2 hours), so you won't be spammed. You can also choose "Silence for 24 hours" from the tray icon.

Does it work when nothing is playing?

SoundBrake checks whether audio is actually outputting to your speakers or headphones. If the audio stream is idle, exposure time does not accumulate even if your volume is high.

Which audio interfaces does it support?

On Windows it uses the native WASAPI (Core Audio) API through PowerShell COM automation. On Linux it works with PulseAudio and PipeWire. On macOS it uses osascript. No third-party drivers required.