digital audio workstation · Ardour

Ardour

Open-source recording and mixing program with no limit on tracks, funded by user subscriptions.

75/100

#2 of 8 digital audio workstations
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

The specifications list no limit on tracks or busses; disk and CPU are the limits¹.
Ardour is free and open source under GPL v2, and the source code is free to build yourself^10,11,14.
Subscriptions cost $1 (developing world), $4 (low cost) or $10 (standard) a month; a one-time download of $45 or more covers the next major version^3,14.
Ardour loads VST3 plugins, and supports Lua scripts and a video timeline^1,8,6.
It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux¹⁰.

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^1,2,3. The vendor says you are under no obligation to pay³. The catch: its surround panner is still marked as in development⁷, and pre-built installers are described as paid².

Best for: People who want an open-source DAW with Lua scripting and a video timeline.

Where the points come from

Recording and editing24 of 28

Mixing and control4 of 13

Plugins8 of 11

Systems6 of 6

Licence and updates13 of 22

Price20 of 20

Recording and editing 24 of 28 points

Rule	What is published	Points
100 or more tracks	YesThe specifications table lists number of tracks as No Limit¹.	10 / 10
Take comping	YesThe features page lists playlist-based comping; the manual describes building a composite from takes^1,4.	5 / 5
Built-in time-stretch	YesClips in the Cue window are time-stretched to the session tempo, and regions can be stretched keeping pitch^5,13.	5 / 5
Audio to MIDI	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's features page or manual pages^1,13.	0 / 4
Video track	YesImports a video and shows a frame-by-frame timeline in sync with the project⁶.	4 / 4

Mixing and control 4 of 13 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Surround mixing	NoThe VBAP panner, which handles 5.1 and 7.1 layouts, is described as in development and not for important production work⁷.	0 / 5
MPE support	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's MIDI manual pages¹.	0 / 4
Scripting or extension API	YesLua scripting is documented in the manual⁸.	4 / 4

Plugins 8 of 11 points

Rule	What is published	Points
VST3 plugins	YesThe features page lists VST3 plugins and the Plugin Manager scans VST3^1,9.	8 / 8
CLAP plugins	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's plugin pages^1,9.	0 / 3

Systems 6 of 6 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other desktop systems	macOS, LinuxHome page: record, edit and mix on Linux, macOS and Windows; Windows supported officially since version 5.0^10,12.	6 / 6

Licence and updates 13 of 22 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Buy once, keep forever	YesThe vendor sells a one-time pre-built download, and Ardour keeps working without a subscription^14,3.	6 / 6
Update policy	periodA one-time download of US$45 or more includes updates to that version and the next major version¹⁴.	3 / 6
Open source	YesThe home page calls Ardour free and open-source, and it is licensed under GNU GPL v2^10,11.	4 / 4
Works offline after activation	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's download and subscription pages^2,3.	0 / 3
Free trial of a paid edition	NoThe FAQ describes a free/demo copy that goes silent after 10 minutes, not a 14-day trial¹⁴.	0 / 3

Price 20 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free edition	YesFree to copy and build from source under the GPL; pre-built installers are described as paid^2,3.	8 / 8
Cheapest edition with no track limit	$0The source build meets the no-track-limit line at no cost; cheapest subscription is $1 a month^1,3.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score digital audio workstations.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Build from source1 person	Free^2,3	$0	GPL source code; you compile it yourself
Pre-built download, one time1 person	$45 or more¹⁴	–	Updates for that version and the next major version; downloads start at $1
Subscription, developing world1 person	$1/month³	$1	Supports development; updates while subscribed
Subscription, low cost1 person	$4/month³	$4	Supports development; updates while subscribed
Subscription, standard1 person	$10/month³	$10	Supports development; updates while subscribed

Ardour says a one-year subscription at the standard rate costs US$120 and likely spans two major releases³. A one-time download costs from US$1; US$45 or more covers the next major version¹⁴.

Strengths

No limit on tracks, busses, sends or plugins per track¹.
Free and open source under GPL v2^10,11.
Lua scripting API is documented⁸.
Video timeline imports one video and shows frames in sync⁶.
Loads VST3 plugins on Windows alongside LV2 and others^1,9.

Limits

The VBAP surround panner is in development and the manual advises against relying on it⁷.
Pre-built installers are paid or by subscription; building from source is described as hard on Windows^2,3.
A subscription gives updates only while you remain a subscriber³.
The manual shows only one video can be loaded at a time and no video editing⁶.

What Ardour says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

Ardour says a one-year subscription costs US$120 and that comparable proprietary DAWs cost between US$300 and US$1500³.

Other digital audio workstations

1
WaveformProducers who want a free DAW on Windows, macOS and Linux with a paid upgrade path
85/100
$0cheapest edition with no track limit
3
REAPERHome producers who want a one-off price of $60 and no track limit
71/100
$60/yrcheapest edition with no track limit
4
Bitwig StudioProducers who want a one-time licence, CLAP and MPE support, and a Linux build
64/100
$110.74/yrcheapest edition with no track limit
5
FL StudioProducers who want to pay once and keep every future update
63/100
$179/yrcheapest edition with no track limit

Ardour vs Waveform · Ardour vs REAPER · All 8 digital audio workstations

Sources

Ardour features, Ardour. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Get Ardour, Ardour. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Support Ardour Development With A Subscription, Ardour. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Playlist Usecases, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Setting Up Stretch Options, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Video Timeline and Monitoring, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VBAP Panner, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Lua Scripting, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Plugin Manager, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Ardour, Ardour. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Ardour development, Ardour. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Microsoft Windows, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Stretching, Ardour manual. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Ardour FAQ, Ardour. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: ardour.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Ardour.