Music Waveform vs projectM
Music Waveform
music-waveform.comprojectM
projectm-visualizer.orgSide by side
| Figure | Music Waveform | projectM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Audio Visualizer Software | 8.5 (#2) | 7.7 (#17) |
| Integrations | The documented workflow is compositing exports in editors such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve and CapCut using Screen blending or alpha assets. | The repository lists GStreamer and Qt-based desktop apps, and names Kodi, Silverjuke, and VLC as third-party integrations. |
| Presets | One-click analysis and visual presets are provided. | Preset files define visualizations using pixel shaders and MilkDrop-style equations and parameters; the library itself does not ship with presets. |
| Purpose | Turns audio files into animated waveform videos for musicians, podcasters and video editors. | projectM is an open-source music visualization library that turns audio into real-time visuals. |
| Support | The maker asks users to send corrections, bugs and feature requests by email and recommends including browser and operating-system details. | The project directs users to GitHub issue trackers for the library and official frontends, and to Discord for contact. |
Plans
In their own words
Music Waveform
Music Waveform turns audio files into animated waveform videos in a browser for musicians, podcasters, and video editors. It accepts MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A/AAC, and FLAC files, with eight adjustable styles: bars, mirror, radial, scope, area, dots, blob, and circle. Users can tune color, waveform reaction, and resolution up to 4K, then preview the animation in sync with playback. One-click presets provide analysis and visual settings. Exports include MP4 video, transparent WebM, and ZIP files of transparent PNG frames; PNG frames do not include an audio track. Audio decoding, analysis, rendering, and encoding run locally in the browser, and the maker says files are not uploaded or stored on a server. The free plan costs nothing, with no account, watermark, or paywall. MP4 export requires an up-to-date Chromium browser or Safari 17 or newer. Long exports may run out of memory on older phones. The tool does not edit or accept video, transcribe audio, separate stems, batch-process, or provide an API.
projectM
projectM is an open-source music visualizer that turns audio input into visuals in real time. Its libprojectM library is intended for application development and reimplements Winamp MilkDrop, including support for user-contributed visualizations. The library analyzes PCM audio with beat detection and FFT, then renders visuals using OpenGL. Preset files define looks through pixel shaders and MilkDrop-style equations, but libprojectM does not include presets. The projectMSDL desktop frontend listens to audio input and produces visuals; standalone options are listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The library documentation lists builds for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and WebGL/WASM. The core library is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License 2.1. projectM is free and open source. Its available end-user frontends are development previews that may be incomplete or contain bugs, while Android apps linked by the project are not created or supported by projectM developers. Third-party integrations including Kodi, Silverjuke, and VLC are supported by their respective developers, not the projectM team.