Audacity
Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder serving individual creators, podcasters, musicians, and educational institutions across Windows, macOS, and Linux, distributed under Muse Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Audacity does
Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder founded around 2000, operating under the Muse Group umbrella alongside sister products MuseScore and Tonebridge. The software runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux, supports an extensive plugin ecosystem (VST3, Nyquist, LV2, Audio Units, LADSPA), and is built on the Qt framework (transitioning in the upcoming Audacity 4). Its user base spans individual creators, hobbyists, podcasters, audiobook producers, and educational institutions, with AI-powered capabilities — including music separation, noise suppression, Whisper transcription, MusicGen-based music generation, and audio super resolution — delivered through an Intel-built OpenVINO plugin suite that runs 100% locally on the user's machine.
The product roadmap is anchored by Audacity 4 (public beta in 2025), which introduces a redesigned GUI, spectral editing, label tracks, multi-project sessions, and direct cloud project integration with the Audio.com companion platform. Distribution occurs through three channels: direct downloads from audacityteam.org, GitHub releases, and the MuseHub desktop application, with marketing driven by organic search, community word-of-mouth, and engagement across the blog, forum, Discord, and YouTube rather than paid advertising. Continuous patch releases (3.7.1 through 3.7.8 between late 2024 and 2025) demonstrate an active development cadence.
Audacity's business model is freemium without direct software monetization: the product is and will remain free for everyone under GNU GPL v3, with no paid tiers, subscriptions, or feature gating. Any revenue is indirect, derived from voluntary donations, merchandise sales via merch.audacityteam.org, and implicit corporate support from parent Muse Group. The go-to-market motion is product-led and community-driven, leveraging 25 years of brand recognition, a global volunteer contributor base, and cross-platform availability as the primary acquisition channels.
Audacity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Audacity
- Legal name
- Audacity
- Website
- https://audacityteam.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder serving individual creators, podcasters, musicians, and educational institutions across Windows, macOS, and Linux, distributed under Muse Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Audacity industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Audio Workstation
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Audio Publishing & Private Podcast Platforms (MPAIADAI)
Keywords
Where Audacity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Audacity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Voluntary Support: As free and open-source software, Audacity does not charge for downloads or usage. Revenue appears to come from voluntary donations, merchandise sales (merch.audacityteam.org), and potentially Muse Group corporate sponsorship. The software remains free 'for everyone' according to stated policy.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free tier - Complete application at no cost |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Audacity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder available on Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. It is distributed at no cost under the GNU GPL v3 license and is used for recording, editing, producing music and podcasts, cleaning up audio, noise reduction, vocal removal, spectral editing, and exporting to formats such as WAV, MP3, FLAC, and Ogg. The offering is extended by an Intel OpenVINO AI plugin suite for local AI audio features and by an online companion platform (Audio.com) for cloud project saving and collaboration.
Product overview
Audacity is a single, unified product — a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder. The core Audacity application is supplemented by related offerings: Audio.com provides cloud storage and collaboration features; MuseHub serves as a desktop app distribution platform for Audacity and other Muse Group apps; OpenVINO AI Plugins add AI-powered features (music separation, noise suppression, music generation, transcription, super resolution). The product also supports extensive plugin ecosystems including VST3, VST, Nyquist, LV2, Audio Unit, and LADSPA formats. A major version update, Audacity 4, is currently in public beta with a redesigned Qt-based interface.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MuseHub: A desktop application gateway for downloading and managing Muse Group apps including Audacity, presets, sounds and effects plugins.
- Audio.com
Products and services
- Audacity Free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Used by individual creators, hobbyists, podcasters, and audiobook producers for recording, editing, noise reduction, vocal removal, spectral editing, format conversion (WAV, MP3, FLAC, Ogg, etc.), and exporting audio. Distributed under the GNU GPL v3 with no charge to the user.
- OpenVINO AI Plugins for Audacity Separate, downloadable AI plugin suite for Audacity built on Intel OpenVINO, providing music separation (drums, bass, vocals, other instruments), noise suppression for spoken word, music generation and continuation via Meta's MusicGen LLM, transcription to text via OpenAI's Whisper, and audio super resolution for upsampling older recordings. Runs entirely on-device and is intended for Audacity users who want AI-assisted audio editing without cloud processing.
- Audacity 4 Major next-generation version of Audacity in public beta (Beta 2), featuring a redesigned Qt-based interface, transition, cleaner codebase, envelope editing, label tracks, spectral editing, cloud project integration with audio.com, multi-project sessions, metadata editor, and improved effect UIs. Currently available as a beta download from the official website.
