The free, open-source audio editor — podcast, music, and voiceover workhorse with a thriving plugin ecosystem.
Audacity has been the gateway audio editor for 25 years, and the 2026 builds finally brought real-time effects, non-destructive editing, and a cleaner UI while staying 100% free and open source. Podcasters cut episodes, musicians record demos, and voice actors cut takes in it every day. The new AI features — noise reduction, beat detection, and silence trimming via the OpenVINO plugin pack — closed the gap with paid tools without changing the price.
Who it's for: Podcasters, musicians, voice actors, and anyone who needs reliable multi-track audio editing without paying for Pro Tools.
Layer as many tracks as your machine can handle — voice, music, SFX — and mix non-destructively.
The spectral noise reduction tool, plus the OpenVINO AI pack, removes hiss and hum without artifacts.
GPL-licensed — use it at home, in the studio, or commercially. Zero cost, zero restrictions.
Apply EQ, compression, and reverb and hear changes live rather than rendering to preview.
Audacity is the audio editor you should install first — before you ever consider paying. It handles 90% of podcast and voiceover work for zero dollars.