Pros & Cons
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- Free
- New compressor and limiter sound good
- Lots of editing options ideal for dialogue, sound effects, and trimming music tracks
- Supports multitrack audio playback and batch processing
- Beat detection and real-time pitch shifting amp up music production
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- No multitrack recording
- Mixer view lacks features
Audacity Specs
| Audio Tracks | Unlimited |
| Bundled Content | None |
| Effects | 41 |
| Free Version | |
| Instruments | 0 |
| Mixer View |
If you're looking to start a podcast or record music, or just need a tool to assemble and convert audio samples, it's tough to beat Audacity. It's a highly capable, open-source editor that supports up to 32-bit/384kHz audio with dithering. The program lets you import, mix, and combine audio tracks (stereo, mono, or multitrack) and render the output as a single file. Audacity's latest upgrades include some powerful features for music and audio production, such as a new compressor and limiter, a new master effects section, time-stretching loops to tempo with automatic beat detection, and more. Although it still won't replace a proper digital audio workstation, such as Editors' Choice winner Avid Pro Tools or the free Apple GarageBand on Mac, Audacity remains the go-to for quick audio projects.
Pricing: Nothing Beats Free
Audacity is wonderfully free and cross-platform; it's available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Programs like Audacity used to cost $100 or more, with the most notable competitors being Sound Forge (which has had various owners over the years, including Sony) and Bias Peak for Macs. I used to own and use both of those, but Audacity has essentially eliminated my need for them.
The system requirements are so minimal they're not worth mentioning. If your PC turns on and is from the past 10 or 15 years, it should be fine. For this latest review, I tested Audacity 3.7.7 on a Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025) with 64GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 (2nd Gen) audio interface, a pair of PreSonus Eris E8 XT studio monitors, a Novation Launchkey mk4 MIDI controller, and a 32-inch LG monitor.
Recording: Ideal for Podcasts, But Also Good for Music
Since we last tested Audacity in 2024, it has added new features while maintaining its core integrity. The user experience is a bit more streamlined, with some older and redundant options gone, but it's still surprisingly full-featured for a free audio editor. To get started, drag a sound you want to edit into the main window, paste in a clip with Ctrl-V (a new addition), or click the record button to start recording from your computer's microphone or an attached audio interface. You can record in either 16- or 24-bit audio, and every recording participant can run their own copy to record. Audacity isn't a multitrack recording application, however, so you can't record multiple mics simultaneously from a single instance. That said, you can layer the audio up in Audacity once everyone sends you their recorded files.
You can quickly select from the available audio sources via the drop-down menu underneath the sound level meters on top. Audacity allows you to set a timer to start recording after a short interval, for example, if your recording position is away from the computer. The program can also record when it hears a sound at a certain threshold. If the recording starts early, you can simply chop the offending part off later. The meters clearly display clipping (if there is any) and are easily visible from across the room.
Over the past decade, Audacity has morphed from a sound design and podcast tool into one that's surprisingly capable of creating music, at least of the loop production variety. To get started, right-click anywhere on the ruler, then click Beats and Measures to display a new grid. Below, a Tempo and Time Signature button appears, and you can snap by the size of the note. This setup makes it much easier to copy and paste loops (or sections of music) across multiple tracks. More importantly, an older version added automatic tempo detection for imported loops; it analyzes the audio and metadata and lets you adjust them to be in tempo. If you need inspiration, the Muse Hub has lots of free loops you can download and install.
The Time Stretching feature lets you stretch clips simply by grabbing the edge of the clip and moving the mouse back and forth. This works especially well for loops and less so for voice (as expected). On that note, new non-destructive pitch shifting is a key press away: Simply hold the Alt key and press the up or down arrow. You even get an option to preserve the formats to optimize for voice when shifting pitch. It's not going to replace Celemony Melodyne, but this feature is nice to have in a free app.
Effects: Real-Time, Non-Linear, and Destructive Options
If you're new to Audacity or haven't tried it in years, it supports real-time effects in AU and VST formats. Previously, every effect was destructive; you couldn't recover your original audio except by undoing and redoing. But now, you can apply a real-time effect, preview it as you make adjustments, and then go back tomorrow or next week and tweak it further.
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A new, transparent compressor and limiter replaces the older ones (still in the program, filed under Legacy). These work more like you would expect in a proper digital audio workstation. They're real-time effects, and they contain a variety of presets—some two dozen in the compressor and seven in the limiter. They go with the usual funny names like "Beefy Master" and "Fat Vocals." If you're new to compression, remember that even with the presets, you still need to tweak the threshold to make sure you are indeed compressing your audio a bit. You can also add effects from the Muse Hub, where you'll find some popular free plug-ins, including additional compressors, distortion boxes, EQ, reverbs, phasers, and more.
I also like that you can select a voice clip, choose Tools > Apply Macro, and then select from a bunch of presets in your Palette, such as Clear Vocal Improve, Finalize Podcast, Interview Improve, and so on. Some of the change is just a gain boost, but there's still more going on if you match the volumes and listen back-to-back with the original. I found that the presets can sound a little heavy-handed in testing, overdoing it on the compression, for example. But these are still time-savers. The only downside is that you have to download the macros as TXT files and import them individually.
One of Audacity's best qualities is that it can smoothly convert and combine any sounds you drag in, regardless of sample rate and format. As for editing, you can apply edits down to the sample level, arrange multiple clips on the same track, cut and paste, and duplicate or delete audio. The envelope tool also lets you add custom fades. As always, the program offers spectrogram and spectral views for analyzing frequency response.
Audacity includes other preset effects as before, including preset EQ curves (AM Radio, Telephone, 100Hz Rumble), high- and low-pass filters, a wah-wah effect, and more. Reversing audio or truncating silence takes a single click. An Auto-Duck feature lets you add voice-overs to a podcast or radio track. Audacity also supports batch processing via command chains. For example, you can tune up a series of sound effects or stabs all at once without having to repeat the same tasks. Over the years, Audacity has added improved automatic crash recovery, clip handlebars to move clips around more easily, a drag-and-drop playhead, playback looping, punch-in recording, resizable volume and speed toolbars, and snap guides.
Mixing and Audio Export: Keep Your Expectations Modest
The big news with version 3.6 and above is a new Master Effects section, which lets you apply plug-ins to the entire project. A simple mixer lets you get the relative levels and stereo position correct. You can also mute and solo individual tracks (these adjustments are not destructive), while new Smart Clips let you nondestructively adjust the trim handles while working. Multitrack layering in Audacity is possible, as mentioned above, but nonlinear editing programs, such as GarageBand (with real-time effects) or Reaper, are more suitable for genuine mixing.
The useful Contrast Analysis feature compares the average RMS (root-mean-square) volumes across different tracks to balance a voice-over against background ambience or music. For more than this, step up to Adobe Audition, especially if you need to adhere to broadcast standards for film, television, or radio.
The Export Audio Files dialog lets you choose encoding, format, sample rate, and more, similar to that of other DAWs. Audacity supports importing and exporting AIFF, AU, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV files. You can import and export MP3s natively. An optional FFmpeg library lets you export AC3, AAC, and WMA files.
Final Thoughts
Audacity
A powerful, free, and open-source audio editor that's been around for years, Audacity is still the go-to choice for podcasts, sound design, and other quick-and-dirty audio work.