The Best Open Source GarageBand AlternativesTop Music Production Apps & Digital Audio Workstations like GarageBand

The best open source alternative to GarageBand is LMMS. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to GarageBand and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to GarageBand are Ardour, Bespoke Synth, Zrythm and Carla.

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GarageBand 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 Windows, Android, Online, Linux, Free, Mac + Free and Open Source. 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 GarageBand.
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Alternatives list

  1. LMMS icon

    LMMS

     630 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.

    91 LMMS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    LMMS screenshot 1
     
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    8
    114
    Comments about LMMS as an Alternative to GarageBand
    Top Positive Comment
    TheBeast
    13

    More of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    19

    Incredibly more complex, not recommended for beginners

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    it's for electronic music production, not music recording

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Show more comments
    3 of 8 comments
    GarageBand Icon
    LMMS icon

    • Most users think LMMS is a great GarageBand alternative.

    • LMMS is the most popular Windows, Mac & 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
    • LMMS is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightGarageBand is not according to our users
  5. Zrythm icon

    Zrythm

     35 likes
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    Zrythm is a digital audio workstation designed to be featureful and easy to use.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zrythm screenshot 1
     
  6. Carla icon

    Carla

     36 likes
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    Carla is an audio plugin host, with support for many audio drivers and plugin formats. It has some nice features like automation of parameters via MIDI CC (and send output back as MIDI too) and full OSC control.

    44 Carla alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Carla screenshot 1
     
  7. Qtractor icon

    Qtractor

     52 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...

    76 Qtractor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Qtractor screenshot 1
     
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    6
  9. FamiStudio icon

    FamiStudio

     24 likes
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    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Wine
    Version 1.4.0
     
  11. Efflux icon

    Efflux

     4 likes
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    Efflux is a Progressive Web Application allowing you to create music within your browser, either on- or offline on anything from a phone to desktop machine.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    Efflux screenshot 1
     
  13. AudioMass icon

    AudioMass

     13 likes
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    AudioMass lets you record, or use your existing audio tracks, and modify them by trimming, cutting, pasting or applying a plethora of effects, from compression and paragraphic equalizers to reverb, delay and distortion fx.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    AudioMass screenshot 1
     

    • AudioMass is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to GarageBand.

    • AudioMass is Free and Open SourceGarageBand is Free and Proprietary
  14. Sneedacity icon

    Sneedacity

     5 likes
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    Sneedacity (named after Sneed's Feed and Seed from The Simpsons episode, "E-I-E-I-D'oh") is a free (libre), open source, and privacy-respecting audio recording and editing suite forked from Audacity.

    106 Sneedacity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
12 of 26 GarageBand alternatives