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- If you’re looking for some information about actually starting your own, we love this article: How to Start a Podcast. Our picks for the 10 best podcast microphones. Below is our compiled list of the top 10 best microphones for podcasting in the market today.
- Podcasting apps, also known as podcatchers, do more than just play back your podcasts. The best-in-class examples automatically download and sort the newest episodes of your subscribed podcasts.
The Rundown
The world's only easy to use podcast maker. Record, edit and publish to SoundCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, e-mail, iMessage and more. Import audio from your local iTunes music library, or Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive and others.
- Best Overall: Audacity at Fosshub.com, 'It’s free and open-source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux simply gets the job done.'
- Best for Pros: Adobe Audition Creative Cloud at Amazon, 'Stands out in large part due to powerful audio restoration functions.'
- Runner-Up, Best for Pros: Avid Pro Tools at Amazon, 'Includes all the tools you could need for recording, editing, mixing, composing, and more.'
- Best Free for Macs: GarageBand at Apple, 'It's been free for the Mac operating system and iOS for many years.'
- Best Free for Windows: Sony ACID Xpress at Uptodown.com, 'ACID Xpress makes it simple and easy for even beginning podcasters to record audio clips.'
- Best for Quick Publishing: Alitu at Alitu.com, 'Automates the technical processes for you, whipping up a professional-sounding podcast episode in few clicks.'
- Best for Storytelling:Hindenburg Journalist at Hindenburg.com, 'Recording on Hindenburg gives you uncompressed audio for maximum spoken-word quality.'
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Audacity
Audacity is a popular go-to tool for beginning and advanced podcasters alike, a big reason being that it comes at a price that literally can’t be beaten. It’s free and open-source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux simply gets the job done. Just click the big record button to start recording from your USB microphone or other input, or drag in the existing audio file you want to work with. You may be surprised at the range of useful audio processing tools at your disposal, from noise reduction to saving and applying equalizer settings.
Audacity is a powerful audio editor, letting you trim and delete clips, add fades, splice sounds together, and more. Edits done in the program are destructive, though, so it doesn’t give you the same level of control as full-featured, non-destructive, non-linear digital audio workstations (DAWs). You also won’t get much in the way of music production features like MIDI tools or virtual instrument tracks, so more complex music needs are better handled in a separate program.
Another knock on Audacity is that the interface may look intimidating to new users, and there’s indeed a bit of a learning curve involved. But there are plenty of support materials like manuals and tutorials available online, so once you’ve learned to do what you need to do, there’s little in the way of achieving nearly any podcast goal.
Best for Pros: Adobe Audition Creative Cloud
If you’re ready to invest in expert-level podcast production software, Adobe Audition is a relatively easy-to-use way to get professional-quality results. It’s ideal for those already subscribed to other apps in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite that it can integrate seamlessly with, but Audition is also available separately.
Audition stands out in large part due to powerful audio restoration functions. It’s stellar at removing unwanted background noise and stray sounds like clicks and bumps. There might be far more features than you’ll ever need, but it comes with presets that help focuses on enhancing certain types of audio, like dialogue. You can even load up a template that sets up your tracks and settings in a way that’s relevant and optimized for podcasts.
With Audition’s Multitrack view, you can drag, drop, cut, and piece together tracks, great for putting voiceovers on top of background music or mixing in interviews and other recorded segments. You can record to multiple tracks at the same time, too, using separate microphones for different speakers. Audition also comes with thousands of music loops and sound effects, along with a Remix tool that can trim music down in an automated and intelligent way. With no music scoring tool or MIDI support, though, its strength is more on audio editing and sound quality than music creation.
To complete your setup, check out our guide to the best USB microphones and the best mic stands.
Runner-Up, Best for Pros: Avid Pro Tools
For many audio-industry professionals, Avid’s Pro Tools is a standard-setter. The DAW gives you a clean, uncluttered interface, while at the same time including all the tools you could need for recording, editing, mixing, composing, and more. It’s an extremely robust tool for streamlining workflow in everything from a serious home studio to a large commercial one. It will take some time to learn the system if you’re new to it, but its widespread use means it won’t be hard to collaborate with audio pros of all kinds on your projects.
