# Alternatives to Ardour Open source professional DAW. Ardour ranks #5 of 12 in Digital audio workstations, with an Alt Score of 68. It is licensed under GPL-2.0, donationware from $1 one-time (pay-what-you-want minimum) and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ardour/ Category: Digital audio workstations ## Where Ardour stands out - **Linux support** — 4 of 12 apps with a verified answer have this - **Free tier / lite version** — 6 of 12 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Ardour is for audio engineers, musicians, composers, and podcasters/radio producers who need a full-featured, professional-grade DAW on Linux, macOS, or Windows without proprietary licensing costs. - **What you get**: Ardour provides multi-track audio and MIDI recording and non-destructive editing with unlimited undo, at any bit depth and sample rate. It supports AudioUnit, LV2, VST2/VST3, and LADSPA plugins, flexible anywhere-to-anywhere signal routing, and a video timeline for scoring to picture. It also works with external control surfaces and MIDI sync gear, and is free and open source. - **How it works**: You connect an audio interface, create tracks, and record performances, then edit and arrange them using cut, stretch, and alignment tools on a non-linear timeline. From there you mix using faders, plugins, and automation before exporting or mastering the final project. ## Profile - **License**: GPL-2.0 (verified 2026-07-11) - **Pricing model**: Donationware (verified 2026-07-11) - **Starts at**: $1 one-time (pay-what-you-want minimum) (verified 2026-07-11) - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Pro Tools](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pro-tools.md) | 81 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 2 | [Studio One](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/studio-one.md) | 77 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 3 | [Cakewalk](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cakewalk.md) | 72 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 4 | [Cubase](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cubase.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 5 | [Reaper](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/reaper.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 6 | [Ableton Live](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ableton-live.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 7 | [GarageBand](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/garageband.md) | 63 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS | | 8 | [Logic Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/logic-pro.md) | 63 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS | | 9 | [Bitwig Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bitwig-studio.md) | 59 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 10 | [FL Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/fl-studio.md) | 41 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 11 | [LMMS](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lmms.md) | 41 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Digital audio workstations checklist | Ardour | Pro Tools | Studio One | Cakewalk | Cubase | Reaper | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Donationware | Subscription | Subscription | Freemium | One-time | One-time | | Starts at | $1 one-time (pay-what-you-want minimum) | $9.99/month | $19.99/month | $14.99/month (BandLab Pro membership) | ? | $60 one-time (discounted license; $225 commercial license) | | License | GPL-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | | MIDI editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Audio comping | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Included instruments & effects | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Third-party plugin support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | One-time purchase option | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | | Free tier / lite version | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | | Linux support | Yes | No | Partial | No | No | Yes | | Notation view | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | | Video scoring | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Collaboration | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | ? | ## Sources Sources for Ardour. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: GPL-2.0 — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE” - **Pricing model**: Donationware — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “you choose to pay as little as US$1 for a download” - **Starts at**: $1 one-time (pay-what-you-want minimum) — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “you choose to pay as little as US$1 for a download” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Just download and run Ardour on your Linux, macOS or Windows computer.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “2008-2026” - **MIDI editing**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Editing is done either in-place and in-window, in a separate pianoroll window, or a bottom panel editor.” - **Audio comping**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Using Playlists for takes is a good solution when one needs the ability to edit individual takes, and select between them.” - **Included instruments & effects**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Ardour comes with a handful of builtin plugins for your everyday needs.” - **Third-party plugin support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “3 major plugin formats supported: AudioUnits (OS X), VST (Windows & Linux) and LV2 (all platforms).” - **One-time purchase option**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “you can simply choose to pay US$45 or more as a one-time download” - **Free tier / lite version**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “You can get the source code without charge, and build (and modify) the program yourself.” - **Linux support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Just download and run Ardour on your Linux, macOS or Windows computer.” - **Notation view**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “there is nobody around who is likely to look at this feature with a view to implementing it.” - **Video scoring**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Import a single video and optionally extract the soundtrack from it. Display a frame-by-frame (thumbnail) timeline of the video.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/