--- title: "SOUND FORGE Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about SOUND FORGE Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Audio Editing products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/214599/SOUND-FORGE/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- # SOUND FORGE Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on October 19, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) SOUND FORGE ## What is SOUND FORGE? SOUND FORGE is a professional audio editing platform with powerful editing tools, ultra-fast processing, and an innovative workflow. ## What is SOUND FORGE used for? [Audio Editing](https://www.capterra.com/audio-editing-software/) Overall rating Based on 29 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 97% Neutral 3% Negative 0% Starting price $60 Per User, Per Month Free trial not available Free version not included Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for SOUND FORGE?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/sound-forge/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### SOUND FORGE 4.7 (29) VS. [### Audacity](https://www.capterra.com/p/214605/Audacity/) [4.5 (470)](https://www.capterra.com/p/214605/Audacity/reviews/) Starting Price $60 Per Feature Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.4 (29) Ease Of Use 4.3 (470) Value For Money 4.3 (24) Value For Money 4.8 (335) Customer Service 4.2 (18) Customer Service 4.1 (242) ## SOUND FORGE alternatives Highest Rated [Logic Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/214597/Logic-Pro/) [4.8 (152)](https://www.capterra.com/p/214597/Logic-Pro/reviews/) Starting price $199.99 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/214597/Logic-Pro/) [Adobe Audition](https://www.capterra.com/p/214606/Adobe-Audition/) [4.7 (246)](https://www.capterra.com/p/214606/Adobe-Audition/reviews/) Starting price $33.99 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/214606/Adobe-Audition/) [Adobe Premiere Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/233456/Adobe-Premiere-Pro/) [4.7 (574)](https://www.capterra.com/p/233456/Adobe-Premiere-Pro/reviews/) Starting price $20.99 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/233456/Adobe-Premiere-Pro/) [Pro Tools](https://www.capterra.com/p/214607/Pro-Tools/) [4.7 (94)](https://www.capterra.com/p/214607/Pro-Tools/reviews/) Starting price $34.99 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/214607/Pro-Tools/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/214599/SOUND-FORGE/alternatives/) ## FAQs about SOUND FORGE Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from SOUND FORGE? SOUND FORGE is most used by audio producers, musicians, composers, and radio professionals who edit recordings, prepare tracks, and manage broadcast-ready audio. Video producers, lead editors, and creative teams use it to clean dialogue and build sound for media projects, while engineers and business owners handle technical audio tasks and client deliverables. Answer based on 29 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is SOUND FORGE built for? SOUND FORGE is built primarily for small businesses in media production, representing 83% and 17% of reviewers, respectively. It also serves midsize businesses (14%) and enterprises (3%), with additional adoption in arts and crafts and music, each at 10%. Its reported use case is audio editing. Answer based on 29 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of SOUND FORGE? SOUND FORGE includes audio recording and audio capture for voices, instruments, narrations, and podcast conversations. Its core audio editor and audio manipulation tools support editing and cleaning individual audio files, while audio mixing, mastering, and plug-in integration help prepare finished recordings with effects and processing. Answer based on 17 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does SOUND FORGE offer? SOUND FORGE provides videos as its training format. Videos give teams a visual, self-paced way to learn product features and follow setup or workflow steps as needed. Answer based on 2 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does SOUND FORGE offer? SOUND FORGE provides a knowledge base for self-service support and product guidance. With no reviewer feedback on support experiences, user sentiment about response times, helpfulness, or common frustrations is not available, so support quality cannot be assessed from reviews. ## Features AI summary Based on 1,497 Audio Editing reviews Capterra reviewers point to these as the top priorities when choosing audio editing software: - **Plug-in Integration** (**48%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Audio Editor** (**55%**) - **Audio Recording** (**57%**) SOUND FORGE supports all three features buyers rate most highly: **Plug-in Integration**, **Audio Editor**, and **Audio Recording**. Together, these capabilities give teams a complete setup for capturing audio, editing it with precision, and expanding functionality with compatible plug-ins, helping businesses produce polished audio more efficiently. Plug-in Integration 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Add or enhance audio-related functionality with third-party audio plug-ins. Audio Recording 4.8 (21) 76.19% of 21 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Record and edit recorded audio and/or video Audio Capture 4.6 (13) 84.62% of 13 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Record audio or import/upload audio files Audio Manipulation 4.5 (23) 86.96% of 23 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Edit audio tracks with effects, filters, modulation techniques, etc. Audio Mixing 4.3 (16) 68.75% of 16 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Combine and manage multitrack recordings Audio Editor 4.8 (22) 81.82% of 22 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Visual GUI that