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.LMMS
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Audio Editor
90 alternatives to LMMS- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- Haiku
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...
LMMS Features
LMMS vs GarageBand opinions
TheBeastMore of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.
13Free, has many features, and is easy to get started with. As a plus: it runs on nearly every platform.
-1Incredibly more complex, not recommended for beginners
19MacGuiniIt'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.
-1It does not lag when there’s a ton of sounds playing
3Audacity
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Audio Editor
- Audio Recorder
- Digital Audio Workstation
129 alternatives to Audacity- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- LAME
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.
Audacity Features
Audacity vs GarageBand opinions
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.
1it is free and easier to use
0It's good for recording audio and editing, but doesn't create audio.
3MacGuiniAs 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.
0NevanNedallI don't feel Audacity's purpose matches what people are looking for from a program like Garage Band.
0Ardour
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Paid • Open Source
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Music Production App
- Audio Editor
88 alternatives to Ardour- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
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.
Ardour Features
Ardour vs GarageBand opinions
Zrythm
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Open Source
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Audio Recorder
87 alternatives to Zrythm- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
Zrythm is a digital audio workstation designed to be featureful and easy to use.
Zrythm Features
FamiStudio
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
29 alternatives to FamiStudio- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Wine
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.
FamiStudio Features
Spek
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
50 alternatives to Spek- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Spek helps to analyse your audio files by showing their spectrogram. Spek is free software available for Unix, Windows and Mac OS X.
Spek Features
Spek vs GarageBand opinions
superluminarSpek shows a spectrum; it is a sound analysis tool, nothing for creating music itself.
0Carla
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Music Production App
42 alternatives to Carla- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
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.
Carla Features
Bespoke Synth
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Music Production App
- Digital Audio Workstation
74 alternatives to Bespoke Synth- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Bespoke is a software modular synthesizer. It contains a bunch of modules, which you can connect together to create sounds.
Bespoke Synth Features
Qtractor
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Audio Editor
73 alternatives to Qtractor- Linux
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...
Qtractor Features
Qtractor vs GarageBand opinions
DarkAudacity
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Audio Editor
- Audio Recorder
119 alternatives to DarkAudacity- Windows
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.
DarkAudacity Features
DiscontinuedThe 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.