Free Audio Editors and Music Players
Audio freeware is mature: the best editor, players and converters have been free for decades and keep improving. This page lists the reference tools for each job: editing, listening and format conversion.
20 free apps in Audio
Popular choices. Room for discovery.
How we order apps
Popularity reflects interest in this catalogue, not a review or a safety rating. We count installer transfer starts and visits to official download websites or web apps equally. We cannot confirm downloads completed on another website.
The last 30 days inform the order, with recent activity carrying more weight. Repeat actions count once per app and UTC day, using a protected network fingerprint where available, or an anonymous browser identifier. Shared networks may be undercounted. Known bots, privacy opt-outs and unusually broad activity are excluded.
Discovery gives some earlier positions to new and less-seen apps. Popularity keeps the strict interest order; A–Z lets you browse by name. Lists update hourly, show the same order to everyone, and retain an editorial fallback when data is unavailable. No paid placement is included.
ocenaudio
ocenaudio is a lightweight audio editor with real-time effect preview, a spectral view for frequency work and support for very large files on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Mixxx
Mixxx is open source DJ software for Windows with beat detection, controller support, recording and live broadcasting, and no account or licence fee.
VoiceWarp
A free online voice changer for recordings and media files, with browser-based effects and downloadable results.
OpenMPT
OpenMPT is a Windows tracker for composing and editing MOD, XM and IT modules, with sample editing, VST plugin support and accurate rendering to WAV.
fre:ac
Rip audio CDs and convert between MP3, AAC, FLAC, Opus, Vorbis and more, with metadata lookup, AccurateRip checking and multi-core encoding.
foobar2000
A lightweight, highly customisable audio player for Windows with a fast music library, lossless support and converter.
MusicBee
A Windows music player and library manager with tagging, device sync, and playback controls.
Audacity
A free, open-source audio editor and recorder for podcasts, music and quick fixes to sound files.
MuseScore Studio
Free, open source music notation program for Windows, macOS and Linux with engraving tools, playback, a mixer and MusicXML exchange.
Cardinal
Cardinal is a free open source modular synthesizer for Windows, usable standalone or as a VST3, CLAP or LV2 plugin with hundreds of patching modules.
DRockRadio
Free portable Rock and Metal internet radio player for Windows. Browse around 300 stations, save favorites, add your own streams and view track information in a compact or full-screen player.
Giada
Giada is a lightweight loop machine and micro DAW for live sample triggering and arrangement, with VST plugin support on Windows, macOS and Linux.
LMMS
LMMS is a free digital audio workstation for Windows with a step sequencer, bundled synthesizers, VST plugin support and pattern-based song arrangement.
MusicBrainz Picard
Identify music by acoustic fingerprint and rewrite tags from the MusicBrainz database, with cover art, renaming scripts and a plugin system.
Quod Libet
Manage and play a large local music library with saved search queries, playlists, ReplayGain and tag editing through the bundled Ex Falso.
Schism Tracker
Schism Tracker recreates the Impulse Tracker workflow on modern systems, playing and editing IT, S3M and MOD files as an open source Windows program.
Sonic Pi
Sonic Pi turns code into music: type commands, press run, and hear synths, samples and loops play live on Windows, macOS or Linux at no cost.
Sonic Visualiser
Look inside audio with waveform, spectrogram and pitch analysis layers, annotate what you find and extend it with Vamp analysis plugins.
Spek
Spek draws a spectrogram of any audio file so you can inspect frequency content, spot lossy encoding cutoff and verify what a file really contains.
Wavosaur
Wavosaur is a small, quick Windows audio editor with VST plugin hosting, batch processing and precise loop-point tools aimed at sound design and game audio.
Freeware Audio Editor
Audacity is the standard: multi-track recording, noise reduction, cutting, effects and export to WAV, MP3 and FLAC. Open source and cross-platform, it covers podcast editing, voice recording and music cleanup without any paid tier. Version 3.x added a modern interface on top of the familiar engine.
Freeware Music Players
Two philosophies, both free:
- MusicBee (Windows) is the feature monarch: tag editing, automatic artwork, podcast subscriptions, CD ripping and a customizable layout. The closest freeware counterpart to a full media manager.
- foobar2000 (Windows, plus mobile) is the audiophile's player: minimal, bit-perfect output, gapless playback and deep customization through components. Ugly by default, unbeatable once configured.
On Linux, most users are served by the desktop's default player or VLC; both handle large libraries adequately.
Freeware MP3 Converter
fre:ac is the open source converter of choice: MP3 (via LAME), AAC, FLAC, WAV, Ogg in both directions, with CD ripping and multi-core batch encoding. No ads, no bundled offers, no "free trial" limits: just conversion.
For one-off jobs, Audacity exports MP3 after a one-time LAME setup, and VLC converts audio via Convert/Save. If you only need to shrink files, HandBrake handles audio-only extraction from video too.
Good to know
What is the best freeware audio editor?
Audacity: multi-track editing, effects and export, free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux.
What is the best free music player?
MusicBee for library management on Windows; foobar2000 for bit-perfect audiophile playback.
How do I convert files to MP3 for free?
fre:ac batch-converts to MP3, AAC and FLAC with no limits; Audacity exports MP3 after installing LAME once.
Is Audacity really free?
Yes. Open source (GPL), no watermark, no export limits, no paid tier. It is financed by donations and development grants.