GarageBand is Apple’s music creation app. It allows you to record, edit, mix, master and produce songs. You can use it to play along with backing tracks, add vocals, and even arrange your songs into different genres like rock, pop, jazz, etc.
Unfortunately, GarageBand doesn’t work on Android devices because of licensing issues. But there are plenty of great alternatives to GarageBand out there that offer similar features. In fact, some of them cost less money GarageBand does. Here are our favourite options.
What Is A Free Alternative To GarageBand for Android?
Do you enjoy music? Are you one of Android users and wish to make music on your device?
On the bright side, there are many Android apps for music lovers that behave and they function in a similar way to GarageBand, so users can also get similar results to GarageBand on their Android devices.
When selecting the best GarageBand alternatives for Android, we took the following criteria into account:
The Digital Audio Workstations audio editors needed to be easy-to-use, with a fairly good UX/UI.
The DAW had to be (mostly) free of bugs.
It is essential that your DAW has enough basic features to allow you to write and create music.
And, of course, it has to be compatible with Android Device for android phone user.
There are many free alternatives to GarageBand for Android, but which are the ones to try out? We’ve got you covered.
With most of them being completely free, these apps offer features that aren’t found in GarageBand. For example, you can add interactive instruments like guitar, bass, drums, piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, and vocals to your songs. You can even record yourself singing into a microphone. And you can save your creations directly to your device or upload them to YouTube and SoundCloud.
Here are our picks of the popular alternatives to GarageBand for Android Device to check out today!
Garageband Alternative #1. Audio Evolution Mobile Studio
As a fully fledged DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that is available for Android, Audio Evolution Mobile Studio focuses more on the professionals and exerts with MIDI Interfaces and Studio rigs. This GarageBand alternative comes with the complete digital audio workstation – another multi-track recording studio with a similar approach to Walk Band, but designed for more advanced users – serving as a powerful alternative to GarageBand on Android. Audio Evolution Mobile Studio offers everything you need to make great songs: a full multitrack recorder, a virtual synth, effects processor and a MIDI sequencer.
You can record external audio with your device’s microphone or external microphones, such as your singing or live instruments, to achieve better results with this GarageBand alternative. Your song can also be recorded with an external MIDI keyboard in addition to the built-in piano roll.
Among the features of this GarageBand alternative, Audio Evolution are a MIDI sequencer, audio and MIDI imports, sample and loop usage, and unlimited undo and redo. And you can export the song as high-quality audio or the compressed web-friendly version. It is a music creation app that heavily relies on loops. There are tons of loops available that you can mix using a multi-track mixer.
Multi-rack audio workstation apps are great alternatives to GarageBand because they have all the controller buttons from real-world devices which allows you to adjust precisely. The separate Drum Pattern editor is helpful to change the beats you just added.
Pros
- Virtual instruments based on SoundFonts.
- Individual track controls.
- Real-time effects.
- MIDI Remote Control.
- DAW interface
- Ability to integrate seamlessly with audio interfaces
- Core MIDI support allows you to use external MIDI hardware with appropriate connectivity
Cons
- Complex functionalities.
- Require too much of hardware resource.
- Not the friendliest UX/UI for beginners
Price: LIMITED FREE TRIAL, $5.99 FOR THE FULL VERSION
Download Audio Evolution Mobile Studio (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #2. BandLab
Creating music from scratch is made easy with BandLab, an Android alternative to GarageBand app. The app comes with material design, cloud support, and online instruments. As far as the music editing and launchpad are concerned, I believe it’s almost up to GarageBand.With 16 track mix editors, over 100 vocal and guitar effects, and also integrated loop packs, BandLab allows you to record, edit, and create multi-track music using various kinds of creative effects like beats, vocals, loops, and most importantly hundreds of sound packs in its comprehensive sound library. Similar to GarageBand’s library of sound packs, BandLab’s music library is free for use.
If you have a strong liking for EDM, dubstep, house, rock, hip-hop, and such genres, BandLab caters well for that.
On BandLab’s social media-like network, musicians can publish tracks, connect with fellow musicians, and curate new works for their audiences.To put it straight, you get an integrated social media platform where you can follow other musicians, post tracks, and interact with them.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting features of this GarageBand alternative, BandLab app is the fact that it is a completely free-to-download application. You can compose music and save in an instant. Additionally, this alternative to GarageBand platform also serves as a musical social media, where users can share their music with each other through the platform.
