AudioKit Pro
AudioKit Pro is a Denver-based company that maintains AudioKit, a free MIT-licensed open-source audio framework for iOS and macOS powering 200+ million app installs, with revenue from proprietary consumer synth and music apps, consulting, donations, and merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What AudioKit Pro does
AudioKit Pro, LLC is a Denver-based privately-held company that maintains AudioKit, the leading free and open-source (MIT-licensed) audio framework for iOS and macOS. The framework, originally released around 2014, provides a Swift API layered on Apple's AVAudioEngine for synthesis, DSP, physical modeling, FM/wavetable synthesis, sample playback, MIDI, and AUv3 plugin hosting, and incorporates Paul Batchelor's Soundpipe C library. AudioKit Pro powers 200+ million app installs and is used by indie developers, Apple Design Award winners, Fortune 500 companies, and Grammy-winning artists, with extensive documentation, conference presence, and a third-party app showcase.
The company operates a dual business model: (1) the free, open-source AudioKit framework plus complementary open-source libraries (Waveform, Controls, Flow node-graph editor, Tonic music theory library, AUv3 code template, AudioKit Cookbook) that drive ecosystem adoption; and (2) a catalog of proprietary consumer iOS apps distributed through the App Store, including AudioKit Synth One (featured in all US Apple Retail Stores), PRO-A5 Synth, Retro Keys, the KING series (BASS, FM, VHS, DIGITAL), SAGA Synth, SNESynth, Viral Synth, Synesthesia (Vision Pro), and collaborations such as Jam with Jordan with Grammy-winner Jordan Rudess. Revenue streams include one-time app sales (typically $3-15), consulting/custom development services, TeeSpring merchandise (profits routed to the open-source project), community donations, and the 2026-launched Compiler AI tool.
The operating entity is AudioKit Pro, LLC (Colorado), with 1-10 employees, no disclosed external funding, and a volunteer-augmented core team led by founder Aure Prochazka and members Matthew Fecher, Jeff Cooper, Paul Batchelor, Marcus Hobbs, Stéphane Peter, and contributors like Nick Culbertson (Moby Pixel). Distribution runs through GitHub, CocoaPods (top 200), Swift Package Manager, the iOS App Store, and developer documentation at audiokit.io. Notable ecosystem partners include McDonald's (McTrax), Skoog Music, Spotify (workshop), Morehouse College, and Georgia Tech.
AudioKit Pro firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AudioKit Pro
- Legal name
- AudioKit Pro, LLC
- Website
- https://audiokitpro.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AudioKit Pro is a Denver-based company that maintains AudioKit, a free MIT-licensed open-source audio framework for iOS and macOS powering 200+ million app installs, with revenue from proprietary consumer synth and music apps, consulting, donations, and merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AudioKit Pro industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Audio Developer Tools & Software Synthesis
- NAICS
- Record Production and Distribution (512250), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)
Keywords
Where AudioKit Pro is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AudioKit Pro business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Proprietary Music Apps: AudioKit Pro develops and sells proprietary music apps including PRO-A5 Synth, Retro Keys, Jam with Jordan, KING of BASS, KING of FM, KING of VHS, SAGA Synth, SNESynth, SUPER J8, and others. These are sold through the iOS App Store.
- Open-source Framework (Free): AudioKit core framework is free and MIT open-source. The framework itself does not generate direct revenue but drives ecosystem and brand that supports app sales and consulting.
- Consulting Services: AudioKit Pro team is available for consulting and custom app creation work. Contact email provided for business inquiries.
- Merchandise Sales: AudioKit gear (t-shirts, mugs) sold through TeeSpring. 100% of profits from merch go to support the AudioKit open-source project.
