Ableton Live Alternatives for Linux

Ableton Live is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is Bitwig Studio. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try LMMS or Bespoke Synth. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Ableton Live and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Ableton Live are Ardour, REAPER, Waveform and Zrythm.

filter to find the best alternatives

Ableton Live alternatives are mainly Digital Audio Workstations, but if you're looking for Music Production Apps or Audio Recorders you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Ableton Live.
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Software for creating musical ideas, turning them into songs, and performing them, featuring Arrangement and Session Views for fast music-making.

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Ableton Live alternatives page was last updated Mar 7, 2025
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  1. Bitwig Studio icon
     90 likes
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    Bitwig Studio is a multi-platform music-creation system for production, performance and DJing, with a focus on flexible editing tools and a super-fast workflow.

    49 Bitwig Studio alternatives

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Top Bitwig Studio Features

    1.  Live Performance
    2.  Modular System
    3.  Multiplatform
    4.  Digital Audio Workstation
    5.  Grid layout
    6.  Support for VST Plugins
    7.  Support for MIDI
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Music Sequencer
    10.  Music Looper
    11.  Support for scripting
    12.  Dark Mode

    Bitwig Studio VS Ableton Live

     
    Comments about Bitwig Studio as an Alternative to Ableton Live
    Most Recent Comment
    David
    Positive Mar 30, 2020
    3

    The closest match to Ableton's clip-based workflow, Bitwig Studio is equally viable as a DJ and live performance tool as well as a typical DAW for composing original music. Unlike most DAWs, Bitwig directly supports Linux. It's also built from a modular core and now has a modular synth and effect tool for creating any imaginable sound from scratch.

    Guest
    Positive Dec 20, 2016
    7

    Very similar functionality + similar workflow. Easy recovery from rare crashes, and plugin sandboxing means fewer crashes in comparison to Ableton Live

    Guest
    Positive Nov 27, 2019
    4

    It is the only DAW I know that has a similar workflow

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    3 of 4 comments
    Ableton Live Icon
    Bitwig Studio icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Bitwig Studio is a great Ableton Live alternative.

    • Bitwig Studio is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Ableton Live.

    • Bitwig Studio is the most popular commercial alternative to Ableton Live.

    • Bitwig Studio is Paid and ProprietaryAbleton Live is also Paid and Proprietary
  2. LMMS icon
     608 likes
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    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.

    90 LMMS alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Support for VST Plugins
    2.  Digital Audio Workstation
    3.  Piano Roll
    4.  Export to MP3
    5.  Export to MIDI
    6.  MIDI Keyboard Input
    7.  Portable
    8.  Audio Recording
    9.  Music Sequencer
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Support for MIDI
    12.  No registration required

    LMMS VS Ableton Live

     
    Comments about LMMS as an Alternative to Ableton Live
    Comment summary: While LMMS is praised for being free and open-source, it lacks the capabilities and live performance features of Ableton Live. Many users find LMMS's functionality limited with issues in VST support and workflow, although it's appreciated as a decent entry-level DAW for those on a budget. Comparisons often highlight that Ableton's performance and workflow advantages make it superior, particularly for live setups.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Jan 29, 2019
    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
    Aug 10, 2017
    17

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

    Most Recent Comment
    Oscar Sanderson
    Positive Jul 20, 2021
    0

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

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    3 of 13 comments
    Ableton Live Icon
    LMMS icon
    • Most users think LMMS is a great Ableton Live alternative.

    • LMMS is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Ableton Live.

    • LMMS is Free and Open SourceAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
  3. Ardour icon
     230 likes
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    Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

    89 Ardour alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Multitrack editing
    2.  Audio Recording
    3.  Mix Music
    4.  Digital Audio Workstation
    5.  Non Destructive Editing
    6.  Support for VST Plugins
    7.  Music Sequencer
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  Lossless Audio
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Virtual Instrument

    Ardour VS Ableton Live

     
    Comments about Ardour as an Alternative to Ableton Live
    Most Recent Comment
    burnx50
    Positive Dec 9, 2021
    2

    Ableton-style clip launcher is added to Ardour 7.