If I had to describe BandLab in one word, it would be ambitious in its goals, and if you are on the lookout for an Android alternative to Garageband, you should definitely take a look at it.
Pros
- Material design.
- Cloud and Online services.
- Social Platform.
- Hundreds of free sound packs that rival those of GarageBand
- Simple user interface and lots of features
- Fun to use
- Ability to interact with people
Cons
- Not all manual controls are available.
- Not any near to the apps with classic keyboards. (The app is more of dubpads and similar interfaces.)
- Lots of ads make the app technically not “free”
- Is prone to glitches and bugs (like all mobile DAW apps)
Price: Free
Download BandLab (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #3. Beatonal – Easy Music Maker
Similar to a DAW, Beatonal is a GarageBand alternative to Android that allows you to tap on any pad and add multiple sounds in sync on its in-built 4 audio channels; drum selections, bass, chords, and lead. Sync it with external music-making apps using Ableton Link, to create new music with ease.
The app makes progression easy for starters with wide choices of demo tracks and editable musical scale that comes with a pre-set set of chords, lead sections, and notes in the bass. Basic features are free for use, while the pro version costs a minimal fee of $4 to load and save tracks.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Beatonal – Easy Music Maker (Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #4. Caustic 3
If you were a person of hardware controllers and synthesizers or if you’re into electronica, Caustic is a solid GarageBand alternative for Android. Inspired by rack-mount synthesizers and sampler rigs, Caustic features 14 different sound machines, including Subsynth, PCMSynth, Bassline, and Beatbox, to choose from. With the use of virtual keyboards, parametric equalizers, and sequencers, you are able to create effects and modify your songs in a variety of ways.
This GarageBand alternative not only allows you to record your sample voices, but the app is given primary priority to music synthesizing only. Most of the controls support automation and even apply those curves on recorded samples as well. An OTG cable can be used to connect your hardware MIDI device to the app if you wish to use the app along with your hardware MIDI device.
Developed for mobile, you can easily slide between machines and synths by sliding the sidebar up and down or can pick one to play with by opening the machine pad. Electronic musicians will love the app, but traditional musicians may find it a bit overwhelming. Note that the save and export features are disabled in the free demo version. You can purchase a separate unlock key to access the full version of this GarageBand alternative.
Pros
- Various machines on a single app.
- Control automation.
- Supports Hardware MIDI controllers.
Cons
- The free version does not support save/export.
- Supports WAV files only mostly.
- Some people may find the UI boring.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Caustic 3 (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #5. Drum Pad Machine
Drum Pad Machine allows musicians to create new beats on the machine soundboard by mixing them with their own music or singing. A popular pick for those interested in beatboxing, hip-hop and Dubstep genres, the app includes mixtapes, sounds recording, and track composition features to take your music making journey to the next level.
Basically, you cannot completely replace GarageBand with this program, but you can learn the basics of beats, melodies, and mixing. The app also has libraries of chords, sound effects, piano, and guitar so that you can mix your beat with appropriate chords. Aside from this, Drum Pad Machine can also be used for making mixtapes, recording sounds, composing tracks, and many more things.So if you are interested in beatboxing and its related genres like hip-hop and Dubstep, I would highly recommend Drum Pad Machine on Android.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Drum Pad Machine (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #6. FL Studio
This is a mini version of FL Studio for PC, which is one of the most popular digital audio workstations on the market. You can create instrument notes, record voice and add instruments to the track as same as you do in the PC version.
FL Studio offers more than 120 instruments variations for endless production. Designed for easy use, and features are clearly displayed in the dashboard for added convenience and access.
With FL Studio for Android, Image-Line offers a mobile version of its digital audio workstation designed for Windows. FL Studio Mobile is a multi-track recording studio and comes with multiple high-quality instruments, drum loop, and sliced-loop beats, each with configurable settings. Aside from that, there are a lot of other effects that can be played with in this app as well, like Limiter, Reverb, Delay, EQ, Amp, and Mix.You also get 99 track sequencers with intuitive editing options.
For all editable screens within the sessions, there are a number of undos and redos available. And the app allows you to import audio and export midi files and share your songs via email or any supported cloud storage services. As a result, FL Studio Mobile offers us a battery-friendly, high-quality audio engine that draws the minimum amount of power from your device’s battery to produce high-quality audio. However, the music latency will depend on your device’s processing power.
With FL studio, you can use different instruments as a song maker, and it is a reliable alternative for Windows.
