Audacity review
A capable free editor for multitrack audio, recording, restoration and format conversion.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Audacity is a free, open-source desktop application for recording, editing, mixing and exporting audio. It suits podcasters, musicians, field recorders, educators and other creators who need a capable multitrack editor across Windows, macOS and Linux. Live recording from microphones or mixers, overdubbing, mixing, format conversion and spectrogram analysis cover a broad set of everyday audio tasks. Support for MP3, WAV, FLAC and AIFF also makes it practical for working with common files.
The software itself has no paid plan or trial, so the core feature set is available without a subscription. It includes noise reduction, equalization, reverb, distortion and other built-in effects, along with third-party audio plugin support such as VST3 and Nyquist. Projects can be saved locally, while optional cloud saving through Audio.com adds backups, versioning and collaborator sharing; that cloud storage may incur separate charges. FFmpeg support further extends format import, export and conversion workflows.
Audacity is particularly strong when the priority is accessible desktop audio editing rather than a full music-production or audiovisual suite. Local Whisper AI speech-to-text transcription adds a useful option for spoken-word projects, and the combination of restoration tools, analysis views and multitrack editing gives the application substantial range. It is less suitable for users who require MIDI sequencing or video sync. Choose Audacity for free, cross-platform recording and editing; consider an alternative if composition workflows or tightly integrated video production are central requirements.
Audacity pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux
- Multitrack editing, recording, mixing and built-in restoration effects
- Supports third-party plugins, cloud projects and local Whisper transcription
- Where it doesn't
- No MIDI sequencing for composing or sequencing instruments
- No video sync for audiovisual editing workflows
- Audio.com cloud storage may incur separate charges
Audacity fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update