- Community Donations: Supported by community contributions and donations. The project maintains an email list for supporters.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Open-source Framework - Free |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Synth One - Free |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Limited Edition Apps |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Apps |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | HOUSE: MARK I - Free with Charity |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Digital D1 Expansion |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
AudioKit Pro product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AudioKit Pro develops and maintains AudioKit, a free and open-source (MIT License) Swift audio framework for iOS and macOS that enables developers to add professional audio functionality—synthesis, DSP, sampling, MIDI, and AUv3 plugin hosting—to their apps. The company monetizes this open-source platform by selling proprietary music apps on the Apple App Stores and by providing custom audio app development and consulting services to enterprises such as McDonald's and Skoog Music.
Product overview
AudioKit Pro is an open-source audio technology company maintaining AudioKit, a free and open-source (MIT License) audio framework for iOS and macOS that powers over 200+ million app installs. The company operates a dual model: (1) maintaining and developing the open-source AudioKit framework and related developer resources including the AudioKit Cookbook, Flow (node graph editor), Controls (UI library), Tonic (music theory library), Wafeform (waveform view), and AUv3 templates; and (2) creating consumer music apps including AudioKit Synth One J6, PRO-A5 Synth, Retro Keys, Jam with Jordan (with Grammy-winner Jordan Rudess), KING of BASS, KING of FM (used by Grammy winners), KING of VHS (VCR Synth), SAGA Synth, SNESynth (16-bit chiptune), Viral Synth, Synesthesia (Vision Pro AR app), Metronome Hero, Rack Reverb (AUv3 plugin), and the retired HOUSE: MARK I (charitable open-source production template). The ecosystem includes third-party apps built with AudioKit such as Blackbox (Apple Design Award winner), McDonald's McTrax, and Skoogmusic instruments. The framework supports audio synthesis, DSP, physical modeling, FM synthesis, sample playback, MIDI, and AUv3 plugin hosting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AudioKit: Open-source audio framework for iOS and macOS
Products and services
- AudioKit Free and open-source (MIT License) Swift audio framework for iOS and macOS that lets developers add professional audio functionality—synthesis, DSP, sample playback, MIDI, AUv3 plugin hosting—to their apps. Powers 200+ million app installs and is used by indie developers, Apple Design Award Winners, and Fortune 500 companies.
- AudioKit Synth One J6 Full-featured free professional iPad synthesizer app built with AudioKit, including microtonal keyboard, FM synthesis engine, and an extensive preset library from volunteer sound designers.
- PRO-A5 Synth Polyphonic synthesizer app inspired by a legendary synth, positioned as a new PRO-A5 Synth app for iPad and iPhone.
- Retro Keys Keyboard app built around four classic instruments in one package, delivering an 'old soul, new sound' experience on iPad and iPhone.
- Jam with Jordan Music creation app developed in collaboration with Grammy-winning musician Jordan Rudess, billed as the first AudioKit Pro app created with a Grammy winner.
- KING of BASS Bass synth, sub bass, 808 bass, and kick-maker app for iOS with a powerful real synth engine under the hood.
- KING of DIGITAL Digital synthesizer app in the AudioKit Pro KING series lineup.
- KING of FM: DXII E Piano/Synth
- KING of VHS: VCR Synth VCR-themed synthesizer app created by recording vintage synths through a real VCR to VHS tape and resampling into an app, delivering 80s lo-fi synth magic.
- Metronome Hero Metronome app for musicians developed by AudioKit Pro, released alongside a featured interview with founder Aure Prochazka.
- NERD Synth A2x Synthesizer app in the AudioKit Pro product lineup.
- Rack Reverb Simple AUv3 reverb plugin for iOS devices with three knobs, using an algorithm donated by Sean Costello (Valhalla DSP) to the AudioKit open-source project.
- SAGA Synth Next-generation AudioKit Pro app written from the ground up with focus on playability and sound, developed in collaboration with Brian Funk and Cem Olcay.
- SNESynth 16-bit chiptune synthesizer for iPhone delivering retro video game power in a fun synth app.
- SUPER J8 Synthesizer app in the AudioKit Pro product lineup.
- Synesthesia (Vision Pro) AudioKit Pro's first Apple Vision Pro app offering an ultimate sound visualization toolkit, including chord analyzer, tuner, spectrogram, and AR sound visualization.
