# 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 Versatile audio editing features 93% positive reviews out of 254 Most reviewers indicate audio editing is robust, offering a wide range of tools for recording, cutting, enhancing, and exporting audio, suitable for both beginners and advanced users across various formats. Armando R Graphic desing, 1 employee. "It is a very useful and popular tool for audio editing, especially in the field of music production and podcast creation." Outdated and confusing interface 44% negative reviews out of 101 Some reviewers describe user interface as old-fashioned, cluttered, and difficult for newcomers to navigate, making initial use less intuitive and visually unappealing. Rilwan B Product Designer, 11 - 50 employees. "The interface of the software feels a bit outdated and it can be hard to navigate sometimes, especially for a new user." Completely free audio solution 94% positive reviews out of 80 Most reviewers describe pricing as a major advantage, highlighting Audacity’s full functionality at no cost, making it accessible for budget-conscious users and students without sacrificing essential features. Community-driven open source platform 93% positive reviews out of 27 Most reviewers appreciate open source status, noting frequent updates, cross-platform compatibility, and a supportive community that continually improves the software without subscription fees. Durgesh K Founder and President , 1 employee. "Audacity is a free open source pro tool which provides all of the functionality that is present in a paid pro tool." ## 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 KO Katherine O. Writer Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing free audio recording app for dialogue" January 15, 2025 5.0 I wouldn't be without it. Excellent. You can view the soundwave as more spaced out or tighter together. There’s an icon to click to see the entire recording in one go. This is useful when you’re looking to see if there’s any particular section that had a louder volume than the rest. You might then choose to locate it, select it and choose amplify and put in a negative number to reduce the volume. When you’re going through you may want to take out tiny aspects of background noise, or maybe there’s a very audible out breath on your part to take out. View the soundwave as expanded so that you can select a small section to delete. I like the shortcuts. Press spacebar to play from the last place you clicked on the soundwave. Press x to get the cursor to locate at the current location in the recording. Control R to repeat the last effect. R to record. You can have multiple tracks. You can have stereo tracks or mono. Pros Free audio editing. I make self-help recordings for myself, and potentially for others in the future. Cons You can't import MP4s. I import those into Total Recorder, change to an MP3 and then import into Audacity. Something minor. I would like a keyboard shortcut when I place a label (temporary) on the soundwave to toggle back to editing the track. I haven't managed to find one yet! I am assuming the following would be the same with any audio recording app, but there is a difficulty which occurs when recording speech audio. The same would apply if you were recording an instrument. If you’re recording on more than one occasion, even in the same room with the same mic, the recordings don’t necessarily sound the same. There may be differences in temperature, you might have curtains open or closed etc, you may be further away from the mic. Therefore, even with the flexibility of audacity, it is advisable to try to record something through from start to finish and not rely on having to come back and for example insert a sentence. 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 PR Peter R. Program Director Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best value audio tools" July 2, 2025 5.0 Pros Audacity is such a powerful tool for the price! it has a toolset that is more than capable for most amateur audio editing. Cons The vocal isolation tools are limited, and there is no included media library. The interface is maybe a little plain looking. Review Source TD Thia D. Customer Represantative Insurance Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "For begginners" April 8, 2025 4.0 My experience was good not much mental work. Pros That it is easy to to use and user friendly and it is free. Cons It is limited in features and it is not the best for someone who wants to edit something professionally Review Source AP Andy P. Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good basic audio editor" June 9, 2024 4.0 Pros Audacity has been reliable for me and and is well laid out. I like the way that It comes with a range of built in effects including noise reduction, auto ducking, EQ filters etc. Cons Given that some people want to use audio editors for mastering it would be good if they have a decent loudness maximizer (something like Waves L1). I also think the logo could do with being refreshed it looks like it was designed in 1990. Alternatives considered [Adobe Audition](https://www.capterra.com/p/214606/Adobe-Audition/) Review Source ML Michael L. Self employed Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Perfect for many use cases for audio development even when many digital audio workstations exist." September 18, 2023 5.0 I mostly use it for batch imports and exports since it allows me to convert or apply effects to multiple audio files at once. Taking some FLAC files and mass convert them to OGG and MP3 or taking those files and adding a speed increase or decrease to them in bulk before exporting. Pros It's very simple and easy to work with and edit. Allows for real time editing and batch exporting, batch importing/applying effects and batch converting. It works the best when dealing with multiple things at once to apply things at once and wait for it to export. Cons Outside some features, it mostly doesn't have anything to support itself to be different than most digital audio workstations and most features are in digital audio workstations for doing basic stuff or adding effects. Review Source GP Guy P. Draftsman Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity works well for me." April 17, 2023 5.0 At first, I was having trouble with another