Rosegarden

At a glance

• Editor score
  3.0 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Linux users seeking free open-source sequencing
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  Free
• Third-party plugins
  Yes
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Combines MIDI sequencing, audio arrangement, and notation editing
  • Supports multitrack editing, mixing, routing, and time-stretching
  • Integrates with ALSA, JACK, LADSPA, DSSI, and LilyPond

• Where it doesn't

  • Linux-only, with no support for other platforms
  • Does not provide audio waveform editing
  • Some audio features depend on external infrastructure and libraries

Our verdict on Rosegarden

Rosegarden is an open-source Linux desktop application for composing, arranging, recording, and editing music. It brings MIDI sequencing and recording, music notation editing with score printing, audio arrangement, multitrack editing, mixing, hosted synth instruments, and plugin support into one application. Its feature set suits composers, musicians, music students, and small studio or home-recording environments that want a free tool centered on Linux-based music production.

The main strength is its fit within the Linux audio ecosystem. Rosegarden supports ALSA and JACK, along with LADSPA effects plugins, DSSI synth plugins, and LilyPond. Its MIDI tools cover devices, banks, programs, and controllers, while its track editor handles both MIDI and audio tracks. That combination gives Linux users a broad composing and sequencing workspace, with notation and score printing included rather than treated as a separate task.

Rosegarden is distributed under the GNU General Public License and can be installed through Linux distribution packages, Flatpak, or source code. The trade-off is a narrow platform focus: it is Linux-only, so users working on other operating systems should choose an alternative. Its documentation also states that it does not provide audio waveform editing, and some audio and plugin capabilities depend on optional build-time libraries and external audio infrastructure. Choose Rosegarden for open-source Linux sequencing with notation and MIDI depth; look elsewhere if cross-platform access or waveform editing is central to the workflow.

Your product? Our editors can test Rosegarden in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Rosegarden pricing

Rosegarden fact sheet

Rosegarden integrations

Rosegarden lists 5 integrations on its own site.

• ALSA
• JACK
• LADSPA
• DSSI
• LilyPond

Alternatives to Rosegarden

• PTPro ToolsA broad workstation for studios spanning music production, audio post, and immersive mixing.9.4
• REAPERA flexible desktop DAW with broad audio and MIDI tools and a one-time license from $60.9.3
• Logic ProA broad audio and MIDI workstation for Apple-based producers and video composers.9.2

See all Rosegarden alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

Rosegarden is listed in our Audio Editing Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update