- Viral Synth T2x Synth app for iPad/iPhone, with Viral Synth 2 released as a major free upgrade.
- HOUSE: MARK I Free open-source iOS code template (+ AUv3) for music production, with charity proceeds helping kids and students. Built by award-winning producers Henny tha Bizness and Kennard Garrett from Morehouse College.
- AudioKit 5.3 Swift-only version of the AudioKit framework enabling audio coding on iPad via the Swift Playgrounds app, removing the need for a Mac.
- Jam with Jordan (app) Music creation app built in collaboration with Grammy-winning musician Jordan Rudess.
- Custom Audio App Development & Consulting Services Professional consulting and custom iOS audio app creation services offered by the AudioKit Pro team for business inquiries via email.
- Flow (Node Graph Editor Library) Free and open-source graphical node editor library letting developers build apps with visual node-based workflows for audio and music apps.
- Controls (UI Library) Free and open-source user interface library providing knobs, sliders, XYPads, and other UI elements for music apps.
- Tonic (Music Theory Library) Free and open-source music theory library for music apps, paired with a SwiftUI keyboard component.
- Wafeform (Waveform View Library) Free and open-source GPU-accelerated SwiftUI waveform view library for audio visualization.
- AUv3 Open-Source Code Template First major example of a robust AUv3 app built completely with Apple's Audio Unit v3 format; free open-source template created by AudioKit core-team members Jeff Cooper and Matthew Fecher.
- AudioKit Cookbook Free and open-source code examples and recipes for building audio apps with AudioKit, created by AudioKit team member Nick Culbertson (Moby Pixel).
- Mighty Synth Sampler Free synth and sampler app built with AudioKit by Moby Pixel (Nick Culbertson), demonstrating AudioKit team-member contributions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200+ million app installs powered by AudioKit
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AudioKit Pro
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AudioKit Pro technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability5 records
Feature11 records
AudioKit Pro partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jordan RudesscoreAudioKit Pro collaborated with Grammy-winning musician Jordan Rudess to create Jam with Jordan app, the first AudioKit Pro app created with a Grammy winner.
- Sean Costello (Valhalla DSP)coreSean Costello, creator of Valhalla reverbs, generously donated the reverb algorithm used in AudioKit Rack Reverb to the open-source project.
- Georgia Institute of TechnologyminorAudioKit founder Aure Prochazka gave a guest lecture at Georgia Tech's world-class Music Technology program, reaching future music tech developers.
- Morehouse CollegecoreAudioKit partnered with Morehouse College and award-winning producers Henny tha Bizness (Jay-Z, Drake) and Kennard Garrett (Sting, Shaggy) to create HOUSE: MARK I, a free open-source iOS code template for music education.
- Skoog MusiccoreSkoog Music uses AudioKit for their internationally acclaimed Skoogmusic iPad interface software for the Skoog 2.0 hardware controller. Also created Skoog Skratch app built with AudioKit for accessible sampling.
- UC Irvine COSMOS ProgramminorAudioKit conducted guest lectures and workshops at UC Irvine's COSMOS program for cluster computing. Students used AudioKit with SceneKit, SpriteKit and physics for final projects.
- Ryan McLeod (Blackbox)coreAudioKit collaborated with Ryan McLeod to power Blackbox, the #1 Indie game for iPhone. The collaboration added sonic interfaces, accessibility features, and haptic feedback. Blackbox won Apple Design Award.
- McDonald'sminorMcDonald's used AudioKit to power McTrax, a high-tech musical placemat that turns into a full music production station using conductive ink and Bluetooth connectivity. Developed by Koert Gaaikema and team.
- CocoaPodscoreAudioKit pod is one of the top 200 most popular CocoaPods. AudioKit participated in the CocoaPods Testing Jam to add test support.
