Digital audio workstations (DAWs) are tricky to compare because there is no "ultimate winner" on the market. Instead, which platform is best for you depends on various factors, such as what kind of projects you work on, how comfortable you are with professional audio editing software, and which workflow you find the easiest.
Ableton Live and Pro Tools are great examples of this. Both have very similar features, but some tasks are an absolute breeze and a complex nightmare for others depending on the application. This is why it's important to know what kind of projects you'll be working on the most before you hone in on exactly which DAW is right for you.
In this head-to-head comparison, we'll break down the features of two popular DAWs and determine which one comes ahead in each of our functional categories.
What Do Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Do?
Avid Pro Tools and Ableton are both DAWs used to record, produce, and mix audio projects. Both work with midi, have all the features needed to record and manipulate audio clips to your heart's content, host plugins, and export in a variety of formats. This is why there is so much debate over which platform works best for which producers.
The Main Differences Between Avid Pro Tools and Ableton
While Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Live share many similarities, they also have some key differences. For example, Pro Tools has focused heavily on meeting the needs of people who do many live audio recordings and sampling. In contrast, Ableton Live has weighted its features to offer more efficient mixing workflows to electronic music producers.
So, depending on your individual needs, you may already be leaning towards one platform over another. But how do they stack up when we break down their key features in a head-to-head competition? Let's find out.
Head-to-Head Comparison
It's time to put these programs up against each other and see which ones excel in each of our key categories:
Ease of Use
Winner: Ableton
Why: Ableton Live users consistently rated its ease of use higher than Pro Tools users. This is likely because Ableton Live doesn't have many hidden windows and is relatively easy to navigate up-front. Pro Tools requires a bit more finesse and knowledge of the platform to use it effectively, which is likely why Ableton Live edges it out in this category.
Sound Editing Functionality
Winner: Pro Tools
Why: While both platforms have all the essential tools you need for sound editing, Pro Tools is slightly better at precision edits in a way that Ableton Live hasn't refined. If you're looking to do exact waveform edits, this is an area where Pro Tools excels.
Recording
Winner: Pro Tools
Why: This is another area where Pro Tools excels. After years of experience as an industry standard, Pro Tools has honed in on making live recording easy. The recording interface is much more intuitive to operate and the proprietary multi-tool makes editing on the fly during a recording session a breeze.
Sound Mixing
Winner: Ableton
Why: Ok, now we're in Ableton Live's wheelhouse. As a platform mainly designed for EDM producers, sound mixing is something that Ableton has prioritized in its features setup. From automation tools to live loop options and tons of plug-ins, Ableton Live is a mixers playground.
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Quality of Support
Winner: Ableton
Why: Overall, users have rated Ableton Live's support quality higher than that of Pro Tools. It has a vibrant support community, tons of learning videos, and a technical support team on standby to help you through any challenges you may be facing with the platform.
G2 Rating
Winner: Ableton
Why: G2, one of the most trusted sources for software reviews, rated Ableton Live as a solid 4.7/5 stars, while Avid Pro Tools only scored 4.3/5. Both ratings put these programs at the top of the market, but in this case, G2 reviewers found Ableton Live to have a slight edge over Avid Pro Tools in areas such as ease of use, ease of setup, ease of admin, and ease of doing business.
Capterra Rating
Winner: Ableton (Barely)
Why: Capterra users rated Ableton Live 4.9/5 stars, while Pro Tools came in slightly under at 4.8/5 stars. This just reflects that overall, these are both two extremely high-quality DAWs that are nearly equally loved by their users.
Price
Winner: It Depends
Why: It's hard to determine a winner for price between these two programs because they use very different pricing models.
Avid Pro Tools uses a subscription-based model, starting at $299 for a 1-year subscription paid up-front. Pro Tools also offers a "Pro Tools Ultimate" version with additional tools.
Ableton Live works on the software ownership model, with their most basic platform available for $99, but if you want the full platform, it'll cost you $749. There's no recurring subscription fee, but it does require more of an up-front investment. The good news is that there's a 90-day free trial available so you can figure out if the platform works for you before you buy.
Who is Ableton Live Best Suited For?
Electronic Music Producers: The ease of use that Logic Pro brings to the table makes it perfect for garage band musicians and songwriters looking to dive into making their own recordings. It has tons of professional-grade tools, so you can keep expanding your music production skill set and improving your mixes as you master the platform.
Beginning Producers: Ableton Live is just a little bit easier to learn and start using than Pro Tools, which means if all the bells and whistles of Pro Tools seem intimidating, you may find Ableton Live a little easier to wrap your head around (especially if your end goal is EDM production or similar applications).
Who is Pro Tools Best Suited For?
Professional Audio Producers: Pro Tools is considered the industry standard for professionals, so for anyone looking to make a long-term career as an audio producer, you're more than likely going to end up on the Pro Tools platform at one point or another. If you're looking for overall versatility and a huge community of users, Pro Tools is probably going to be your preferred platform.
Live Music Producers: As mentioned before, Ableton Live is more geared towards electronic music producers who aren't doing as much live recording as they are mixing pre-sampled sounds. Pro Tools is equipped with more features, such as handy live-recording keyboard shortcuts geared towards making recording easy, so for anyone who wants to capture more live sound, Pro Tools may be better suited for your needs.
So, Which One Should You Choose?
With both programs sharing a heavy amount of overlap with each other, choosing which one you'd like to work with will likely come down to price and what kind of projects you plan on working on the most.
You may prefer the Pro Tools subscription model because you're able to get full functionality with very little up-front commitment. However, after trying Ableton Live's free trial, you may realize it's your perfect platform and like how you won't have to constantly invest.
Ultimately, the final decision should come down to which platform makes it easiest for you to work on your audio projects with little resistance, and to decide that, we always recommend taking advantage of the free trial that each offers so you can get your hands dirty and figure out which platform you find easiest to work on.
Hopefully, this head-to-head comparison will make choosing the right software for your next project a breeze, allowing you to unleash your creative energy and focus on creating crystal-clear audio mixes that surprise and delight your audience.
If you're looking for a better way to bring your remote audio editing team closer together and collaborate more efficiently from a distance, check out Evercast. Evercast allows you to stream your edit sessions, whether you're on Logic Pro X or Pro Tools, in full-HD while video chatting and exchanging notes with your team, all under one platform. Because we believe collaboration is the magic behind unlocking your best work.
Additional Comparison Guides for Pro Tools:
