FAQ:About Audacity
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Is Audacity really free? Why?
Yes, Audacity is completely free, open source software. You are free to use this program for any personal, commercial, or educational purposes, including installing it on as many different computers as you wish. You are also free to give it away, sell it, or modify it for your own use, under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
The authors of Audacity decided to release it under the GPL for many reasons. Some of us do it out of generosity. Some of us do it for moral reasons, because we feel that all software should be free; others believe that there is a place for both free and proprietary software.
One reason Audacity is free is so that it will be more popular and useful. Yet another reason is to encourage collaboration. Because of Audacity's free license, dozens of people around the world have contributed code, bug fixes, documentation, and graphics.
We welcome donations to support Audacity development.
Does Audacity contain any spyware or adware?
No. Audacity does not include any spyware or adware. Audacity is completely free and open source. It is developed by a not-for-profit volunteer group, and the source code is available for anyone to study or use.
Other Frequently Asked Questions...
May I distribute copies of Audacity?
You can redistribute Audacity under the GNU General Public License, which gives you permission to modify, copy, and sell the program as long as you keep the same license and make the source code available. For details, see License, and Advice for Vendors.
Other Frequently Asked Questions...
Someone is selling Audacity on eBay. Is this legal?
It is legal to sell Audacity, as long as the seller makes the program and source code available under the GNU General Public License(GPL).
Some vendors try to trick customers by selling the software under a different name. If you bought a product and later found out it was Audacity, we encourage you to ask for a refund or file a complaint if you feel you did not get a fair deal. We ask vendors to give proper credit to the Audacity project, and allow users to make an informed choice.
If you have concerns that Audacity (unmodified or otherwise) is being sold without a copy of the GPL, or without any offer to provide source code, please e-mail us in confidence.
If you want to obtain Audacity on CD, free ISO downloads and inexpensive CDs by post are available from suppliers on our Audacity on CD page.
Other Frequently Asked Questions...
I saw an ad that misled me into thinking I had to pay for Audacity. What can I do?
Some advertisers are indulging in sharp practice in giving the impression you have to pay for Audacity, when it is in fact free. If the advert is a Google advert and does not comply with their terms you can complain about it to Google here
If the Google ad did not "Accurately represent the product or service", that is something that Google will act on. For example, we have complained about an ad that claimed to provide the 'latest version' of Audacity 'guaranteed', whereas there were later versions with more functionality available. In the comment field you should say in what way the advertising did not "Accurately represent the product or service".
If you ended up paying by credit card for a service due to a fraudlent advertisement, you may be able to initiate a chargeback with your credit card company. You need to show that the advertising and website that you visited was misleading. Generally you should try to sort out a refund with the retailer first, but often they are near impossible to contact and there is a timelimit of several days on initiating a chargeback.