Apps like FL Studio dominate the desktop scene and the mobile version is equally competent, as per our brief testing.The FL Studio Mobile on Android comes with a feature-rich UI, with certain presets and samples. The Mobile Edition of FL Studio comes with almost every feature that is available in the PC version of FL Studio, making it a perfect GarageBand alternative for Android users.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface for song maker.
- Intuitive Interface
- 133 quality instruments, sliced-loop beats, and drum kits; each with configurable settings.
- Allows you to do everything you need to do in one app.
- High-quality synthesizers and devices.
- Share and edit project data with PC/Mac/iOS apps over Wi-Fi.
Cons
- May stutter in low-end smartphones.
- Doesn’t have the optimal workflow
- There are a lot of windows to navigate through.
- Steeper learning curve compared to other apps (but more complex)
- Users experience a relatively high amount of technical issues
Price: $14.99
Download FL Studio (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #7. Groovepad – Music & Beat Maker
Groovepad which has a similar loop feature as GarageBand featuring multiple pads on the screen that you can tap to create music. The app is equipped with a vast library of sounds such as hip-hop, EDM, electronica, and dubstep as well as unique sound effects like reverb, delay, and flanger, for playing of music of different genre.
With each successful completion, new modules are unlocked, offering a fun approach to music curation. Not all the sounds are free to play, you can either watch a promotion video or get the pro version for $10 to unlock a new sample pack.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Groovepad – Music & Beat Maker (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #8. J4T Multitrack Recorder
A simple music-making application such as J4T Multitrack Recorder might be a good option for you if you are looking for a simple music making application. Built with songwriters in mind, this simple 4-track recorder is designed to record song ideas, demos, and even sound sketches anywhere, anywhere when inspiration hits. Be it revisiting previously recorded loops for modifications, this app is perfect for songwriters, rappers and other creative musicians.
There are lots of ways you can enhance your music, including Fuzz, Chorus and Delay, EQ, Reverb, Phaser and Pads. You can also upload your creations to Soundcloud, Google Drive, Gmail and other supported services. Four tracks may seem limited compared to other apps that come with tons of tracks, but this limitation can sometimes bring out the creative side in you.With this app, you can do jam sessions accompanied by previously recorded loops.
Pros
- Perfect for quick/on-the-go recording when you have an idea for a song, and you don’t have access to any recording equipment.
- Very simple user interface, and has a short learning curve
Cons
- Functionality can get pretty glitchy and buggy at times for users
- Has latency issues at times but they are easy to correct
Price: $3.49
Download J4T Multitrack Recorder (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #9. Music Maker Jam
The Music Maker JAM is not limited to any single genre, and you can make music in the genre of your interest. The app comes in handy with almost every musical instruments, that let users create music without limits. One of the major parts of the app is the “loops.” You can mix new songs with multiple studio-quality loops and mixtape with preset packs to make your music publish-ready.
With Music Maker Jam, you can create music by combining loops – short musical chunks – that can be played over and over again, making it a perfect app for budding music creators, DJs, and producers. There are over 300 music styles and an 8-channel mixer that will give you plenty of room to channel your creativity.
You can also use the app to record external voices, so you can record your singing, rapping, or any other sound you want to use in your song. After you have finished recording your song, you can share the track with the world via the sharing feature. Music Maker also allows you to discover new music from other users within the Music Maker community.
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Mix packs.
- 2000+ loops are available.
- Create music from any genre
- Ability to instantly share your track to a worldwide audience.
Cons
- Given importance only to the mixing, and not audio manipulation.
- Less control over the recorded voice.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Music Maker Jam (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #10. n-Track Studio DAW
With the n-Track Studio, you can have a complete studio right within the app on your Android smartphone. It is possible for you to turn your Android device into an all-in-one recording studio with n-Track Studio DAW.It is possible to turn your Android device into a complete recording studio with the help of n-Track Studio DAW.It is possible to turn your Android device into a complete recording studio with the help of n-Track Studio Music DAW. The app allows users to record and playback both audio and MIDI tracks.
Unlike most other apps, you can mixtapes during the playbacks. Using this Android GarageBand app, you can record vocals and mix music and add effect while it is playing. In addition to mixing tracks, users can apply audio effects to enhance the overall recording’s quality.
