Best Audio Editing Software

Compare the Top Audio Editing Software as of October 2026

What is Audio Editing Software?

Audio editing software is a tool that allows users to modify, enhance, and manipulate audio recordings for various purposes, such as music production, podcasting, and sound design. It provides a range of features, including trimming, cutting, merging, and applying effects to audio files, giving users precise control over their sound. Many audio editors also offer advanced tools like noise reduction, pitch correction, and equalization to refine audio quality. With a user-friendly interface and compatibility with multiple audio formats, audio editing software caters to beginners and professionals alike. It’s an essential tool for anyone working with sound, enabling them to craft polished and professional audio. Compare and read user reviews of the best Audio Editing software currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.

  • 1
    Adobe Audition
    A professional audio workstation. Create, mix, and design sound effects with the industry’s best digital audio editing software. Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content. This powerful audio workstation is designed to accelerate video production workflows and audio finishing — and deliver a polished mix with pristine sound. Meet the industry’s best audio cleanup, restoration, and precision editing tool for video, podcasting, and sound effect design. This step-by-step tutorial guides you through the robust audio toolkit that is Adobe Audition, including its seamless workflow with Adobe Premiere Pro. Use the Essential Sound panel to achieve professional-quality audio — even if you’re not a professional. Learn the basic steps to record, mix, and export audio content for a podcast — or any other audio project.
    Starting Price: $20.99 per month
  • 2
    GarageBand
    GarageBand is a fully equipped music creation studio right inside your Mac — with a complete sound library that includes instruments, presets for guitar and voice, and an incredible selection of session drummers and percussionists. With Touch Bar features for MacBook Pro and an intuitive, modern design, it’s easy to learn, play, record, create, and share your hits worldwide. Now you’re ready to make music like a pro.
  • 3
    Audacity

    Audacity

    Audacity

    Free, open source, cross-platform audio software. Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Developed by a group of volunteers as open source. Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media. Import, edit, and combine sound files. Export your recordings in many different file formats, including multiple files at once. Supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit. Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering. Support for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. Nyquist effects can be easily modified in a text editor – or you can even write your own plug-in. Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete. Also unlimited sequential Undo (and Redo) in the session to go back any number of steps. Real-time preview of LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit (macOS) effects. Plug-in Manager handles plug-in installation.
    Starting Price: Free
  • 4
    Fender Studio Pro

    Fender Studio Pro

    Fender Musical Instruments Corporation

    Fender Studio Pro is a digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for music recording, production, editing, mixing, mastering, and live performance. Built on the PreSonus Studio One platform, the software provides multitrack audio recording, MIDI editing, virtual instruments, and an integrated mixing environment. Its sound library includes nine virtual instruments, more than 45 native audio effects, and Fender Mustang guitar and Rumble bass amplifier simulations. The platform supports vocal pitch correction, audio-to-MIDI conversion, stem separation, and chord progression assistance for music composition and editing. Integrations with Splice and Moises provide access to sample libraries, audio separation tools, and additional music production capabilities. Fender Studio Pro also includes dedicated mastering and live performance workspaces, Dolby Atmos mixing support, and customizable arrangement and channel views.
  • 5
    Reaper

    Reaper

    Cockos

    REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more. REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more. From mission-critical professional environments to students' laptops, there is a single version of REAPER, fully featured with no artificial limitations. You can evaluate REAPER in full for 60 days. A REAPER license is affordably priced and DRM-free.
  • 6
    Hindenburg PRO

    Hindenburg PRO

    Hindenburg Systems

    Hindenburg PRO is a multitrack audio editor designed for podcasters, audio producers and radio journalists. It might look like any other audio editor - but it’s not. The design and features are tailored specifically for spoken-word productions. Work smarter and faster with our easy-to-learn yet robust, field-tested audio editor designed to simplify and automate your spoken-word workflow. Innovative features solve common podcasting & radio challenges: uneven levels, noisy recordings, inconsistent voice sounds, bleeding microphones, distribution to hosts and more. Hindenburg records and edits uncompressed sound to ensure the best audio quality. With video tutorials, live webinars, a vast knowledge base and fast customer support, we’re here when you need us. But more than just support, we offer a thriving community of users who share your love for audio storytelling. Hindenburg’s focus is storytelling. Plug in your microphone and begin telling your story.
    Starting Price: $8.25/month
  • 7
    FL Studio

