11 Best FREE DAWs To Create Music in 2024

This guide shows the 11 best FREE DAWs, whether you’re an experienced beat maker or a new melody creator.

We’ll look at what each program is good and bad at, and what types of music styles they work well for. This will help you find the perfect one for the kind of music you want to make. So put on your headphones, get inspired, and get ready to make great music – all without spending any money!

FREE DAWs To Create Music

Making music is easier than ever these days, because there are many free Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) that musicians and music producers can use. In this 2024 list, we’ve gathered 11 great free DAWs that work for different types of needs and skill levels.

Let’s look at these excellent options that can help you create the music you want.

1. Ableton Live Lite
2. Cakewalk by BandLab
3. GarageBand
4. Tracktion Waveform
5. Pro Tools Intro
6. Audacity
7. Ohm Studio
8. Serato Studio
9. Cubase LE
10. Soundbridge
11. Podium Free

1. Ableton Live Lite

Ableton Live Lite is a simplified version of the popular Ableton Live software. It’s a powerful music-making program suitable for both beginners and experienced users. It allows you to record audio and MIDI, has virtual instruments and an intuitive “session view” for live performances.

Features:

Record audio and MIDI
Virtual instruments
Session view for live shows

Pros:

Professional capabilities
Easy to use interface
Works well with hardware controllers

Cons:

Has fewer features than the full Ableton Live

DoWNLOAD Ableton Live Lite

2. Cakewalk by BandLab

Cakewalk was previously a paid software, but is now free from BandLab. It’s a full-featured music program that allows unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, advanced editing tools, and supports VST plugins. It has a user-friendly design.

Features:

Unlimited audio/MIDI tracks
Advanced editing tools
Supports VST plugins

Pros:

Professional capabilities
Easy to use
Good for beginners and experts

Cons:

Only works on Windows

Download Cakewalk

3. GarageBand

GarageBand is a free music creator made by Apple for Mac and iOS devices. It provides virtual instruments, pre-made loops, and tools for recording vocals/instruments. It’s great for beginners and integrates nicely with other Apple products.

Features:

Virtual instruments and pre-made loops
Record vocals/instruments
Integrates with Apple devices

Pros:

Easy for beginners
High quality sounds

Cons:

Only works on Apple products

DOWNLOAD GarageBand

4. Tracktion Waveform

Tracktion Waveform is a full music production suite that works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Raspberry Pi. It has a simple interface and includes hundreds of plugins, loops, and instruments. The free version works indefinitely with some limitations.

Features:

Simple interface
Hundreds of plugins/loops/instruments
Cross-platform

Pros:

Easy to use
Good for music production, recording, mixing
Advanced for experienced users

Cons:

Learning curve for beginners

DOWNLOAD Tracktion Waveform

5. Pro Tools Intro

Pro Tools Intro is a free version of the industry-standard Pro Tools software. It allows multi-track recording, has a variety of plugins, and an intuitive interface. It’s a great entry point into professional-level audio production.

Features:

Multi-track recording
Various plugins
Industry-standard

Pros:

Professional capabilities
User-friendly
Used by audio professionals

Cons:

Has fewer features than full Pro Tools

DOWNLOAD PRO TOOLS INTRO

6. Audacity

Audacity is a free, open-source program for editing and recording audio. It allows multi-track editing, live audio recording, and uses various plugins. Audacity is very popular among podcasters, musicians, and sound designers.

Features:

Multi-track editing
Live audio recording
Uses plugins

Pros:

Free and works on all systems
Large community of users for support
Powerful audio editing

Cons:

Interface can be overwhelming for new users

DOWNLOAD Audacity

7. Ohm Studio

Ohm Studio is a music program that allows musicians to collaborate and work together online in real-time. It offers multi-track recording, virtual instruments, and plugins. It’s perfect for musicians who want to collaborate remotely with others.

Features:

Real-time online collaboration
Multi-track recording
Virtual instruments and plugins

Pros:

Unique online collaboration
Good for collaborative projects
User-friendly interface

Cons:

Online collaboration requires a stable internet

Download Ohm Studio

8. Serato Studio

Serato Studio is designed specifically for DJing and making beats. It has a DJ-friendly interface, tools for chopping up samples, and works with Serato DJ hardware. It’s ideal for transitioning between DJing and music production.

Features:

DJ-style interface
Chop up audio samples
Works with Serato DJ gear

Pros:

Integrates with Serato DJ hardware
User-friendly for DJs and producers
Focused on samples

Cons:

More limited than traditional music programs

DOWNLOAD Serato Studio

9. Cubase LE

Cubase LE is a free, simplified version of the popular Cubase music software. It provides the basics for music production like audio/MIDI recording, virtual instruments, and an easy interface.

Features:

Audio and MIDI recording
Virtual instruments
User-friendly interface

Pros:

Professional capabilities
Good for beginners and experts
Part of Cubase family

Cons:

Has fewer features than full Cubase

DOWNLOAD Cubase LE

10. Soundbridge

Soundbridge is a free music production suite that offers unlimited audio/MIDI tracks, virtual instruments, and supports VST plugins. It aims to provide professional-level features for free.

Features:

Unlimited audio/MIDI tracks
Virtual instruments
Supports VST plugins

Pros:

Professional capabilities
Easy to use interface
For beginners and experts

Cons:

May have a learning curve at first

Download Soundbridge

11. Podium Free

Podium Free is a full-featured free DAW for Windows. It allows unlimited audio/MIDI tracks, uses VST plugins, and has a streamlined interface. It’s a great free option for music production on Windows.

Features: