# Audacity Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Audacity the right Audio Editing solution for you? Explore 466 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/214605/Audacity/reviews --- Audacity 4.5 (466) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/214605/Audacity/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated April 23rd, 2026 # Reviews of Audacity Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.1 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Shaun D ProducerEntertainment, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It works with multiple audio formats, stereo and mono tracks, etc. If, like me, you sometimes get audio tracks in a variety of formats because the people you record with aren't necessarily using the same software, this saves a lot of time should I need to convert formats to mp3 or wav.“ July 11, 2025 Jeremy H Host and OwnerEntertainment, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The background data use can be a strain on even a beefy system. If it was made clearer what data is being used in the background as well as alerting when the data strain may cause a application crash“ May 8, 2026 Steven Craig W BossComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Using audacity I can isolate vocals and music and separate them which is useful for two things: Extracting vocals only, or creating instrumentals.“ May 28, 2025 RD Ruth D DesignerPublishing, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Sometimes the settings aren’t set for the best sound and should have more tutorials available to use.“ March 22, 2026 Shaun D ProducerEntertainment, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “In the last few years, it has offered a robust list of audio processing effects, which has reduced my reliance on third party plugins or third party software/apps.“ July 11, 2025 Shaun D ProducerEntertainment, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I've found it unreliable for recording multiple tracks via digital tools such as Skype, Discord, etc.“ July 11, 2025 CG Carly G Curriculum designer and trainerFood & Beverages, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Overall my experience with audacity is quite positive because what I needed was just a simple, basic, straightforward, audio, editing, tool that also allowed me to record.“ December 5, 2025 DM Davide M Indie Game DeveloperComputer Games, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Audacity's GUI sometimes feels old, it does not have a darkmode (even if this is not a proble for many) and with all the things you can click on in the menus you often need some minutes to find the option you want.“ October 9, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 466 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Jeremy H. Host and Owner Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A great free product with very little bloat" May 8, 2026 4.0 I have been an Audacity user for over a decade and have enjoyed using it. My biggest issue is the additional unnecessary updates as well as usage policies that the company has implemented over the years Pros The amount of tools available for free to help any creator edit quality audio with so much ease of use Cons The background data use can be a strain on even a beefy system. If it was made clearer what data is being used in the background as well as alerting when the data strain may cause a application crash Review Source Shaun D. Producer Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Solid Piece of Free Audio Editing Software" July 11, 2025 5.0 I have been using Audacity for 15 years to produce the same podcast. For what I need, Audacity is virtually flawless (especially once you dial in the settings for built-in effects). In the last few years, it has offered a robust list of audio processing effects, which has reduced my reliance on third party plugins or third party software/apps. Overall, I have found Audacity reliable and powerful enough for my needs such that I'm unlikely to switch to an alternative platform. Pros 1) It is robust and, once you know how to use it, relatively easy to use, especially if your needs involve small, audio-focused projects like multi-track podcasts, etc. In my case, I use it to process multiple tracks of audio for a commentary podcast in both audio and video format. At this stage in development, Audacity does basically everything I need it to do. 2) The interface is fairly simple and intuitive, and hotkeys are easy to learn. This all makes learning the platform and editing audio a breeze once you know what you're doing. 3) The latest editions of Audacity have moved to a format with fewer individual files, which makes it easier for managing backups. I personally value this because the old format was rather cumbersome. 4) It works with multiple audio formats, stereo and mono tracks, etc. If, like me, you sometimes get audio tracks in a variety of formats because the people you record with aren't necessarily using the same software, this saves a lot of time should I need to convert formats to mp3 or wav. Cons 1) While I have no personally experienced, many of my colleagues in the Apple ecosystem have run into periodic trouble with recording reliably. Occasionally, the solution involves reverting to an older edition, which isn't that big of a deal. Other times, however, it simply won't work. This leads to 2. 2) Since it is primarily free software, support is primarily community based. The community is great, but it has all the weaknesses of any support system reliant on individuals volunteering their time. There is SOME help documentation, but I found that I rely more on 3rd party tutorials than within the existing help documentation (which is sometimes out of date) or Audacity-focused forums. In the grand scheme, I see this as a "you get what you pay for" thing. 3) I've found it unreliable for recording multiple tracks via digital tools such as Skype, Discord, etc. We've found workarounds for this, so I don't see it as a major problem, but it may be a deal breaker for others looking to use Audacity as their primary recording software. 