Ardour

Open-source digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing multi-track audio and MIDI.

Open source

Active

WAV: opens and saves, full fidelity
MP3: opens and saves, partial fidelity. MP3 export depends on the encoder available in your build
FLAC: opens and saves, full fidelity
PTX: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports audio regions and tracks from Pro Tools sessions; plug-ins and automation do not carry over
MID: opens and saves, full fidelity

Facts

Made by: The Ardour team
Website: ardour.org
License: License: Open sourceGPL-2.0-or-later
Pricing: Free tier with paid plansBuilding the GPL source is free. Ready-to-run builds are paid, by download or a subscription from US$1 a month.
Platforms: Windows
macOS
Linux
Self-hostable: No
Works offline: Yes
Account required: No
Maturity: Stable
Source code: github: Ardour/ardour
Maintenance: Status: ActiveLast commit Oct 7, 2026

Adobe Audition
Situational. Best for multitrack mixing in a full open-source DAW.
0 people switched
Logic Pro
Strong. Best for open-source recording and mixing.
0 people switched
Pro Tools
Top pick. Best for open-source recording and mixing.
1 person switched

Repository checks, newest first; last checked Oct 8, 2026. Checks older than 90 days are kept as one per week.

Repository checks for Ardour
Checked	Last commit	Latest release	Stars	State
Oct 8, 2026	Oct 7, 2026	None	5,325	Open

License, pricing and status changes for this tool.

No changes recorded

When a repository or page check finds a change and an editor confirms it, it shows here and in the public change log.

Reviews are moderated: new accounts’ reviews are checked by an editor first. Ratings are shown on their own and do not change the ranking.

No published reviews yet.

Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.