Cakewalk AlternativesTop Music Production Apps & Digital Audio Workstations like Cakewalk

Cakewalk is described as 'Formerly SONAR, is a comprehensive audio software for music composition, audio recording, editing, mixing and mastering. It features a full suite of high quality audio and MIDI effects and instruments and composition tools ranging from drum sequencer and piano roll' and is a popular music production app in the audio & music category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Cakewalk for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPad apps. The best Cakewalk alternative is Audacity, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Cakewalk are LMMS, Tenacity, REAPER and FL Studio.

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Cakewalk alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps, but if you're looking for Digital Audio Workstations or Audio Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, iPad, Mac and Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Cakewalk.
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Alternatives list

  1. Audacity icon

    Audacity

     2364 likes

    Audacity, a free open-source multi-track editor, enables high-quality audio processing across platforms. Supports diverse formats, plugins, and scripting languages, offering robust features like batching, visual tools, and accessibility.

    126 Audacity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Editing Audio
     
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    3
    Audacity vs Cakewalk Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    7

    audacity is sound editor, sonar is daw

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    It's not a DAW, but an audio editor

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    sedeti
    Negative
    0

    Audacity is just 'audio editor

    • Audacity is Free and Open SourceCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • Audacity is LightweightCakewalk is not according to our users
  2. LMMS icon

    LMMS

     633 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.

    93 LMMS alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    LMMS screenshot 1
     
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    2
    LMMS vs Cakewalk Comments
    sedeti
    Negative
    -1

    Miles behind from cakewalk

    Guest
    Negative
    -1

    A long way away from Sonor

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • LMMS is Free and Open SourceCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • LMMS is Privacy focused and LightweightCakewalk is not according to our users
  4. Tenacity icon

    Tenacity

     111 likes

    Tenacity is an easy-to-use, privacy-friendly, FLOSS, cross-platform multi-track audio editor/recorder for Windows, macOS, Linux and other operating systems.

    88 Tenacity alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • FreeBSD
    • Haiku
    Dark mode
     
  5. Ad
  6. REAPER icon

    REAPER

     255 likes

    A digital audio workstation, MIDI sequencer and video editing software application created by Cockos. The current version is available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

    85 REAPER alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Default theme
     
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    1
    REAPER vs Cakewalk Comments
    anakin777
    Positive
    0

    I don't know much about Cakewalk but reaper can be compared to professional DAW like Logic, Cubase or ProTools by its large amount of powerful functionalities : Audio multitrack recording, processing, looping, rewiring, MIDI handling, 32bits and 64bit VST support, interface customization etc. The only drawback I found is the limited MIDI creation, particularly with the quantization and step-by-step event recording

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • REAPER is Paid and ProprietaryCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • REAPER is LightweightCakewalk is not according to our users
  7. FL Studio icon

    FL Studio

     495 likes

    A complete digital audio workstation featuring professional music creation tools for mixing, mastering, editing, and sequencing. It includes a responsive piano roll sequencer, lifetime license updates, visualizer plugins for video creation, and multi-touch support for advanced graphical interface navigation.

    96 FL Studio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    FL Studio screenshot 1
     
  10. Ocenaudio icon

    Ocenaudio

     142 likes

    Ocenaudio is a cross-platform, easy to use, fast and functional audio editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications. ocenaudio also has powerful features that will please more advanced users.

    48 Ocenaudio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Ocenaudio version 3.7.19 running on Windows with an audio file open.
     
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    1
    Ocenaudio vs Cakewalk Comments
    sedeti
    Negative
    1

    Oceanaudio is just an audio editor

    • Ocenaudio is Free and ProprietaryCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • Ocenaudio is LightweightCakewalk is not according to our users
  11. Ableton Live icon

    Ableton Live

     212 likes

    Music software facilitating idea creation, editing, and performance with Arrangement and Session Views. Enhanced interfaces, improved waveforms, and great EQs provide intuitive and detailed music-making for studio and stage experiences.

    87 Ableton Live alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Ableton Live screenshot 1
     
  12. GarageBand icon

    GarageBand

     268 likes

    Experience a rich music creation suite on Mac and iOS with comprehensive sound libraries, virtual session drummers, and user-friendly tools suitable for beginners and pros. Create, edit, and share your music effortlessly through a seamless Apple integration.

    105 GarageBand alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    iPad Version: Tracks
     
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    1
    GarageBand vs Cakewalk Comments
    anakin777
    Positive
    0

    A very intuitive/straghtforward tool for music creation, with both MIDI and audio. Supports Virtual instruments and extensions (with Apple format)

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • GarageBand is Free and ProprietaryCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
  14. Adobe Audition icon

    Adobe Audition

     186 likes

    A comprehensive audio editing suite designed for commercial use with features like post-production refinement, video and podcast editing capabilities, minus composition tools. Equipped with Waveform and Multitrack modes for recording and editing, with new Clip and Session Markers.

    96 Adobe Audition alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Adobe Audition screenshot 1
     
  15. Logic Pro icon

    Logic Pro

     120 likes

    Comprehensive studio app offering advanced DAW and MIDI tools, a creative interface, powerful software instruments, plugins like Beat Breaker, full mixer capabilities, and seamless integration with Mac and iPad for professional-sounding mixes.

    81 Logic Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPad
    Logic Pro screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Logic Pro vs Cakewalk Comments
    anakin777
    Positive
    0

    Logic was my first DAW. Lots of thing has changes since the Atari version but it's still powerful, professional, unlimited

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Logic Pro is Paid and ProprietaryCakewalk is Free Personal and Proprietary
12 of 117 Cakewalk alternatives