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Music · head to head

BandLab vs Studio One

BandLab logo

BandLab

Music

Free, browser and mobile-based collaborative DAW, with optional Pro and Max membership tiers for sample libraries and extras

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Studio One logo

Studio One

Music

Single-window workstation with album mastering built into the same project, now owned by Fender

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only BandLab has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: BandLab mixing and mastering depth is shallower than desktop DAWs like Pro Tools or Ableton Live, so serious production work eventually outgrows it.; 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: BandLab covers Browser-based DAW, Studio One covers Project page.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BandLab and Studio One actually diverge.

Attributes where BandLab and Studio One differ
AttributeBandLabStudio One
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per yearquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWindows, macOS

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 BandLab

  • Browser-based DAW
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Cloud project storage
  • Sample and loop library
  • Social publishing feed
  • SongStarter AI

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.

BandLab

  • A mobile-first artist who wants to record, edit and publish a track entirely from a phone or tabletnot Studio One
  • A remote collaboration between musicians in different locations working on the same project in real timenot Studio One
  • A beginner who wants a fully functional DAW without buying a computer capable of running Pro Tools or Logic Pronot Studio One
  • A creator using SongStarter to break through writer’s block with an AI-generated starting pointnot 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 BandLab
  • Project studios already on PreSonus interfaces and Faderport surfaces, where the control mapping is done for younot BandLab
  • Songwriters who want pitch editing in the timeline without buying Melodyne separatelynot BandLab
  • Running the same session live from the Show page rather than rebuilding the set in a separate performance toolnot BandLab

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BandLab

  • Mixing and mastering depth is shallower than desktop DAWs like Pro Tools or Ableton Live, so serious production work eventually outgrows it.
  • Being browser-based, it depends on a stable internet connection for cloud sync and collaboration in a way desktop DAWs do not.
  • Pro and Max pricing steps up sharply after the first-year introductory rate (from $99 to $149, and $199 to $299), which is easy to miss when signing up.
  • Third-party plugin support is far more limited than a native desktop DAW, restricting sound design options for advanced producers.
  • The social publishing feed and artist-services framing mean the product is partly built around community engagement rather than purely production, which is not what every user wants from a DAW.

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

BandLab

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full DAW functionality, no track limits
    • 20 sample downloads per month
  • Pro$99/year
    • First-year introductory price, renews at $149/year
    • 100 sample downloads per month
    • Artist services and platform perks
  • Max$199/year
    • First-year introductory price, renews at $299/year
    • 500 sample downloads per month
    • Expanded artist services

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 BandLab if

  • You need browser-based daw.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.
BandLab review

Choose Studio One if

  • You need project page.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want single window drag and drop.
Studio One review

Questions people ask

Is BandLab or Studio One better?
Neither clearly leads. BandLab 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, BandLab or Studio One?
BandLab has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for BandLab and On request for Studio One.
Does BandLab or Studio One run on more platforms?
BandLab runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Studio One runs on Windows, macOS.
Can I use BandLab for free?
Yes. BandLab has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Studio One starts at On request.
What is BandLab best used for?
BandLab is most often used for a mobile-first artist who wants to record, edit and publish a track entirely from a phone or tablet, a remote collaboration between musicians in different locations working on the same project in real time, a beginner who wants a fully functional daw without buying a computer capable of running pro tools or logic pro, a creator using songstarter to break through writer’s block with an ai-generated starting point. Of those, a mobile-first artist who wants to record, edit and publish a track entirely from a phone or tablet and a remote collaboration between musicians in different locations working on the same project in real time are not what Studio One is typically brought in for.
What can BandLab do that Studio One cannot?
BandLab covers Browser-based DAW, Real-time collaboration, Cloud project storage, Sample and loop library. Studio One covers Project page, Single window drag and drop, ARA2 with Melodyne, Scratch Pad.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BandLab: Is BandLab really free with no functionality limits?

Core recording, mixing and publishing are free with no track caps; paid tiers mainly add sample download quotas and artist services.

Studio 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.

BandLab: What renewal price should I expect on Pro or Max?

Both renew higher than the first-year price: Pro from $99 to $149, Max from $199 to $299.

Studio 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.

BandLab: Can I use BandLab without installing anything?

Yes, it runs fully in a web browser, with mobile and desktop apps also available.

Studio 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.

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