This is a live comparison of what digital audio workstations actually cost at the retailers VST Deals tracks. Prices refresh automatically every day, and each figure links to the listing it came from.
One thing worth knowing before you compare: the cheapest number a retailer shows for a DAW is very often an upgrade or an education licence, which you can only buy if you already own an earlier version or can prove you are a student. The “from” prices below are only ever full licences a new customer can buy today. Upgrade, education and subscription prices are listed separately on each DAW's own page.
| DAW | Best for | Editions | From (new licence) | Best current price | Retailer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL Studio Image-Line | Beatmaking, Hip-hop and EDM | 4 | £85.00 Fruity Edition | No discount tracked | Gear4music | Compare |
| Ableton Live Ableton | Electronic music, Live performance | 3 | £69.00 Intro | No discount tracked | Gear4music | Compare |
| Pro Tools Avid | Recording, Mixing, Post production | 3 | £199.00 Artist | No discount tracked | Gear4music +1 | Compare |
| Cubase Steinberg | Production, MIDI and scoring | 3 | £59.00 Elements | No discount tracked | Gear4music | Compare |
| Bitwig Studio Bitwig | Modular sound design, Electronic music | 3 | £76.80 Essentials | No discount tracked | Gear4music | Compare |
| Reason Reason Studios | Sound design, Rack workflow | 2 | £157.00 Reason Rack | No discount tracked | Gear4music | Compare |
Also tracked, no current retailer offer
We list these so the comparison is complete. None of the retailers we track currently sell them, usually because the maker sells direct, so we have no verified price to show.
Education pricing across every DAW we track, with eligibility.
DAW Black Friday dealsWhat actually dropped, and what it cost the rest of the year.
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you. Prices are the lowest we currently track, not a claim about the whole market.