This app provides support for both monophonic and stereophonic recordings, in addition to the ability to record an unlimited number of tracks (limited to eleven tracks in the free version). In addition, it includes a built-in MIDI synth with 128 General MIDI instrument soundscapes, a piano-roll MIDI editor, a step sequencer, spectra analyzers, and more.
There are a number of effects that musicians can use, including reverb, echo, chorus, flanger, tremolo, Pitch Shift, and phaser. n-Track Studio also supports a 64-bit double precision floating point audio engine, a feature that’s not found on many Android DAW apps. On the whole, this is one of the most feature-rich GarageBand alternatives available on Android.
There are two ways to use the mixer: you can either mix two tracks together, using effects and MIDI tracks, or you can use the MIDI keyboard to add your own music. The free version has 5 audio tracks in the timeline, and you can get more with the paid version.
Pros
- Virtual MIDI Keyboards.
- Audio effects.
- Automatic Pitch Correction.
- In-depth mixing tool
- Allows you to record, edit, and mix an unlimited number of tracks
- In-depth mixing tools such as VocalTune, guitar amps, and reverb
- Your songs can be edited, shared online, and collaborated with other artists with Songtree.
Cons
- Compatibility issues with several smartphones.
- Limited free version.
- Users report a relatively high amount of technical problems with the app
- Audio recording from USB devices is time-limited when using n-Track USB audio driver
Price: $29.99
Download n-Track Studio DAW (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #11. ORG 2020
This is another Android app for MIDI keyboards and music mixing. The app has thousands of musical instruments presets, including rare drum sets and organs. Using an OTG Cable, you can connect to the real MIDI Keyboard. By using the smartphone’s microphone, you can record songs, and the app can filter out unwanted noise.
With a 2-row keyboard, the app can automatically adjust the keyboard dimensions based on your screen size. The timeline also allows you to change the sound of each instrument separately.
Pros
- Thousands of musical instruments.
- Simulate KORG Keyboards.
- Programmable sound and loop buttons.
Cons
- The beat-match is not precise for every track you make.
- Not beginner-friendly
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Garageband Alternative #12. Song Maker
Rather than plugging in your guitar and keyboard to develop music, Song Maker uses pre-recorded music, beats, and rhythms. So in some ways, it’s like GarageBand because a big part of Apple’s music studio app is about creating and editing music using modern tools. Song Maker allows you to create music by mixing sounds, rhythms, tunes, and beats.
It is also possible to record your voice and add it to the music with Song Maker. As for the library of music, it has Bass, Hip Hop, Metal, Drums, and DJ beats. You also get a live music editor tool for sounds and loops. As a final note, I would highly recommend Song Maker to anyone who enjoys EDM, pop music, or hip-hop music.
Pros
- Song Maker comes with thousands of free sounds, beats, and loops to use (Library with Bass, Hip Hop, Trap & Future Bass, Metal, Drums, etc)
- Allows you to record your voice while listening to the track
- Song Maker has a music editor for sounds and loops
- Allows you to save your work, export it, and let your friends listen to it
Cons:
- You can’t really “edit” sounds like you would be able to in a fully-fledged DAW
- Some users report crash issues with Song Maker while trying to export
- Comes with a lot of ads
Price: Free, $1.99 to unlock all of the sounds
Download Song Maker (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #13. Soundtrap
Soundtrap is a music composing and remixing app online. This is the online substitute for the GarageBand for Android. Having an online music composer for everyone, Soundtrap allows anyone to collaborate, make changes, and share their music projects.
The Soundtrap has a simple user interface, in portrait mode. There is no limitation in the timeline, and it lets you use the inbuilt instruments. Additionally, the Android GarageBand app has a feature that is highly requested – Autotune.
Pros
- Online collaboration.
- Autotune.
- Cross-platform.
- Automation of functions.
Cons
- Not many audio editing tools.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Soundtrap (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #14. Stagelight
Are you looking for innovative features that will make the process of producing music more enjoyable for you? Stagelight is easy to learn and has tutorials to walk you through the basics, and the app allows you to show your creativity using a variety of instruments and sounds. This is a completely free-to-use app that has numerous music composing and mixing capabilities. Basically, Stagelight is like GarageBand for everyone. It can be used on all platforms, such as Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and Linux.You can make use of the 9+ built-in instruments in the app including sampler, synthesizer, MIDI Keyboard, Guitar, Drum Beats, etc. to create music.
It would be best to consider using Stagelight GarageBand alternative for Android Reddit because it is the right app suitable for easy production. Additionally, it supports hardware MIDI and provides access to more than ten different musical instruments.
