Tenacity
Shares audio editor and recording with Audacity. Rated 4.1 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.1Visit
Desktop App
Audacity
The free, open-source audio editor and recorder.
Rating
4.6 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Audacity?
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS and Linux, used for podcasts, voice-overs, music and cleaning up recordings with effects such as noise reduction. The team says it has always been and will always remain free for everyone; optional extras such as audio.com cloud storage and MuseHub plugins come from Muse Group. The latest version is Audacity 4.0.1 (September 2026).
Pros: what Audacity does well
- Free and open source
- Record, edit and clean up audio on any desktop OS
- Huge library of tutorials
Cons: where it falls short
- Less suited to mixing audio against video
- Some extras are offered through MuseHub
Who Audacity is for
Podcasters and creators who need a dependable free audio editor.
Who can skip it
People who only trim voice notes on their phone.
What people use Audacity for
- Recording voice-overs, podcasts and interviews with a microphone
- Cutting, trimming and joining audio clips, and removing silences or mistakes
- Cleaning up recordings with noise reduction, normalising and other built-in effects
- Converting audio between common formats and exporting finished files
How to get started
- 1Download Audacity from audacityteam.org. Only use the official site, as paid copies on app stores are not from the Audacity team.
- 2Pick your microphone in the device toolbar and press Record.
- 3Select a part of the waveform to cut it, or apply an effect from the Effect menu.
- 4Save the project to keep editing later, or export it as an audio file when you are done.
Audacity pricing
Audacity is free, open source software under the GPL, for Windows, macOS and Linux desktops. There is no mobile app. Projects can be saved to audio.com, its sister service, and extra Audacity Cloud Storage is the only paid add-on. See current prices on Audacity's site
Checked 2026-11-01. Prices change, so double-check before you pay.
Audacity FAQ: quick answers
- Is Audacity free?
- Yes. The Audacity team says it is free for everyone and will stay free. You only pay if you choose extra cloud storage.
- Is there an Audacity app for iPhone or Android?
- No. Audacity is a desktop app only, so apps with its name on phone app stores are not official.
- Is Audacity open source?
- Yes. It is released under the GNU General Public License, so anyone can read and change its source code.
Audacity alternatives
Not sold on Audacity? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
ocenaudio
Shares audio editor and podcast with Audacity. Rated 4.4 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
Ghostty
Focus: terminal, emulator and gpu. Shares open source with Audacity. Rated 4.9 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.9Visit
Blender
Focus: 3d, animation and vfx. Shares open source with Audacity. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.8Visit
fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Shares open source with Audacity. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
lazygit
Focus: git client, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with Audacity. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Free alternatives to Audacity
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
navi
Focus: terminal, cli and cheatsheet. Shares open source with Audacity. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
ripgrep
Focus: search tool, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with Audacity. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Upscayl
Focus: image upscaling, ai and electron. Shares open source with Audacity. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeLinux, macOS
4.8Visit
VLC media player
Focus: media player, video player and codecs. Shares open source with Audacity. Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.8 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.8Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source with Audacity. Rated 4.7 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
AutoHotkey
Focus: hotkeys, macros and scripting. Shares open source with Audacity. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (Audacity: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Offline
4.7Visit
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