4) If you don't know much about audio editing, the learning curve is a tad steep. However, there are plenty of online tutorials by other users to help work through this. I'm not sure the developers can fix this issue, though. If you're doing the kind of work Audacity is good for, you just have to work through the initial learning curve to get the desired results. Review Source Cristhian Josue J. CEO Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity, a simple and always useful audio recording software" August 25, 2021 3.0 Personally, I use this software to record some voices in low spec PC's or when I need to record something quickly and easily, for these functions audacity is a great option, but when it comes to doing the full project I don't have the tools I would like to have, do I recommend audacity? Yes, but only as an alternative, not to use it as the main software. Pros Audacity is that software with most of us start in the audio recording and editing world, its facility of use and simplicity make it one of the most notable options for people who only want to record audio (plus it's free). Personally, I recommend this daw for people who only want to record voices for a podcast, or for musicians who only want to record demos in a quick and easy way, just by clicking the record button we will be doing everything we want. Cons Audacity is... very limited, it is good in its main function, but it really can't offer us much more, today there are daw's and free software more complete than audacity, searching in the web we can find advanced options for any musician, especially for people who focus on mixing and mastering, functions that are very difficult to do in audacity. Review Source AH Anne H. Senior Learning Designer and Developer Insurance Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity - Free High Quality Audio Editing Tool" April 23, 2026 5.0 It creates high quality audio. It is easy to edit and costs way less than its competitors. It has a good variety of audio tools to enhance your audio. Pros Audacity is affordable and provides great value for free. The audio editing tools are incredible and produce high quality, professional recordings. Cons It took a few minutes to find the tool and download it, but once it was installed it was pretty straight forward. Review Source Steven Craig W. Boss Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity Of The Audacious Music Makers!" May 28, 2025 5.0 Using audacity I can isolate vocals and music and separate them which is useful for two things: Extracting vocals only, or creating instrumentals. Pretty neat! Pros This is the best music editing program I've ever used to transform my beats easier with uploading the beats .mp3 file into audacity and mastering there! Cons Audacity can only record locally. You cannot record audio remotely using it, which means you'll need a separate tool like Riverside or Squadcast for remote recording if you need that functionality. Review Source CG Carly G. Curriculum designer and trainer Food & Beverages Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Free quick and simple audio editing tool" December 5, 2025 4.0 Overall my experience with audacity is quite positive because what I needed was just a simple, basic, straightforward, audio, editing, tool that also allowed me to record. It didn’t have all extra knickknacks and bells and whistles, but it’s a powerful audio editing software that I recommend other people who are looking for something simple. Pros I used audacity as a free tool for editing and creating audio. It’s an amazing free tool that allows you to do the basics of audio editing and recording. What I like is it does allow you to pinpoint exactly where you want to edit certain things without having to constantly stop and play to find where you want to edit. It was also really easy to install and quickly edit what I needed. Cons It is just a basic editing software so the features are quite simple and straightforward which some people may not like because they want some more editing features. So if you’re looking for something basic to edit, audio, audacity is for you. But if you are looking for something with a lot more flair to it, then audacity wouldn’t be your choice. Review Source TB Travis B. Solutions Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audactity is free?! Awesome! " June 17, 2025 5.0 I would say I use Audacity 2-3 times a week and for what I use it for, it makes my tasks easy and quick. Great product! Pros The fact that Audacity is still a freeware is crazy to me. There are so many features and functions that can only be found in paid versions of software. Cons Sometimes, editing can be a bit tricky if you are not familiar with music editing software. For the most part, everything is laid out nicely and labeled to make finding effects pretty straight forward. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Voice Actor Motion Pictures and Film Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great lightweight choice for sound editing." March 14, 2026 5.0 Never had any issues installing Audacity or running it, be it on an old laptop or a brand-new PC. It just works. Pros I really appreciate how lightweight Audacity is. You don't get bogged down with needless updates every time you launch. The interface is clean and intuitive, and it has a suite useful of features. Cons There's honestly not much to dislike about Audacity for basic sound editing and design. I've used it for years. Review Source AB Angela B. Voice Actor E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Its OK but I DON'T Recommend" June 10, 2025 5.0 It is great if you can not afford to purchase other software. It is a good DAW when it works properly. Pros It is free and it works, most of the time. The audio is professional quality. The tools are much more basic than other paid programs making it easier to learn. Cons The bugs were a frequent