Were you disappointed when GarageBand wasn’t available for Android? These alternatives provided will do an excellent job for your music production, and you won’t even miss the absence of GarageBand. Furthermore, they are also a reliable GarageBand alternative for Windows, allowing easy and fun music production.However, we understand that these apps can be technical to use or download; you can always find the nearest Carlcare office closer to you and walk in for assistance. We provide you guidance, how you can download and maintain the app for accessible music productions.
Despite the fact that the free version of the app offers all of the above features, it can only be used for a limited amount of time. You need to unlock the app for unlimited usage by paying US$14.99.
Pros
- Stereo export
- Easy to learn and simple user interface
- MIDI device support
- Cross-platform.
- Plenty of interactive instruments.
- Be a DJ using Loop Builder.
- Cloud saving and stereo export
- Comes with 9 built-in instruments and 4 free effects
Cons
- Very less plugin support.
- Latency issues while recording.
- Best only when used in tablets.
- Not as good for advanced users and those serious about making music
- Can feel a little bit like a game instead of a creative tool
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Stagelight (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #15. Music Studio
In terms of hip-hop, trance, electro, and techno beats, uFXloops Music Studio is one of the best apps to use for people who are interested in these genres. The app brings various features such as a free loop sequencer, sampler, beat maker, mixer, soundboards, and more.
It is safe to say that while the app is nowhere near as powerful as GarageBand, it is an excellent tool for producing music within the genres it is aimed at. The app comes with more than 200 sample projects and 300 instruments to get anyone started. When you’re ready to record, you can either play your drums or synthesizers, or you can choose any other instruments you want to create your own music.
It also includes support for several audio effect plugins, including Chorus, Flanger, Distorter, Bitcrusher, and many others. You can record your music using the iOS app and then transfer it to the Android app for further editing. There is a wide range of audio formats that can be used with this software, including WAV, OGG, AIF, and MP3 in both mono and stereo versions.In addition, there is a great community around the app, which can be very helpful for those who are just getting started with it. You should definitely check out this app if you are looking for a great alternative to Garageband.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download uFXloops Music Studio (Google Play Store)
Garageband Alternative #16. Walk Band
In the Android ecosystem, Walk Band is considered one of the best alternatives to GarageBand that can be found on the platform. It’s feature-packed and brings almost all the popular GarageBand features like synthesizers, musical instruments, studio-quality recording, and more. Within this application, you will be able to choose from up to 50 different types of musical instruments.
The Google Play Store has also selected Walk Band as an Editor’s Choice. This simple multitrack music mixer app is for those who are seeking for apps with not-so-many confusing features. Regarding the instruments, you have access to a piano, keyboard, drum pad, and a guitar that can be used both as a solo instrument and as a chorded instrument. Aside from that, what makes this app a complete alternative to GarageBand is the fact that you can connect a USB MIDI peripheral keyboard to your smartphone, and Walk Band will detect that.
In addition to all of that, you can also record your voice, mix it with a synthesizer, edit the track, add instrumentals in parallel tracks to start mixing and so on. Basically, you are sorted on almost all the fronts with Walk Band.
The app itself allows you to convert your MIDI creations into MP3 files that can be played directly on your mobile device. Also, it supports uploading your works to cloud platforms of your choice.
Pros
- Choose up to 50 instruments for creative effects
- Simple and simple user interface.
- MIDI to MP3 conversion in a click.
- Peripheral Keyboard Support.
- Can connect a MIDI keyboard
Cons
- Can be buggy and glitchy at times
- The metronome won’t play while you’re recording
- It lacks Garage Band’s editing capabilities
- Only a limited number of instruments.
- Not suitable for long tracks.
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Download Walk Band (Google Play Store)
A good audio editor for musicians and sound artists
Garageband Studio is a free program available as a stock app. Apple originally developed the software for its computing devices, but most people don’t realize this.The primary objective of the development team has been to help artists and creators mix, record, or manage songs. A DAW for Android comes with all the features you would expect to find in advanced audio programs. At the same time, the intuitive interface and numerous tutorials make the program easy to understand and use.
What is your favorite GarageBand alternative?
So these were some alternatives to GarageBand that you can try. There are a lot of people who use GarageBand to create music for a specific genre, as I said before. Someone might just be looking at making beats or playing the piano or any other instruments. The list has apps that cater to all those.