Music · head to head
Amazon Music vs Studio One

Studio One
Music
Single-window workstation with album mastering built into the same project, now owned by Fender
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Amazon Music has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Amazon Music amazon Music Unlimited is required for on-demand access to the 100 million song catalogue, ad-free podcasts and Audible audiobooks; Studio One the bundled Melodyne is the Essential tier, which corrects monophonic pitch only; polyphonic editing and the tools most people actually want are a paid upgrade from Celemony on top of the workstation licence.
- They diverge on capability: Amazon Music covers Music streaming, Studio One covers Project page.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amazon Music and Studio One actually diverge.
| Attribute | Amazon Music | Studio One |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Fire-tv, Echo | Windows, macOS |
| Founded | 2007 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Music).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Amazon Music
- Music streaming
- HD audio
- Podcasts
- Alexa integration
- Echo devices
- Fire TV
- Alexa
- Amazon account security
Only in Studio One
- Project page
- Single window drag and drop
- ARA2 with Melodyne
- Scratch Pad
- Chord Track
- Show page
- Impact XT and Sample One
- Faderport integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amazon Music
- On-demand music streaming across phone, watch and speakersnot Studio One
- Listening to podcasts and Audible audiobooks in one appnot Studio One
- Offline playback for subscribersnot Studio One
Studio One
- Delivering an album or EP where mastering must stay linked to the mixes, so a late vocal fix does not mean rebuilding the masternot Amazon Music
- Project studios already on PreSonus interfaces and Faderport surfaces, where the control mapping is done for younot Amazon Music
- Songwriters who want pitch editing in the timeline without buying Melodyne separatelynot Amazon Music
- Running the same session live from the Show page rather than rebuilding the set in a separate performance toolnot Amazon Music
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Amazon Music
- Amazon Music Unlimited is required for on-demand access to the 100 million song catalogue, ad-free podcasts and Audible audiobooks
- Unlimited skips require the Amazon Music Unlimited subscription
- Subscriptions bought through iTunes renew automatically each month unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends
- The account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of each membership period
- The iOS app requires iOS 16.0 or later
Studio One
- The bundled Melodyne is the Essential tier, which corrects monophonic pitch only; polyphonic editing and the tools most people actually want are a paid upgrade from Celemony on top of the workstation licence.
- PreSonus now sells a subscription alongside the perpetual licence and the two are easy to confuse at checkout; the subscription stops working when payment stops, which is a very different asset for a studio planning in decades.
- Fender acquired PreSonus in 2022, so the roadmap sits inside a guitar hardware company, and long-term investment in the workstation is now a bet on that parent rather than on the original software team.
- There is no Linux build, and the MIDI editing tool set is shallower than Cubase, so composers doing rule based MIDI transformation or serious notation work will hit limits quickly.
- The plugin scanner has a long history of struggling with large third-party plugin collections, producing slow startup and occasional missing plugins when sessions move between machines.
Pricing, plan by plan
Amazon Music
Free- FreeFree
- Limited selection
- Ads
- Unlimited$9.99/month
- Full catalog
- HD audio
Studio One
On request- Studio One Pro (perpetual licence)$undefined/one-time
- Bought outright and keeps working indefinitely
- Next major version is a separate paid upgrade
- Melodyne Essential included
- Studio One Pro+ (subscription)$undefined/month
- Workstation plus sound content and cloud storage
- Stops working when the subscription lapses
- Billed monthly or annually
Which should you pick?
Choose Amazon Music if
- You need music streaming.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Fire-tv, Echo.
- You also want hd audio.
Choose Studio One if
- You need project page.
- You work on Windows, macOS.
- You also want single window drag and drop.
Questions people ask
- Is Amazon Music or Studio One better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amazon Music starts at Free and Studio One at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amazon Music or Studio One?
- Amazon Music has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Music and On request for Studio One.
- Does Amazon Music or Studio One run on more platforms?
- Amazon Music runs on Web, Ios, Android, Fire-tv, Echo. Studio One runs on Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Amazon Music for free?
- Yes. Amazon Music has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Studio One starts at On request.
- What is Amazon Music best used for?
- Amazon Music is most often used for on-demand music streaming across phone, watch and speakers, listening to podcasts and audible audiobooks in one app, offline playback for subscribers. Of those, on-demand music streaming across phone, watch and speakers and listening to podcasts and audible audiobooks in one app are not what Studio One is typically brought in for.
- What can Amazon Music do that Studio One cannot?
- Amazon Music covers Music streaming, HD audio, Podcasts, Alexa integration. Studio One covers Project page, Single window drag and drop, ARA2 with Melodyne, Scratch Pad.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Amazon Music: What are the pricing options for Amazon Music?
The main Amazon Music page does not display pricing information. Users must visit additional pages on Amazon's website or the app store to see subscription costs.
SourceStudio One: Who owns PreSonus?
Fender acquired PreSonus in 2022. Development continues, but the roadmap now sits inside a guitar hardware company rather than an independent software vendor.
Amazon Music: Is there a free tier or trial period?
The page does not disclose whether a free trial, free tier, or evaluation period is available for Amazon Music. Pricing and trial details would need to be found on related pages.
SourceStudio One: Is Studio One a subscription?
Both are sold. Studio One Pro is a perpetual licence you keep; Studio One Pro+ is a subscription bundling sound content and cloud storage that stops working when you stop paying.
Amazon Music: Can I cancel my Amazon Music subscription anytime?
The page does not specify cancellation policies or contract terms for Amazon Music subscriptions.
SourceStudio One: Why is no price listed here?
PreSonus publishes current pricing, but the tier structure has been restructured across recent versions, so this entry points at the vendor page rather than quoting a figure that may already be wrong.
Studio One: What does the Project page actually do?
It sequences and masters a whole album inside the same file as the songs and stays linked to them, so changing a mix updates the master without a manual export and reimport.
Related pages
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