issue. This caused reliability issues when planning to record while working with others under time crunches. Review Source RD Ruth D. Designer Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Record yourself or convert audio with the best! " March 22, 2026 5.0 I have used Audacity for many years to record/narrate audio and convert from wav to mp3. It is easy to trim audio from different clips to put together. It’s great to use! Pros Great tool for recording audio for promotion, commercials and audiobooks. Easy to use and is updated frequently with new features. Cons Sometimes the settings aren’t set for the best sound and should have more tutorials available to use. Review Source TO Trevor O. Composer-Educator Music Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Audacity delivers. For FREE this is a top notch product." November 25, 2024 5.0 I used Audacity personally when I was just beginning and it certainly 'wet my appetite' for the creative avenues digital music recording allows. Because it's FREE there's no loss to take a dive into the features. And it certainly delivers for the price. I have also used it in a classroom setting and it's also great place to start with students. Pros No way around it. This is a great FREE app. That's a great place to start your audio recording experience. Cons I don't like to criticize FREE apps...cause they are FREE. But...my experience it lags on the MIDI features. So if you plan to do live MIDI recordings of your parts, you will need to go back and do some MIDI bumping of your events cause it will struggle with proper placement. Review Source RS RICARDO S. Sales Representative Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Free and affective audio editing tool." March 9, 2025 5.0 It has been very useful for audio editing. Pros The interface is very intuitive and it is completely free to use. Cons It doesn’t come with built-in virtual instruments. Review Source DV Devon V. Director of Creative Design Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Budget Friendly Audio Editing" August 23, 2024 4.0 My experience ranges from creating music to creating voice over and narratives for presentations to also editing parts of a podcast. I've also used this to investigate audio from ghost hunting investigations. Pros One of the best things about this program is that it's free and gives you a lot of tools to edit audio that you would need ahead of making videos, creating music or making a podcast. Cons There can be a learning curve that comes with this program and understanding all the features and possibilities. Review Source AR Armando R. Graphic desing Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Audacity is a free and open source audio recording and editing software." May 2, 2023 5.0 It's a really easy and intuitive software to use, and it's also free. Pros Audacity is a free and open source audio recording and editing software, available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It is a very useful and popular tool for audio editing, especially in the field of music production and podcast creation. Cons Although Audacity does not offer virtual instrument functionality, it is still a very useful tool for general audio editing and mixing. Review Source GW GERALD W. President Broadcast Media Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great free product that has a learning curve" May 21, 2021 4.0 I'm a scriptwriter in the film and TV business, basically writing drama. I do a lot of research for many of the projects I work on. Some of the research is audio research, such as recording radio documentaries relating to subjects I'm working on. These audio recordings are as useful as any written material, and I often share them with directors and producers I'm working with. Once you get the hang of it, which really shouldn't take too long, it's a great, safe program. Pros I like to record podcasts, radio dramas, etc. and was recommended this program as a free, good program for that purpose. It's an excellent deal for the money ($0). I know my way around computers but have no real expertise at sound mixing or recording. I use Audacity basically as a recording medium. You can easily set the time length of the recording, press record, start the audio you want to record, and it works completely in the background, shutting itself off when the timer stops. After that you can click file, export (usually to MP3) assign the folder to store the recording and and it will process the audio and there you go. You can also set it to record and stop at a specific time. Audacity will basically record any audio that passes through your speakers and as a bare bones user that's precisely what I use it for. Audacity is a very powerful program and from what I can see can be used by professional or semi-professional sound engineers. It has many functions, 90% of which I never use and would not know how to use. But that's fine. You can use it without any fear of malware, advertising, someone trying to sell you something. And I appreciate that. Cons Audacity, as I said, is a complex, powerful program. Even for doing the simple type of recording I do, there is a bit of a learning curve. For instance, after the audio recording has stopped one would logically export it to a folder where it would be saved. But you have to press stop, even if the recording has stopped. Otherwise export will not work. Not a big deal but it took some figuring and looking at the manual and instructional websites to find that out. Audacity saves recordings as projects. I'm still not completely sure what a project is, but when I first began using Audacity I inadvertently saved many projects and found my computer slowing down. A tech support guy found the issue and I erased all the Audacity files that were taking up a lot of memory. Little issues like that. Also, it seems every time I get a new computer and install Audacity, it doesn't work. I end up with a lot of hair pulling getting it working. That's not really Audacity's fault. You have to have the