allows users to manage audio tracks, instruments, filters, etc. SOUND FORGE 11 features ### All Features - Audio Capture: Record audio or import/upload audio files - Audio Editor: Visual GUI that allows users to manage audio tracks, instruments, filters, etc. - Audio Manipulation: Edit audio tracks with effects, filters, modulation techniques, etc. - Audio Mixing: Combine and manage multitrack recordings - Audio Recording: Record and edit recorded audio and/or video - Collaboration Tools: Provides a channel for team members to share AI models, media files, communicate, and work together - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Mastering: Transfer recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device or third-party website - Monitoring: Observe and track the demand, usage, progress or quality of a system, product, or user - Plug-in Integration: Add or enhance audio-related functionality with third-party audio plug-ins. - Real-Time Monitoring: Active monitoring of systems, applications, or networks --- Features 4.6 (29) 4.6 Based on 29 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.3 (24) Basic $60.00 Per Feature, Value for money 4.3 (24) 4.3 Based on 24 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.2 (18) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.2 (18) 4.2 Based on 18 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.7 Based on 29 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(22) 4(6) 3(1) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful CE CEO CEO Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Puissant et précis pour l’édition audio" 5.0 December 2, 2025 Mon expérience avec SOUND FORGE est très positive. C’est un outil professionnel et puissant qui facilite l’édition et le mastering audio. Je le recommande à tous ceux qui cherchent un logiciel stable, précis et complet pour travailler sur l’audio. Pros J’apprécie la précision des outils d’édition, la rapidité du workflow et la qualité des effets intégrés. L’interface est claire et permet de travailler efficacement sur des projets complexes. Cons Le logiciel peut sembler un peu complexe pour les débutants et certaines fonctionnalités avancées demandent un temps d’apprentissage. CO Composer-Producer Composer-Producer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Sound Forge: The Perfect Stand Alone Audio Editor" 5.0 January 6, 2025 Great software and really serves it's purposes well. Top of the line enhancements that really improve work out put. Pros Ease of access and straightforward use. High end enhancements for your audio files. Cons After the other Apps I already have in my library of audio editor and audio work it doesn't serve as much of a purpose. AW Aid Worker Aid Worker Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Well kitted and ever improving. " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 May 26, 2022 SF is very complete in many ways as there are many tools sufficiently provided to handle any audio editing task. Pros I have been using Sound Forge for a while and it keeps on getting better and better with the newer versions/upgrades. Currently I am using SF Pro 16 and many aspects have been improved with added features. One of the recent feature that has been very instrumental in my working with SF is the Vocal Activity Detection (VAD) which uses AI to detect human vocals in an audio file and applies a red color on the audio wave where vocals are detected. This enables me to enhance vocals in many ways by either applying effects or changing vocal dynamics without necessarily having to alter the background music or ambience. I have found this feature quite helpful especially in editing interview podcasts etc. Cons There is a lot of small icons in the data windows and general software which gives the feel of clutter and can easily dissuade someone from engaging SF especially in the learning stages. However, the inbuilt interactive tutorials make editing easy. Deepak M. Owner Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Review of Sound Forge" 3.0 April 29, 2022 Overall, Sound Forge is a good piece of software but I found it lacking in comparison with Audacity. Pros Sound Forge is quite easy to use, even for the first-time user. It is quite feature rich and even amateurs can use its features quite easily. Cons Its noise-reduction / noise-cancellation feature falls far short of ideal. Its noise gate technology tends to distort the recording rather than filter out the noise. Irfan K. Senior Transmission Engineer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Sound Forge is Awesome for Music Producers " 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 July 5, 2021 Overall, it's good for audio editing. It has simple controls and easy to learn. It supports VST plugins that is a strong point. I have done a lot of my early radio projects on Sound Forge and I thank the company for its great support. Pros I like Sound Forge for its powerful editing tools. It is simply a top-notch software when it comes to audio recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. I work in a commercial radio station and I'm confident to say that Sound Forge has been a great help over the years. It has enabled us to maintain crystal-clear audio quality and improved audio production. Multitrack recording, batch conversion, high-quality audio, many different file formats support and hotkey functions are my favorites. Cons It doesn't a lot of options for noise reduction. I work with noisy voiceovers associated with a lot of outdoor noise and sometimes studio ambiance. It doesn't clean up the Vos to a level that other competitors like Adobe Audition can do. There's another thing that I kinda hate about Sound Forge and that's the speed to load large files. It lags and takes a lot of time to process. Michelle M. Independent Consultant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Inexpensive