head to head · open source
Audacity vs OpenShot
Audacity has 18,493 GitHub stars, 2,667 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. OpenShot has 6,523 stars, 812 forks, 418 open issues and last shipped today. Audacity leads on adoption by 184% (18,493 vs 6,523 stars). Audacity is written in C++ under a custom or non-standard licence; OpenShot is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. Audacity has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, OpenShot 12%. OpenShot was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Audacity | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 6.5K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 812 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Audacity if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenShot if
- You want the OpenShot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and OpenShot fits your workflow better
About Audacity
Audacity is an open source audio editor and recorder written in C++ and distributed under free software terms. It lives in the open source desktop audio editing ecosystem, where it provides a multi track interface for recording and editing audio on Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. The README describes the project as an easy to use audio tool, and the repository contains both the Audacity 3.x line and the in progress Audacity 4 line.
read the full Audacity overview →
About OpenShot
OpenShot Video Editor is a free, cross platform, open source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, built for hobbyists, educators, and small production teams who want timeline based editing and animation without a commercial subscription.
read the full OpenShot overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Photo & Video Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Photo & Video Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Audacity or OpenShot more popular?
Audacity has 18,493 GitHub stars and OpenShot has 6,523. Audacity has the larger community by that measure.
Are Audacity and OpenShot free?
Neither Audacity nor OpenShot declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Audacity and OpenShot?
Audacity is written in C++ and OpenShot in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Audacity or OpenShot?
Choose Audacity if you want the larger community (18,493 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose OpenShot if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.