software when it came to converting the mix to an MP3 file. I downloaded the Audacity program and made the MP3 file in a few minutes. While, I was there, I saw other things it could be used for. In particular, the voiceovers. I also found it very helpful when collaborating with other artists. Pros Many times, software has a learning curve. (How long it takes to be proficient in what you bought the software for) I found Audacity to be quite easy to learn. The curve, for me was abbreviated. Cons I don't have a Con for this. Frankly, for the price, I didn't have a high bar set for it. But Audacity far exceeded my expectations. Reason for choosing Audacity I still have and use Cubase. However, when it comes to rapid turn-around to an MP3 format, it is easier for me to transfer the file from Cubase to Audacity for that purpose. When collaborating with other musicians, they may not have Cubase, Samplitude or Cakewalk. They probably will not purchase the program you use, just so they can collaborate with you. With Audacity, the program is free to download. Easy to learn and then all the sudden, everyone in the collaboration is on the same page. Review Source JB Jeremy B. Writer Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Listen, You Have Some Audacity (provided you get Audacity)" July 23, 2021 4.0 Free apps aren’t always the most user-friendly (just look at all the free graphics programs and compare them to Photoshop for an example), but if they can still work as well as, if not surpass, the premium apps within the same category, then why not use them? For sound design, Audacity is that free app with the irritating UI that monopolizes this space, and if you’re interested in making and improving your own sound files, then you’ll want Audacity in your toolbox. With the ability to establish sound layers, adjust audio frequencies, and create samples, as well as to export the final result into most of the available sound profiles (.WAV, .MP3, .OGG, etc.), Audacity makes sense for any sound designer, musician, game designer, video creator, or anyone in media to have at the ready. And with the ability to label all exported sounds with a profile label (including “artist,” “track,” “album,” etc.), it almost begs the question, “Why pay for an audio production app?” Unless your paid app gives you the ability to turn your voice into a robotic chipmunk, then I don’t know if there’s a good answer for this. Pros Besides being free, Audacity comes with so many bells, whistles, and buttons that any competent sound designer will feel right at home. Because it’s open sourced (I think), it’s also adaptable with plugins, which you may want provided you can find some good ones online. And, of course, you can adjust layers and sound profiles, as well as export to your preferred format (provided you have the right codecs for such a thing—Audacity doesn’t come with those). It’s quite versatile. Cons If you’re a newbie, then you’ll probably feel lost without going through some online tutorials. Likewise, if you’re not a sound designer by trade, you may not appreciate the power that Audacity brings to the table. (I’m not a sound designer, so I know I’m in over my head at times.) The user-interface can also complicate a simple process like joining two audio clips together. But, again, it’s free, so who’s complaining? Review Source SZP Stephen Zak P. Business development manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audio Editing Software" November 27, 2022 5.0 Audacity includes countless fundamental sound effects where you could also add various plugins. Preset EQ bends, are a major take away, with an ongoing sneak peak in the effects and features. There is an incredible Bass and High pitch changes as well as high-and low-pass channels. A basic compressor, limiter, phaser, reverb, wahwah and tremolo impacts likewise show up among the choices. Switching sound or shortening quietness takes simply a quite adjustment. There are some features that highlight you to include voiceovers a webcast or radio track. Maybe the best part is that Audacity upholds processes that utilizes a favorable condition when it comes to adjusting the project rate . For instance, you can adjust a progression of audio effects or sounds at the same time without re using similar features again and again. Pros Audacity allows you to keep in either 16-digit or 24-bit sound. One of the most desirable characteristics that it can flawlessly change over and consolidate any sounds you haul in, paying little mind to test rate and organizations. Concerning altering, we can recorder, copy, or erase sound, orchestrate various sound effects on a similar track, and alter directly down to a sample level. The featuring functions permits you to add custom with fade in and fade out options also. Cons To be honest I don\`t have anything that i don\`t like about Audacity as it has always been my first choice for a pre production of my music and arranging the segments or stems for a fantastic collaboration or pre designed output. Review Source GF Gary F. Principal Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity intimidated me at first; now we're old friends" March 21, 2023 5.0 With Audacity I'm able to do everything I need to do; manage the timeline, improve the quality of individual clips, equalize if I need more mid-tones, or move out too much bass. Pros Most, of course is the price - free. I appreciate that there's a huge amount of community support. You can master the program by watching YouTube videos. Cons I personally don't care for the fact you have to select your clip first before you can move it. Select the whole length of the clip you're moving. More drag and drop would be nice. Reason for choosing Audacity Frankly because it was free and actively improved by the Audacity team. I like Adobe Audition a lot and it would be my preference if it was free. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Consultant Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free and loaded with great features" January 7, 2023 5.0 It is a powerful and versatile software that offers a wide range of tools and features for working with audio. It has been very useful for me, whether I am looking to analyze or restore audio recordings, and has many useful features that have helped me get the job done. Pros I have found the Spectrogram view in Audacity to be a very useful feature for analyzing audio. It provides a visual representation of the frequency content of an audio signal over time, which can be very helpful for identifying and analyzing specific frequencies or tonal characteristics within a recording. Additionally, the Frequency Analysis tool has been very useful for analyzing the frequency content of a specific section of an audio signal. It generates a graph that shows the amplitude of each frequency present in the signal, which I often use for identifying and isolating specific frequencies or tonal characteristics, and for comparing the frequency content of different sections of a recording. Cons I have experienced some drawbacks when using the software. The Spectrogram view can be difficult to interpret and may not always provide a clear or intuitive representation of the audio. Took me some while to get used to it. The Frequency Analysis tool does not provide as much detail or resolution as I would need it to. Additionally, the Equalization tool can be difficult to use effectively without a good understanding of how different frequencies affect the overall sound of a recording. Switched from [Live](https://www.capterra.com/p/186429/Live/)[Melodyne](https://www.capterra.com/p/217515/Melodyne/) Inexpensive and with a lot of features Review Source NC Natalie C. Artist Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Such a fantastic audio software!" August 31, 2023 5.0 10/10.woukd recommend Pros First off: it was free. Second: super easy to use. I had no idea how to mix music and record above the files, but it took me tno time at all to learn and figure out the software. I've tried other softwares that were way too complex for me. This is so great for people wanting to get started but not sure how to mix audios. Cons There's been a couple of bugs. I have to consistently go back to Edit and Preferences and record new track. Otherwise it automatically adds to the end of my music instead of where I need it on the file. Then I have to go back to the settings to turn it off again. This didn't happen on the last one, just since this last update, so must be a bug. Just a small inconvenience but not stopping me from using the product Reason for choosing Audacity Free. Easy to use and learn. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelancer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Edit your audio clips for free in Audacity." June 18, 2022 5.0 I started using it 3 years ago, and I was very impressed with it in dealing with the audio files that I work on and extracting quality in terms of beauty and high quality. Pros The nice thing about the program, which I like a lot, is that it's free, has powerful extras like paid software, and works on Windows, Linux, and Mac. You can make an audio recording directly through the program itself, and this saves time and effort It supports a lot of sound effects that you can use for free, namely removing noise and distortion from audio, adding FFT technology to audio technology, increasing and improving its quality, and adding echo effects. Supports keyboard shortcuts to speed up work and save your time, and it is very suitable for beginners because it processes the audio at a high speed, so you will not consume long time in editing the audio while providing the highest possible sound quality. Cons I wish that colors would be added to the tracks that were added, so that what type of tracks used for the user would be distinguished Review Source Benedita N. User Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity: simple but powerful!" March 5, 2022 5.0 Audacity is an easy-to-use, flexible audio editor and recorder for Windows and other operating systems. Whether I need to make edits to my home movies, remove background noise from old recordings, remix my favorite songs, or just record a simple voice memo, Audacity has got me covered. This fast and easy-to-use audio editor is my preferred for my sound editing needs. Pros Along with its extensive features, Audacity is easy to learn and use. If you are looking for a quick and simple tool to edit audio files, Audacity will do the trick. With more than 150 effects and filters available, it's perfect for anyone interested in recording, mixing or mastering audio. From podcasts to music production, it has everything you need. Cons Doing some of the more complex things can be a little tricky. However, tons of instructional videos are available online as its a popular program. Review Source Vishvjeet B. video Editor & compositor Motion Pictures and Film Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Auda city is software free so anyone can use it easily " February 27, 2023 5.0 Auda city Software is a Boon for new youtubers Pros It competes with other major applications Cons This application takes less space than other application Review Source MS Marjie S. Singer-songwriter Music Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Audacity is Awesome!" June 22, 2023 5.0 Overall, I'm very satisfied with Audacity and have yielded good results. Pros Audacity makes the whole editing process a breeze. All the features you need are in this software. That helps you save a lot of time too. Cons I haven't had much success in recording on Audacity, Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Academy Advisor Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I Love this Software" August 15, 2021 5.0 From recording a single source to quickly editing or encoding audio, Audacity is an incredible free tool that has been on the market for almost 2 decades. It is my go-to for quickly editing audio or recording a source. Pros Audacity was the first recording program that I had used when I began experimenting with music 15 years ago. Ever since, it is my go-to program for projects or audio that need quick editing. For these simple operations, I find Audacity to be perfect. No need to load up a ton of presets or plug-ins. Audacity is good to go and easy to use. Cons Audacity lacks some of the features of some of the higher-end Digital Audio Workstations like Logic or Pro Tools, but for a free tool, it is extremely robust. Added features can be nice, but it may take aware from Audacity's stream-lined process. Review Source Similar Products Featured