GarageBand AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Music Production Apps

The best Music Production alternative to GarageBand is FL Studio. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try LMMS or Walk Band. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to GarageBand and loads of them are Music Production Apps so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Music Production App alternatives to GarageBand are Reaper, AudioTool, Ardour and Ableton Live.

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GarageBand alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps but may also be Audio Editors or Digital Audio Workstations. Other popular filters includes Mac + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of GarageBand.

GarageBand

261

Music Production App
Free • Proprietary

Welcome to the school of rock. A Mac-sized practice space. Your own recording studio. If you want to learn to play an instrument, write music, or record a song, GarageBand can help — whether you’re a rookie or a rock star.

More about GarageBand

GarageBand alternatives page was last updated May 9, 2022

FL Studio
FL Studio, formerly FruityLoops, is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) with professional tools for tasks like audio editing, beat generation, arrangement, composition, mixing, and mastering. The user interface is fast and advanced, starting with a basic drum pattern sequencing...
92 FL Studio alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- iPad
+3
Top FL Studio Features
1. Support for VST Plugins
2. Audio Recording
3. Digital Audio Workstation
4. Voice Recording
5. Piano Roll
6. Synth rack
7. MIDI Keyboard Input
8. Visualize Music
9. Drum matrix editing
10. Lightweight
11. Works Offline
12. Live Performance
Show all NaN FL Studio features ▾
FL Studio VS GarageBand
Is FL Studio a good alternative to GarageBand?
Comments about FL Studio as an Alternative to GarageBand

Guest
This is exactly what I've been looking for. The perfect site with just what I need
Positive comment •Oct 27, 2015
1
- Most users think FL Studio is a great GarageBand alternative.
- FL Studio is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to GarageBand.
- FL Studio is the most popular commercial alternative to GarageBand.
- FL Studio is Paid and ProprietaryGarageBand is Free and Proprietary
- FL Studio is LightweightGarageBand is not according to our users

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...
89 LMMS alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- Haiku
+2
Top LMMS Features
1. Support for VST Plugins
2. Piano Roll
3. Digital Audio Workstation
4. Export to MP3
5. Export to MIDI
6. MIDI Keyboard Input
7. Portable
8. Music Sequencer
9. Support for MIDI
10. Works Offline
11. Dark Mode
12. DRM Free
Show all NaN LMMS features ▾
LMMS VS GarageBand
Is LMMS a good alternative to GarageBand?
Comments about LMMS as an Alternative to GarageBand

TheBeast
More of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.
Top positive comment •Jan 20, 2017
13
Guest
It does not lag when there’s a ton of sounds playing
Top positive comment •Sep 9, 2020
3
Guest
Incredibly more complex, not recommended for beginners
Top negative comment •Jan 15, 2016
19
MacGuini
It's the closest to Garage Band for Linux. But it's also far from being comparable. LMMS may be powerful, but it doesn't have the ease of use that Garage Band has. It's professional quality. Which is why this is a horrible alternative to Garage Band.
Negative comment •May 9, 2022
-2
Guest
not as user friendly as garageband
Negative comment •May 13, 2019
13
Show more comments
5 of 7 comments
- Most users think LMMS is a great GarageBand alternative.
- LMMS is the most popular Linux alternative to GarageBand.
- LMMS is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to GarageBand.
- LMMS is Free and Open SourceGarageBand is Free and Proprietary

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.
81 Reaper alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+3
Top Reaper Features
1. Audio Recording
2. Digital Audio Workstation
3. Support for VST Plugins
4. Customizable
5. Support for scripting
6. MultiTrack
7. Support for MIDI
8. Extensive customisability
9. Portable
10. Ad-free
11. Lightweight
12. Dark Mode
Show all NaN Reaper features ▾
Reaper VS GarageBand
Is Reaper a good alternative to GarageBand?

