The Best Free Ableton Live AlternativesTop Music Production Apps & Digital Audio Workstations like Ableton Live

The best free alternative to Ableton Live is LMMS, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Ableton Live and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Ableton Live are ComposeYogi, Cakewalk, GarageBand and Bespoke Synth.

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Ableton Live alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps, but if you're looking for Digital Audio Workstations or Audio Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free, Linux, iPad, Linux + Free, Android, Open Source and Windows + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Ableton Live.
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Alternatives list

  1. LMMS icon

    LMMS

     667 likes

    Cross-platform digital audio workstation supporting lossless audio and VST plugins. Features include music looping, sequencing, and MIDI support. Provides an ad-free, privacy-focused, portable experience without registration, working offline with extensibility through plugins and add-ons.

    99 LMMS alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    LMMS screenshot 1
     
    |
    13
    LMMS vs Ableton Live Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    If you are just getting into the scene and are on a budget, its pretty darn decent especially for being free and open source.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    17

    It is good but does not even come close to the Abelton workflow.

    Oscar Sanderson
    Positive
    0

    LMMS is free (free as in freedom and free beer) and open source and overall really cool

    3 of 13 comments
    • LMMS is Free and Open SourceAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
    • LMMS is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightAbleton Live is not according to our users
  4. Cakewalk icon

    Cakewalk

     84 likes

    Cakewalk, formerly SONAR, is a comprehensive audio software for music composition, audio recording, editing, mixing and mastering. It features a full suite of high quality audio and MIDI effects and instruments and composition tools ranging from drum sequencer and piano roll...

    126 Cakewalk alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Cakewalk screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    MAGIX Music Maker icon
    MAGIX Music Maker

    Create songs, soundtracks, and beats with 1,500+ sounds, 64 audio/MIDI tracks, and a mixing console featuring effects and synths, catering to new and experienced musicians. Industry-standard CD burning and a user-friendly interfa...

    https://www.magix.com
    Learn More
  6. GarageBand icon

    GarageBand

     273 likes

    Experience a rich music creation suite on Mac and iOS with comprehensive sound libraries, virtual session drummers, and user-friendly tools suitable for beginners and pros. Create, edit, and share your music effortlessly through a seamless Apple integration.

    119 GarageBand alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    iPad Version: Tracks
     
  10. KiraStudio icon

    KiraStudio

     13 likes

    Lightweight music creation studio for desktop and mobile with full automation tools, modular instrument design, piano roll composing, flexible effects, SoundFont and synthesis support, MIDI import/export, and audio export, designed for projects from sketches to completion.

    55 KiraStudio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    KiraStudio screenshot 1
     
  11. AudioTool icon

    AudioTool

     84 likes

    Make music online with a powerful set of tools ranging from synthesizers and samplers to mixers, delays, reverb and much more. AudioTool is an advanced, collaborative DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) built for the browser.

    84 AudioTool alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    AudioTool screenshot 1
     
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    2
    AudioTool vs Ableton Live Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Really great interface for starting out, very much capable in the basics, but the actual effects and imputing your own samples isn't too great.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    EEZY to use and has a good UI

    • AudioTool is Free and ProprietaryAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
  12. Waveform icon

    Waveform

     60 likes

    Waveform is a commercial, cross-platform DAW. With a focus on design and composition, it offers tools to greatly simplify everything from initial inspiration to the final mix.

    75 Waveform alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Waveform screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Waveform vs Ableton Live Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Intuitive UI, lots of features even in the free version.

    • Waveform is Freemium and ProprietaryAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
  13. Melodic Mind icon

    Melodic Mind

     11 likes

    Mobile-first platform with integrated DAW, stem separation, songwriting, synthesizer, real instruments, music theory, practice toolkit, vocal training, chromatic tuner, progress tracking, and unique gamification inspired by anime quests, all in a free public beta.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Melodic Mind screenshot 1
     
  14. FamiStudio icon

    FamiStudio

     28 likes

    FamiStudio is very simple music editor for the Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom. It is designed to be easier to use than FamiTracker, but its feature set is also much more limited.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Wine
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • iPhone
    Version 1.4.0
     
  15. Qtractor icon

    Qtractor

     53 likes

    Qtractor is an Audio/MIDI multi-track sequencer application written in C++ with the Qt framework. Target platform is GNU/Linux, where the Jack Audio Connection Kit (JACK) for audio, and the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) for MIDI, are the main infrastructures for...

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Qtractor screenshot 1
     
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