right configuration in Windows audio settings and they're not that easy to figure out. It takes some trial and error, but once you find the right configuration, Audacity works fine. Audacity is free. There's no one to call for tech support. So be prepared to spend a bit of time setting it up and getting it to work. But once it is set up it's great. At least for the simple recording I do. Review Source aG adam G. Owner Consumer Goods Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity is good for beginners to pros" March 2, 2022 5.0 When I need to learn songs sometimes the parts are complex. Audacity allows me to record my parts and slow them down to any speed I need to learn them. This made my life so much easier. Certainly there were and are a lot of costly programs that will do the same thing, but as the old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Audacity solved my problem of needing something to help me learn my parts and so it as been invaluable! Pros For me personally I used it to help me learn my guitar parts for my band. It allowed me to capture audio from several sources and file them. I could then speed up, slow down as need be to learn and practice. Later on when I started to write some material it allowed me to create my own songs with multiple tracks. As I am still a noobie I am in awe of the people who can use Audacity to its fullest. My son writes all the music for his band and Audacity allowed him to write and record all the guitar parts as well as bass and drum tracks, mix and edit them. As well is allows him to write and record stems and store them for future use. He used Audacity for his first 2 cd's and I was amazed! Cons To be honest, I am such a beginner that there is nothing for me not to like. Perhaps if I had the time and need to really dive in I might find some things, but that is not the case. So far Audacity is everything I need and could hope for, and you can't beat the price!! Reason for choosing Audacity Free and easy baby! Review Source GB German B. Productor de Contenidos Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My accomplice for excellent audio results" February 25, 2023 4.0 It is my accomplice to optimize results in the incorporation of voice in my audiovisual work. I use it and continue to use it because it is part of the tools that allow me to present quality work to my customers. Pros Work with audiovisual production, I really like the audio quality that is achieved through this application. It is one of my favorite programs to optimize voice edition. It allows you to achieve a very professional sound in my videos and that is what I like most about the program. Cons It does not present a very friendly interface, it is rather somewhat sober and somewhat complicated for Nobel users. Whenever I recommend it to people with little experience in this type of programs, they complain that it is a bit complicated to use and recognize their functions. Although they recognize their potential, they have a hard time being able to adapt to their graphic environment. In my case, that I use it regularly, Siegue being somewhat complex when I want to venture to deepen or activate other functionalities other than I usually use. I think you should change your design style and present a friendly interface and with more buttons with icons that facilitate the activation of your most common functions or even that you can be customized, as well as the different options offered by a professional camera, as soon as to configurations that allow us to be personalized at the user's choice. Review Source james A. trainee Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "audacity-200." March 25, 2023 5.0 Pros audacity gave me the opportunity to use my creativity into music and changing sounds to more smoothened and easier versions to understand.dddd Cons there aren't many options to choose from, but mainly i suggest that the only point that doesn't let me use audacity to a full potential, is the complex system behind all the ideas i want to adoperate. Review Source Angela P. Career Coach & Counselor Human Resources Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A user-friendly, powerful and flexible tool" March 29, 2023 4.0 I've been using Audacity for a while now to do home record editing. I sing in a small jazz ensemble (it's a passion, not my profession) and we use Audacity to edit the songs we record. I have to say, I'm really impressed with this software.First of all, Audacity is entirely free to use. Despite being free, it has many great features that make it a powerful tool for recording and editing audio.One of the things I love about Audacity is its user-friendly interface. It's very intuitive and easy to use, even if you don't have any experience with audio editing software, like me.Overall, I think Audacity is a fantastic tool for anyone who wants to do home recording and editing. It's powerful, easy to use, and completely free. I would recommend it to anyone needing high-quality audio recording and editing software. Pros First of all, Audacity is completely free to use. Despite being free, it has a lot of great features that make it a powerful tool for recording and editing audio.One of the things I love about Audacity is its user-friendly interface. It's very intuitive and easy to use, even if you don't have any experience with audio editing software, like me. This is important for me because I'm not a professional audio engineer or anything like that. I sing for passion, it's not my profession.Another great feature of Audacity is its ability to edit multiple tracks. This is really useful for me because I record each instrument separately and then edit them together. With Audacity, I can easily see and edit each track individually. Cons Sometimes I have synchronization problems between tracks, and it requires work, especially for me since I'm not an expert. