Audacity records and edits audio with a straightforward destructive workflow: noise reduction, normalisation, cutting, and exporting. For podcast cleanup, voiceover trimming, and quick format conversion it is faster than a full DAW because there is nothing to configure. It is free and open source.
Who it is for
A podcaster cleaning up a single recorded interview and exporting an MP3.
Key features
- Noise reduction and normalization
- Multi-track recording and editing
- Spectrogram view for audio analysis
- Exports WAV, MP3, FLAC, and OGG
- VST and LADSPA plugin support
- Destructive edits, no project history
Where it falls short
The interface looks dated, destructive editing means mistakes are permanent unless you keep copies, and multitrack work is awkward.
Pricing
Free and open source with no paid tier or account; there is no cloud storage or sync, so backups are your responsibility.
Prices move; the tier structure is the part that stays true. Check current pricing on Audacity.
Alternatives to Audacity
Frequently asked
Is Audacity free?
Yes. Free and open source with no paid tier or account; there is no cloud storage or sync, so backups are your responsibility.
What is Audacity best for?
A podcaster cleaning up a single recorded interview and exporting an MP3.
What are the best alternatives to Audacity?
The closest substitutes we list are REAPER. They sit in a similar price bracket but make a different trade-off, so read the weaknesses section of each review before switching.
Which platforms does Audacity run on?
Audacity is available on macOS, Windows and Linux.