Audacity vs Reaper

Audacity costs nothing and says it always will, while Reaper charges USD 60 or USD 225 depending on who you are. That is the plain split, and it shapes everything else. Audacity is an open GPL v3 editor and recorder with an optional cloud companion, whereas Reaper is a single-edition multitrack workstation with take comping, Razor edits and a 60-day evaluation. Neither site states a country for its vendor, though Reaper names a New York address, so compare them on licence, workflow depth and what you are willing to assemble yourself.

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Both are reviewed in full in our audio editing software ranking: Audacity and Reaper.

1. 01

   USD 60, USD 225 or nothing

   Reaper's purchase page lists a discounted USD 60 licence for personal use, education, non-profit work, or earnings of at most USD 20,000 a year, and a commercial licence at USD 225, both excluding VAT and local taxes. Audacity's front page says it has always been and will always remain free for everyone. A hobbyist or a small studio therefore pays nothing with Audacity and at least USD 60 with Reaper. Judged on money alone, Audacity wins in every case we read.

   Edge: Audacity

2. 02

   Sixty days to try it all

   Reaper offers a full evaluation for 60 days with complete functionality, and the purchase page describes it as having no strings attached. After purchase, upgrades cost nothing up to version 8.99, and one key may be installed on more than one computer provided only one is in use at once. Audacity needs no trial because the download is the product. A buyer unsure about paying gets a long, unrestricted test with Reaper, which is a useful thing to have before spending.

   Depends on the buyer

3. 03

   Takes, comping and parallel routing

   Reaper lists track lanes with swipe comping for building a composite take, Razor edits, and FX containers that allow parallel routing, plus render statistics and loudness reports. Audacity is described in its repository as an easy-to-use multi-track audio editor and recorder, and its site lists Spectrogram view and Vamp analyzers. Those are real tools, yet the pages we read show no comping or parallel effect routing. For recording sessions with many takes and layered effects, Reaper is documented as deeper.

   Edge: Reaper

4. 04

   Plugin formats and where plugins come from

   Reaper supports VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX and JS plugins, and its site describes no bundled instrument library, leaving sounds to outside vendors. Audacity supports third-party plugins including VST3 and Nyquist, and promotes bundles such as MuseFX and Trinity EQ that are distributed through MuseHub, a separate distributor. Reaper accepts more named formats on the pages read. Audacity points you to a store for its promoted extras, which is a small step away from the free editor.

   Edge: Reaper

5. 05

   Who stands behind the download

   Audacity's footer reads Muse Group and contributors, and the page calls MuseHub the official distributor. Muse Group's legal page returned an error when we tried it, so we could not confirm a country. Reaper names Cockos Incorporated (PO Box 298, Rosendale, New York) as seller, though the page names no country. Reaper therefore gives a reader a postal address to check, a small but real anchor, while Audacity gives a corporate name without anything verifiable behind it.

   Edge: Reaper

6. 06

   Open source, platforms and the help library

   Audacity says its source code stays open, names GPLv3 for the project, with most code files GPLv2-or-later and documentation under CC-BY 3.0, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its help reference spans 147 reference pages and 9 getting-started pages. Reaper's pages describe a single paid version with no artificial limitations that installs and runs from a portable or network drive, and they name no source licence. For anyone who needs to inspect or redistribute the code, only Audacity qualifies.

   Edge: Audacity

Does Audacity record guests who are in another country?

Audacity records on your own machine, so remote guests need another tool. It does link an optional Audacity Cloud Storage offer and an Audio.com companion for sharing, but the page gives no price for either.

What happens when my Reaper licence reaches version 8.99?

Free upgrades run through version 8.99 for a new licence. Past that point the upgrade terms did not appear in the text we fetched, so check the purchase page before relying on later versions.

Can a small business use the cheaper Reaper licence?

Yes, within a limit. The discounted USD 60 licence covers commercial use up to USD 20,000 of yearly gross revenue, and above that the USD 225 commercial licence applies.

• Audacity homepage: always-free statement, platforms, plugin formats, MuseHub, footer credit.
• Audacity source repository: GPLv3 licence wording and editor description.
• Audacity help reference: 147 reference pages, MuseFX and Trinity EQ, cloud storage offer.
• Reaper purchase page: USD 60 and USD 225 licences, revenue limit, 60-day evaluation, version 8.99, Cockos address.
• Reaper homepage: plugin formats, track lanes, Razor edits, FX containers, loudness reports.