I use Cakewalk by Bandlab - free – full featured, unlimited. PC only. I also have the Pro Tool Intro which is free but has a number of limitations (# tracks, FX etc) so i only use that for learning PT…
once i have done the composition in Hookpad, i’ll export the MIDI. then simply open a new blank Cakewalk project (or use my Cakewalk record custom template) and drag the MIDI file into the project. i’ll then consolidate instruments where needed - drums, bass, piano, etc and leave distinct tracks separate.
next up i’ll assign virtual instruments (Cakewalk has a number of them already, but you can download tons of them which provide lots of quality sounds - esp synths, etc. – i also have the free stuff for Kontakt player, Spitfire LABS, etc etc)
next - basic mixing with just the VI on the associated audio tracks (load each via with the “first output” checked and set the MIDI input to the import track). once i have a decent balance, i can use the powerful export function to create a stereo file, and i also use it to dump individual tracks.
i use a separate project file to import the audio tracks for mixing as the VI can consume a lot of CPU, and doing audio only mixing reduces the resources so i can use more plugins etc.
(like the VI there are a bunch of audio FX built into Cakewalk, and there are tons more of FX for free with some simple searching).
finally - another export to stereo.
so whatever free DAW you choose - RTM so you’re not “that guy” on the product forums 