Audacity
Intel's optional OpenVINO plugins add AI noise suppression, music separation, generation and Whisper transcription.
The free, open-source audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS and Linux, with AI effects through optional OpenVINO plugins.
- Starting price
- Free
- Commercial use
- Yes, if you are the sole creator of a recording, the rights to it stay with you
- Output
- Recorded, edited, cleaned and loudness-normalised audio files
Overview
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor and recorder for podcasters, musicians and anyone who needs to cut, clean up or convert audio. It is installed locally on Windows, macOS and Linux and is developed by the Audacity Team, part of Muse Group, under the GNU GPL. The software itself costs nothing; optional paid cloud storage lets you save more projects online.
Our take
Audacity is the pick when the budget is zero, the machine runs Linux, or a recording needs straightforward cleanup and levelling rather than forensic repair. Anyone rescuing badly damaged dialogue will get further with a spectral repair suite from this category, and podcasters who want one-click enhancement in the browser should look at a hosted cleanup service instead. Expect to assemble the AI side yourself from optional plugins.
Key Facts
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Starting price | Free Free and open source under the GNU GPL v3. Audacity Cloud storage for saving more projects online is an optional paid extra. |
| Commercial use | Yes, if you are the sole creator of a recording, the rights to it stay with you |
| Output | Recorded, edited, cleaned and loudness-normalised audio files |
| API | No hosted API; the scripting pipe from Audacity 3 is not available in Audacity 4.0 |
| Hosting | Installed locally on Windows (x86_64 and ARM64), macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux (x86_64 and ARM64 AppImages) |
Screenshots
Placeholders. They are replaced as soon as the vendor sends material, and both open the same short form.
Features
- What it does
- Recording and multitrack editing of audio, with built-in effects for cleanup, restoration and loudness
- Multitrack or two-track
- Multitrack editor and recorder, with volume and pan per track, master and realtime effects, and clips in different formats mixed in one project
- Noise removal and repair
- Yes, built-in Noise Reduction from a captured noise profile, plus Noise Gate and Notch Filter for hum and whistles. Intel's free OpenVINO plugins add AI noise suppression on Windows and macOS, but the project states they are not yet compatible with the latest Audacity version
- Mastering and loudness
- Loudness Normalization to EBU R 128 targets such as -23 LUFS, plus Compressor and Limiter effects
- Formats and resolution
- Imports and exports WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3 and Ogg, with Opus and WavPack among the export options. M4A (AAC), WMA and some other formats need the free FFmpeg library, which cannot ship with Audacity for patent reasons. Projects save as .aup3
- Where it runs
- Desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux; hosts VST3, LV2 and Audio Units plugins
- Licence and pricing model
- Free and open source under the GNU GPL, with no paid edition; only optional cloud storage on audio.com costs money
- Also included
- The OpenVINO plugins also add music separation, music generation and continuation, Whisper transcription and audio super resolution; MuseHub offers further plugins, samples and one-shots
- API
- No hosted API; the scripting pipe from Audacity 3 is not available in Audacity 4.0
Integrations
- MuseHub
- OpenVINO
- FFmpeg
Deployment and Support
- Deployment
-
- On-premise
- Support
-
- Community forum
- Onboarding
-
- Documentation and knowledge base
Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Free and open source under GPL v3, with no subscription
- Builds for Windows, macOS and Linux, including ARM64
- Hosts VST3, LV2 and Audio Units plugins
- Loudness Normalization to broadcast targets is built in
Limitations
- The AI effects depend on Intel's separate OpenVINO plugins, which are not yet compatible with the latest version
- No OpenVINO plugin download for Linux
- Time tracks, MIDI tracks, the mixer and the macro manager from Audacity 3 are not yet in 4.0
- Help comes from the forum and the manual rather than a vendor helpdesk
Pricing
-
Free
$0
The full editor under the GNU GPL v3, on Windows, macOS and Linux.
-
Audacity Cloud storage
Not stated
Optional paid extra for saving more projects in the cloud.
Best For
Alternatives and Comparisons
What users say
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