    Guest
    Negative Feb 10, 2021
    1

    Ardour is good if you primary deal with audio. It is not very good for midi. You can work around making midi work for you. It has a lot of functionality, but what makes Ableton great is the clip launche. Ardour can't replace Ableton at this point.

    Guest
    Negative Nov 15, 2017
    -25

    The description did not mention you can make music on the program yourself.

    Ableton Live Icon
    Ardour icon
    • Most users think Ardour is a great Ableton Live alternative.

    • Ardour is Paid and Open SourceAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
  4. REAPER icon
     245 likes
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    REAPER (Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording) is a digital audio workstation, MIDI sequencer and video editing software application created by Cockos. The current version is available for Microsoft Windows (XP and newer), macOS (10.5 and newer), and Linux.

    84 REAPER alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Audio Recording
    2.  Digital Audio Workstation
    3.  Support for VST Plugins
    4.  Support for scripting
    5.  MultiTrack
    6.  Support for MIDI
    7.  Extensive customisability
    8.  Portable
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Spectral editing
    11.  Multi Channel
    12.  Lossless Audio

    REAPER VS Ableton Live

     
    Comments about REAPER as an Alternative to Ableton Live
    Guest
    Negative Feb 10, 2021
    0

    Reaper is really good if you like the traditional timeline. I personally love Ableton Live because of the clip launcher. In ableton you easily create a clip, and it loops for ever. It is really good for songwriting. I own Reaper, but have not been able to replace Reaper with Ableton. The UI in reaper is a little outdated as well. But I will admit, if you learn Reaper, it is a top notch program.

    Ableton Live Icon
    REAPER icon
    • Most users think REAPER is a great Ableton Live alternative.

    • REAPER is Paid and ProprietaryAbleton Live is also Paid and Proprietary
    • REAPER is Customizable and LightweightAbleton Live is not according to our users
  5. Bespoke Synth icon
     28 likes
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    Bespoke is a software modular synthesizer. It contains a bunch of modules, which you can connect together to create sounds.

    75 Bespoke Synth alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Modular connections
    2.  Synthesizer
    3.  Virtual Instrument
    4.  Node Based
    5.  Music Looper
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Music Sequencer
    8.  Support for MIDI
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Music Recording
    12.  Mix Music

    Bespoke Synth VS Ableton Live

     
  6. Waveform icon
     57 likes
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    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.

    60 Waveform alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Waveform Features

    1.  Support for VST Plugins

    Waveform VS Ableton Live

     
    Comments about Waveform as an Alternative to Ableton Live
    Guest
    Positive Oct 13, 2020
    0

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

    Ableton Live Icon
    Waveform icon
    • Waveform is Freemium and ProprietaryAbleton Live is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Zrythm icon
     31 likes
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    Zrythm is a digital audio workstation designed to be featureful and easy to use.

    91 Zrythm alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • CY flagCyprus
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Support for VST Plugins
    3.  Audio Export
    4.  Multiple languages
    5.  Music Sequencer
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  No Tracking
    11.  Support for MIDI
    12.  Support for Audio Units Plugins

    Zrythm VS Ableton Live

     
  8. Studio One icon
     48 likes
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    Studio One is an advanced digital audio workstation for Mac and Windows featuring a bevy of powerful composition, editing, mixing and mastering tools on top of standard multi-track DAW features. Highly praised for its intuitive chord track that lets users drag and drop both...

    53 Studio One alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Top Studio One Features

    1.  Drag and Drop
    2.  Mix Music
    3.  Live Performance
    4.  Support for VST Plugins
    5.  Music Looper
    6.  Support for MIDI
    7.  Music Sequencer
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Lossless Audio
    10.  Virtual Instrument
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  Piano Roll

    Studio One VS Ableton Live

     
  9. Qtractor icon
     50 likes
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    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...

    73 Qtractor alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • PT flagPortugal
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux

    Qtractor Features

    1.  Support for MIDI
    2.  Support for VST Plugins
    3.  Music Sequencer
    4.  Multitrack editing

    Qtractor VS Ableton Live

     
9 of 24 Ableton Live alternatives