Softwr

Music · head to head

iHeartRadio vs Studio One

iHeartRadio logo

iHeartRadio

Music

All your favorite music, podcasts, and radio

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 iHeartRadio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: iHeartRadio ad-free listening requires an iHeartRadio Plus or All Access subscription; 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: iHeartRadio covers Live radio, Studio One covers Project page.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where iHeartRadio and Studio One differ
AttributeiHeartRadioStudio One
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, Smart-speakersWindows, macOS
Founded2008Unknown

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 iHeartRadio

  • Live radio
  • Custom stations
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Smart speakers
  • Car systems
  • Account security
  • Web support

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.

iHeartRadio

  • Streaming live AM and FM radio stations over the internetnot Studio One
  • Listening to podcasts and live sports commentarynot Studio One
  • Building music playlists on a paid tiernot 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 iHeartRadio
  • Project studios already on PreSonus interfaces and Faderport surfaces, where the control mapping is done for younot iHeartRadio
  • Songwriters who want pitch editing in the timeline without buying Melodyne separatelynot iHeartRadio
  • Running the same session live from the Show page rather than rebuilding the set in a separate performance toolnot iHeartRadio

Where each one falls short

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

iHeartRadio

  • Ad-free listening requires an iHeartRadio Plus or All Access subscription
  • Unlimited skips and unlimited playlist creation require a paid subscription
  • Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends
  • Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased
  • The iOS app requires iOS 15.0 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

iHeartRadio

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Live radio
    • Podcasts
    • Ads
  • Plus$5.99/month
    • Unlimited skips
    • Offline playlists

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 iHeartRadio if

  • You need live radio.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers.
  • You also want custom stations.
iHeartRadio 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 iHeartRadio or Studio One better?
Neither clearly leads. iHeartRadio 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, iHeartRadio or Studio One?
iHeartRadio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for iHeartRadio and On request for Studio One.
Does iHeartRadio or Studio One run on more platforms?
iHeartRadio runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers. Studio One runs on Windows, macOS.
Can I use iHeartRadio for free?
Yes. iHeartRadio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Studio One starts at On request.
What is iHeartRadio best used for?
iHeartRadio is most often used for streaming live am and fm radio stations over the internet, listening to podcasts and live sports commentary, building music playlists on a paid tier. Of those, streaming live am and fm radio stations over the internet and listening to podcasts and live sports commentary are not what Studio One is typically brought in for.
What can iHeartRadio do that Studio One cannot?
iHeartRadio covers Live radio, Custom stations, Podcasts, Events. Studio One covers Project page, Single window drag and drop, ARA2 with Melodyne, Scratch Pad.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

iHeartRadio: How much does iHeartRadio cost?

iHeartRadio does not publish pricing on their website. The service offers free podcast streaming with optional premium content for certain shows. A reference to 'Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content' is mentioned, but no pricing is provided. Customers must visit linked premium content pages for pricing information.

Source
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.

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.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on iHeartRadio

More on Studio One

Keep looking

Other head to heads