Podcasters will find a rich array of editing and mixing tools with the capability for quick, real-time adjustments. Musicians can take advantage of the built-in virtual instruments, MIDI editor, and score editor. The base Pro Tools software offers up to 128 tracks of non-destructive editing, while a free Pro Tools First version is capped at 16 tracks. Pro Tools First also limits you to three projects at a time, saved on Avid’s servers on the cloud. A Pro Tools Ultimate version is available with even more tracks, an expanded feature set, and much more expensive monthly subscription costs.
Best Free for Macs: GarageBand
Most Mac users will already be familiar with GarageBand since it’s been free for the Mac operating system and iOS for many years. But while GarageBand is known and loved for being an intuitive, accessible music creation tool, it can also serve very effectively for podcast recording. You can work from a simple podcast-oriented template, with tracks optimized for male or female voices, sound effects, and musical jingles. With an interface built for drag-and-drop music composition, it doesn’t get much easier than this to arrange and adjust your recorded elements while adding custom musical touches.
With GarageBand’s loop-based music focus, though, its audio-editing features are on the more basic side when compared even with free and cross-platform competitors. For Mac users finding GarageBand too simple for their needs, Apple’s Logic Pro X is a more full-featured paid DAW that’s still simple to use and comes at a reasonable price.
Best Free for Windows: Sony ACID Xpress
ACID Xpress is a loop-based multitrack audio editor that is more than capable of recording, mixing, and cleaning up podcasts. It's completely free and a limited version of the much more advanced ACID Music Studio. The differences with the Xpress product include a reduced number of free trial loops, a maximum of 10 total tracks, and the ability to record only one track at a time.
Even with those limitations and few audio processing options, ACID Xpress makes it simple and easy for even beginning podcasters to record audio clips, cut and arrange them as needed, and adjust panning and volume levels. The program’s music composition features, from in-line MIDI editing to pitch adjustment to tempo matching, are nice bonuses in case your needs happen to call for them at any point.
For recording music, see our reviews of the best music production software.
Best for Quick Publishing: Alitu
Most tools for producing podcasts are full audio editors or DAWs that may have more features than you’ll ever use. Plus, you’ll need to have some idea of how exactly to get your recording sounding the way it should. Alitu is made for podcasters who don’t want to worry about any of that. The service (available as a free seven-day trial and then with a monthly or annual fee) automates the technical processes for you, whipping up a professional-sounding podcast episode in few clicks.
You start by uploading the recordings and other audio files for your episode, and if you have multiple channels or tracks from the same call as separate files, they can be linked together. You can also record right on Alitu. This works only from a single source, and it’s best to stick with short clips in case you run into browser issues.
If you think you’ll be set with your recording basically as it is, you can jump right to building your episode, where Alitu runs its automated processing to clean up your audio. Otherwise, you can go into the editor to make your own custom edits, whether it’s rearranging and trimming your segments or cutting out unwanted noises or silences. You can also adjust your intro and/or outro music, like how long it runs and how it transitions to your content. Then you can download your finished episode or have Alitu publish it directly to a linked hosting service.
Best for Storytelling: Hindenburg Journalist
Podcasts are a popular and engaging medium for audio narratives and journalism, and Hindenburg’s tools put the story front and center. Their Journalist software is a DAW with strong audio processing features, but many run in the background—optimized voice profiles and audio levels, for example, are set automatically when you record or import audio. Recording on Hindenburg gives you uncompressed audio for maximum spoken-word quality, automatically equalized for consistent sound whether you’re interviewing people in a studio or over the phone or out in the field.
The low-maintenance audio processing frees you up to concentrate your own efforts on the content, which might otherwise be a messy process if you’re juggling material from a lot of different sources. With Hindenburg Journalist’s unique “clipboard” interface, you can easily see and organize all your interviews and sound bites, picking out the best ones to tell your story. You can cut, paste, and arrange clips in the non-destructive multi-track editor, and then publish it straight to your Libsyn or SoundCloud hosting account if you wish.
