Avid Pro Tools vs. FL Studio

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Pro Tools
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Avid offers Pro Tools, the company's flagship music and audio editing and recording suite.
$29.99
Per User / Per Month
FL Studio
Score 9.7 out of 10
N/A
Belgian studio Image-Line Software offers FL Studio, the company's digital audio workstation (DAW) and audio editing application.
$99
Per License
Pricing
Avid Pro ToolsFL Studio
Editions & Modules
Pro Tools
$29.99
Per User / Per Month
Pro Tools - Ultimate
$79.99
Per User / Per Month
Pro Tools - First
Free
Fruity
$99.00
Per License
Producer
$199.00
Per License
Signature Bundle
$299.00
Per License
All Plugins
$899.00
Per License
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Pro ToolsFL Studio
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Avid Pro ToolsFL Studio
Considered Both Products
Pro Tools
Chose Avid Pro Tools
I’ve used reaper, FL Studio, sonar, cubase, Reason and Sony’s DAW. Pro Tools is better than all of them. And easier to use. Plus it’s easier to share sessions with other people when you use Pro Tools. Pro Tools is just more intuitive for even beginners to use. It’s just better
FL Studio
Chose FL Studio
In selecting this software, we investigated and considered others. We found that FL Studio had a good price point and the life time free version updates made it a one time purchase.
In terms of functionality, the most similar software solutions are Ableton Live, Logic Pro X and …
Best Alternatives
Avid Pro ToolsFL Studio
Small Businesses
Descript
Descript
Score 9.1 out of 10
Descript
Descript
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Avid Pro ToolsFL Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(10 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
9.4
(4 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Avid Pro ToolsFL Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
Avid Technology
Again, Avid Pro Tools is considered the "industry standard" for a reason. The ability to record, mix and edit with such ease is something that I don't find in other DAWs. That may be because I'm a longtime user and so I may be partial. Still, I do use Logic and I'm very familiar with many of the processes in that DAW as well. Avid Pro Tools just does so many of them better and more intuitively. Editing audio in particular is one where Avid Pro Tools has every other DAW beat.
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Image-Line Software
I would recommend FL Studio for anyone who wants to get their hands on music making or even just recording audio for videos. I would suggest making the somewhat small investment and trying it out, you could end up with a career from it. For beginners I would definitely suggest watching online courses/tutorials as they helped me a lot and it will for you as well. Also, I would recommend using third party plugins which will help in fine tuning your projects and overall produce much better music/recordings. FL Studio is well suited for businesses and personal use to make music. I would confidently say that its one of the best DAW to start making music.
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Pros
Avid Technology
  • Variety of plug-ins and the ability to buy 3rd party plug ins and use them well.
  • Recording to multiple tracks, live monitoring while recording, live inserts/sends while recording audio.
  • Pro Tools always creates a backup of your audio file that you can restore at any point in time.
  • Built in metronome, timeline indicators for beat/time.
  • Midi controls/ virtual instruments are fantastic.
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Image-Line Software
  • Midi sequencing
  • Built in audio processing and VST instruments
  • Audio mixing
  • Music creation
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Cons
Avid Technology
  • Virtual instrument interfaces are clunky and non-intuitive.
  • Rename/Move session functions should programmatically update subfolder labels.
  • Better, more targeted in-app access/help to the myriad of shortcuts, and scripts already present in PT.
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Image-Line Software
  • The recording process can somewhat be confusing and inefficient.
  • FL Studio has a confusing routing, for example to use return tracks for reverbs, you will have to click numerous buttons to get that done.
  • FL Studio has a somewhat steep learning curve, which can demotivate beginners.
  • FL Studio's auto-saving feature is a bit late, which can ruin your project if you rely on it.
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Usability
Avid Technology
It’s very easy to use it on a basic level. There is a learning curve for advanced stuff, but if you have a need to learn the advanced features and shortcuts then it’s not too hard. Plus, you’re probably using it to make money then anyway, so it all works out
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Image-Line Software
I gave it the above rating because it is an incredible software for music creators and even though it might be hard to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will never be troubled again, and in all honesty, nothing comes easy life, especially if one yearns to become good at. Same applies with FL Studio. In conclusion, it is a great software.
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Support Rating
Avid Technology
I've never contacted Avid for support issues, but Pro Tools is so widely used that its user community can help you solve virtually any issue you encounter, if the issue isn't solved already by a simple Google search. The fact that Pro Tools is such an industry standard means that you can rest assured hardware manufacturers of audio interfaces test their interfaces with Pro Tools to ensure compatibility.
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Image-Line Software
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Avid Technology
As discussed above, these other products are likely better suited for home audio production, especially based on their integration of software instruments and their surface-level interface and tools. Pro Tools excels as a tool for professionals, who need to move audio along efficiently towards a polished form, especially in the context of vocal production
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Image-Line Software
In selecting this software, we investigated and considered others. We found that FL Studio had a good price point and the life time free version updates made it a one time purchase.
In terms of functionality, the most similar software solutions are Ableton Live, Logic Pro X and Propellerhead Reason.
Of these the most cost effective for us was Ableton Live and FL Studio with Propellerhead Reason being a slightly different product.
We found that FL studio had a wider feature set and was more suited to our use, where as Ableton Live would be better if live music performance was a requirement, in our case it was not.
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Return on Investment
Avid Technology
  • Low cost of entry
  • Being able to network with employers is vital, and saves time and money
  • Add-ons to the main software can be a bit overpriced compared to other DAWs.
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Image-Line Software
  • Like I mentioned beforehand, it is slightly expensive but if you think of it, it is a lifetime investment.
  • FL Studio is also essential to have if one wishes to create music of their own or background songs because that way, you won't have to pay someone to create music for you.
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ScreenShots