| Created: | Aug 2026 |
| Reviewed: | - |
| To do: | Mostly everything. Priority: either remove those I'm not interested in, or add why you might use one of the proprietary products. And what distinguishes the OpenSource offerings. |
The cost may not be directly comparable: you'd need to assess the feature-set of each offering too. More expensive versions will often come with more instruments, effects, functionality, upgrades.
The cost is the website's basic price. There may be "crossgrades" discounts. Or educational discounts. Or free trials. Or Black Friday type deals. Or deals from third-party sites. I've no intention of tracking them. Bedroom Producers Blog (BPB) tracks deals as well as anyone I've come across.
BPB also list the Best Free DAWs which has more detail than my simple list atm. The intention is to refine the list below with those more-suited to the synth style that the site is focused on, rather than the list of DAWs I've heard of.
Higher Hz have also assessed the market leaders across various uses.
| DAW | Main Website | Open-Source? | Platforms | Category | License | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubase | steinberg.net/cubase | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop | Proprietary | Elements 83 GBP, Artist 273 GBP, Pro 481 GBP (Aug 26) | |
| Audacity | audacityteam.org | Yes | Windows, macOS, Linux | Desktop | GPL-2.0 | Free | Open Source |
| Ableton Live | ableton.com/live | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop | Proprietary | Intro 69 GBP, Standard 250 GBP , Suite 539 GBP (Aug 26) | |
| FL Studio | image-line.com | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop - Pattern-based | Proprietary | ||
| Logic Pro | apple.com/logic-pro | No | macOS, iPadOS | Desktop - Linear | Proprietary | ||
| Pro Tools | avid.com/pro-tools | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop | Proprietary | Intro Free, Artist 166 GBP, Studio 519 GBP, Ultimate 1,299 GBP (Aug 26 thomann.co.uk) | Subscription (annual) Artist 71 GBP, Studio 207 GBP, Ultimate 415 GBP (Aug 26) |
| REAPER | reaper.fm | No | Windows, macOS, Linux | Desktop - Customizable | Proprietary | 60 USD (Aug 26) | |
| Fender Studio Pro | fender.com/studio-pro | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop | Proprietary | 119 GBP (Aug 26) | formerly Studio One |
| Bitwig Studio | bitwig.com | No | Windows, macOS, Linux | Desktop | Proprietary | Essentials 79 GBP, Producer 169 GBP, Studio 339 GBP (Aug 26) | |
| Reason | reasonstudios.com | No | Windows, macOS | Desktop | Proprietary | 299 GBP (Aug 26) | |
| GarageBand | apple.com/garageband | No | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | Desktop / Mobile | Proprietary | Free* | * with iOS/MacOS devices |
| BandLab | bandlab.com | No | Web Browser, Android, iOS, Windows, macOS | Browser | Proprietary | Free (with optional paid-for features) | Cloud DAW |
| Cakewalk by BandLab | bandlab.com/products/cakewalk | No | Windows | Desktop | Proprietary | Free | Desktop DAW owned by BandLab |
| Ardour | ardour.org | Yes | Windows, macOS, Linux | Desktop | GPL-2.0+ | 45 USD* (Aug 26) | * Pricing has options. |
| LMMS | lmms.io | Yes | Windows, macOS, Linux | Desktop | GPL-2.0 | Doesn't natively support VST3 (Aug 26). | |
| Qtractor | qtractor.org | Yes | Linux | Desktop | GPL-2.0+ | Free | |
| Zrythm | zrythm.org | Yes | Linux, macOS, Windows | Desktop | AGPL-3.0 | Basic Free, Bundle 31 USD, Snapshot 16 USD (Aug 26) | |
| LUNA | uaudio.com/luna | No | macOS, Windows | Desktop | Free, Pro 199 USD (Aug 26) | ||
| TAPE 16 | emrmusicgroup.com/tape16 | No | Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux | Tape Machine | Proprietary | 29 USD (Aug 26) | |
| GCS Model 8 | gulfcoastsynthesis.com | No | Windows, macOS, iPadOS | Tape Machine | Proprietary | Desktop 60 USD, iPad 15 USD, iPhone Free (Aug 26) |