Our writers spent 2 hours researching the most popular podcast recording software on the market. Before making their final recommendations, they considered 11 different software overall, screened options from 10 different brands and manufacturers, read over 27 user reviews (both positive and negative), and tested 2 of the software themselves. All of this research adds up to recommendations you can trust.
Whether it’s creating videos, recording podcasts, digitizing music from musical instruments, or advanced sound production tasks, having a well rounded and robust audio recording/editing application at your disposal is pretty much essential. But there are numerous such sound recording programs out there, ranging from lightweight applications having essential editing functionalities, to professional grade audio production suites. And that kind of makes finding the one that suits your needs best, a bit cumbersome.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way, as that’s the confusion this article is intended to clear, discussing applications that are perfect for both basic and advanced usage scenarios. Stoked? Let’s strap in, as we take a granular look at the 10 best audio recording software.
Advanced Editors & Digital Audio Workstations
1. Audacity
Undoubtedly one of the most popular and well known audio editing software out there, Audacity includes a truckload of impressive features, with robust audio recording functionality being one of them.
Audacity lets you record audio from a multitude of audio input sources, such as external and built-in microphones, and even streaming audio. And that’s just the start. It can be used to convert audio from sources such as tapes and records, to digital recordings in a multitude of formats. Audacity also lets you apply numerous filters and post processing effects (e.g. amplification, noise reduction, silence removal) to the audio files, and supports multi-track mixing with granular audio spectrum analysis. Other features include advanced editing functionality, vocal reduction, and support for numerous Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plug-ins. Audacity supports all popular audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and OGG.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for the best audio recording and editing program that doesn’t cost a dime, go for Audacity with closed eyes. And the fact that it’s cross-platform and open-source, just makes things better.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP; Mac OS X 10.5 and above; Linux.
Price: Free
2. MixCraft
Looking for a beastly audio recording and production suite, stuffed with every feature you could think of? Take MixCraft for a spin, as it just might be what you need.
Aside from being a professional grade audio recording application, MixCraft is also a powerful digital audio workstation, MIDI sequencer, and then some more. From built-in microphones to external devices like MIDI keyboards, MixCraft can record from a vast array of sources, and even record simultaneously from multiple devices. It includes digital simulations of a bag-load of musical instruments, ranging from classic synthesizers to electric guitars, and comes with huge collection of royalty free loops, sound effects etc. that you can use to create and mix your own music. Other features include Tempo matching (to sync current track’s tempo to that of a pre-recorded audio file), and support for numerous plug-ins and audio effects like distortion and reverb. From MP3 and WAV, to OGG and FLAC, MixCraft supports all audio formats for both input and output.
MixCraft is perfect if you’re a sound engineer/producer looking for something feature-laden for your mixing and production needs. However, it’s only available for the Windows platform, so that’s a bit of a bummer.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Price: Paid versions start from $89.95, 14 day trial available.
3. Sonar
Sonar bills itself as the “most advanced music production environment” available. And given the truckload of features it comes loaded with, it’s hard to argue with that claim.
One of the most powerful Digital Audio Workstation applications out there, Sonar includes just about everything you’d expect from a software of this caliber. You can record audio from numerous sources, and also interface it with a diverse array of external devices such as mixers and MIDI keyboards. And that’s not all. Other features include support for unlimited MIDI and sound tracks, and quick A/B comparison. Then you have a huge collection of special effects (e.g. reverb, delay), and support for virtual instruments such as samplers, drum machines, and synthesizers. Applying and editing effects is as simple as drag-and-drop, and nearly all popular audio formats, such as WAV, ASF, WMA, and AIFF are supported.
All in all, Sonar is an extremely powerful audio mixing and production software, and its 64 bit sound mixing engine ensures maximum performance. So if that’s something you need, go for Sonar without a hitch. However, a downside to using/trying out Sonar is it’s clunky installation method, which requires you to download a “command center” application and then use your free account to install the Sonar version you want to try out.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Price: Paid versions start from $49, 30 day trial available.
