Speaking of top-notch music production software, “FL Studio” aka FruityLoops has long been a go-to platform for many including aspiring music composers and professional artists. The digital audio workstation stands out on many fronts like versatility, customizable interface, and more significantly; high efficiency. However, FL Studio does have drawbacks including clunky recording, complicated editing process, and more that can dampen productivity, especially with demanding workflows. The complex editing process makes it hard for newbies to master the trade tricks. Additionally, the software comes with a premium price tag starting from $99 and going all the way up to $899. Hence, some users seek alternatives. Here are the best FL Studio alternatives in 2020.
Top FL Studio Alternatives for 2020
Fortunately, a plethora of digital audio workstations akin to FL Studio exist. They offer comparable high-end tools and proficiency. For those seeking cheaper or free alternatives to FL Studio, several solid options are available. Whether you aim to create a masterpiece or simply start with basic audio editing, this roundup can guide you. Now, let’s delve into DAWs similar to FL Studio!
1. Avid Pro Tools
“Avid Pro Tools” excels in composing and editing audio. If FL Studio no longer meets your needs, consider this top-notch digital audio workstation. It offers a wide range of tools for recording, editing, and mixing audio with flexibility. With 64-bit architecture and robust audio/video engines, it meets professional demands.
Avid Pro Tools boasts an impressive user interface, comparable to FL Studio. However, beginners may face a steep learning curve. Yet, once mastered, it becomes a favorite. One standout feature is the direct HD video workflows that add fun and flexibility to the process.
Having long admired FL Studio’s project collaboration for its seamlessness, I find Avid Pro Tools meets, if not surpasses, expectations. Multiple collaboration tools facilitate team synchronization and cohesive work. Additionally, the efficient offline bounce feature expedites final mixdowns, while the low-latency input buffer simplifies input monitoring.
Avid Pro Tools offers three editions: Pro Tools First, Pro Tools, and Pro Tools Ultimate. If you’re not composing music for large projects, I recommend starting with Pro Tools First, which is free. When you’re ready to advance, you can upgrade to Avid Pro Tools, priced at $299/year. If you’re willing to invest in top-of-the-line audio editing tools for professional-level audio creation, it’s a worthwhile deal. It stands out as one of the best FL Studio alternatives, earning the top spot.
- Highly intuitive user interface
- Fast 64-bit recording and mixing engine
- Excellent project collaboration tools
- The free version suffices for most beginners
- The paid version is costly
- Involves a steep learning curve
Pricing: Free, $299/year (starting price)
Platform Availability: macOS and Windows
2. Logic Pro X
If you’re serious about music production, you’ve likely encountered “Logic Pro X”. It easily outperforms FL Studio in efficiency and features. Interface-wise, Logic Pro rivals its noted counterpart. The software boasts a growing array of tools for creating masterpieces effortlessly.
What distinguishes Logic Pro from its rivals is its production speed. If FL Studio struggles with numerous audio files, Logic Pro should be your choice without hesitation. Additionally, you can utilize a variety of premium audio effects to enrich your music quality.
Logic Pro also excels in offering a diverse array of professionally recorded instrument loops that can elevate your creativity. Are you a beginner? Fear not, as the software provides ample guidance and tips to assist you in mastering professional audio editing tools.
This music production software may appear expensive initially, yet it surpasses even apps triple its price in functionality. The only drawback is its unavailability on platforms like Windows and Linux. Nevertheless, it stands out as one of the top FL Studio alternatives, essential for those seeking highly efficient music production tools.
- Top-of-the-line features
- Highly efficient in composing and producing music
- Professionally recorded instrument loops
Pricing: $199.99
Platform Availability: macOS
3. Audacity
Tired of pricey music production software? Look no further than Audacity for super handy audio composing and editing. Despite its lack of elegance, Audacity offers ample tools as a good substitute for FL Studio.
Moreover, this open-source software simplifies audio editing, with easy-to-handle tools suitable for novices. Record live audio via microphone or mixer and digitize recordings from other media effortlessly.
Support for 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit. Regarding sample rate and format conversion, it’s as proficient as FL Studio due to top-quality resampling and dithering. For those who love experimenting with new plugins for music creation, Audacity supports LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST, and Audio Unit effect plugins. In summary, Audacity is the best free alternative to FL Studio.
