This is a list of software for creating, performing, learning, analyzing, researching, broadcasting and editing music. This article only includes software, not services.
For streaming services such as iHeartRadio, Pandora, Prime Music, and Spotify, see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services.
For storing, uploading, downloading, and streaming music via the cloud, see Comparison of online music lockers.
This list does not include discontinued historic or legacy software, with the exception of trackers that are still supported.
If a program fits several categories, such as a comprehensive digital audio workstation or a foundation programming language (e.g. Pure Data), its listing is limited to its top three categories.
Types
CD ripping software
Brasero CDex Exact Audio Copy fre:ac k3b
Choir and learn-to-sing software This section includes both choir software and learn-to-sing software. For music learning software, see music education software.
Cantor (music software) SingingCoach
DJ software
Cross/CrossDJ Deckadance djay Final Scratch Mixxx Serato Traktor Rekordbox VirtualDJ
Digital audio workstation (DAW) software
Ableton Live ACID Pro Ardour Audacity AudioDesk Audiotool BandLab BespokeSynth Bitwig Studio Cakewalk Sonar Cubase Cubasic Digital Performer FL Studio GarageBand HighC Jam Session LMMS Logic Pro LUNA (Universal Audio) Magix Music Maker Maschine MetaSynth Mixcraft MultitrackStudio MusE n-Track Studio Nuendo Mixbus MuLab Orion Studio Pro Tools Pyramix Qtractor REAPER Reason Renoise Rosegarden Samplitude Sonic Pi Soundtrap Studio One Waveform Zynewave Podium
Computer music software
ChucK Csound Director Musices Generative music software JFugue Kyma (sound design language) Keykit Max/MSP Opusmodus Pure Data Suno AI SuperCollider Udio
Internet, RSS, broadcast music software
This section only includes software, not services. For services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Prime Music, see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services. This list includes music RSS apps, widgets, and software; for a list of feeds, see Comparison of feed aggregators. For cloud-based music broadcast software, see Content delivery network and Comparison of online music lockers.
Airtime Audicom (first radio automation software; see Radio software) Campcaster Clickradio Juice (aggregator) Jamulus (Internet jamming software) Moodagent (AI-based emotion-keyed playlist generator and app) Ninjam (Internet jamming software) OpenBroadcaster Panopto
Lyrics and vocals
Cantor (music software) Rhyme Genie (Algorithms and software for rhyming lyrics) SingingCoach
Audio plug-ins
Blackhole, H3000 Factory, SplitEQ (Eventide, Inc.) Stutter Edit, Ozone, RX Audio Editor (iZotope) Jamstix (Rayzoon Technologies) Liquid Rhythm (WaveDNA) PCM Native, MPX Native (Lexicon (company)) NI Massive, Kontakt (software), B4, Electrik Piano, Guitar Rig 2 (Native Instruments) OrangeVocoder (Prosoniq) SoundFont (Integrates synthesized/sampled MIDI files with recorded music) MachFive, Symphonic Instrument (Mark of the Unicorn)
Music analysis software
BeatRoot ChucK Kyma (sound design language) Opusmodus Pure Data Platinum Blue Music Intelligence (from Music Xray company) Sonic Visualiser WaveSurfer
Music circuit software
Arduinome (software circuit platform) CPU Sim Electric VLSI Design System gLogic GNU Circuit Analysis Package KTechLab Linear Technology (A/D and circuit software) List of free electronics circuit simulators LTspice Micro-Cap MIDIbox (software circuit platform) Monome (software circuit platform) Ngspice Oregano (software) Quite Universal Circuit Simulator SapWin SPICE Tenori-on (software circuit platform)
Music composing software
Antescofo Director Musices Hyperscore JFugue Keykit Kyma (sound design language) Max Music Mouse (Algorithmic synth and composer) Nodal Ocarina OpenMusic Opusmodus PetSynth Reaktor Rubato Composer
Music conversion software
AIMP Audacity Brasero CDex Exact Audio Copy FFmpeg FL Studio foobar2000 Freemake Audio Converter Free Studio fre:ac iTunes k3b MediaCoder MediaHuman Audio Converter MediaMonkey SoX VLC Media Player Winamp WMA Convert
Music education software
Soundtrap Meludia EarMaster EarSketch GNU Solfege Hyperscore Reaktor Rocksmith Synthesia WaveSurfer Yousician GibsonApp Chordify
Music gaming software
Beat Saber Crypt of the NecroDancer osu! Music Tech Rocksmith