4. Reaper
For a lightweight application that’s also (comparatively) easy to use, Reaper sure as heck packs in a lot of punch, and then some more.
Reaper makes recording audio from internal devices or connected external ones like MIDI keyboards a breeze. You can record from multiple devices simultaneously (limited only by hardware), and overdub audio and MIDI. The audio recording config (e.g. stereo, surround sound) can be set-up either in advance, or during post-processing. Most of the editing is a drag and drop affair, and you can apply a ton of effects, such as pitch shift, cross-fade, and snap to grid. Recording and editing can be automated a well, and multiple audio regions can be freely copied and moved for quick comparisons. Reaper includes supports for nearly all VST plug-ins, and there are more that can be created via JavaScript. Support for video decoding is there as well, and a huge variety of formats, ranging from FLAC and MOV, to W64 and AIFF are supported for both input and output. Finally, Reaper’s nested folder structure allows for a much more efficient group audio editing environment.
Want a fast and fully loaded digital audio recording and editing suite that’s super easy to use and offers powerhouse features for a fraction of a price? Reaper is all you need. Then there’s the fact that it’s cross-platform, and has the creator of the legendary Winamp behind it.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP; Mac OS X 10.5 and up; Linux (via Wine).
Price: Paid versions start from $60, 60 day free trial available.
5. Muse
The digital audio recording and production applications discussed so far are no doubt incredibly powerful. However, they are all Windows specific, so if you’re using something like Linux, you’re out of luck.
Not really, as Muse is here to the rescue. A robust and feature heavy MIDI and audio sequencer built specifically for Linux, Muse comes with impressive audio recording and editing capabilities baked in it. It lets you record (and playback) from multiple internal and external audio sources, with both stereo/mono inputs and outputs, and includes real-time recording as well. Other than that, you can directly import/export MIDI files for quick editing using a variety of tools, such as piano roll, drum editor, and score editor. Muse is compatible with standard VST plug-ins (among others), and supports drag and drop arranging of audio tracks and plug-ins in projects. From MP3 and WAV, to WMA and OGG, Muse supports all formats for both audio import and export.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking forward for a free and capable audio recording software, with some very good editing and sequencing functionalities, specifically for Linux, it’s hard to go wrong with Muse.
Platform Availability: Linux.
Price: Free
Basic Audio Recorders And Editors
6. Ocenaudio
Looking for an audio editing application that packs in a healthy number of advanced features, while being amazingly comfortable to use? Do take Ocenaudio for a spin.
Being an exceptionally responsive and fast audio editing and recording software, Ocenaudio works surprisingly well. And its clean interface makes getting started a walk in the park. Whether it’s basic audio recording or a bit more advanced audio analysis, Ocenaudio excels. It features a wide array of effects, including a 31 band equalizer, flanger, chorus, multiple filters, and noise gate, all of which can be applied and previewed in real-time. There’s support for detailed audio spectrum analysis, and you can granularly select multiple portions of audio to preview and apply effects to them. Finally, in addition to its native effects, Ocenaudio fully supports VST based plug-ins, again with real-time previews. It is fully compatible with all major audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, and AIFF.
Whether you need just basic editing features, or advanced audio editing with plug-ins and effects too, Ocenaudio will work just fine. And did I mention it’s cross platform as well?
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP; Mac OS X 10.6 and later; Linux.
Price: Free
7. AudioDope
It may not have a whole barrage of powerhouse features, but AudioDope still packs in enough features to hold on its own.
As a feature rich audio recording and editing software, AudioDope works surprisingly well. You can record either from external/internal sources for editing, or load up audio files you already have saved on your computer. AudioDope features full audio waveform analysis, and editing all or some parts of the audio stream is an extremely simple affair. There is a large variety of audio effects available, such as high/low pass filters, pitch scale, normalization, chorus, and reverb. Other than that, advanced sound analysis can be done via tools like noise generator, and frequency analyzer. AudioDope fully supports numerous VST plug-ins, ranging from Compressors to Phasers, which can be downloaded here. AudioDope is compatible with a diverse range of audio formats, including ADPCM, MPC, and WMA.
