Waveform vs Ardour
Two of the top three digital audio workstations, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- Waveform has 85 points and Ardour 75, 10 apart on our digital audio workstations rules.
- Waveform earns more on recording and editing and mixing and control; Ardour earns more on licence and updates.
- Cheapest edition with no track limit: Waveform $0, Ardour $0.
- Only Waveform meets: audio to MIDI, surround mixing, MPE support and free trial of a paid edition.
- Only Ardour meets: open source.
Waveform85/100 #1 of 8
Best for: Producers who want a free DAW on Windows, macOS and Linux with a paid upgrade path.
Ardour75/100 #2 of 8
Best for: People who want an open-source DAW with Lua scripting and a video timeline.
Points by group
| Group | Waveform | Ardour |
|---|---|---|
| Recording and editing of 28 | 28 | 24 |
| Mixing and control of 13 | 13 | 4 |
| Plugins of 11 | 8 | 8 |
| Systems of 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Licence and updates of 22 | 10 | 13 |
| Price of 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 85 | 75 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | Waveform | Ardour |
|---|---|---|
| 100 or more tracks (10) | Yes 10 | Yes 10 |
| Take comping (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Built-in time-stretch (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Audio to MIDI (4) | Yes 4 | Not published 0 |
| Video track (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Surround mixing (5) | Yes 5 | No 0 |
| MPE support (4) | Yes 4 | Not published 0 |
| Scripting or extension API (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| VST3 plugins (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| CLAP plugins (3) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Other desktop systems (6) | macOS, Linux 6 | macOS, Linux 6 |
| Buy once, keep forever (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Update policy (6) | paid 1 | period 3 |
| Open source (4) | Not published 0 | Yes 4 |
| Works offline after activation (3) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Free trial of a paid edition (3) | Yes 3 | No 0 |
| Free edition (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| Cheapest edition with no track limit (12) | $0 12 | $0 12 |
Waveform
Waveform suits people who want a DAW with no track cap at no cost, and who can pay later for the extra instruments, effects and video tools in Pro. Pro is sold for a one-time $249, and the next major version has an upgrade fee. The catch: the vendor pages do not mention CLAP or offline activation.
Ardour
Ardour suits people who want an open-source DAW with no track cap, Lua scripting and video support, and who are happy to pay by subscription or build from source. The vendor says you are under no obligation to pay. The catch: its surround panner is still marked as in development, and pre-built installers are described as paid.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score digital audio workstations.