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, ComposeYogi, Bespoke Synth and Zrythm.

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GarageBand alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps, but if you're looking for Digital Audio Workstations or Audio Recorders you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Android, Online, Linux, Free, Open Source and Android Tablet. 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

     668 likes

    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.

    100 LMMS alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    LMMS screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    9
  2. Ardour icon

    Ardour

     246 likes

    Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

    100 Ardour alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • US flagUnited States
    Ardour 6
    Good alternative?
     
  5. Bespoke Synth icon

    Bespoke Synth

     33 likes

    Bespoke is a software modular synthesizer. It contains a bunch of modules, which you can connect together to create sounds.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • US flagUnited States
    Bespoke Synth screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  8. Carla icon

    Carla

     40 likes

    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.

    48 Carla alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Global
    Carla screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  9. FamiStudio icon

    FamiStudio

     29 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Wine
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • iPhone
    • SG flagSingapore
    Version 1.4.0
    Good alternative?
     
  10. Qtractor icon

    Qtractor

     54 likes

    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...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • PT flagPortugal
    • European Union flagEU
    Qtractor screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Yadaw icon

    Yadaw

     5 likes

    A lightweight, cross-platform DAW built in Rust with egui, designed for sound design and audio prototyping.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Quick start demo
    Good alternative?
     
  12. AudioMass icon

    AudioMass

     14 likes

    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.

    120 AudioMass alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    AudioMass screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  13. Wavacity icon

    Wavacity

     7 likes

    Wavacity is derived from the open source Audacity and modified to run in the web browser.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Online
    • US flagUnited States
    Wavacity screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  14. Stargate icon

    Stargate

     7 likes

    Stargate is a holistic audio production solution, with everything you need to make music on a computer.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac
    Stargate screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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