Digital Audio Workstations — the software beats are made in
8 products reviewed
The DAW that built modern hip-hop and EDM. Lifetime free updates make it the best long-term value in music production. Producer Edition unlocks recording and unlimited automation.
The DAW live performers and electronic producers swear by. Session View makes clip-based composition faster than any other workstation. Standard edition covers most producers' needs without the Suite price tag.
The most underrated DAW in music production. $60 individual license, feature-complete, runs on anything, updates forever. If price is a barrier, Reaper eliminates it without sacrificing capability.
The professional DAW that went completely free in 2018. Formerly SONAR Platinum ($499), now free forever from BandLab. Genuinely a full-featured workstation with no gimped features or watermarks.
The DAW pop and film composers reach for. Best-in-class MIDI editing, chord track, and expression maps. Been an industry standard for three decades and still competitive.
The modern DAW that got everything right on the second try. Drag-and-drop everything, Chord Track, Show Page for live performance. PreSonus built the DAW that other DAWs are trying to be.
Akai's free DAW that brings authentic MPC workflow to your computer. If you love the MPC pad-based approach to beat making, this is the free entry point before you invest in hardware.
The Mac-exclusive DAW that includes more content than most paid DAWs' Suite tiers. One flat $199 price includes everything Apple ever bundled with Logic — plus lifetime updates.