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 LMMS, which is both free and Open Source. 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 Bitwig Studio, Reaper, Ardour and Caustic.

Ableton Live alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps but may also be Digital Audio Workstations or Audio Editors. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Ableton Live.

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Ableton Live

183

Paid • Proprietary
Music Production App

Mac
Windows

Live is software for creating musical ideas, turning them into finished songs, and even taking them onto the stage.

Learn more about Ableton Live

LMMS
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
Haiku
90 alternatives to LMMS
LMMS is a free cross-platform alternative to commercial programs like FL Studio , which allow you to produce music with your computer. This includes the creation of melodies and beats, the synthesis and mixing of sounds, and arranging of...
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LMMS Features
1. Support for VST PluginsLMMS support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
2. PortableLMMS can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with LMMS, by handling note and performance information.
4. DRM FreeNo Digital rights management (DRM), i.e. no copy protection.
Export to MP3
Piano Roll
Export to MIDI
MIDI Keyboard Input
Customizable
Royalty-free music
Lossless quality
Beat bassline
Image exporting
Support for Android Things
LMMS vs Ableton Live opinions
Some users think LMMS is a great alternative to Ableton Live, some don't.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Sandro_Linux
LMMS is free (free as in freedom and free beer) and open source and overall really cool
Top positive comment•
0

Guest
LMMS is free and has a lot of functions similar to ableton live functions, but they are a bit hard to use.
Top positive comment•
2

Guest
It is good but does not even come close to the Abelton workflow.
Top negative comment•
17

sedeti
It's nothing compared to ableton
Negative comment•
0

Guest
Ableton Live, is meant for live performance. LMMS is not.
Negative comment•
1

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5 of 13 comments
Bitwig Studio
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Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Digital Audio Workstation
Music Production App
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
42 alternatives to Bitwig Studio
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.
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Bitwig Studio Features
1. Live PerformanceListen to and adjust your music productions with Bitwig Studio based on incoming audio in real time.
2. Support for VST PluginsBitwig Studio support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Support for MIDIBitwig Studio includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
4. Support for scriptingBitwig Studio supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
Grid layout
Modular System
Multiplatform
Piano Roll
Mix Music
Music Recording
Bitwig Studio vs Ableton Live opinions
Almost everyone thinks Bitwig Studio is a great alternative to Ableton Live.
Guest
Very similar functionality + similar workflow. Easy recovery from rare crashes, and plugin sandboxing means fewer crashes in comparison to Ableton Live
Positive comment•
6

Krosstalk
Similar to ableton live but missing max…
Positive comment•
0

Ugotsta
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.
Positive comment•
2

Guest
It is the only DAW I know that has a similar workflow
Positive comment•
3
Reaper
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Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Digital Audio Workstation
Music Production App
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
82 alternatives to Reaper
REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for Windows, Mac and Linux, offering a full multi-track audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering tool set.
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Reaper Features
1. Support for VST PluginsReaper support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
2. Support for scriptingReaper supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
3. PortableReaper can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. Support for MIDIReaper includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
5. Ad-freeReaper doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
6. Dark ModeReaper supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Customizable
MultiTrack
Extensive customisability
Convert audio to MIDI
Spectral editing
Built-in routing
Multi Channel
Patch Management
Pitch shift engine
Piano Roll
Reaper vs Ableton Live opinions
Most users think Reaper is a great alternative to Ableton Live.
Guest
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.
Negative comment•
0
Ardour
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Yes
No
Paid • Open Source
Digital Audio Workstation
Music Production App
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
88 alternatives to Ardour
Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. It runs on GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. Ardour's intention is to provide digital audio workstation software suitable for professional use.
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Ardour Features
1. Non Destructive EditingArdour allows you to make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
2. Support for VST PluginsArdour support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Ardour, by handling note and performance information.
Multitrack editing
Mix Music
Ardour vs Ableton Live opinions
Almost everyone thinks Ardour is a great alternative to Ableton Live.
burnx50
Ableton-style clip launcher is added to Ardour 7.
Positive comment•
2

Guest
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.
Negative comment•
1

Guest
The description did not mention you can make music on the program yourself.
Negative comment•
-25
Caustic
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Wine
53 alternatives to Caustic
Caustic is a music creation tool inspired by rack-mount synthesizers / samplers rigs. Everything is real-time and optimized for mobile devices.
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Caustic Features
1. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Caustic, by handling note and performance information.
Beat bassline
Loops
Piano Roll
Plug-in support
Mix Music
Beat maker
MIDI Keyboard Input
Discontinued
The program is no longer updated. Last version, 3.2.0, released in February 2017, can be still downloaded from the official website.

Caustic vs Ableton Live opinions
Almost everyone thinks Caustic is a great alternative to Ableton Live.
Zrythm
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No
Freemium • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
87 alternatives to Zrythm
Zrythm is a digital audio workstation designed to be featureful and easy to use.
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Zrythm Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsZrythm can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
2. Support for VST PluginsZrythm support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Zrythm, by handling note and performance information.
4. Ad-freeZrythm doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Multiple languages
Audio Export
Mix Music
Support for Audio Units Plugins
Music Mastering
FamiStudio
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
Wine
29 alternatives to FamiStudio
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. It is targeted at both chiptune artists and NES homebrewers.
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FamiStudio Features
1. Support for MIDIFamiStudio includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
Waveform
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
54 alternatives to Waveform
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.
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Waveform Features
1. Support for VST PluginsWaveform support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
Waveform vs Ableton Live opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
Intuitive UI, lots of features even in the free version.
Positive comment•
0
Bespoke Synth
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Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Mac
Windows
Linux
74 alternatives to Bespoke Synth
Bespoke is a software modular synthesizer. It contains a bunch of modules, which you can connect together to create sounds.
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Bespoke Synth Features
1. Virtual InstrumentBespoke Synth uses mainy virtual instruments (piano, guitar, drums, bass, etc.).
2. Node BasedBespoke Synth supports node editing, a form of visual programming that gives you full control over the rendering.
Modular connections
Synthesizer
Mix Music
Music Recording
Qtractor
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Editor
Linux
73 alternatives to Qtractor
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...
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Qtractor Features
1. Support for MIDIQtractor includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
2. Support for VST PluginsQtractor support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Qtractor, by handling note and performance information.
Multitrack editing
Qtractor vs Ableton Live opinions
Some users think Qtractor is a great alternative to Ableton Live, some don't.