7 Garageband Alternatives for Chromebook

Garageband alternatives have become available for Chromebooks over time, and the barrier to entry of music production has never been lower. Right now might be a great time to start learning music production since all these tools have very simple UI, are easy to use, and any beginner can find their way around.

Because Chromebooks can run applications on lighter hardware, they are way more budget-friendly than a normal laptop running Windows or macOS. Developers have noticed this and come up with a bunch of alternative solutions to popular DAWs.

The best garageband alternatives available for Chromebook are either browser-based DAWs or android DAWs. Neither of these give quite the experience that you get from the best DAWs such as Ableton Live or Logic Pro, but they are still very usable.

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to Garageband since it has to be run on macOS. I have compiled a list of great Garageband alternatives that you might want to try out and test for yourself.

1. Soundtrap

Soundtrap is the first web-based cross-platform DAW, and it quickly caught attention as it was easy to collaborate on and has a great free version. Even though the paid versions of Soundtrap have a lot more to offer, the free version has plenty of instruments, loops, and sounds to get you started and excited about music production.

Full MIDI compatibility, recording, automation, and a lot of plugins and tools are all integrated into Soundtrap, making it one of the most impressive web-based DAWs.

2. Soundation

Soundation is one of the best-designed web-based DAWs. It’s easy to use and looks amazing. One of the biggest selling points for Soundation is the ability to collaborate live on a project in a synced, real-time environment.

Additionally, Soundation is the first online music production software to integrate WebAssembly Threads after working closely with Google, making Soundation one of the best-performing web-based DAW right now.

There is also plenty of documentation, guides, and tutorials to get you started on your way to becoming a music producer, all the while making the learning experience much more fun.

3. LoopLabs

If you are looking for one of the simplest and easiest online music production software, then look no further than LoopLabs. It is also a great tool for beginners as you can easily spend hours upon hours playing around with all the loops available.

LoopLabs is also a free online cloud-based music studio that lets you dip into the waters of music production cost-free and without any technical skills.

4. Walk Band

Walk Band is an Android application that has a vast amount of instruments that you can play, record and export your music. In terms of sound, these instruments sound pretty good and Walk Band is often used as an application for creating music arrangements on the fly.

Just like the other DAWs on this list, Walk Band is also free, and it’s a tool that every musician should try. It has a simple and beautiful interface, which makes it easy to use, and there is no big learning curve.

5. Song Maker – Music Mixer

Similar to Walk Band, Song Maker is also a free Android app and a great companion app for every musician. While the interface is not as good as Walk Band, it offers other features that make up for it.

Broadly used for composing music, adding rhythms and effects, recording your voice, and so much more. Song Maker – Music Mixer also has a great beats library that you can use from a lot of different genres.

6. Audiotool

Audiotool is a cloud-based DAW that can handle all sorts of editing, mixing, mastering, and exporting your music. It has a big content library as well as other professional tools, a collaboration environment, and so much more.

Audiotool is also a free DAW with a lot of synthesizers, drum machines, mixing and routing plugins, as well as a lot of effects. The interface is easy to use, has great collaboration tools, and has an extensive library of instruments and sounds.

7. FL Studio Mobile

FL Studio is a DAW that everyone in the industry knows about. In 2011, Image-Line released a mobile version of FL Studio simply called “FL Studio Mobile.” And it’s exactly how it sounds. It’s available both on Android and iOS. Unlike the others, this is a paid app.

It has adopted its interface to be easily used on mobile devices, and it’s pretty affordable. It goes without saying that this one has a lot of pros and cons. With this affordable DAW, along with its great sequencer, you can edit, master, and export full projects.

Are GarageBand Alternatives for Chromebook any Good?

GarageBand is one of the most popular DAWs that beginners first try out. That’s because of its simplicity to use and low barrier of entry. The reason behind that is that there wasn’t a good competitor to GarageBand. That changed over the last few years. A lot of companies started developing their apps or web-based DAWs to compete directly with GarageBand.

Over that period, there have been developed quite a lot of apps that are good alternatives to GarageBand. There are a couple of things that need to be exceptionally good for these apps to be good alternatives. Interface, usability, and functionality are some of them, most of these apps and web-based DAWs have nailed this.

Can You Run Industry-Standard DAWs on Chromebook?

No. Most industry-standard DAWs are built for a specific platform, either Windows, macOS, or Linux. Chromebooks, while being a lot more efficient, don’t have enough processing power to run these process-heavy tasks such as a lot of tracks playing at the same time, with a bunch of plugins running in the background.

Are There Recording and Audio Editing Capabilities on GarageBand Alternatives for Chromebook?

Most of the apps and web-based DAWs listed here have recording and audio capabilities. Some of them, though, don’t do a good job in some areas, while they shine in others. It’s important to do some research to figure out which GarageBand alternative for Chromebook is a good choice for you.

Conclusion

It has never been easier for people to start learning music production than right now. There are a lot of programs, apps, and web-based DAWs that don’t need high technical skills for you to be able to use them. Therefore, if you are at the beginning of your music production journey, it’s time to jump ship.