    FL Studio

    Image-Line Software

    FL Studio by Image-Line is a world-renowned digital audio workstation (DAW) that empowers musicians, producers, and creators to turn ideas into professional-quality music fast. Packed with over 100 instruments and effects, a massive sound library, and intuitive tools, it’s designed for both beginners and industry professionals. Used by hitmakers like Martin Garrix, Mustard, and Boi-1da, FL Studio has powered countless chart-topping tracks across every genre. Its sleek interface makes it easy to learn while offering deep creative flexibility for experienced users. With Image-Line’s lifetime free updates, producers never have to pay for upgrades again. Starting at just $99, FL Studio delivers everything you need to start making music today.
    Starting Price: $99
  • 8
    WavePad

    WavePad

    NCH Software

    This audio editing software is a full-featured professional audio and music editor for Windows and Mac. Record and edit music, voice and other audio recordings. When editing audio files, you can cut, copy and paste parts of recordings, and then add effects like echo, amplification and noise reduction. WavePad works as a WAV or MP3 editor, but it also supports a number of other file formats including VOX, GSM, WMA, real audio, AU, AIF, FLAC, OGG, and more.
    Starting Price: $39.95/one-time
  • 9
    Logic Pro
    Logic Pro turns your Mac into a professional recording studio able to handle even the most demanding projects. Capture your compositions and performances — from tracking a live band to a solo software-instrument session — and flow them into your songs. Create and improvise in a whole new way with Live Loops. Control music-making sessions from your iPad or iPhone with Logic Remote. Transform sounds into instruments with Sampler and Quick Sampler. Quickly build drum beats and melodic patterns with Step Sequencer. Live Loops is a dynamic way to create and arrange music in real time. Kick off your composition by adding loops, samples, or your recorded performances into a grid of cells. Trigger different cells to play with your ideas without worrying about a timeline or arrangement. Once you find combinations that work well together you can create song sections, then move everything into the Tracks area to continue production and finish your song.
  • 10
    Nuendo

    Nuendo

    Steinberg Media Technologies

    Ever since its initial release, Nuendo has been a vital tool in creating the soundtrack to many high-profile productions, products and installations. Regular updates with new features, workflow improvements and additional, user-requested functions mean that Nuendo constantly exceeds the expectations of an audio workstation dedicated to audio post, with high end — often unique — capabilities that continue an ongoing revolution in audio and media production software.
  • 11
    Ableton Live
    Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for music production, recording, composition, mixing, and live performance. The software provides two primary workspaces, Session View for launching clips and improvising musical arrangements and Arrangement View for traditional timeline-based editing. Users can record and edit audio, sequence MIDI instruments, manipulate samples, and create music using integrated synthesizers and audio effects. Its audio processing capabilities include time stretching, pitch adjustment, automation, and non-destructive editing. Ableton Live also supports third-party plugins, external MIDI controllers, hardware synthesizers, and the Ableton Push controller. The platform is available in Intro, Standard, and Suite editions, with different collections of instruments, effects, sounds, and advanced production tools.
  • 12
    Reason

    Reason

    Reason Studios

    Reason is a powerful collection of fantastic instruments, synthesizers and effects for you to create endless amazing sounds and music. Use it as a plugin with your favorite DAW or produce music in Reason standalone. Sound Packs are like musical building blocks that just sound perfect together. Sound Packs are filled with Reason patches (aka presets) that are powerful combinations of various Reason devices, made by world-class sound designers. With new Sound Packs every week, you’ve always got somewhere to turn for some inspiration.
  • 13
    Mixcraft

