The Best Adobe Audition AlternativesTop Music Production Apps & Audio Recorders like Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is described as 'Robust audio editing tool for commercial projects offering dynamic post-production features, perfect for video and podcast editing' and is a very popular music production app in the audio & music category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Adobe Audition for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad and Android apps. The best Adobe Audition alternative is Audacity, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Adobe Audition are REAPER, Tenacity, Ocenaudio and Ardour.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe Audition alternatives are mainly Audio Editors, but if you're looking for Audio Recorders or Digital Audio Workstations you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Audition.
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Robust audio editing tool for commercial projects offering dynamic post-production features, perfect for video and podcast editing.

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Adobe Audition alternatives page was last updated Jan 21, 2025
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  1. Audacity icon
     2315 likes
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    Audacity, a free open-source multi-track editor, enables high-quality audio processing across platforms. Supports diverse formats, plugins, and scripting languages, offering robust features like batching, visual tools, and accessibility.

    127 Audacity alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • CY flagCyprus
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Multitrack editing
    2.  Audio Recording
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Mix Music
    5.  Portable
    6.  Remove Noise
    7.  Track editing
    8.  Noise Reduction
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Music Recording
    11.  Support for VST Plugins
    12.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Audacity VS Adobe Audition

     
    Comments about Audacity as an Alternative to Adobe Audition
    Comment summary: Audacity is widely criticized for lacking professional features found in Adobe Audition. Users note that Audacity's multi-track editing feels clunky, and its range of effects appears limited compared to Audition. While praised for being open-source and having plugins, Audacity is often described as inadequate for professional editing. Its basic functionality and linear editing approach are highlighted as significant drawbacks compared to the robust capabilities of Audition.
    Top Positive Comment
    Blaster84x
    Jun 2, 2019
    6

    Open source, and if you miss some Audition features, most of them can be added with plugins.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Apr 14, 2019
    16

    Audacity has a limited feature set in comparison to Audition. It lacks the majority of the editing features found in Audition.

    Most Recent Comment
    Voltra
    Positive Mar 23, 2024
    -1

    The only thing that makes it an alternative is that it's also an audio editor. Multi-track editing is clunky. Single track editing is even worse (no splitting, dragging, etc.) as it is linear (!!!) instead of non-linear. It has effects, but most of them are very barebones and limited (ouch the EQs...). The only good effects are the noise reduction (which requires you to master EQ and/or have a de-reverb plugin) and the compressor which is just a barebones one.

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    3 of 8 comments
    Adobe Audition Icon
    Audacity icon
    • Most users think Audacity is a great Adobe Audition alternative.

    • Audacity is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe Audition.

    • Audacity is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe Audition.

    • Audacity is Free and Open SourceAdobe Audition is Paid and Proprietary
    • Audacity is LightweightAdobe Audition is not according to our users
  2. REAPER icon
     246 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 Adobe Audition

     
    • Most users think REAPER is a great Adobe Audition alternative.

    • REAPER is the most popular commercial alternative to Adobe Audition.

    • REAPER is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Audition is also Paid and Proprietary
    • REAPER is Customizable and LightweightAdobe Audition is not according to our users
  3. Tenacity icon
     90 likes
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    Tenacity is an easy-to-use, privacy-friendly, FLOSS, cross-platform multi-track audio editor/recorder for Windows, macOS, Linux and other operating systems.

    88 Tenacity alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Mac
    • FreeBSD

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Audio Recording
    3.  Remove Noise
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Mix Music
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Lossless Audio
    9.  Support for VST Plugins
    10.  Support for MIDI
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Pitch Correction

    Tenacity VS Adobe Audition

     
  4. Ocenaudio icon
     139 likes
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    Ocenaudio is a cross-platform, easy to use, fast and functional audio editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications. ocenaudio also has powerful features that will please more advanced users.

    46 Ocenaudio alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  User friendly
    2.  Intuitive Interface
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Support for VST Plugins
    3.  Portable
    4.  Spectrogram view
    5.  Native application
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  File Tagging
    9.  Multiple files
    10.  Specific for 64-Bit
    11.  Support for Hotkeys
    12.  Multi-selection

    Ocenaudio VS Adobe Audition

     
    Comments about Ocenaudio as an Alternative to Adobe Audition
    Guest
    Positive Nov 23, 2019
    2

    it has almost all the most used features except for Mix paste option. Hope it comes soon. my first impression is great

    Adobe Audition Icon
    Ocenaudio icon
    • Most users think Ocenaudio is a great Adobe Audition alternative.

    • Ocenaudio is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Audition is Paid and Proprietary
    • Ocenaudio is LightweightAdobe Audition is not according to our users
  5. Ardour icon
     231 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.

    90 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 Adobe Audition

     
  6. WavePad icon
     46 likes
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    Comprehensive audio editing software for Windows and macOS, offering recording, editing tools like cut, copy, paste, effects, batch processing, file format support, integration with MixPad, spectral analysis, text-to-speech, and audio restoration. Export to video or audio.

    54 WavePad alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Kindle Fire

    WavePad Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Non Destructive Editing
    3.  Text to Speech
    4.  Support for VST Plugins
    5.  Noise Reduction
    6.  OGG

    WavePad VS Adobe Audition

     
    • Almost everyone thinks WavePad is a great Adobe Audition alternative.

    • WavePad is the most popular Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Adobe Audition.

    • WavePad is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Audition is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Ableton Live icon
     206 likes
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    Music software facilitating idea creation, editing, and performance with Arrangement and Session Views. Enhanced interfaces, improved waveforms, and great EQs provide intuitive and detailed music-making for studio and stage experiences.

    84 Ableton Live alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    Top Ableton Live Features

    1.  Digital Audio Workstation
    2.  Live Performance
    3.  Support for VST Plugins
    4.  Virtual Instrument
    5.  Audio Recording
    6.  Music Sequencer
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Support for MIDI
    12.  Batch Editing

    Ableton Live VS Adobe Audition

     
    Comments about Ableton Live as an Alternative to Adobe Audition
    Cody Pertuit
    Negative Nov 17, 2021
    0

    It's targeted at musicians and has pretty horrendous file management, there's no easy way to export a specific clip to a file, without many extra steps. It's a fantastic DAW I use regularly but I also use Audition to manage my audio samples and to record short audio clips.

    Adobe Audition Icon
    Ableton Live icon
    • Ableton Live is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Audition is also Paid and Proprietary
  8. Sound Forge icon
     85 likes
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    Innovative audio editing suite offering real-time visualization, high-fidelity recording up to 384 kHz, ideal for podcast creation, sound design, and restoration, with versatile tools and sophisticated plugins, including Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 10 and Melodyne essential for professional use.

    64 Sound Forge alternatives

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Batch Editing
    3.  Lossless Audio
    4.  Support for 4K
    5.  Hardware Accelerated
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Support for VST Plugins
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Music Mastering

    Sound Forge VS Adobe Audition

     
    Comments about Sound Forge as an Alternative to Adobe Audition
    Voltra
    Positive Mar 23, 2024
    0

    The closest in my opinion, even if it still lacks a lot of niceties that Audition offers by default (e.g. de-reverb, configurable compressors).

    It has the Sony (Vegas Pro) feel to it, so if it's something you're used to you'll feel right at home.

    It's basically the midpoint between Audacity and Audition.

    NB: The fact that you have to remember to "un-separate"/"lock" stereo channels each time you open a project is a pain.

    Adobe Audition Icon
    Sound Forge icon
    • Most users think Sound Forge is a great Adobe Audition alternative.

    • Sound Forge is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Audition is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Sound Forge is LightweightAdobe Audition is not according to our users
  9. GarageBand icon
     264 likes
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    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.

    101 GarageBand alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad

    GarageBand Features

    1.  Preset beats
    2.  Virtual Instrument
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Audio Samples
    5.  Music Sequencer
    6.  Piano Roll
    7.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts

    GarageBand VS Adobe Audition

     
  10. Cakewalk icon
     70 likes
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    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...

    114 Cakewalk alternatives

    License model

    • Free PersonalProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • SG flagSingapore

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Support for VST Plugins
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Support for MIDI
    4.  Multitrack editing
    5.  Step Sequencer
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Virtual Instrument
    9.  Music Looper
    10.  Lossless Audio
    11.  Music Sequencer
    12.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Cakewalk VS Adobe Audition

     
10 of 95 Adobe Audition alternatives