Ad
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is an audio editing and post-production suite.

https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html
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Walk Band
Walk Band is a music studio (a toolkit of virtual musical instruments) customized for Android. It contains tons of features including Piano, Guitar, Drum Kit,Drum Machine, Bass, Multi-tracks synthesizer etc. All instruments use the realistic instrument sounds.
18 Walk Band alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Android
+7
Walk Band Features
1. Virtual Instrument
2. Drum matrix editing
3. Stickers
4. Piano Roll
5. Performance Monitoring
Show all NaN Walk Band features ▾
Walk Band VS GarageBand
Is Walk Band a good alternative to GarageBand?
Comments about Walk Band as an Alternative to GarageBand

Guest
It's basically just like garageband. You can use a MIDI, you can record tracks, you can use some of their tracks as well.
Positive comment •May 4, 2019
5
Guest
Because they sound the same
Positive comment •Dec 16, 2017
1
thebenmix11
While it doesn't have all of the functionality of GarageBand, it is the closest equivalent that you can get for android. It has a wide variety of instruments and it allows for loops and MIDI. Very complete.
Positive comment •Sep 1, 2020
-1
MacGuini
This is the closest alternative to GarageBand I have found.
Positive comment •May 9, 2022
0
- Almost everyone thinks Walk Band is a great GarageBand alternative.
- Walk Band is Free and ProprietaryGarageBand is also Free and Proprietary

AudioTool
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.
69 AudioTool alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Audio Editor
Platforms
- Online
+2
AudioTool Features
1. Support for MIDI
2. Music Sequencer
3. Mix Music
4. Browser-based
5. Cloud based
6. Modular System
7. Community-based
8. Piano Roll
9. Sound Effects
Show all NaN AudioTool features ▾
AudioTool VS GarageBand
Is AudioTool a good alternative to GarageBand?
- Most users think AudioTool is a great GarageBand alternative.
- AudioTool is the most popular Web-based alternative to GarageBand.
- AudioTool is Free and ProprietaryGarageBand is also Free and Proprietary

Ardour
Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.
86 Ardour alternatives
License model
- Paid • Open Source
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
+8
Top Ardour 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. Works Offline
10. Virtual Instrument
11. Lossless Audio
12. Ad-free
Show all NaN Ardour features ▾
Ardour VS GarageBand
Is Ardour a good alternative to GarageBand?

Ableton Live
Live is software for creating musical ideas, turning them into finished songs, and even taking them onto the stage.
80 Ableton Live alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
+2
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. Mix Music
9. MIDI Keyboard Input
10. Batch Editing
11. Pitch Shifting
12. Drag and Drop
Show all NaN Ableton Live features ▾
Ableton Live VS GarageBand
Is Ableton Live a good alternative to GarageBand?
Comments about Ableton Live as an Alternative to GarageBand

Guest
Ableton is a very versatile and powerful alternative.
Positive comment •Mar 18, 2018
3
Guest
Use for live performances, not really to write/create a song
Negative comment •Jul 19, 2017
-6
- Most users think Ableton Live is a great GarageBand alternative.
- Ableton Live is Paid and ProprietaryGarageBand is Free and Proprietary

Logic Pro
Logic Pro lets you translate musical inspiration into professional productions. A range of powerful, easy-to-use features puts sophisticated tools at your fingertips, and complete surround support lets you make incredible, immersive music.
77 Logic Pro alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- iPad
+1
Logic Pro Features
1. Audio Recording
2. Synthesizer
3. Piano Roll
4. Mix Music
5. Music Sequencer
6. Music Recording
7. Support for MIDI
8. Support for VST Plugins
9. Record Tracks
10. Loop Library
Show all NaN Logic Pro features ▾
Logic Pro VS GarageBand
Is Logic Pro a good alternative to GarageBand?
Comments about Logic Pro as an Alternative to GarageBand

tijmen
Essentially the pro version of Garageband
Positive comment •May 3, 2018
3
- Most users think Logic Pro is a great GarageBand alternative.
- Logic Pro is Paid and ProprietaryGarageBand is Free and Proprietary

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.
45 Bitwig Studio alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+3
Top Bitwig Studio Features
1. Live Performance
2. Modular System
3. Multiplatform
4. Grid layout
5. Support for VST Plugins
6. Piano Roll
7. Support for MIDI
8. Works Offline
9. Support for scripting
10. Music Sequencer
11. Music Looper
12. Mix Music
Show all NaN Bitwig Studio features ▾
Bitwig Studio VS GarageBand
Is Bitwig Studio a good alternative to GarageBand?