Audacity 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

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Overview
User Interface
Pros and Cons
Popular Alternatives
Pricing and Plans
Features
User Reviews
Popular Comparisons

Overview

Audacity

4.5

(463)

Pricing

Pricing available upon request

Top Alternatives

About Audacity

Audacity is an on-premise audio editing solution, which helps musicians export, modify, import, create and record audio files and soundtracks in multiple file formats including WAV, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AU, AIFF, and FLAC. The open-source platform enables producers to preview LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit effects in real-time.

Audacity lets audio engineers modify a soundtrack's pitch or tempo and create voiceovers for podcasts or DJ sets. Musicians can cut, copy or paste audio tracks, monitor volume and use the device toolbar to manage multiple playback or recording devices. Additionally, artists can remove background noises and manipulate soundtracks using various keyboard shortcuts according to requirements.

Audacity enables professionals to record live audio using a microphone and analyze sound frequencies. The product is available for free and support is extended via FAQs, documentation, forums and other online measures.

Audacity User Interface

Popular Audacity Alternatives

Main Product

Audacity

4.5

(463)

Ratings Breakdown

4.33Ease of use
4.79Value for money
4.09Customer support
4.41Functionality

Pricing

Available upon request

Alternative Product

Riverside

4.7

(60)

Ratings Breakdown

4.65Ease of use
4.58Value for money
4.39Customer support
4.55Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $24.00 per month

Alternative Product

AVS Audio Editor

4.7

(117)

Ratings Breakdown

4.66Ease of use
4.75Value for money
4.41Customer support
4.63Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $59.00 one time

Alternative Product

Logic Pro

4.8

(149)

Ratings Breakdown

4.36Ease of use
4.47Value for money
4.28Customer support
4.68Functionality

Pricing

Available upon request

Alternative Product

Adobe Premiere Pro

4.7

(565)

Ratings Breakdown

4.03Ease of use
4.13Value for money
4.22Customer support
4.67Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $20.99 per month

Alternative Product

Adobe Audition

4.6

(241)

Ratings Breakdown

4.24Ease of use
4.27Value for money
4.11Customer support
4.57Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $19.99 per month

Audacity Pros and Cons

We analyzed 463 verified reviews for Audacity to find out what actual users really think.

Select to learn more

Comprehensive Editing Toolset

Audacity provides a wide range of audio editing features, including multi-track support, effects, and format conversion. Users can easily cut, mix, and enhance audio, making it suitable for podcasts, music, and basic sound design projects. Its flexibility and compatibility with various file types make it a practical choice for both beginners and experienced editors.

Audacity Pricing and Plans

Starting price: Pricing available upon request

Free Trial

Free Version

Basic

Pricing available upon request

No plan information available

Audacity Features

Popular features found in Audio Editing
Audio Manipulation
Audio Mixing
Audio Recording
Plug-in Integration
Video Editing
More features of Audacity
Audio Capture
Audio Editor
Batch Processing
Configurable Workflow
Content Library
Data Import/Export
Drag & Drop
Instrument Management
Interactive Content
Issue Management
Media Library
Multiple Format Support
On-Demand Recording
Preview Functionality
Project Management
Project Tracking
Project Workflow
Synchronous Editing
User Management

Audacity User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.5

Ratings Breakdown

62%

28%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.3

Value for money

4.8

Customer support

4.1

Functionality

4.4

Verified

Reviewer

Media Production

201-500 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed December 2023

Great Editing media application ever

Overall i use this software for more than 10 years and i'm satisfied

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Previously 5

Functionality

Previously 5

Pros:

The most i like from Audacity is the software is easy to use and its free

Cons:

There nothing i least like from the Audacity

Deepak M.

Verified reviewer

Education Management

Self-Employed

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed June 2021

Review of Audacity audio software

Audacity has been extremely useful in several projects, including the making of short films, YouTube videos, voice overs for various applications, etc. It can be used by different people with varying levels of expertise and can solve many simple problems in audio manipulation with ease.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

The product is easy to use and lean in terms of disk space. At the same time, its features are quite adequate for most audio applications. Some of its features, such as the noise removal tool, are truly revolutionary and greatly enhance audio for various projects.

Cons:

Laying of multiple tracks is a bit difficult. It will help if the software provides drag and drop features in moving individual tracks.

Reasons for switching to Audacity

Audacity is considerably cheaper than Sound Forge and provides much better features in noise reduction, addition of flanging, changing of pitch without affecting speed of the audio clip, etc. Various add-ins available from those associated with the project as well as independent operators makes the software very versatile and robust.

Cristhian Josue J.

