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Music · head to head

Cubase vs Studio One

Cubase logo

Cubase

Music

Steinberg workstation with the strongest score editor of any DAW, now licensed without a USB dongle

From
$99.99/one-time
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

  • Each has a real cost: Cubase steinberg Licensing ties activations to an account across up to three machines, so an isolated or air-gapped studio computer needs the offline activation procedure rather than a carried dongle, and that procedure must be repeated whenever the hardware is rebuilt.; 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: Cubase covers Score editor, Studio One covers Project page.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cubase and Studio One differ
AttributeCubaseStudio One
Starting price$99.99/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelOne-time purchasequote

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Windows, macOS), 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 Cubase

  • Score editor
  • Expression maps
  • VariAudio
  • Chord Track and Chord Pads
  • Logical Editor
  • Video track
  • Steinberg Licensing
  • MixConsole

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.

Cubase

  • Writing to picture where the deliverable includes printed parts as well as a mix, because the score comes from the same project rather than a MIDI exportnot Studio One
  • Driving large orchestral sample libraries, where expression maps turn articulation switching into notation instead of hidden keyswitch lanesnot Studio One
  • Studios standardised on Steinberg or Yamaha hardware, where control surface integration is already builtnot Studio One
  • Replacing a dongle based Cubase installation, where the reason to upgrade is removing the USB key as a single point of failurenot 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 Cubase
  • Project studios already on PreSonus interfaces and Faderport surfaces, where the control mapping is done for younot Cubase
  • Songwriters who want pitch editing in the timeline without buying Melodyne separatelynot Cubase
  • Running the same session live from the Show page rather than rebuilding the set in a separate performance toolnot Cubase

Where each one falls short

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

Cubase

  • Steinberg Licensing ties activations to an account across up to three machines, so an isolated or air-gapped studio computer needs the offline activation procedure rather than a carried dongle, and that procedure must be repeated whenever the hardware is rebuilt.
  • Elements and Artist withhold features most buyers eventually need, including the top VariAudio tier and full surround work, so the realistic price is the Pro edition rather than the entry figure.
  • Projects saved in a newer version cannot be opened in an older one, so studios collaborating with clients on mixed versions have to standardise, and paid upgrades arrive roughly once a year.
  • There is no Linux build and no stated plan for one, so the platform choice is Windows or macOS only and a Linux studio is excluded outright.
  • The interface carries three decades of accumulated windows and dialogs spread across the Project window, MixConsole, Key Editor and Score Editor, so the learning curve is considerably longer than Live or Logic for a new user.

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

Cubase

$99.99/one-time
  • Cubase Elements$99.99/one-time
    • Perpetual licence
    • Capped audio, MIDI and instrument track counts
    • Reduced editing and mixing tool set
  • Cubase Artist$329.99/one-time
    • Perpetual licence
    • Higher track limits than Elements
    • Score editor included
  • Cubase Pro$579.99/one-time
    • Perpetual licence
    • Unlimited tracks
    • Full score editor, expression maps and surround

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 Cubase if

  • You need score editor.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want expression maps.
Cubase 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 Cubase or Studio One better?
Neither clearly leads. Cubase starts at $99.99/one-time and Studio One at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cubase or Studio One?
Cubase starts at $99.99/one-time and Studio One at On request.
Does Cubase or Studio One run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, macOS, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Cubase best used for?
Cubase is most often used for writing to picture where the deliverable includes printed parts as well as a mix, because the score comes from the same project rather than a midi export, driving large orchestral sample libraries, where expression maps turn articulation switching into notation instead of hidden keyswitch lanes, studios standardised on steinberg or yamaha hardware, where control surface integration is already built, replacing a dongle based cubase installation, where the reason to upgrade is removing the usb key as a single point of failure. Of those, writing to picture where the deliverable includes printed parts as well as a mix, because the score comes from the same project rather than a midi export and driving large orchestral sample libraries, where expression maps turn articulation switching into notation instead of hidden keyswitch lanes are not what Studio One is typically brought in for.
What can Cubase do that Studio One cannot?
Cubase covers Score editor, Expression maps, VariAudio, Chord Track and Chord Pads. Studio One covers Project page, Single window drag and drop, ARA2 with Melodyne, Scratch Pad.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cubase: Does Cubase still need a USB dongle?

No. From Cubase 12 onwards Steinberg Licensing replaced the eLicenser. Activation runs through the Steinberg Activation Manager on up to three computers.

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.

Cubase: Can I run Cubase on a computer with no internet access?

Yes, but through the offline activation path in the Activation Manager rather than a normal sign in, and you repeat it if the machine is rebuilt. Test it before committing an isolated scoring rig.

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.

Cubase: Is Cubase a subscription?

No. Editions are bought outright and keep working. Steinberg charges separately for version upgrades, which appear roughly once a year.

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.

Cubase: Which edition do I need for scoring work?

Pro. Artist includes a score editor, but Pro is the edition with the full engraving, expression map and surround feature set that media work assumes.

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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