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelancer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Do you want to learn audio engineering quickly and easily ?" March 21, 2022 5.0 To be honest, I've used it for over 3 years and only use it when I'm in a hurry, it serves the purpose at that moment . Pros Speed and ease are always required for anyone, whether it is for their own company or for another business. Time these days is important, and anyone should take advantage of it. I apologize for the introduction, but it will save me the trouble of delivering information to you. I will not say that it is the best audio engineering program, but there are other programs that are more in-depth in this field, such as Adobe Audition, but what is unique about Audacity is that it is very easy to use and has all the things that you will use in audio engineering like other programs . You can master it in a few days, the user interface is very simple and you will not have difficulty, the nice thing is that it is open source, and anyone can download it for free. Cons It is true that the user interface is simple and easy to deal with, but it is not the beauty of Adobe Audition, there you feel that you are in an audio engineering program Unlike Audacity , which you don't feel it . Review Source Vicente G. CEO Computer Hardware Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I love the most practical and free sound editor on the market." October 9, 2022 4.0 With this program I have been able to adjust the pitch of many songs according to the singer, I have also been able to increase the volume of recordings made with other programs. I have also been able to extract sound from videos to convert the sound tracks obtained into musical backgrounds for events. Pros I like the ease of use and the constant improvement that is made with new versions of the program. It is very practical to use it for editing music tracks and combining its files with other music editors. Cons An implementation that is needed is to be able to place in the clipboard the content of a track to be able to mix it with another track of another music editing program, which would be spectacular in the competition for the versatility. Review Source FH Friedman H. Musician Entertainment Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Audacity made my life easy" November 12, 2022 5.0 I love Audacity, it is way comfortable to use, it saves time of having to look for everything in the dashboard , I wouldn't switch it for any other DAW. Pros The fact that i can add in more formats, the speed of workflow in here is fastened as everything is not complex to access. The overall quality of the exported files is amazing and meets the international standard level. Cons Well if only it can be updated more in terms of crushing bugs meaning that it should atleast use less processor while carrying out the major productions' process. Review Source SC Sassica C. Freelancer Music Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Everyday Value and keeps getting better" January 14, 2021 5.0 This is a must have for freelancers. With everything going on right now, everyone is trying to save money and this program works well and adds value to my recordings. I use it personally and love that it is always improving. Occasionally I hit snags but that's common and is to be expected with open software. I have no complaints with this software and will continue to use it. Pros I love that it's easy to use. The best part for me is that you can download additional features and Plug-ins or even create your own if you know some coding. They make it easy to install Plug-ins and has built in support to help users out. I record live audio in different sessions. It doesn't limit how many projects I can work at a time like some other programs. Very flexible & allows me to use a bunch of different file format like WAV, AIFF, and MP3. The mixing tool is simple so I can easily mix tracks myself and bounce them out to cds or store for use in media players, or for uploading online. And I forgot to mention that it is 100% FREE! Cons It's an open software, which has some cons. Users make changes and adjustments which can impact the software negatively, and from time to time, you may have to download the latest version of the software for optimization. Since the update is not automatic like other programs, it can be time consuming. It didn't work well on my HP laptop, so I had to put the program on my computer which has faster programming and it seems to fix the issue. Review Source DB Denisse B. Graduate Student Research Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Audacity is my number one tool when editing my radio posts" April 6, 2022 4.0 I find it great for its value. It covers the basics and even some details such as the noise reduction or echoes playing that I wasn't expecting. I like all the options for editing and creating compositions. It works without crashing my system and can render everything in no time. I create radio programs with it and the quality is amazing. Pros It has all the basics in a single place, has a great capacity and I can play with all its properties without having to sacrifice a thing. The organization is neat and without many distractors around. I can edit instruments, voices and make it sound as if everyone was in the same place creating incredible compositions for radio programs Cons It takes time to get used to all the basics and the help section isn't really useful when it comes to understanding what each thing does. Once you've passed this barrier you enjoy it Review Source Jason G. CEO Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity software review" April 20, 2022 5.0 I fell in love with this software as soon as I installed it and began working with it. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to do audio work. Pros This is the audio software that meets all my needs especially with audio mixing and editing. Cons There's a huge learning curve but with enough playing, I've learned enough to make good audio edits and mixes. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Audio Editing](https://www.capterra.com/audio-editing-software/)