Side by side
Csound vs SuperCollider
Both stand on sound design software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5
Csound combines a large programming environment with browser use and interfaces for several development environments. Users should note that frontends are maintained separately and that platform trust warnings may appear.
Visit Csound
Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1
SuperCollider combines a programmable audio server, language and development environment with options for client integrations and third-party plugins. It is free, though platform requirements vary by download.
Visit SuperColliderThe facts
| Csound | SuperCollider | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | csound.com | supercollider.github.io |
| On sound design software | #1 of 32 | #5 of 32 |
Csound: what it does well
- More than 1,500 opcodes.
- Supports traditional and functional syntax.
- Browser use is available without installing Csound.
- Interfaces include JavaScript, Python, and Unity.
- Free and available across desktop, mobile, and web.
What to know first
- Frontends are developed by their own teams.
- The download page identifies iOS SDK and beta installers, not a general iOS release.
- Apple or Windows may warn that Csound is not trusted.
SuperCollider: what it does well
- Real-time server includes hundreds of audio unit generators.
- Multiple clients can control the audio server.
- Client implementations include Python, JavaScript, Haskell and Scala.
- Quarks manages packages, documentation and UGens.
- Free software under version 3 of the GNU General Public License.
What to know first
- Linux builds require gcc version 9 or later.
- macOS universal binary requires macOS 11 or later.
- Windows support is listed for Windows 10 and 11.
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