🎬 Video, animation, audio and streaming · 🎵 Music
Audacity
By Muse Group and contributors (open source). Visit Audacity
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free, open-source audio recorder and editor for computers, around since 2000. Kids and teens record voice or instruments, cut and arrange clips, remove noise, change speed and pitch, and export for podcasts, school projects or video soundtracks. Optional AI plugins can split songs into parts, clean noise and transcribe speech. An optional link to audio.com saves projects to the cloud.
Our take: The standard free tool for a child recording a podcast or voice-over on a computer; tablet users should use GarageBand instead.
| Ages it suits | about 10+ |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No minimum age and no account needed; the privacy notice says Audacity has no age restrictions. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026). Optional paid plugins and cloud features from Muse Group's MuseHub and audio.com. |
| Works on | Windows, Mac |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | Optional OpenVINO AI plugins separate music, suppress noise, transcribe speech and generate music; they are add-ons, not built in. |
What's good
- Free and works offline
- Simple for recording and trimming
- Very little data collected
Watch for
- Plain, older-style interface
- Download page promotes paid plugins and audio.com
- Computers only, no tablet app
Data and privacy
Update checks are on by default and send app version, operating system and a country from an anonymized IP; error reports and a usage ID are opt-in. No account needed; if you link audio.com, only an ID is shared with it. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No studies found.
Alternatives to Audacity
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Animaker
Animaker · ages 18+ by its terms (teachers, older students with a parent)
A tool for teachers making lesson videos, not for kids; families wanting a kids' animation app should look at Stop Motion Studio or FlipaClip instead.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Art for Kids Hub
Art For Kids Hub (Rob and family) · ages about 4-12
A great free start for kids who want to learn to draw; use the paid membership if YouTube's ads and autoplay worry you.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Blender
Blender Foundation (open source) · ages about 12+
Ideal for a motivated teen who wants to learn real 3D; younger kids should start with Tinkercad.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
CapCut
ByteDance (Bytedance Pte. Ltd.) · ages 13+ (teens)
A strong free editor for teens 13+ with a parent's OK; families who care about data and ads, and anyone under 13, should pick iMovie or another tool.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
FlipaClip
Visual Blasters LLC · ages about 10-17
Good for tweens and teens who want to animate drawings on a phone; parents of younger kids may prefer an ad-free paid app like Procreate Dreams.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
iMovie
Apple · ages about 6+
The easy first pick for families and schools with Apple devices; Windows, Android and Chromebook users need another editor.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.audacityteam.org/
- https://www.audacityteam.org/legal
- https://www.audacityteam.org/legal/privacy-notice
- https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
- Reviews on G2: https://www.g2.com/products/audacity/reviews
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.