Kid3

Free open-source audio tag editor from KDE for Linux, Windows, macOS and Android.

Open sourceMusic tag editors

Updated Oct 30, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · Linux, Windows, macOS, Android

Visit Kid3 See 7 alternatives

Is Kid3 free?

Yes, free and open source

License:: GPL

Checked on Kid3's site Nov 8, 2026

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All 7

foobar2000
Free
MusicBrainz Picard
Open source
puddletag
Open source

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 7
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Kid3

Kid3 is an audio tagger built for editing whole albums without retyping the same details for every track. It handles ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags in MP3 files and converts between their versions, and it also edits tags in FLAC, Ogg, Opus, MP4/AAC, WMA, WAV, AIFF, Matroska and many other formats. It can generate tags from file names and file names from tags, create folders and playlists, fix capitalisation, and import album data from MusicBrainz, Discogs, gnudb and other sources. It also edits synchronised lyrics and imports or exports LRC files. For automation there's a command-line version plus QML/JavaScript and D-Bus scripting. Kid3 is part of the KDE family, free and GPL-licensed, and runs on Linux (with or without KDE), Windows, macOS and Android. The interface is dense and functional rather than pretty, and it has no audio fingerprinting for completely untagged files.

Best for: Linux and cross-platform users who want detailed, free control over music tags.

What works

Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and Android
Fine-grained editing of every ID3v2 frame, plus synced lyrics
Command-line and scripting options for automation
Free and open source

Why people leave

No audio fingerprint matching for untagged files
Busy interface with many panels
Smaller user community than Mp3tag or Picard

Kid3 vs foobar2000, MusicBrainz Picard and puddletag

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	Kid3	foobar2000	MusicBrainz Picard	puddletag
Pricing	Open source	Free	Open source	Open source
Verified price	—	—	—	—
Free plan	Free app	Free app	Free app	Free app
Open source	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Self-hostable	No	No	No	No
Platforms	Linux, Windows, macOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux

Top Kid3 alternatives

See all 7

1
foobar2000
Free Windows player whose properties dialog edits tags in bulk, with masstagger scripts for pattern-based fixes.
65.0
2
MusicBrainz Picard
Identifies untagged files by audio fingerprint and fills tags from MusicBrainz automatically.
64.8
3
puddletag
Open-source spreadsheet-style tag editor for Linux, good for editing many files' tags at once with patterns and actions.
61.8
4
Quod Libet
Linux music player that ships with the Ex Falso tag editor, so you get tagging and playback in one open-source package.
51.2
5
MusicBee
Free Windows music manager with a full tag editor and automatic tag and artwork lookup built into the library.
49.0

Why people left Kid3

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Kid3: common questions

What is Kid3?

Kid3: Free open-source audio tag editor from KDE for Linux, Windows, macOS and Android. Best for linux and cross-platform users who want detailed, free control over music tags. Available for Linux, Windows, macOS and Android.

Is Kid3 free?

Yes. Kid3 is free, open-source software.

Is Kid3 open source?

Yes.

What platforms does Kid3 run on?

Kid3 is available for Linux, Windows, macOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Kid3?

The highest-ranked Kid3 alternatives right now are foobar2000, MusicBrainz Picard and puddletag. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

Kid3 vs foobar2000: what's the difference?

Kid3 is free and open source; foobar2000 is free to use. Kid3 is open source and foobar2000 is not. Only Kid3 runs on Linux. Only foobar2000 runs on iOS.

See all 7 Kid3 alternatives

Kid3 facts

5 of 5 verified

License: GPL; Checked Nov 8, 2026kid3.kde.org(opens source in a new tab); “License Kid3 is open source software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) .”
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, Android; Checked Nov 8, 2026kid3.kde.org(opens source in a new tab); “Kid3 runs under Linux ( KDE or only Qt), Windows, macOS and Android”
Online lookups: gnudb, MusicBrainz, Discogs and more; Checked Nov 8, 2026kid3.kde.org(opens source in a new tab); “Import from gnudb.org , MusicBrainz , Discogs”
Synced lyrics: Edit and import/export LRC; Checked Nov 8, 2026kid3.kde.org(opens source in a new tab); “Edit synchronized lyrics and event timing codes, import and export LRC files”
Automation: CLI, QML/JavaScript, D-Bus; Checked Nov 8, 2026kid3.kde.org(opens source in a new tab); “Automate tasks using QML/JavaScript, D-Bus or the command-line interface”