Alternatives to Kwave

A KDE sound editor for recording, playing and editing audio files on Linux. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Kwave.

  • Audacity

    A multi-track audio editor and recorder that has been the free default for twenty-five years.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Audacity is a free GPLv3 multi-track editor and recorder with many built-in effects, running on Windows, macOS and Linux with the same project format.

  • Tenacity

    A fork of Audacity created after the 2021 telemetry row, built to record and edit audio with nothing phoning home.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Tenacity is a free, open-source Audacity fork with no telemetry and plugin support, running on Windows, macOS and Linux, though development is slow.

  • ocenaudio

    A free, cross-platform audio editor built for fast, straightforward editing of audio files.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    ocenaudio is a free cross-platform editor built for quick edits with a simple interface, but unlike Kwave it is closed source.

  • Amadeus Pro

    Paid multitrack audio editor and sound recorder for macOS with batch processing.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    Amadeus Pro is a paid, closed-source multitrack editor with batch conversion and Audio Units effects, so moving to it means switching to macOS.

  • Adobe Audition

    A professional audio workstation for recording, editing, mixing and restoring audio for video and podcasts.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS

    Adobe Audition adds multitrack, spectral editing and restoration tools on Windows and macOS, but it is subscription only and requires an Adobe account.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.