If you want a lean audio recording and editing application that doesn’t bog down the system, AudioDope is just the thing you need. However, it’s Windows specific only, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Price: Free
8. Wavosaur
Feature laden audio recording and editing software don’t have to be monstrous in sizes, and Wavosaur is the perfect example of that, being unbelievably tiny, at just about 1.5 MB in size.
Yep, you read that right. This ultra lightweight and portable application makes quick work of recording, editing and processing audio tracks and sound loops, both from internal devices as well as external ones like MIDI keyboards. And despite its minimal footprint, Wavosaur supports everything from basic editing and recording functionalities to batch conversion and real-time effect processing. It fully supports VST plug-ins, and its multi document interface makes it easy to work with numerous tracks on one go. You can apply numerous effects like volume normalization, audio inversion, and silence insertion, both during editing and post-processing. Other features include full audio spectrum analysis, and ASIO (audio stream input/output) support. Wavosaur supports all general audio formats, like MP3, WAV, and OGG.
If you’re on the hunt for a robust yet lightweight audio recording software that can also handle a bit of editing, Wavosaur is definitely worth checking out. However, at times it’s unstable when handling specific audio files, so bear that in mind.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Price: Free
9. RecordPad
We’ve discussed super advanced audio production suites and powerhouse recording applications that are loaded with all sorts of pro features, plug-ins, and whatnot, but there are users out there who just want an efficient way of recording voice (e.g. for audio notes), and don’t care for all that fancy stuff.
If that’s what you’re looking for, RecordPad is going to suit you just fine. A featherweight and utterly simple recording application, RecordPad takes all the hassle out of audio recording, and supports both internal and external input devices. It’s super easy to use, and lets you get started with your recordings in seconds. Simply select the audio input device, and hit the Record button. The recordings can be saved in a variety of popular audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, and AIFF. What’s more, the nifty voice activation feature only triggers the recording when you’re speaking, and you can sort the recordings on the basis of parameters like format, size, and duration. You can also directly send your recordings via email, or upload them to an FTP server. Pretty slick if you ask me!
If all you want is a cross platform audio recording software, with a few extras thrown into the mix, RecordPad is perfect for you.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP; Mac OS X 10.4 and later.
Price: Paid version consts $50, Unregistered software can be used for unspecified number of days.
10. RecordForAll
What makes RecordForAll stick out from the crowd is that it just focuses on doing one thing, and does it exceptionally well. And that’s to help you make better podcasts.
Having a lean and easy to understand UI, RecordForAll makes recording podcasts a child’s play. From built-in microphones to external mics, it supports a whole range of input devices. You can record your own voice, general music, or just about any other kind of audio. The recordings are immediately loaded up for editing, and the track timeline view makes it super easy to extend, trim, and selectively remove portions of the recording. Other than that, you can overlay the recordings with background music, and even add special effects. Once everything is done, the created podcasts can be published in numerous formats, such as MP3, WAV, and WMA. How cool is that?
If you’re an emerging pod-caster and want a no-frills audio recording application that’s both easy and has a few nice extras, things can’t get any better than RecordFor All.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Price: Paid versions start from $39.95, 120 days free trial available.
SEE ALSO: 10 Best Audio Editing Software
Ready to record and edit your audio projects better?
Whether your audio recording and editing needs are as basic as simple videos and podcasts, or as big as big musical productions, having an efficient and well rounded audio recorder software is a must. And the above discussed applications are perfect for that. Looking for the best commercial digital audio workstations and mixing suites? Try MixCraft, Reaper, or Sonar. Want something that’s a little toned down but still powerful enough to handle advance editing and recording needs? Audacity and Ocenaudio will serve you fine. And if you need something specific, there’s always RecordForAll and RecordPad. Take them for a spin, and let us know how they work out for you. Know of any other audio recording applications that could’ve made the cut above? Do mention in the comments below.