    Mixcraft

    Acoustica

    Created by musicians, for musicians, Mixcraft is unrivaled in the industry for its ease of use and raw power. Record and mix your tracks to perfection, in record time, with Mixcraft's incredibly intuitive interface, the lightning-fast sound engine, reality-defying pitch-shifting, and time-stretching technology, and nearly-universal support for third-party plug-ins, audio interfaces, and hardware controllers. Don't just take our word for it. There's a reason Mixcraft has been honored with so many awards from so many respected magazines, including Electronic Musician, Computer Music, MusicTech, and Keyboard Magazine. Record an unlimited number of audio and virtual instrument tracks, edit, crop, and crossfade sounds effortlessly, add tons of effects and automation, and mix and master your project to WAV, MP3, and other formats. Mixcraft's massive loop library features over 7,500 professionally-produced loops, music beds, sound effects, and percussion samples, in a massive array of genres.
  • 14
    Digital Performer
    Get inspired, then refine your mix — all in a singular workflow. Digital Performer 11 delivers inspirational features devised to ignite your creative muse, combined with state-of-the-art studio production technologies engineered for the most demanding, world-class recording and production environments. DP version 11 delivers exciting new features like Nanosampler 2.0, Retrospective Audio Record, Articulation Maps, ARA support, MPE Support and dozens of workflow enhancements requested by DP users. ARA2 is a plug-in protocol extension developed by Celemony ™ that allows Melodyne™ (and other plug-ins that support ARA2) to access and analyze audio data in sound files ahead of time, prior to playback being engaged.
  • 15
    Cubase

    Cubase

    Steinberg Media Technologies

    Do you want to start creating your own music, bring your production up to a professional level, or streamline your workflow for short deadlines? Whatever you need, Cubase helps you to reach your full creative potential. From Hollywood blockbuster composers and Billboard Hot 100 producers right through to keen beginners, the world of music production trusts the comprehensive feature set, straightforward tools and unrivaled sound of our acclaimed music production software.
  • 16
    Cakewalk

    Cakewalk

    BandLab

    Fueled by over 30 years in the relentless pursuit of innovation, Cakewalk by BandLab is the new standard for the modern recording studio. The creative experience only Cakewalk by BandLab offers: advanced technology, effortless workflow, and an interface that amplifies inspiration. Easily compose complete songs and performances with creative songwriting tools and instruments. Capture inspired performances with pristine quality and unlimited audio and MIDI tracks. Fix mistakes, arrange parts, and manipulate pitch, time, and any other aspect of your recordings. Achieve pristine pro-studio sounds and create big, clear, dynamic mixes with advanced mixing tools. Polish your finished mixes to perfection with built-in mastering tools. Export and publish your songs directly to YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook and more. Navigate your projects with the award-winning fully customizable Skylight Interface.
  • 17
    Avid Pro Tools
    Avid Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for recording, editing, mixing, and producing music, sound effects, and audio for video. The software provides multitrack audio recording, MIDI sequencing, virtual instruments, and audio processing tools for creating and modifying sound. Its editing capabilities include waveform manipulation, pitch correction, time stretching, track comping, and automation. Pro Tools supports third-party audio plugins, hardware interfaces, and professional mixing consoles for studio production workflows. Advanced versions include surround sound mixing, Dolby Atmos support, video synchronization, and audio post-production features for film and television. The platform also offers cloud collaboration, allowing users to share projects, audio tracks, MIDI data, and mixing changes with other Pro Tools users.
  • 18
    Sound Forge

    Sound Forge

    MAGIX Software

    SOUND FORGE has been setting new standards in the field of digital audio production for over 20 years. The favorite tool of renowned producers worldwide, for instance Grammy award winner Ted Perlman, this legendary audio editor stands for innovation at the highest level. Originating in the USA, SOUND FORGE technology continues to be developed and optimized by MAGIX today and combines the spirit of pioneering ambition with the art of engineering precision. Powerful editing tools, ultra-fast processing and an innovative workflow – it's all offered by the audio editor SOUND FORGE. Discover a new level of audio editing with precise technology, productivity with 64-bit support and crystal-clear audio quality. Simple digitization, cleaning and restoration of audio – SOUND FORGE Audio Cleaning Lab 4 offers dedicated presets and practical 1-click solutions that are specially designed for this area of application.
  • 19
    Bitwig Studio
    Bitwig Studio inspires you to take greater control of your music, giving you access to every aspect of your production. Streamline your creative process and quickly evolve your ideas into complete songs, tracks, and compositions. Record and arrange, improvise and perform, or do it all at once. Linear and non-linear workflows for sound design, recording, live performance, and beyond. Enjoy over 10 GB (and counting) of world-class sound content from Bitwig and selected partners. The modulation system in Bitwig Studio allows you to use Macro controls, Note Expressions, LFOs, and Envelopes to modulate any device, VST plug-in, or hardware parameter. With 30+ modulators (and counting) the potential for creative expression is endless.
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