Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.
Cost / License
- Paid
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD




The best open source alternative to LMMS is Ardour. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try ComposeYogi or Zrythm. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to LMMS and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to LMMS are Bespoke Synth, Qtractor, Carla and FamiStudio.
Ardour is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.




A free, open-source music composition tool for beat-making, loops, and arrangements — built with Web Audio, WASM, and modern web tech.





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


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...




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.


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.



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



Rosegarden is a well-rounded audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor, and general-purpose music composition and editing environment.



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




Open-source DAW for GNU/Linux designed for multitrack MIDI and audio sequencing, real-time effects, automation, plugin support including LV2, VST, DSSI, non-destructive editing, JACK compatibility, and free BSD port for advanced audio production and virtual studio needs.




"Sekaiju" is a free, open source MIDI sequencer software for creating and editing MIDI data. This software enables you to create music with your MIDI modules or synthesizers. Sekaiju also can be used as a powerful MIDI editor.


Not exactly "Free". There's a free version but you can't save or load.