Open Source GarageBand Alternatives
The best open source alternative to GarageBand is LMMS, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to GarageBand and 15 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to GarageBand are Audacity (Free, Open Source), Ardour (Freemium, Open Source), Qtractor (Free, Open Source) and Carla (Free, Open Source).
- LMMS is a free cross-platform alternative to commercial programs like FL Studio , which allow you to produce music with your computer. View 82 alternatives to LMMS
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
LMMS vs GarageBand
TheBeast More of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.It does not lag when there’s a ton of sounds playingIncredibly more complex, not recommended for beginnersnot as user friendly as garagebandThe GUI seems to try to mimic GarageBand but fails to replicate the ease of usage for those unfamiliar with LMMS.Free, has many features, and is easy to get started with. As a plus: it runs on nearly every platform. - Audacity is a free, open source, and cross-platform audio and music editor. View 113 alternatives to Audacity
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- LAME
Audacity vs GarageBand
Can record and add tracks but little beyond thatIt'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.It's good for recording audio and editing, but doesn't create audio.It's better for editing existing audio than creating new audio.you can't create music with Audacity. It's rather about editing sounds. Great for PodcastingAudacity is more specifically for music editing rather than creationit is free and easier to use - Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. View 82 alternatives to Ardour
- Freemium • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Qtractor is an Audio/MIDI multi-track sequencer application written in C++ with the Qt framework. View 67 alternatives to Qtractor
- Carla is an audio plugin host, with support for many audio drivers and plugin formats. View 41 alternatives to Carla
- 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... View 107 alternatives to AudioMass
- WaveShop is a free, open-source audio editor for Windows XP/Vista/7. WaveShop is fast, lightweight, and bit-perfect, meaning samples aren't altered unless they need to be. View 63 alternatives to WaveShop
Discontinued
The program is no longer updated. Last version, 1.0.14, released in November 2013, can be still downloaded from the official website.
- Free • Open Source
- Windows
- PortableApps.com
- 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. View 23 alternatives to FamiStudio
- LinuxSampler - free, open source pure software audio sampler with professional grade features. View 47 alternatives to LinuxSampler
- Luppp is a music creation tool, intended for live use. The focus is on real time processing and a fast, intuitive workflow. View 37 alternatives to Luppp