Soundtrapvs
BandLab
BandLab: If you want a free cross-platform DAW without Soundtrap’s split Music Maker/Storytellers product branding
Soundtrap
Spotify-owned browser-based DAW and podcast studio, sold on separate Music Maker and Storytellers subscription tracks
As of 1 September 2026, Soundtrap is free to use. A cloud-based recording studio, owned by Spotify, split into two differently branded subscription tracks for musicians and podcasters even though both run on the same underlying editor. Softwr lists it under Music. Soundtrap is made by Soundtrap AB (a Spotify company), available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What Soundtrap does
Soundtrap is a browser-based digital audio workstation and podcast studio offering multitrack recording, a loop and instrument library, and collaboration tools for musicians and podcasters. Spotify acquired it in 2017 and has since positioned it as the company’s creation-side complement to its listening platform, including bundle promotions that pair a Soundtrap subscription with Spotify Premium. What distinguishes it is that Soundtrap sells essentially the same editor as two separate product lines: Music Maker plans (Premium at roughly $9.99/month, Supreme at $14.99/month) aimed at musicians, and Storytellers plans aimed at podcasters, plus a Complete tier around $17.99/month that combines both feature sets. A buyer needs to pick the track that matches their use case rather than simply picking a price point, since the branding implies more separation between the products than the underlying technology actually has. Buyers are podcasters and musicians who want browser-based, collaborative recording without installing software, particularly those already inside the Spotify ecosystem via the bundled discount. The trade-off is that, like BandLab, its production depth is well behind desktop DAWs, and being owned by Spotify means its product priorities are set by a company whose core business is streaming distribution, not audio production tools.
What people use it for
- A podcaster wanting browser-based multi-track voice recording with automatic leveling and noise reduction
- A musician collaborating remotely with bandmates in real time without sharing large project files manually
- A Spotify Premium subscriber taking advantage of the bundled discount on a Soundtrap plan
- A creator who wants access to both music and podcast production tools and picks the Complete tier
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Soundtrap.
- The free tier limits export quality and recording time enough that any real, publishable project needs a paid plan.
- Music Maker and Storytellers are marketed as distinct products despite sharing the same underlying editor, which can lead a buyer to pay for the wrong track or duplicate features across two subscriptions.
- Production depth, plugin support and mixing precision remain behind desktop DAWs such as Pro Tools or Logic Pro, limiting it for professional mastering work.
- As a Spotify-owned product, roadmap priorities are set by a streaming company, and features that primarily benefit Spotify’s ecosystem (like direct publishing) get more attention than deep audio engineering tools.
- Reliance on a stable internet connection for cloud-based recording and collaboration makes it a poor fit for fieldwork or unreliable-connectivity environments compared with a local desktop DAW.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Soundtrap
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- SoundtrapvsGarageBand
GarageBand: If you prefer a free desktop-native DAW over a browser-based, subscription-dependent tool
Pricing
What Soundtrap costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Basic recording and editing
- Limited export quality and recording time
Music Maker Premium
$9.99 /mo
- Full-quality export
- Extended recording time and loop library access
Music Maker Supreme
$14.99 /mo
- Expanded instrument and loop library
- Higher-tier collaboration limits
Storytellers
$14.99 /mo
- Podcast-specific auto-leveling and noise reduction tools
Complete
$17.99 /mo
- Combined Music Maker and Storytellers feature set
Capabilities
Features
Browser-based multitrack editor
Recording, editing and mixing entirely in-browser with mobile apps
Real-time collaboration
Multiple contributors editing and commenting on the same project remotely
Podcast-specific tools
Auto-leveling, noise reduction and multi-track voice recording for Storytellers plans
Loop and instrument library
Built-in sounds for music production on Music Maker plans
Spotify Premium bundle
Discounted combined subscription with Spotify Premium
Direct publishing
Export or publish directly to Spotify and other podcast and music platforms
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is Soundtrap free to use?
A free tier exists but with limited export quality and recording time; most real projects require a paid Music Maker, Storytellers or Complete plan.
What is the difference between Music Maker and Storytellers?
Music Maker is aimed at musicians with a loop and instrument library; Storytellers focuses on podcast tools like auto-leveling and noise reduction, though both run on the same core editor.
Who owns Soundtrap?
Spotify, which acquired it in 2017 and now bundles it with Spotify Premium subscriptions at a discount.
Keep looking
Where to go from Soundtrap
- Soundtrap alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Soundtrap pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Soundtrap badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Music softwareThe full category
- Best Music softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Music software for
Compare Soundtrap with
- BandLab
- GarageBand
- Pro Tools
- Bitwig Studio
- Studio One
- Cubase
- Splice
- Ardour
- Renoise
- Audacity
- MuseScore
- LANDR
- SoundHound
- Suno
- Shazam
- Sibelius
- Splice
- Ardour
Other Music software
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From $99.99/one-time12 researched notesSubscription sample and preset library with cloud project storage, unrelated to the catalogued Splice Software insurance platform
11 researched notesGPL workstation whose source is free and whose prebuilt binaries are paid
Free, then $1/mo12 researched notesTracker sequencer with a vertical timeline, keyboard entry and a demo limited only by rendering
From €75/one-time12 researched notesFree, open source notation software under the GPL, distinct from the separate paid MuseScore.com and MuseSounds subscriptions
Open source10 researched notesAI mastering and music distribution, sold as separate mastering, distribution and bundled Studio subscriptions
11 researched notesSong identification app that can match hummed or sung melodies, from SoundHound AI
Free plan9 researched notesGenerative AI service creating full songs with vocals and instrumentation from text
Free, then $8/mo10 researched notesApple-owned song identification app, free with no ads or in-app purchases
Free plan9 researched notesAvid’s music notation software, now sold primarily on subscription with perpetual licences still available at higher upfront cost
10 researched notesSubscription sample and preset library with cloud project storage, unrelated to the catalogued Splice Software insurance platform
11 researched notesGPL workstation whose source is free and whose prebuilt binaries are paid
Free, then $1/mo12 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Soundtrap, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Soundtrap
Soundtrap alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Soundtrap pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Soundtrap
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Best Music software alternatives
Free digital audio workstation bundled with macOS and iOS, with no paid tier or upgrade path of its own
Open source, no licence feeFree, browser and mobile-based collaborative DAW, with optional Pro and Max membership tiers for sample libraries and extras
Per user per yearAI mastering and music distribution, sold as separate mastering, distribution and bundled Studio subscriptions
Per user per month, separate mastering and distribution subscriptionsAvid digital audio workstation with four tiers gated by track count and simultaneous I/O rather than by feature
Per user per year
Flat annual subscription music distribution where artists keep 100% of streaming royalties
One-time purchaseFree, open source notation software under the GPL, distinct from the separate paid MuseScore.com and MuseSounds subscriptions
Open source, no licence fee
Steinberg’s notation software, still sold as a perpetual licence on desktop with subscription only offered on iPad
One-time purchase
Music distribution charging an upfront per-release fee plus a permanent 9% commission on royalties, now owned by Universal Music Group
One-time purchase plus ongoing commission