- Easy to use
- Supports 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit
- Compatible with LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST, and Audio Unit effect plugins
- Simple user interface
- Lacks advanced music editing features
Pricing: Free
Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, and Linux
4. Ableton Live
For professional music producers prioritizing excellent tools, “Ableton Live” stands out. With a vast modern toolset, the software enables maximum freedom in composing and editing music, akin to FL Studio.
Discussing the interface, Ableton Live keeps things straightforward, making it easy to grasp all essentials. The info-view window proves handy, offering brief descriptions of workspace components, aiding in icon memorization. Among the myriad drum and synth plugins I’ve tested, none have matched those in this DAW.
Compared to FL Studio, Ableton Live supports fewer audio and MIDI tracks and limits simultaneous recording to four sources. However, it excels in producing EDM and hip-hop tracks. Regarding price, Ableton Live is notably cheaper, particularly at the high end ($749).
- Huge library of modern tools
- Excellent drum and synth plugins
- Customizable interface
- Less audio and MIDI tracks
- Record up to four sources simultaneously
- Convenient album mixer
- Less intuitive interface
- Comparatively slower audio conversion
- Record MIDI and audio from multiple inputs simultaneously
- Access a diverse range of MIDI and audio-processing effects
- Benefit from native plug-ins and firewalling
- Long drop-down menu
- Inconsistent track rendering
- Elegant MIDI keyboard
- VST and SoundFont support
- Beneficial for beginners
- Lacks versatility
- Inefficient pitch bending
- Exceptionally flexible mixer architecture
- Handy floating-point fidelity
- External control surfaces
- Excessive plugins can clutter the experience
- Paid builds
- Optimized interface
- Strong in podcasting and sound effects design
- Efficient audio repair and restoration
- Automatic song rearrangement
- Subscription pricing is expensive
- Fast audio processing
- Wide range of professional effects
- Pretty neat user-interface
Traverso DAW: Simplifying Music Composition
If you prefer composing music with ease, “Traverso DAW” is a reliable choice. Its intuitive user interface feels instantly familiar. Notably, it’s both scalable and fully customizable, offering you greater creative freedom.
Pricing: Free trial, $99 starting price, Full version: $749
Platform Availability: macOS and Windows
Beyond personalization, Traverso DAW offers a versatile album mixer to enhance your music with various effects. If FL Studio’s effects collection falls short of your expectations, Traverso DAW can fill the gap effortlessly.
Another standout feature is its easy CD recording capability, perfect for setting the mood at parties with your favorite tunes. Like FL Studio, it boasts an optimized audio engine for consistent, high-quality results. In short, Traverso DAW is a cost-effective alternative to FL Studio, providing top-notch features without breaking the bank.
Cubase
If you seek a versatile digital audio workstation, “Cubase” is indispensable. It mirrors FL Studio’s functionality, offering a wide array of tools for composing and editing high-quality music. Despite its rich features, it remains approachable due to its flexible tools and well-designed interface.
Cubase’s library of virtual instruments, effects, and thousands of sounds aligns well with FL Studio’s offerings. On the customization front, it outshines the latter, making it ideal for those seeking a personalized experience.
Cubase also excels in regular updates, introducing new features and enhancements that keep the app feeling fresh and ensure seamless performance. Moreover, it maintains parity with FL Studio in terms of pricing.
Pricing: Starting at $111
Platform Availability: macOS and Windows
7. GoldWave
Though not as feature-packed as some of the biggest names in this roundup, GoldWave deserves recognition as one of the best apps like FL Studio. With over 25 years of expertise, it offers a reliable audio editing experience. Emphasizing simplicity, the software excels in recording, editing, audio processing, conversion, and more.
Regarding user interface, GoldWave’s UI and UX are decent. However, if you prefer FL Studio’s intuitive interface, GoldWave may not meet your preferences. While its tools aren’t as versatile or proficient as those in FL Studio, they are adequate for the task.
When it comes to enhancing your audio, GoldWave offers over 40 professional audio effects that can significantly improve your music quality. One area where GoldWave excels compared to FL Studio is in audio analysis, thanks to its real-time visualizations providing better insight. Moreover, it’s a more budget-friendly option, priced at just $45.