- SpotifyminorSpotify hosted an AudioKit workshop at their NYC office during a Synthesis & Samples Hackathon. Aure Prochazka gave a free workshop on AudioKit for synthesis and sampling.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AudioKit Pro competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JUCE: JUCE is a widely used cross-platform C++ audio application framework that, like AudioKit, powers a large share of professional audio plugins and apps. Both target the same developer audience building audio software and offer abstraction layers over host audio engines.
- Cycling '74 (Max/MSP): Max/MSP is a visual audio programming environment used by musicians, sound designers, and developers. Like AudioKit, it provides a node/visual programming layer for audio synthesis and DSP, and is integrated into Ableton's Max for Live.
Emerging players
- SuperCollider: SuperCollider is an open-source audio synthesis and algorithmic composition programming language. Like AudioKit it serves audio developers and DSP researchers, though it is more specialized for live-coding and academic use than for consumer-app development.
- Pure Data (Pd): Pure Data is a free open-source visual programming environment for audio and multimedia. It overlaps with AudioKit in providing audio DSP primitives to developers, but is primarily academic/educational in adoption rather than commercial-app focused.
- FAUST: FAUST is a functional programming language specifically designed for real-time audio DSP, compiling to many target platforms including iOS. It overlaps with AudioKit in serving audio DSP developers and shares the 'developer-tool-for-audio' positioning.
Broad incumbents
- iZotope: iZotope is an established audio software company producing professional plugins (RX, Ozone, Neutron) used widely in music production and audio post. It overlaps with AudioKit at the audio-effects/DSP layer, though iZotope focuses on finished products rather than a developer framework.
- Ableton: Ableton produces Live (a leading DAW) and Max/MSP (an audio programming environment). It overlaps with AudioKit in providing audio creation tools, but operates at a much broader music-production-platform scale and does not target iOS developer SDKs as a core product.
- Native Instruments: Native Instruments produces a broad portfolio of music production software (Kontakt, Reaktor, Massive) and hardware. Reaktor in particular overlaps with AudioKit's synthesis and modular audio capabilities, though Native Instruments operates at much larger scale as an audio-software incumbent.
- BandLab: BandLab is a free cloud-based music creation platform with mobile apps, overlapping with AudioKit Pro's consumer-facing music creation apps (Synth One, KING series). Both target musicians making music on mobile devices, but BandLab is a closed platform rather than a developer framework.
- Steinberg: Steinberg develops Cubase (a major DAW), Nuendo, and the VST audio plugin standard. The VST ecosystem overlaps with AudioKit's AUv3 plugin ecosystem as competing audio plugin host standards, and Steinberg shares AudioKit Pro's position in serving the audio developer community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AudioKit Pro social profiles
Digital presenceAudioKit Pro financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AudioKit Pro leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
AudioKit Pro funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AudioKit Pro 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 AudioKit Pro
What does AudioKit Pro do?
AudioKit Pro develops and maintains AudioKit, a free and open-source (MIT License) Swift audio framework for iOS and macOS that enables developers to add professional audio functionality—synthesis, DSP, sampling, MIDI, and AUv3 plugin hosting—to their apps. The company monetizes this open-source platform by selling proprietary music apps on the Apple App Stores and by providing custom audio app development and consulting services to enterprises such as McDonald's and Skoog Music.
Is AudioKit Pro a public or private company?
AudioKit Pro is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AudioKit Pro founded?
AudioKit Pro was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AudioKit Pro based?
AudioKit Pro is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does AudioKit Pro make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Proprietary Music Apps are the primary driver. The others are open-source Framework (Free), consulting Services, merchandise Sales and community Donations.
Who are AudioKit Pro's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JUCE and Cycling '74 (Max/MSP). Emerging players are SuperCollider, Pure Data (Pd) and FAUST. Broad incumbents are iZotope, Ableton, Native Instruments, BandLab and Steinberg.
Does AudioKit Pro have an API?
No public API is recorded for AudioKit Pro.
What industry is AudioKit Pro in?
AudioKit Pro's product category is Audio Developer Tools & Software Synthesis. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAB, Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX). Its NAICS code is 512250 and its SIC code is 7372.