Audacity review

Audacity is the default answer for free audio editing because nothing is held back: the vendor states it has always been and will always remain free for everyone, and the source code is open. Version 4.0.2 runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with native builds for both Intel and ARM machines. Podcasters get the essentials for spoken audio: recording, cutting, fades, noise removal and export to WAV, MP3, FLAC or Ogg, plus the OpenVINO AI plugins for noise suppression and transcription. Musicians can load VST3 and Nyquist plugins, separate music with the OpenVINO tools and study frequencies in the spectrogram view. Audacity 4 adds an updated interface and Workspaces. The online companion, audio.com, adds collaboration, versioned backups and publishing for people who want them. The limits are about scope rather than price: Audacity is an editor first, so songwriters who want virtual instruments, drummers and loops will be better served by GarageBand or Cakewalk Sonar, and the main download button installs through MuseHub unless you choose the direct link.

Who it is for

podcasters and musicians who want a full editor with no paid tier

Price

Free and open source; no paid plan.

Audacity is the world's most popular free software for recording and editing audio.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Records and edits audio on Windows, macOS and Linux from the same project format
• Imports and exports major formats, including WAV, MP3, FLAC and Ogg
• Supports third-party plugins, including VST3 and Nyquist
• Spectrogram view and Vamp analyzers for frequency analysis
• Optional cloud saving, versioned backups and sharing through audio.com

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free for everyone with no paid edition or feature lock
• Strength: Open source, with installers for x86_64 and ARM64 on Windows and Linux and Universal builds for macOS
• Strength: OpenVINO AI plugins add noise suppression, music separation and transcription
• Weakness: The default download goes through MuseHub, so you must pick the direct download if you want only Audacity
• Weakness: Multitrack music production is basic next to GarageBand or Cakewalk Sonar, with no virtual drummer or instrument library
• Weakness: Collaboration and cloud backups depend on a separate audio.com account

Key facts

• Price: Free, open source
• Current version: 4.0.2
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Plugin formats: VST3, Nyquist and more

Where it ranks

Audacity is No. 1 in our Best Free Audio Editing Software verdict.