The Very Best Free Beat Making Software, According To Sound Engineers

The biggest problem when it comes to finding beat-making software is not finding a free version but working out which free beat-making software is the best for your purposes.

As you will see from our list of favorite beat-making software there are loads of great options for beat-making .

You’ll soon be churning out your own beats completely free!

GarageBand

GarageBand can be used for more than beat making – it’s also one of the most solid digital audio workstations on the market (see our list of great laptops and free digital audio workstations for more ideas.

This beat-making software, however, lacks project files and advanced sound controls, so it’s best to learn your trade with this and then move on to a different option.

It often comes preinstalled on Apple Mac products though, which makes it one of the top choices of Mac users looking to create music and high-quality beats without downloading anything.

Try it out here.

Magix Music Mixer

Beginner beat makers are going to love this software’s super simple UI (User Interface) and its intelligent AI support for creating music.

It’s the best beat-making software for those lacking drum kits and drum samples too as it has a ton of virtual instruments and tracks built in that were created by professional musicians.

However, we should note it won’t work on a Mac and the free version lacks some advanced features and audio tracks that come with the paid version.

Try it out here.

Studio One 5 Prime

You can run Studio One in your browser if you want which means you can be creating beats on any platform that you like.

However, we’d recommend that you use it as a full digital audio workstation and combine it with other freebie software to get the most out of it.

The only drawback to using the free package is that you can’t use any of the plugins that are available for it. You have to pay to get that.

Try it out here.

Cakewalk By BandLab

This is the best free beat-making if you’re running an old version of Windows or need to create some hip hop in your browser window.

The downside is that it runs slower than some other free software does but it has a nice collection of software instruments and supports plenty of third-party plugins to really extend the functionality.

If you want to make your project sound full of professional beats then Cakewalk makes it, well… a cakewalk.

Try it out here.

FL Studio

Be warned, this software is great but the free version will not allow you to save a project or reopen a project that you’ve used in the past – that can be incredibly constraining, and when you combine that with a confusing UI, there are better options out there.

However, there are certain parts of the music production industry that swear by FL Studio, and if that’s the case for your needs then you will need to pay for the full version which includes unlimited audio projects and some virtual instrument sounds too.

Try it out here.

Waveform Free

This is our kind of software, it runs on macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu and has a ton of plugins, a great UI, and functions as a full unlimited DAW without any real constraints on free users!

The only limit that you will encounter if you don’t want to pay a fee for it is that some of the most advanced plugins won’t activate on the free software.

We would note, however, that despite all the features and good things that this software offers – it’s not quite as robust for mixing and mastering as some other choices on our list.

Try it out here.

Serato Studio

This simple package would be our preference when compared to Magix music maker in most cases.

It’s ideal for producing the goods in a live environment and includes a wonderful media library and is a first-rate mixing and mastering tool.

However, watch out for the add-ons, they can get expensive, fast.

Try it out here.

LMMS

This open-source project sounds so good through some quality headphones that if we close our eyes we can convince ourselves we’re laying down tracks at Abbey Road.

It has an incredibly powerful feature set but is let down by a lack of audio recording functionality and the crazily complex UI which is worth learning but will take some time to do.

Try it out here.

Avid Pro Tools First

This is the junior (and free) variant of Avid Pro Tools and if you’re a recording engineer with no budget for beat-making software this is what you want.

It’s not terribly beginner-friendly and lacks pre-sets but it absolutely owns the post-production side of things.

Try it out here.

MPC Beats: Music Production

This is a very simple drum beats simulator unless you pay for the unlocked version – however, it offers incredible levels of control when working with instruments and other samples.

It’s not ideal for beginners as it can be a bit complicated to get the most out of it but this is very much worth checking out.

Try it out here.

Final Notes

Creating audio effects such as beat making is super easy in today’s world.

You don’t even need to study music theory, you just grab one of these beat-making software apps and get started!

Why not download one today?