GarageBand Alternatives for Windows

GarageBand is not available for Windows but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Windows with similar functionality. The best Windows alternative 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 loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to GarageBand are FL Studio, Reaper, Ardour and Ableton Live.

GarageBand alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps but may also be Audio Editors or Digital Audio Workstations. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of GarageBand.

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Mac + Free

GarageBand

256

Free • Proprietary
Music Production App

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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GarageBand alternatives page was last updated

LMMS
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
Haiku
89 LMMS alternatives
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 is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to GarageBand.
- - LMMS is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to GarageBand.
Suggest and vote on features
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.
Piano Roll
Export to MP3
Export to MIDI
MIDI Keyboard Input
Free API
Customizable
Royalty-free music
Lossless quality
Mix Music
Image exporting
Comments about LMMS as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think LMMS is a great GarageBand alternative.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
It does not lag when there’s a ton of sounds playing
Top positive comment •
3

TheBeast
More of a learning curve but a great program if you can take the time to learn it.
Top positive comment •
13

Guest
not as user friendly as garageband
Top negative comment •
13

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
The GUI seems to try to mimic GarageBand but fails to replicate the ease of usage for those unfamiliar with LMMS.
Negative comment •
1

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5 of 7 comments
FL Studio
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
HUAWEI AppGallery
iPad
91 FL Studio alternatives
FL Studio (originally known as FruityLoops) is a full-featured Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) offering a complete range of professional tools for everything from audio editing and beat creation to advanced arrangement, composition, mixing and mastering.
- - FL Studio is the most popular Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to GarageBand.
- - FL Studio is the most popular commercial alternative to GarageBand.
Suggest and vote on features
FL Studio Features
1. Support for VST PluginsFL Studio support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
2. Live PerformanceListen to and adjust your music productions with FL Studio based on incoming audio in real time.
3. LightweightFL Studio consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. Works OfflineFL Studio can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Piano Roll
Synth rack
Voice Recording
MIDI Keyboard Input
Visualize Music
Beat slicer
MultiTouch
Context-aware help
FFMPEG support
Great Opus codec support
Comments about FL Studio as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think FL Studio is a great GarageBand alternative.
Guest
This is exactly what I've been looking for. The perfect site with just what I need
Positive comment •
1
Reaper
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Digital Audio Workstation
Music Production App
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
81 Reaper alternatives
REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for Windows, Mac and Linux, offering a full multi-track audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering tool set.
Suggest and vote on features
Reaper Features
1. Support for VST PluginsReaper support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
2. Support for scriptingReaper supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
3. Support for MIDIReaper includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
4. PortableReaper can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Ad-freeReaper doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
6. LightweightReaper consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
7. Dark ModeReaper supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Customizable
MultiTrack
Extensive customisability
Spectral editing
Convert audio to MIDI
Multi Channel
Built-in routing
Patch Management
Pitch shift engine
Piano Roll
Opinions about Reaper as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think Reaper is a great GarageBand alternative.
Ardour
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Open Source
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
86 Ardour alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Ardour Features
1. Non Destructive EditingArdour can 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.
4. Music LooperArdour supports a grid of musical loops and phrases that you can trigger and manipulate in real time.
5. Lossless AudioArdour has lossless audio support, basically studio quality sound.
6. Ad-freeArdour doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
7. Works OfflineArdour can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
8. Virtual InstrumentArdour uses mainy virtual instruments (piano, guitar, drums, bass, etc.).
9. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsArdour can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Multitrack editing
Mix Music
Live Performance
Support for MIDI
Opinions about Ardour as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think Ardour is a great GarageBand alternative.
Ableton Live
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Recorder
Mac
Windows
82 Ableton Live alternatives
Live is software for creating musical ideas, turning them into finished songs, and even taking them onto the stage.
Suggest and vote on features
Ableton Live Features
1. Live PerformanceListen to and adjust your music productions with Ableton Live based on incoming audio in real time.
2. Support for VST PluginsAbleton Live support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Virtual InstrumentAbleton Live uses mainy virtual instruments (piano, guitar, drums, bass, etc.).
4. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Ableton Live, by handling note and performance information.
5. Works OfflineAbleton Live can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
6. Batch EditingAbleton Live allows you to select multiple items (tasks, files, images etc) and edit their properties all at once.
Mix Music
MIDI Keyboard Input
Pitch Shifting
Drag and Drop
Piano Roll
Music Recording
Comments about Ableton Live as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think Ableton Live is a great GarageBand alternative.
Guest
Ableton is a very versatile and powerful alternative.
Positive comment •
3

Guest
Use for live performances, not really to write/create a song
Negative comment •
-6
Adobe Audition
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Audio Editor
Audio Recorder
Music Production App
Mac
Windows
95 Adobe Audition alternatives
Adobe Audition is an audio editing and post-production suite.
Suggest and vote on features
Adobe Audition Features
1. Support for VST PluginsAdobe Audition support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
2. Dark ModeAdobe Audition supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
3. Ad-freeAdobe Audition doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
4. Virtual InstrumentAdobe Audition uses mainy virtual instruments (piano, guitar, drums, bass, etc.).
5. Music LooperAdobe Audition supports a grid of musical loops and phrases that you can trigger and manipulate in real time.
6. Lossless AudioAdobe Audition has lossless audio support, basically studio quality sound.
7. Works OfflineAdobe Audition can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Spectral editing
Waveform Seekbar
Audio restoration
MultiTrack
Multiple metering standards
M/S metering
Rack Effects
Multiple window layouts
Effect automation controls
Sidechain compression
Bitwig Studio
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Music Production App
Digital Audio Workstation
Audio Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
41 Bitwig Studio alternatives
Bitwig Studio is a multi-platform music-creation system for production, performance and DJing, with a focus on flexible editing tools and a super-fast workflow.
Suggest and vote on features
Bitwig Studio Features
1. Live PerformanceListen to and adjust your music productions with Bitwig Studio based on incoming audio in real time.
2. Support for VST PluginsBitwig Studio support third-party Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins.
3. Support for MIDIBitwig Studio includes MIDI hardware and software support to record and import audio.
4. Works OfflineBitwig Studio can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
5. Support for scriptingBitwig Studio supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
6. Music SequencerRecord, edit, or play back music with Bitwig Studio, by handling note and performance information.
7. Music LooperBitwig Studio supports a grid of musical loops and phrases that you can trigger and manipulate in real time.
Grid layout
Modular System
Multiplatform
Piano Roll
Mix Music
Music Recording
Opinions about Bitwig Studio as a Alternative to GarageBand
Most users think Bitwig Studio is a great GarageBand alternative.
Spek
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
53 Spek alternatives
Spek helps to analyse your audio files by showing their spectrogram. Spek is free software available for Unix, Windows and Mac OS X.
Suggest and vote on features
Spek Features
1. LightweightSpek consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Spectrogram view
Comments about Spek as a Alternative to GarageBand
pros, cons and recent comments
superluminar
Spek shows a spectrum; it is a sound analysis tool, nothing for creating music itself.
Negative comment •
1

Joshua Wheeler
It is not at all like Garageband, it is not for creating music
Negative comment •
0