Music · pricing
Cubase pricing
Cubase publishes 3 tiers. Below is each one, what it adds over the tier beneath it, and where the ladder stops being worth climbing for most people.
As of 31 August 2026, Cubase pricing is $99.99/one-time across 3 published tiers. Figures are the vendor's list prices as recorded on this page's last check; the vendor's site is the final word.
- Entry price
- $99.99/one-time
- Model
- One-time purchase
- Tiers
- 3
- Free tier
- Not on record
Cubase plans, side by side
Every published tier in ascending order of price, with the number of features each one lists. An absence here means the record does not itemise it, not that the tier lacks it.
| Plan | Price | Features listed | Step up from the tier below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubase Elements | $99.99/one-time | 3 | Entry tier |
| Cubase Artist | $329.99/one-time | 4 | +$230/one-time, 3 more features |
| Cubase Pro | $579.99/one-time | 4 | +$250/one-time, 3 more features |
What each tier adds
The set difference between each tier's feature list and the one beneath it. Where a tier lists nothing new, the vendor has either stopped repeating the inherited list or the tier raises limits rather than adding capability, the record does not distinguish the two, so this page does not either.
Cubase Elements
$99.99/one-timeThe entry tier. It covers perpetual licence, capped audio, midi and instrument track counts, reduced editing and mixing tool set.
Cubase Artist
$329.99/one-timeOver Cubase Elements, this tier adds:
- Higher track limits than Elements
- Score editor included
- No full surround work or the top VariAudio tier
Cubase Pro
$579.99/one-timeOver Cubase Artist, this tier adds:
- Unlimited tracks
- Full score editor, expression maps and surround
- Version upgrades charged separately, roughly annually
What the product covers
The full Cubase feature record, grouped as the catalogue groups it. This is the product as a whole; the record does not map every feature onto a specific tier.
Other
- Score editor
- Expression maps
- VariAudio
- Chord Track and Chord Pads
- Logical Editor
- Video track
- Steinberg Licensing
- MixConsole
People bring Cubase in 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. If that is not the job you are buying for, the alternatives to Cubase are worth a look before you commit to a tier.
How that compares in Music
Too few music tools in this directory publish a starting price to quote a meaningful median, so the table below is a like-for-like list rather than a ranking.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Rated | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubase (this page) | $99.99/one-time | One-time purchase | - | |
| rekordbox | Free | Per user per year | - | vs Cubase |
| DistroKid | On request | One-time purchase | - | vs Cubase |
| Pro Tools | Free | Per user per year | - | vs Cubase |
| Serato DJ | Free | Per user per month | - | vs Cubase |
| GarageBand | Free | Open source, no licence fee | - | vs Cubase |
| Traktor Pro | Free | One-time purchase | - | vs Cubase |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry, they are not reviews hosted on Softwr. How each figure is used is set out on the Cubase badges page.
Before you pay for Cubase
Three things this page cannot tell you, and all three change the bill. The record carries a price and a billing period but not the unit - per-seat and flat-rate pricing are indistinguishable in this data, so a five-person team may be looking at five times the figure above. It carries no annual rate, so any discount for paying yearly is not something this page can quote. And it carries no trial length.
What it can tell you is the shape of the ladder: 3 tiers between $99.99/one-time and $579.99/one-time, with the jump itemised above. With no free tier on record, the cheapest way to answer the rest is to compare Cubase against the tools that do have one before committing.
Cubase runs on windows, macos, and is published by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. The full record is on the Cubase review, and the rest of the category is under best music tools.
Cubase pricing questions
- How much does Cubase cost?
- Cubase publishes 3 tiers, from $99.99/one-time for Cubase Elements up to $579.99/one-time for Cubase Pro. The cheapest paid tier is $99.99/one-time.
- Does Cubase have a free plan?
- Not on the record we hold: Cubase is listed as One-time purchase. Whether a free trial is offered is not something this record captures, so check the vendor's site.
- What is the difference between Cubase Elements and Cubase Artist on Cubase?
- Cubase Artist costs $329.99/one-time against $99.99/one-time, and adds higher track limits than elements, score editor included, no full surround work or the top variaudio tier.
- Is the Cubase Pro plan on Cubase worth it?
- That depends entirely on whether you need what it adds, which on the published record is unlimited tracks, full score editor, expression maps and surround, version upgrades charged separately, roughly annually. It costs $579.99/one-time against $99.99/one-time for Cubase Elements. Softwr has not used either tier, so this page can tell you what changes, not whether it is worth the difference to you.
- Which music tools can I use without paying?
- 7 of the 8 music tools listed alongside Cubase have a free tier: rekordbox, Pro Tools, Serato DJ, GarageBand, Traktor Pro.
- What am I actually paying for with Cubase?
- The record lists 8 features across 1 area: other. In practice it is brought in 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.
- Does Cubase charge per user?
- The record carries a price and a billing period for each of its 3 tiers, but not the unit that price is charged in. Per-seat and flat-rate billing look identical in this data, so check the vendor's page before budgeting for a team.
- Are these Cubase prices current?
- They are what the catalogue entry holds, refreshed when the entry is. Vendors change pricing without notice and nobody at Softwr re-verifies each tier by hand, so treat this as a structured summary and the vendor's own pricing page as the authority.
- What should I compare Cubase against before paying?
- The closest music tools in this directory are rekordbox, DistroKid, Pro Tools, Serato DJ. Each has a side-by-side comparison with Cubase covering price, platforms and features.