Free Ableton Live Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Ableton Live for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best free Windows alternative 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 many of them are free and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Windows alternatives to Ableton Live are Cakewalk, Bespoke Synth, Zrythm and KiraStudio.

filter to find the best alternatives

Ableton Live alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps, but if you're looking for Digital Audio Workstations or Audio Recorders 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
  2. 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
  8. 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
     
  9. 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
  10. 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
     
  11. MAGIX Music Maker icon

    MAGIX Music Maker

     25 likes

    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 interface make music creation seamless and accessible.

    47 MAGIX Music Maker alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MAGIX Music Maker screenshot 1
     
  12. Yadaw icon

    Yadaw

     4 likes

    A lightweight, cross-platform DAW built in Rust with egui, designed for sound design and audio prototyping.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Quick start demo
     
  13. Buzz DAW icon

    Buzz DAW

     17 likes

    Buzz is the first ever "easy to use" free modular software based synthesizer. What this means is that the entire system is based on objects, which may be routed in a modular fashion, giving you the freedom to be as creative as you want.

    52 Buzz DAW alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Buzz DAW screenshot 1
     
  14. KOMPLETE icon

    KOMPLETE

     Like

    Step into music production with KOMPLETE a curated selection of studio-quality instruments, effects, utilities, loops, and samples for the low price of nothing at all. Play over 2,000 customizable sounds – drums and percussion, bass, acoustic instruments, synths, pads and...

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
  15. Sequencer64 icon

    Sequencer64

     2 likes

    Sequencer64 is a live-looping sequencer with an interface more like a hardware sequencer than track-based MIDI sequencers. Seq64 is a reboot of Seq24, extending it greatly over the last years.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sequencer64 screenshot 1
     
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