[2024 Updated] 5 Best Audacity Alternatives

When it comes to audio editing, most people would mention Audacity. It is a free and open-source software to record and edit audio, that is popular with audio lovers. Audacity can meet the basic needs of audio working. 

However, with the increasing development of the multi-media industry, users have more requirements for audio-editing software. The drawbacks of Audacity are increasingly showing up, including compatibility issues, lack of customer support, and outdated user interface. Many people start to look for an alternative to Audacity. There are many choices for Audacity alternatives and this article can help you to select a suitable one.  

Why Looking for Software Like Audacity?

Audacity is the most popular audio recording and editing application in the world, but it also has some limitations, which may cause inconvenience for users. That’s why customers find Audacity alternatives. Here are some probable reasons:

Simple User Interface: 

Audacity was released in 2000 and updated in 2013. Its user interface is a little outdated with low update frequency. Users may look for a more modern and intuitive interface for easy use and simple steps.

Available Customer Support:

If you encounter difficulties while using Audacity, you can find solutions in its guides on the website, a forum, or Discord. Its responsiveness may be not good enough, especially when you have some emergency.

System Compatibility:

Although Audacity is compatible with many operating systems, including Windows OS and macOS, there may be other cases that do not allow you to use it. So, you have to find an alternative to Audacity when you need to edit or record audio.

Worry about Privacy Invasion:

Audacity’s privacy policy was updated on July 2 by Muse Group. The new policy states that Audacity will collect limited user information to improve its function and may share personal data with law enforcement to potential buyers. Users may worry about their privacy disclosure.

Having known some reasons to look for software like Audacity, let’s move to the focus: Top 5 Audacity alternatives.

Screenify–Best Alternative to Audacity

As a 100% free recording software,  Screenify can be said to be the best alternative to Audacity. Its audio recording function supports both Windows OS and macOS, having received many positive reviews from users. Except for audio, Screenify can also record video and camera with high quality up to 4K & 60 fps. Audio and video trimming is another edge of this comprehensive alternative to Audacity.

Here are some key features of Screenify:

• Support both Windows and macOS.
• Multiple output formats of audio, including MP3, AAC, and OGG.
• Reduce noise to make your media clear and crisp.
• Simple user interface and free shortcuts setting for easy use.
• Various and flexible recording modes including video, webcam, and audio, all for free.

Here is step-by-step guidance on Screenify to record audio：
Step 1. Download and install Screenify on your computer. Choose Record audio mode.

Step 2. Select the microphone device you want. Adjust the audio volume.

Step 3. After clicking Record, there will be a 3-second countdown to prepare an audio recording.

Step 4. Then you can begin your recording. The button sidebar can be clicked to pause and stop the audio recording, and the “4” position can clicked to hide the sidebar.

Step 5. After completing the audio recording, you can preview and trim the recorded file.

Screenfy is a good choice for an alternative to Audacity when you need to record audio. Besides, it has many functions including screen recording, video and audio trimming, and noise reduction. Totally worth trying.

REAPER

REAPER, shortened from Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording is a comprehensive digital audio production app, supporting a wide range of hardware and digital formats. It offers a full toolset for multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, and processing. Different from other software like Audacity, REAPER is not free, costing you $60 for the discounted license and $225 for the commercial license. Of course, it offers you a 60-day trial for free. If you want to master this application, you may spend time learning due to its complex dashboard and unintuitive interface, which may be less beginner-friendly.

Here are some features of REAPER:

• Supports a vast range of hardware and third-party plugins.
• Supports Windows OS, Linux, and macOS.
• Powerful multitrack audio and MIDI recording and editing.
• Various media formats to choose for output.
• Professional user interface, more suitable for the experienced.

Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is a powerful audio workstation. It is an advanced audio recording and editing software, which is more popular among professional podcasters, music producers, etc. Adobe Audition can help you create, mix, edit, and restore audio content faster to save time and improve work efficiency. Similar to REAPER, its functions and user interface are kind of complex and probably less friendly for beginners. Adobe Audition charges $22.99 a month with a 7-day free trial.

Main features of Adobe Audition:

• Supports both Windows OS and macOS.
• Applied for heavy and multi-track music session mixing.
• Practical Noise Reduction to make audio clear.
• Available for thousands of free audio clips from Adobe’s stock library.
• More suitable for professional users rather than beginners.

GarageBand

Another software like Audacity is GarageBand. It is a free digital audio workstation, supporting both PC and mobile devices with macOS. GarageBand can record multiple types of audio including vocals and musical instruments, especially useful for original music producers. 

It is friendly to new hands because of its intuitive interface and simple procedures. However, the lack of advanced functions for audio recording and editing is a shortcoming. If you need a professional-grade application, you can choose other Audacity alternatives mentioned in the article.

Several features of GarageBand:

• Support iPhone, iPad, and Mac only.
• Intuitive interface and easy procedures, friendly for beginners.
• iCloud storage can be used to back up your audio.

Ardour

Ardour is another choice for Audacity alternatives. As a flexible, open-source digital audio workstation, it provides users with many professional and advanced features for audio recording, editing, and mixing. Just like REAPER and Adobe Audition, the interface of Ardour is unintuitive and the use procedures are complex. It is inevitable for users to spend time learning how to use this software.

Some features of Ardour:

• Open-source software supporting Linux, macOS, and Windows, all for free.
• To record, edit, mix, and master audio and MIDI projects with unlimited tracks for advanced audio production.
• Have access to community support and regular updates.

FAQs:

Is Audacity the best choice for audio production?

Although it lacks customer support and a simple interface, Audacity remains its popularity in audio editing. You can still choose this software for its professional features. However, if you worry about your personal privacy, you can choose Screenify, which will protect your privacy security.

Are these alternatives compatible with my PC?

This article mentioned what operating systems each software like Audacity above supports. You can choose one according to the operating system of your PC. Note that GarageBand only supports macOS. If you need an alternative to Audacity for Windows OS, you can try Screenify, which supports both Windows OS and macOS.

Conclusion

Audacity is popular as a good choice for audio recording and editing. However, many users are looking for an alternative to Audacity because of its limitations and drawbacks. This article lists 5 software like Audacity for your choice. Among all these Audacity alternatives, we recommend Screenify. Its features are much more than audio editing, and you can explore when using it. All for free, download it now!