Audacity

Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor for recording and editing music, podcasts, and voice. It is one of the most widely used audio tools in the world, with multi-track recording, cut and splice editing, effects, and noise reduction built in. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it costs nothing.

Key Features

• Free, open-source multi-track audio editor
• Record and edit podcasts, voice, and music
• Effects, noise reduction, and EQ
• Supports many audio formats
• Runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Huge community and plugin support

Pricing

Prices as listed in 2026 research. Always check the official site for the latest price — plans change. Free plan: Yes — it has a free plan.

How it works

Audacity is not a full DAW: it has no MIDI sequencing or virtual instruments, and its editing is destructive, which means changes are applied directly to the audio. But for recording a podcast, cleaning up a voiceover, trimming a song, or converting audio formats, it is fast, reliable, and free.

Audacity is an essential tool for podcasters, YouTubers, and anyone who works with spoken audio. Pair it with a DAW for music production, or use it on its own for editing and cleanup. It is maintained by an open-source community and remains the default free audio editor for good reason.

Pros and Cons

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