- Audio.com Online companion platform to Audacity that enables cloud project saving, collaboration on projects, versioned backups, and easy sharing and publishing of audio work. Used by Audacity creators who want online backup and collaboration beyond local-only editing.
Companies that use Audacity
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Audacity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability10 records
Feature5 records
Audacity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Muse GroupcoreMuse Group is the parent organization of Audacity. The copyright notice states 'Muse Group & contributors' and the website is powered by Netlify. Muse Group also develops related products including MuseScore, Audio.com, and MuseHub.
- IntelcoreIntel developed the OpenVINO AI plugin suite for Audacity, providing AI-powered features including music separation, noise suppression, Whisper transcription, music generation, and audio super resolution. These AI features run 100% locally on the user's PC.
- Audio.comcoreAudio.com serves as the online companion platform for Audacity, enabling cloud project saving, collaboration on projects, versioned backups, and easy sharing and publishing of audio work. Audacity 4 integrates cloud projects directly with audio.com.
- MuseHubcoreMuseHub is the desktop application platform that serves as a gateway for downloading Audacity along with other Muse Group creative apps. It also provides access to free sound loops (Elements), effects plugins (Muse FX), and premium instrument samples (Muse Sounds).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Audacity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Avid Pro Tools: Industry-standard DAW used in music production, film, and broadcast. Comparable as a multi-track audio editor and recorder with extensive plugin support, but oriented toward professional studios with subscription pricing.
- Adobe Audition: Adobe's professional multi-track audio editor bundled into Creative Cloud. Comparable in core functionality (recording, noise reduction, spectral editing) but positioned for professional podcast, broadcast, and post-production workflows as part of Adobe's wider creative suite.
- Apple Logic Pro: Apple's professional DAW for macOS and iPad. Comparable as a multi-track audio editor and recorder with plugin support, but targeted at music producers and pro users willing to pay a one-time license fee.
- Ableton Live: DAW focused on live performance, production, and audio editing. Comparable in multi-track recording and plugin support, with a strong creator/DJ user base and premium pricing tiers.
Emerging players
- BandLab: Free, browser- and mobile-based DAW with social and collaboration features. Comparable to Audacity in serving casual creators at no cost, with a more modern cloud-native approach and AI-assisted mastering tools.
- Descript: AI-driven audio and video editor with transcript-based editing, filler-word removal, and collaboration features. Overlaps with Audacity's podcasting and creator segment but adds AI-native workflow and cloud collaboration that Audacity lacks.
- Auphonic: AI-powered audio post-production service for podcasts, broadcast, and education. Comparable to Audacity's noise-reduction and leveling workflows but delivered as a cloud API, increasingly competing with Audacity's OpenVINO-based AI plugins.
Direct peers
- Reaper: Low-cost, cross-platform multi-track audio editor and DAW from Cockos. Closely comparable to Audacity in scope (multi-track recording, editing, effects, VST support) but positioned as an inexpensive paid alternative rather than free and open-source.
- LMMS: Free, open-source digital audio workstation for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Comparable to Audacity as a community-driven audio production tool, with a stronger orientation toward music creation and beat-making.
- Ocenaudio: Free, cross-platform audio editor available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Directly comparable to Audacity as a no-cost alternative for recording, editing, and applying effects to audio files.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Audacity social profiles
Digital presenceAudacity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Audacity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Audacity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Audacity M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Audacity
What does Audacity do?
Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder available on Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. It is distributed at no cost under the GNU GPL v3 license and is used for recording, editing, producing music and podcasts, cleaning up audio, noise reduction, vocal removal, spectral editing, and exporting to formats such as WAV, MP3, FLAC, and Ogg. The offering is extended by an Intel OpenVINO AI plugin suite for local AI audio features and by an online companion platform (Audio.com) for cloud project saving and collaboration.
Is Audacity a public or private company?
Audacity is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Audacity founded?
Audacity was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Audacity based?
Audacity is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Audacity make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Voluntary Support.
Who are Audacity's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Avid Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Apple Logic Pro and Ableton Live. Emerging players are BandLab, Descript and Auphonic. Direct peers are Reaper, LMMS and Ocenaudio.
Does Audacity have an API?
No public API is recorded for Audacity.
What industry is Audacity in?
Audacity's product category is Digital Audio Workstation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAG, AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering), with a secondary code of MPAIADAI, Enterprise Audio Publishing & Private Podcast Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.