Pricing: $45
Platform Availability: Windows
8. Reaper
For those seeking a budget-friendly alternative to FL Studio without sacrificing quality, consider “Reaper” (Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording). It offers the ability to record MIDI and audio from multiple inputs simultaneously effortlessly. Additionally, it facilitates efficient audio splicing compared to FL Studio.
Reaper provides a diverse array of MIDI and audio-processing effects for experimentation. These effects enhance not only the auditory appeal but also the overall quality of your music. With features including fades, volume adjustments, per-take FX, and snap point controls, you can seamlessly accomplish tasks without the need for multiple tools.
In addition to its array of features, including seamless branching, an undo system, and native plug-ins with firewalling, this tool enhances your audio management.
Pricing: $60 ($225 for commercial license)
Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux
9. LMMS
Frankly, I’ve reserved “LMMS” for those keen on music production before splurging on high-end tools. As a beginner, you’ll find this software more user-friendly and productive than FL Studio, which can feel clunky.
For creating melodies, beats, synthesizing, mixing sounds, or arranging samples, it’s convenient. The playback instruments and samples are easy to handle. If you enjoy using plugins, you’ll appreciate the variety available to enhance your music.
The MIDI keyboard boasts an elegant interface, complemented by VST and SoundFont support, making it a comprehensive tool. In short, LMMS serves as an excellent resource for learning the trade.
Pricing: Free
Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, and Linux
10. Ardour
Lastly, Ardour is not only affordable but also a highly user-friendly substitute for FL Studio. This DAW effortlessly caught my attention due to its design catering to both beginners and advanced music creators.
Ardour’s interface prioritizes simplicity, ensuring ease of use, particularly for beginners. Regarding editing, the software offers a variety of tools for cutting, copying, pasting, moving, stretching, and deleting designs seamlessly.
If FL Studio boasts an exceptionally flexible mixer architecture, Ardour is equally competitive. You’ll enjoy mixing audio to create music effortlessly. For plugin enthusiasts, there’s a vast selection available. Additionally, the floating-point fidelity and external control surfaces streamline the process.
Pros:
Pricing: Starts at $1/month
Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, and Linux
11. Adobe Audition
Undoubtedly, Adobe Audition stands among the top-tier digital audio workstations. For those seeking nothing but the best, Audition is a must-consider option. It offers a robust toolset encompassing waveform, multitrack capabilities, mixing, editing, and spectral display for audio creation and restoration. Compared to FL Studio, Audition boasts a more intuitive interface, catering well to both experienced professionals and beginners alike.
Audition stands out for its capacity to hasten video production and refine audio with a more efficient interface. Its precise editing tools ensure suitability for podcasting and sound effect design. A standout feature is the convenient sound panel, simplifying pro-grade audio creation without complexity, unlike FL Studio’s counterpart, which requires acclimatization.
Noteworthy is the automatic rearrangement of songs to fit any duration, speeding up music editing. Audition efficiently fixes audio without distorting quality, making it a solid alternative to FL Studio for both professionals and newcomers.
Pricing: $20.99/month (annual plan)
Platform Availability: Windows and macOS
12. Sound Forge
With 20 years of experience, Sound Forge (formerly Sonic Foundry) by Magix Software GmbH is a top-rated digital audio editing suite for professional and semi-professional use. It offers two variants: Sound Forge Pro and Sound Forge Audio Studio, excelling in recording, editing, mastering, and processing audio.
When it comes to audio editing efficiency, Sound Forge competes strongly with FL Studio, renowned for its rapid audio processing without sacrificing quality. If FL Studio stutters while processing audio, consider trying this software. Another notable feature is its vast library of professional effects, adding a polished touch to your music.
Sound Forge’s collection covers various audio styles, from retro to cult classics and emerging trends. While it may not offer the extensive plugin selection of FL Studio, it fulfills basic needs adequately.
Pricing: Soun Forge Audio Studio 14: $59.99, Sound Forge Pro 13: $399
Platform Availability: Windows and macOS
Pick Out the FL Studio Alternatives
Explore DAW alternatives to FL Studio that suit your music production needs. For professionals, try renowned options; for beginners, consider cheaper or free apps. With ample choices, you’ll find the right fit. Share feedback in the comments below.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