Music mathematics software
JFugue Julia (programming language) Scala Wolfram Language
Music notation software
Aegis Sonix Canorus Capella Deluxe Music Construction Set Denemo Dorico Encore ENT (for typeset mensural notation) Finale Flat Forte Frescobaldi Gregorio (for Neumes) Guitar Pro Igor Engraver Impro-Visor jEdit plugin LilyPond MagicScore Mozart Mus2 MusEdit MuseScore Music Write MusiCAD MusicEase MusiXTeX NoteEdit Noteflight Notation Composer NoteWorthy Composer NOTION Overture Philip's Music Writer (PMW) Power Tab Editor Rosegarden SCORE ScoreCloud Sibelius (Division of Avid Technology since 8/2006. Avid also sells the Pro Tools DAW) SmartScore (Focus on Music OCR) TuxGuitar
Music player software
Music research software
ScoreCloud (Notation research)
Music technology, synthesis and OS software
:Category:Music software plugin architectures Comparison of audio synthesis environments DirectMusic Moodagent (AI-based emotion-keyed playlist generator and app) Music information retrieval Software effect processor Sound Recorder (Windows) Impromptu (programming environment) Keykit Max (software) SynthFont (a MIDI-to-WAV converter; Virtual Studio Technology instruments can be used instead of source files)
Music visualization software
Advanced Visualization Studio (Justin Frankel) (platform: Windows) Cthugha (1993, Kevin "Zaph" Burfitt) (platform: DOS) Magic Music Visuals (since 2012, Color & Music, LLC) (platforms: Windows, OS X) MilkDrop (2001-2012, Ryan Geiss) reimplemented as projectM (platforms: Windows, Linux, Android) Neon (2004, Jeff Minter and Ivan Zorzin) (platform: Xbox 360) Psychedelia Pure Data Virtual Light Machine (1990, Jeff Minter) (platform: Atari Jaguar) Visual Music Tone Painter (1992–2004)
Orchestration software
Antescofo IRCAM OpenMusic Orchidée NotePerformer
Drums and percussion Liquid Rhythm Radiodrum
Guitar
Guitar Rig Line 6 Rocksmith Guitar Pro TuxGuitar GarageBand Logic Pro Ableton Live Audacity
Piano
Kurzweil Digital Piano Pianoteq (Modartt) SGX-1 Premium Piano Synthesia Virtual piano
Pipe organ Hauptwerk produces audio in response to MIDI signal from attached keyboard or from a MIDI sequencerThomas Wichmann, The Hauptwerk Computer Program, Review in The American Organist, July 2004
Automatic composition software
Experiments in Musical Intelligence
Samplers and sequencers
Electribe Music sequencer Propellerhead SoundFont
Soundtrack creation software
Anvil Studio Ensoniq PARIS FL Studio FL Studio Mobile Mixcraft Pro Tools Sound Forge Soundtrap SpectraLayers WaveLab
Trackers
Historical tracker software: SoundMonitor (C64, 1986) Ultimate Soundtracker (Amiga, 1987) NoiseTracker (Amiga, 1989) OctaMED (Amiga, 1989) Protracker (Amiga, 1990) ScreamTracker (PC, 1994) FastTracker 2 (PC, 1994) Impulse Tracker (PC, 1995)
Name Latest update License OS versions File format support VSTsupport ASIOoutput Windows OS X Linux MID MOD XM IT S3M Renoise Proprietary OpenMPT 29 June 2025 BSD (via Wine) (via Wine) SoundTracker GPL MilkyTracker GPL Buzztrax 6 January 2016 LGPL
Virtual Studio Technology hosting software
Ableton Live ACID Pro Adobe Audition Adobe Premiere Elements Adobe Premiere Pro Acoustica Mixcraft Ardour (open source) Audacity (open source, Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms only) AudioMulch Band-in-a-Box Cakewalk by BandLab Deckadance Digital Performer (version 8 or higher) FL Studio GoldWave Jeskola Buzz LMMS (open source) Logic Pro Magix Music Maker Max MSP ModPlug Tracker MultitrackStudio n-Track Studio NOTION REAPER Reason Renoise Samplitude Sony Acid Pro Sony Sound Forge Sony Vegas Soundtrap Steinberg Cubase Steinberg Nuendo Studio One Steinberg WaveLab Traktor Vocaloid WavePad Audio Editor Podium
Virtual synthesizer and studio software
Amsynth Minimoog Reaktor (instrument-creation software) Reason (DAW and virtual recording studio, integrated with Record) Spire VCV Rack ZynAddSubFX
Wave editors
Acoustica Audition Audacity Ecasound GoldWave Sound Forge SoX SpectraLayers Total Recorder WaveLab WavePad Audio Editor WaveSurfer
See also
Audio editing software Comparison of audio synthesis environments Comparison of digital audio editors Comparison of free software for audio Comparison of MIDI editors and sequencers Comparison of scorewriters List of audio conversion software List of audio programming languages List of Linux audio software List of scorewriters Music technology
References