What is Ardour used for?

Ardour is a free, open-source digital audio workstation for Windows, Linux and macOS, used to record, edit and mix audio and MIDI projects. It is a good fit for recording and mixing music, tracking vocals and live instruments, and mastering and exporting finished projects.

Is Ardour open source?

Yes. Ardour is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Ardour/ardour and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. Ardour is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Ardour?

Yes. Ardour can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Ardour an alternative to?

Ardour is an open-source alternative to Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live and Adobe Audition. Other open-source alternatives to Logic Pro include LMMS.

Is Ardour actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Ardour was on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.

Ardour: open-source alternative to Pro Tools, Logic Pro

About Ardour

Ardour is a digital audio workstation, free and open source, that runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. It is built for recording, editing, mixing and mastering audio and MIDI projects, from capturing vocals and live instruments to producing beats and preparing tracks for streaming.

Recording starts from an audio interface, microphone or keyboard, and material can be imported from a hard drive or the Freesound database. Editing tools include cutting, moving, stretching, trimming, crossfading, transposing and quantizing with unlimited undo and redo, while the mixer offers faders, automation, EQ, dynamics, sends, inserts and support for external control surfaces.

Its core audience is audio engineers who want full control of their tools for long sessions, along with musicians who record real instruments. Ardour supports plugin formats such as LV2 and VST and connects through JACK. It is written in C++, and the GitHub repository is a mirror of the project's source code.

Key features

Multitrack audio and MIDI recording
Editing with unlimited undo and redo
Mixer with automation, EQ and dynamics
LV2 and VST plugin support
JACK audio connectivity
External control surface support
Audio and MIDI import including Freesound

Good fit for

→Recording and mixing music
→Tracking vocals and live instruments
→Mastering and exporting finished projects

Built with: C++
Tags: daw; audio; music-production; midi; recording; mixing; lv2; vst; cross-platform

Ardour: questions and answers

What is Ardour used for?: Ardour is a free, open-source digital audio workstation for Windows, Linux and macOS, used to record, edit and mix audio and MIDI projects. It is a good fit for recording and mixing music, tracking vocals and live instruments, and mastering and exporting finished projects.
Is Ardour open source?: Yes. Ardour is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Ardour/ardour and is written mainly in C++.
Is Ardour free?: Yes. Ardour is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Ardour?: Yes. Ardour can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Ardour an alternative to?: Ardour is an open-source alternative to Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live and Adobe Audition. Other open-source alternatives to Logic Pro include LMMS.
Is Ardour actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Ardour was on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.