Open Source GarageBand Alternatives

The best open source alternative to GarageBand is LMMS. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 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 Audacity, Ardour, Zrythm and FamiStudio.

GarageBand 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 GarageBand.

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GarageBand

252

Free • Proprietary
Music Production App

Mac
iPhone
iPad

Welcome to the school of rock. A Mac-sized practice space. Your own recording studio. If you want to learn to play an...

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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 GarageBand opinions
Some users think LMMS is a great alternative to GarageBand, some don't.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
TheBeast
More of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.
Top positive comment•
13

Guest
Free, has many features, and is easy to get started with. As a plus: it runs on nearly every platform.
Top positive comment•
-1

Guest
Incredibly more complex, not recommended for beginners
Top negative comment•
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•
-1

Guest
It does not lag when there’s a ton of sounds playing
Positive comment•
3

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5 of 7 comments
Audacity
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Audio Editor
Audio Recorder
Digital Audio Workstation
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
LAME
129 alternatives to Audacity
Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. You can use Audacity to record live audio, convert tapes and records, edit sound files, change the speed or pitch of a recording and much more.
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Audacity Features
1. Ad-freeAudacity doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
2. PortableAudacity can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. LightweightAudacity consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. Support for VST PluginsAudacity support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
Multitrack editing
Mix Music
Remove Noise
Track editing
Noise Reduction
Music Recording
Support for Android Things
Pitch Correction
FSA tracking
Record to tape
Audacity vs GarageBand opinions
This alternative is disputed. Audacity is still a legitimate alternative to GarageBand, but it might have issues that some users think are important.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
It's free and easy to use, but doesn't have sample music like FL, good if you are making acoustic music. Not too good for remix or altering acoustic sounds.
Top positive comment•
1

Guest
it is free and easier to use
Top positive comment•
0

Guest
It's good for recording audio and editing, but doesn't create audio.
Top negative comment•
3

MacGuini
As much as I love using Audacity. This is nothing like Garage Band. This is a completely different type of software. Garage Band creates sound. Audacity edits it.
Negative comment•
0

NevanNedall
I don't feel Audacity's purpose matches what people are looking for from a program like Garage Band.
Negative comment•
0

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5 of 12 comments
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 GarageBand opinions
Most users think Ardour is a great alternative to GarageBand.
Zrythm
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
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.
Spek
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
50 alternatives to Spek
Spek helps to analyse your audio files by showing their spectrogram. Spek is free software available for Unix, Windows and Mac OS X.
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Spek Features
1. LightweightSpek consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Spectrogram view
Spek vs GarageBand opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
superluminar
Spek shows a spectrum; it is a sound analysis tool, nothing for creating music itself.
Negative comment•
0
Carla
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Music Production App
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
42 alternatives to Carla
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.
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Carla Features
1. Support for VST PluginsCarla support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
Rack Effects
Bespoke Synth
Do you think this is a good alternative?
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...
Suggest and vote on features
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 GarageBand opinions
DarkAudacity
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Audio Editor
Audio Recorder
Windows
119 alternatives to DarkAudacity
DarkAudacity is a build/fork of the the well known free sound editor, Audacity, customized with a darker, more modern theme - and a few small tweaks. The audio engine underneath is the same audio engine. The same code powers it. Like Audacity, it is completely free.
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DarkAudacity Features
1. Ad-freeDarkAudacity doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
2. Support for VST PluginsDarkAudacity support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Privacy focusedDarkAudacity is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
Multitrack editing
Mix Music
Discontinued
The project seems no longer developed since 2019. Last version, 2.3.2, released in May 2019, can be still downloaded from FossHub. The GitHub page shows an older version (2.1.3) that dates back to 2016.