Ardour (open-source DAW)
by Ardour community
Cross-platform open-source DAW that hosts AI VST3/LV2 dialogue plugins.
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TL;DR
Best for linux audio engineers running open-source AI plugins for dialogue cleanup. Pricing: free (build from source) · $1+/mo or $45+ one-time for binary downloads.
Category
Desktop apps
License
—
Stars
—
Last push
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Pricing
free (build from source) · $1+/mo or $45+ one-time for binary downloads
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux
What it is
Ardour is the long-running open-source DAW. Hosts LV2 + VST3, runs on every desktop OS, and is the home of community AI-speech plugins like neural-amp-modeler and open-source de-noise builds.
Best for: Linux audio engineers running open-source AI plugins for dialogue cleanup.
Watch out for: No first-party AI speech features; community plugins fill the gap.
Watch out for: No first-party AI speech features; community plugins fill the gap.
Install / use
Go to Ardour (open-source DAW) ardour.orgFeatures
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | None |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Ardour (open-source DAW) vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Ardour (open-source DAW) | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Desktop apps | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free (build from source) · $1+/mo or $45+ one-time for binary downloads | $4–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · $2 single unlock · 60 min free on signup |
| Speaker diarization | — | Yes |
| Word timestamps | — | Yes |
| Streaming | — | No |
| Languages | — | 99 |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Ardour (open-source DAW)
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