Verified reviewer

Design

2-10 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2021

Audacity, a simple and always useful audio recording software

Personally, I use this software to record some voices in low spec PC's or when I need to record something quickly and easily, for these functions audacity is a great option, but when it comes to doing the full project I don't have the tools I would like to have, do I recommend audacity? Yes, but only as an alternative, not to use it as the main software.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

Audacity is that software with most of us start in the audio recording and editing world, its facility of use and simplicity make it one of the most notable options for people who only want to record audio (plus it's free). Personally, I recommend this daw for people who only want to record voices for a podcast, or for musicians who only want to record demos in a quick and easy way, just by clicking the record button we will be doing everything we want.

Cons:

Audacity is... very limited, it is good in its main function, but it really can't offer us much more, today there are daw's and free software more complete than audacity, searching in the web we can find advanced options for any musician, especially for people who focus on mixing and mastering, functions that are very difficult to do in audacity.

Debora T.

Verified reviewer

Animation

11-50 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed December 2022

One of the best softwares for audio edition and recording.

My overall experience with audacity is a satisfactory one.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

What I like the most about this software is that Is not expensive compared to other audio softwares.

Cons:

I really didn’t dislike anything on this software.

Reasons for switching to Audacity

Because the other two softwares weren’t meeting my expectations.

Gustavo B.

Verified reviewer

Marketing and Advertising

2-10 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed April 2022

Great For Simple Taskes

My experience has always been positive. Most of the time I need to handle some arrangements for any piece of sound, I look forward to employing this great tool.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Audacity does offer a super lightweight tool to manage short pieces of audio. It does import sounds hassle-free, provides a good waves diagram system to check pieces of sounds and handle music samples effortlessly.

Cons:

I don't find particular cons about this free and easy to use software. It might be a little more capable in terms of the features, but it does provide a solution for simple audio tasks, and it does deliver.

Reasons for choosing Audacity

Audacity does provide an easy interface for simple audio tasks, it is free, easy to use, and provide good results for the purposes it has been made.

Jeremy D.

Verified reviewer

Media Production

2-10 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed February 2022

Audacity: Excellent for Free, But Pros Will Demand More

I first tried Audacity way back in the early 00's and, while appreciating its feature set, never found it a compelling choice compared to Sound Forge or Wavelab. Mind you, it is totally free and will do the job for most amateur editors.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Audacity is extremely feature-rich for a free audio editor. This has made it immensely popular with beginners and podcasters looking for a free solution to get started. Audacity is a great place to start to learn audio editing.

Cons:

Audacity suffers from one of the ugliest graphical user interfaces out there. Contrast is poor, the blue-on-grey aesthetic is exhausting, and the icons are straight out of a clipart site from 1998. Performance can be spotty on some Macs.

Reasons for choosing Audacity

Audacity is free, and if money were a concern, I'd purchase it. Otherwise, stick with Adobe Audition, Steinberg Wavelab, or Sound Forge.

Margaret L.

Verified reviewer

E-Learning

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2024

A Great Audio Software

Unlike expensive audio software, it's easy to use. I don't have time to learn a complicated software. I've used it for many years. I get high quality results for my clients and for my course studies which is a must. It's consistently being updated to give the best results. I can't do business without it.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I love that audacity is free and that it offers all the tools I need to record and edit my voiceovers, my e-course studies, and to create and edit mp3's to go with the video book trailers I create for my clients.

Cons:

It must be downloaded to my computer to use.

Trevor O.

Verified reviewer

Music

Self-Employed

Used monthly for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed November 2024

Audacity delivers. For FREE this is a top notch product.

I used Audacity personally when I was just beginning and it certainly 'wet my appetite' for the creative avenues digital music recording allows. Because it's FREE there's no loss to take a dive into the features. And it certainly delivers for the price. I have also used it in a classroom setting and it's also great place to start with students.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

No way around it. This is a great FREE app. That's a great place to start your audio recording experience.

Cons:

I don't like to criticize FREE apps...cause they are FREE. But...my experience it lags on the MIDI features. So if you plan to do live MIDI recordings of your parts, you will need to go back and do some MIDI bumping of your events cause it will struggle with proper placement.

Devon V.

Verified reviewer

Entertainment

11-50 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2024

Budget Friendly Audio Editing

My experience ranges from creating music to creating voice over and narratives for presentations to also editing parts of a podcast. I've also used this to investigate audio from ghost hunting investigations.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

One of the best things about this program is that it's free and gives you a lot of tools to edit audio that you would need ahead of making videos, creating music or making a podcast.

Cons:

There can be a learning curve that comes with this program and understanding all the features and possibilities.

Himanshu K.

Verified reviewer

Online Media

Self-Employed

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2024

Best software for a beginner

I am using it since 1 year or more. I usually use to record and edit my voice overs for my youtube videos. It gives me plenty of option like noise reduction, boost, equalizer etc which makes y voice over more fluent..

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

It is very easy to use. Anyone having zero knowledge of audio editing can operate this software.

Cons:

It can avail more features related to AI.

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