Waveform's latest version is now available as the free edition.

It's probably not going to get any converts from people used to other software, but I think it's really capable free DAW out there, and it's perfect for beginners. I mean, Cakewalk does more but it's not exactly the easiest to start with.

Get it here: https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free

 

I think it's a clever marketing concept to get people from the free version to the full version or to other products.

 

Waveform Free is absolutely fantastic and it's my go-to recommendation for anyone wanting to get into music. The stock plugins are very(!) basic, but perfect for a beginner and can easily be expanded upon with a couple freebies. The UI is slick and modern and doesn't get in your way. No artificial limits like 'you can only have 4 plugins in your project' either.

I wish more DAWs had Waveform's flexible 'Freeze' plugin, which lets you freeze the track in any slot in the track's plugin chain. No need for bouncing out to a new track or complicated routing setups.

 

I've always wanted to try Waveform but in previous versions there were some issues with some bugs and the GUI.
But feature-wise is amazing. Tons of cool MIDI utilities, an amazing modular patch-bay just to name a pair.

The free version, barring the commented Cakewalk, is the most complete (totally) free DAW.
Not to mention Waveform was designed from scratch to run in any platform including Linux.
In fact it was the first big creation of Jules Storer, later JUCE creator and now making other very cool things.