Digital audio workstations (DAWs) are tricky platforms to compare because there really is no “ultimate winner” on the market.
Instead, which platform is best for you depends on a variety of 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.
In this head-to-head comparison, we’re taking on two of the most popular DAWs, breaking down their features, and finding out which one comes out ahead in a variety of key functionalities and features.
What Do Avid Pro Tools and Logic Pro X Do?
Avid Pro Tools and Logic Pro X are both DAWs that are used for recording, producing, and mixing audio projects. They are both used in everything from music album production to automated dialogue replacement for film.
Both have all the features needed to record and manipulate audio files to your heart's content, which is why in the increasingly crowded market for DAWs, these two programs are the ones most often going head-to-head when audiophiles are choosing which platform to land on.
The Main Differences Between Avid Pro Tools and Logic Pro X
While Avid Pro Tools and Logic Pro X share a lot of similarities, they also have some key differences. For example:
- Avid Pro Tools is available on both Mac and Windows, while Logic Pro X is exclusively available on Mac
- Avid Pro Tools operates on a subscription model, with different pricing tiers and discounts for students and teachers. Logic Pro X still operates on the one-time purchase model.
- Avid Pro Tools is more widely used by professional audio producers, mixers, and sound production studios, while Logic Pro X is more typically used by indie musicians and people just beginning to learn audio production (however, some professionals still use it, more on that later)
So, depending on your individual needs (such as your operating system), you may already be leaning towards one platform over another. But how do they really stack up when we break down their features in a head-to-head competition? Let’s find out.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Ok, here’s what you’ve been waiting for. 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: Logic Pro X
Why: When it comes down to it, Logic Pro X is designed to take absolute beginners and get them up and running as quickly as possible, while Pro Tools is a platform that somewhat demands you have at least a basic knowledge of DAWs to navigate the platform. Because of this, Logic Pro X comes out ahead for ease of use, making it the slightly more accessible platform for anyone just getting started with audio production.
Sound Editing Functionality
Winner: Avid Pro Tools
Why: When it comes to overall functionality, this win needs to go to Pro Tools. As the industry-standard DAW for professional editors, Pro Tools is jam-packed with functionality that ranges from the very basic to the very advanced. Seriously, if you can find something that Pro Tools CAN’T do, you let us know, because it’s been put through the paces and has yet to come up short on most things.
Create together remotely, in real time
Recording
Winner: Avid Pro Tools
Why: While both Pro Tools and Logic Pro offer a solid selection of recording tools, this is an area where Pro Tools’ years of experience as an industry standard really shine through. Its 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: Logic Pro X
Why: For mixing, it all comes down to the plugins. While both platforms come with a large selection of standard plugins (such as reverb, eq, compressors, delays, and more), Logic Pro X slightly edges out Pro Tools here thanks to its inclusion of free soft synths and access to the entire Apple loop library for free. This means you’ll be able to do a lot more mixing for a lot less cash, as you won’t need to shell out for pricey third-party plugins as often.
Quality of Support
Winner: Logic Pro X
Why: Logic Pro X is backed by Apple’s stellar support network, so overall, users have found the quality of support to be slightly better for Logic Pro X than for Pro Tools. However, both not only have access to 24/7 customer support, but both also have communities where you can ask questions and get advice from other users.
G2 Rating
Winner: Logic Pro X
Why: G2, one of the most trusted sources for software reviews, rated Logic Pro X as a solid 4.6/5 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 Logic Pro X 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: Tie
Why: Capterra users rated both Logic Pro X and Avid Pro Tools a full 5/5 stars, giving them a dead tie as two of the best DAWs available on the market.
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 which starts at $299 for a 1-year subscription paid up-front. However, for students and teachers, this price plummets to just $99 per year with a qualifying academic eligibility. Pro Tools also offers a "Pro Tools Ultimate" version with additional tools
Logic Pro X, however, still operates on a software ownership model. It’s priced at $199.99 for the full platform, but as new versions are released, you’ll have to re-purchase to get access to new features.
Who is Pro Tools Best Suited For?
Professional Audio Producers: Pro Tools is considered 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. Since it’s not bound to just Mac operating systems and is focused on constantly updating the platform to keep up with industry standards, if you’re looking to produce professionally, this is a great platform.
Windows Users: As we mentioned before, Logic Pro X is only available on Mac, so if you work on a PC running Windows, Pro Tools is the default winner here.
Who is Logic Pro Best Suited For?
Indie Musicians: 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 skillset and improving your mixes as you master the platform.
Beginning Producers: Again, with its slightly better ease-of- use, Logic Pro seems to be the better platform to jump into if you’re just getting started.
Mac Users: Since Logic Pro works seamlessly on the Mac OS, Mac users may find this platform more compatible with their current workflow.
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 three factors: personal editing style preference, operating system, and price.
If you’re working on Windows, Logic Pro X just isn’t an option for you, so that makes that choice easy.
Price is also a big factor that may draw the line in the sand for many producers.
You may prefer to only pay for a month-to-month subscription of Pro Tools to keep costs low as you dip your toes into digital audio editing. If you’re a student or a teacher, the education discount on Pro Tools might also be a big factor that draws you away from the $200 up-front cost of Logic Pro X.
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.
