Best GarageBand Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from audio editing software ranked against GarageBand on the same published basis.
- 1GarageBand vs Riverside
- 2GarageBand vs Pro Tools
- 3GarageBand vs Soundtrap
- 4GarageBand vs Cakewalk Sonar
- 6GarageBand vs Audacity
- 7GarageBand vs LUNA
- 8GarageBand vs Reason
- 9GarageBand vs WavePad
- 10GarageBand vs n-Track Studio
- 11GarageBand vs Ardour
- 12GarageBand vs Adobe Podcast
- 13GarageBand vs MAGIX Music Maker
- 14GarageBand vs Serato Studio
- 15GarageBand vs Logic Pro
- 16GarageBand vs Descript
- 17GarageBand vs BandLab Studio
- 18GarageBand vs Zenbeats
- 19GarageBand vs REAPER
- 20GarageBand vs Ableton Live
- 21GarageBand vs FL Studio
GarageBand alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverside | 8.3 | Free plan | $19/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Pro Tools | 7.6 | Free plan | — | Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Soundtrap | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Cakewalk Sonar | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | Audacity | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | LUNA | 7.1 | Free plan | $12.42/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Reason | 7.1 | Free plan | — | Mac, Windows |
| 9 | WavePad | 7.0 | Free plan | $5/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | n-Track Studio | 7.0 | Free plan | $5.42/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | Ardour | 6.9 | No | $1/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Adobe Podcast | 6.9 | Free plan | $19.99/mo | Web |
| 13 | MAGIX Music Maker | 6.9 | Free plan | $59.99/mo | Windows |
| 14 | Serato Studio | 6.9 | Free plan | $9.99/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Logic Pro | 6.8 | No | $2.50/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 16 | Descript | 6.8 | Free plan | $16/mo | — |
| 17 | BandLab Studio | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Web |
| 18 | Zenbeats | 6.8 | Free plan | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 19 | REAPER | 6.7 | No | $60/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Ableton Live | 6.7 | No | $31.21/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 21 | FL Studio | 6.7 | No | $99/mo | Mac, Windows |
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Questions about GarageBand alternatives
What is the best alternative to GarageBand?
Riverside, number 1 in audio editing software with a score of 8.3 out of 10. The others here: Pro Tools, Soundtrap, Cakewalk Sonar and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to GarageBand?
Riverside is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 15 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.