Qtractor

Name: Qtractor
Author: Qtractor

Free plan Linux

What Qtractor is

Qtractor is a free, open-source Linux desktop application for multitrack audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, aimed at personal home studios. Its non-destructive, non-linear editing supports unlimited tracks, overlapping clips, and unlimited undo and redo. Audio tools include fades, cross-fades, gain, normalization, export, time-stretching, and pitch-shifting. MIDI work includes a piano-roll clip editor, controller mapping, and SysEx setups. Qtractor supports OGG, MP3 playback, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF audio, along with LADSPA, DSSI, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP plugins. It uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, and provides connection patchbay controls. Sessions can mix down, render, and merge audio and MIDI tracks, with project descriptions stored in XML files. The site lists version 1.6.4, released 2026-09-06, and provides binary packages as well as CMake build instructions. The project says bugs remain, while describing the software as production/stable.

Who it suits

Qtractor is aimed especially at personal home studios on Linux that need both audio and MIDI sequencing and recording. Its broad plugin support and non-destructive editing may suit users building multitrack sessions.

What it does well

Free and open-source under GPL version 2 or later
Unlimited tracks, overlapping clips, and undo/redo
Supports VST3, CLAP, LV2, and other plugin types
Includes audio and MIDI editing and export tools

What to know first

Linux desktop application
Project notes that bugs remain

Limits

There is no paid tier listed; the free software is licensed under GPL version 2 or later. The project says bugs remain, although it considers Qtractor to be in a production/stable phase.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Qtractor	Free, open-source software · GPL version 2 or later	Free

As qtractor.org lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Qtractor website.
Choose a downloadable binary package from the SourceForge links, or follow the CMake instructions to build from source.
Install Qtractor on Linux with its listed requirements, including Qt, JACK, ALSA, libsndfile, and LADSPA.
Connect audio through JACK and MIDI through ALSA, using the included patchbay controls as needed.
Create a session and add audio or MIDI clips for recording and editing.

Verdict

Qtractor combines multitrack audio and MIDI work with extensive editing and plugin options for Linux. Prospective users should account for its Linux focus and the project's note that bugs remain.

Questions

How much does Qtractor cost?

Qtractor is free. Its listed plan is free.

Is Qtractor open source?

Yes. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later.

Which operating system does Qtractor support?

Linux is the listed platform.

Which plugins and audio formats does it support?

It supports LADSPA, DSSI, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP plugins. Supported audio formats include OGG, MP3 playback, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF.

Where can I get Qtractor or find support?

The website links to downloadable binary packages on SourceForge and provides CMake build instructions. The project directs bug reports, feature requests, forums, mailing lists, and development matters to its SourceForge project page.

Facts from Qtractor's own pages

Additional capabilities: Features include a MIDI piano-roll editor, automation, clip fades, audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting, and track export. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Audio and MIDI connections: It uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, and includes connection patchbay controls. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Audio formats: Supported audio formats include OGG, MP3 playback, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Audio tools: Audio clips support fades, cross-fades, gain, normalization, export, time-stretching, and pitch-shifting. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Current release: The site lists version 1.6.4, released 2026-09-06 as a Late-Summer'26 Hotfix Release. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Downloads: The site lists version 1.6.4, dated 2026-09-06, as its latest release and links to downloadable binary packages on SourceForge. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Editing: It supports non-destructive, non-linear editing, unlimited tracks and overlapping clips, and unlimited undo and redo. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Exports and sessions: It supports audio and MIDI track mix-down, rendering, and merging, and stores session or project descriptions in XML files. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Founded: 2005 · qtractor.org, 28 Sept 2026
Free plan: Yes · qtractor.org, 21 Sept 2026
Installation: The site provides instructions to build from source with CMake and install the result. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Integrations: Qtractor uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, and supports JACK transport synchronization and sessions, NSM, MMC, and MIDI Clock/SPP. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Known limits: The maker says bugs remain, while considering Qtractor to be in a production/stable phase. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Known status: The site says bugs remain but considers Qtractor to be in a production/stable phase. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
License: It is free, open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Linux requirements: The listed mandatory build/runtime requirements include Qt, JACK, ALSA, libsndfile, and LADSPA. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
MIDI tools: It includes a MIDI clip editor, supports Standard MIDI file formats 0 and 1, and provides MIDI controller mapping and SysEx setups. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Plugins: It supports LADSPA, DSSI, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP plugins. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Product: Qtractor is a Linux desktop application for multitrack audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, aimed at personal home studios. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Recording and editing: It supports multi-track audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, with non-destructive, non-linear editing. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to its SourceForge project page for bug reports, feature requests, forums, mailing lists, and development matters. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
Track limits: The feature list states that sessions can have unlimited tracks and tracks can have unlimited overlapping clips. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026
What it does: Qtractor is a Linux desktop audio and MIDI multi-track sequencer aimed especially at personal home studios. · qtractor.org, 11 Oct 2026