LMMS vs openDAW
LMMS and openDAW are both audio production software. LMMS is open source under GPL-2.0, with 11k GitHub stars. OpenDAW is open source under AGPL-3.0, with 2.4k GitHub stars.
Which to pick
- Pick LMMS when
- You want a free FL Studio-like DAW for composing electronic music.
- Pick openDAW when
- Schools or beginners want a free DAW that runs in a browser without installation.
Side by side
A cross-platform digital audio workstation with a piano roll, beat sequencer, song editor, mixer and built-in synthesizers.
A web-based digital audio workstation focused on education and privacy, with instruments, effects and arrangement in the browser.
The last stable release is old (1.2.2); newer features sit in long-running pre-releases, and audio recording is limited.
No releases yet and under two years old; AGPL licensed.
Usable
Experimental
Desktop app
Cloud service
C++ and Qt
TypeScript and Rust
Open source, GPL-2.0 (strong copyleft)
Open source, AGPL-3.0 (network copyleft)
Use inside your business is unrestricted, but anything you distribute that includes it must be released under the same license.
Use inside your business is unrestricted. If you change it and let customers use it over the internet, you must publish your changes.
11k GitHub stars
2.4k GitHub stars
Established: started 13 years ago, latest release v1.2.2.
Young: started 20 months ago, no tagged release yet.
Other comparisons
More audio and music production software
Both sides were judged on 2026-11-03 from each project's README and GitHub data. License, age and popularity lines are worked out directly.