Audio Power House" 5.0 December 2, 2022 I integrate Sound Forge into all of my DAWs as my audio editor of choice, for times when there is a need to directly edit the sound file in a track on a project I'm working with. Pros Sound Forge continues to be one of the most effective audio tools in my toolbox, and newer editions of the software have added a video track as well, all for under $50. Cons The only issue I experience with Sound Forge is my fault - I have collected probably close to 2000 audio plugins, from synths to sound effects. All audio software has to scan the computer for available plugins and this takes forever. The only way to prevent this interminable wait at start-up is for me to move all but the essential plugins I predict I will need into a standby directory. I wish audio software offered me a way to choose which plugins to load on the start up screen but none of them do this. AA Administration Assistant Administration Assistant Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Works great for audio processing" 5.0 May 25, 2022 Having a time tested platform for audio processing makes me feel comfortable with my production. I am glad that I can access Sound Forge both on a Window PC and Mac. Pros Sound forge has been a key tool for me especially when I need to work with more DirectX & VST plugins. Using its Plug-in Chain window I am able to experiment with as many effects as possible without ruining my original audio file(s) as this tool allows me to process these plugins in real time with playback within the data window. Once I am satisfied with the output, I can have it applied by saving the file. That is very key to my use case. Also the file saving is not limited to available file formats, I can always save the raw file to specify format parameters that work with a specific project/target platform. Cons Not much of negatives here. However it is quite expensive to upgrade to a newer version. VP Video Producer Video Producer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Quick and very effective way to capture and manipulate an audio file, quickly!" 5.0 August 2, 2021 Sound forge can be a little simplistic if you look it at a glance, but it does perform very well to capture audio and manipulate sound for a quick in and out when I am working on a video project. I like the fact that it's fairly light on my system when I am running premiere and After Effects at the same time. I grew up using Sound Forge, and it helped me several times while on a time crunch. Although the UI can be a little too bland and simplistic, you can quickly manipulate audio and get back to your work without too much effort. I alway keep Sound Forge on a click away, even tho I find myself using Mixcraft more and more these days. Being a Magix software, be prepared to be asked to upgrade to a newer version when you fire you software, but not that big of a deal. there are several versions of the software, so make sure you chose the one that will tackle your audio needs. Overall, give sme piece of mind that I can access a great audio editor when I need to. Pros Fairly light software to run simultaneously while you need to fire it up and do a quick recording. Very powerful and versatile. Cons Can be a bit restrictive to some people looking for a full feature DAW, so not a complete solution for audio producers LE Lead Editor Lead Editor Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "SOUND FORGE: A Classic Audio Editor" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 June 24, 2022 I started using SOUND FORGE in the 90s, and it was almost the only game in town. It was fun and easy to use, and I would always recommend it to beginners, especially. But it's fully capable of pro audio editing! Pros SOUND FORGE was practically an industry standard in the late-90s and 2000's, and with good reason. The clean, simple interface made it easy to learn how to edit audio, apply effects, and master mixes; all in a light package. Cons SOUND FORGE was strictly a PC app until recently, and even then, Mac support has been spurious, and the company has been sold twice since the 00's. I eventually switched to Steinberg Wavelab, as it offers a main mix bus, plus hundreds of more advanced features for professional mastering. CH Creative head Creative head Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "One of the oldest and best audio editing software." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 13, 2022 Overall its the one stop shop for all audio editing and recording needs. I have been creating extended versions of songs, mixing audio tracks for videos, recording and cleaning audio files recorded from Vinyls and cassettes, enhancing audio low quality audio files for more than a decade now. Pros I think sound forge has been the go to software for audio editing and recording for the past 15 years or so. And it has aged well I must say. The interface is intuitive and you can pretty much work your way around on your own, by using the extensive help section for each tool. I remember getting a 10 minute orientation on the software for the first time and I was on my way. The quality of edits and previews is top notch, and it also works according to your system configuration which is a great feature. Cons The best noise reduction available is on Sound forge and it is very expensive as well, and available as a separate plugin. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/214599/SOUND-FORGE/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Audacity vs SOUND FORGE](https://www.capterra.com/compare/214599-214605/SOUND-FORGE-vs-Audacity)[Logic Pro vs SOUND FORGE](https://www.capterra.com/compare/214597-214599/Logic-Pro-vs-SOUND-FORGE) [Pro Tools vs SOUND FORGE](https://www.capterra.com/compare/214599-214607/SOUND-FORGE-vs-Pro-Tools)[REAPER vs SOUND FORGE](https://www.capterra.com/compare/214599-214602/SOUND-FORGE-vs-Reaper)