Audacity Review 2026

Pricing

Best For

• Budget-conscious podcasters
• Beginners learning audio editing
• Linux users needing a capable editor
• Simple podcast editing tasks

Compare Audacity with Alternatives

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Frequently asked questions

How much does Audacity cost?

Audacity is free. There is a single plan, it costs $0, and there is no paid upgrade.

Is Audacity really free?

Yes. Audacity costs nothing, has no paid tier, no subscription, and no watermark or export limit; every effect and plugin format ships in the one free download. It is open source and now maintained by Muse Group, which also runs audio.com, an optional online companion for sharing files and keeping cloud backups. Using audio.com is a separate choice, and the desktop editor works fully without an account.

What can Audacity do for podcasts?

It records and edits multitrack episodes: capture a mic or interface, cut and arrange clips, apply noise reduction and a noise gate, normalise or compress levels, add music beds, and export MP3 or WAV for your host. It reads VST, VST3, Audio Units, and LV2 plugins if you want outside processing. What it does not do is non-destructive editing, real-time collaboration, or transcription, so most edits are committed as you make them and you undo rather than revise.

Audacity vs REAPER: which should a podcaster use?

Audacity if you want to be editing today for nothing. REAPER if you edit weekly and want non-destructive multitrack, custom actions, and batch processing, which is worth the $60 licence and the setup time. Audacity's destructive workflow starts to hurt once episodes have music beds and several guests. Side-by-side at /tools/compare/audacity-vs-reaper.

What is Audacity?

Audacity is a free audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It handles multitrack recording, unlimited tracks, noise reduction, and plugins in VST, VST3, Audio Units, LADSPA, and LV2 formats. It is the most widely used free audio editor.

Is Audacity open source?

Yes. Audacity is open-source software with a single free tier that includes every effect and full multitrack editing, so no feature sits behind a paid version. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, including older hardware.

What are the pros and cons of Audacity?

In its favour: it costs nothing, runs on all three desktop platforms, supports VST, VST3, AU, and LV2 plugins, and has a large community and documentation behind it. Against it: the editing workflow is destructive, the interface is dated, there is no real-time collaboration, and MIDI support is limited. For simple podcast editing those limits rarely bite.