digital audio workstation · Ableton AG

Ableton Live

Clip-based music production program in three editions, each bought once.

59/100

#6 of 8 digital audio workstations
Facts checked 8 Oct 2026

In short

Live 12 costs EUR 79 (Intro), EUR 279 (Standard) or EUR 599 (Suite), as one-off purchases¹.
Intro is limited to 16 audio and MIDI tracks; Standard and Suite have unlimited tracks^1,2.
The free trial lasts 30 days and covers Suite; afterwards you can no longer save or export³.
Suite can be paid for with rent-to-own at EUR 24.96 a month¹.
Windows and macOS are supported; VST2, VST3 and Audio Unit plugins load, but CLAP is not listed^1,2.

Ableton Live suits producers who want unlimited tracks, comping, audio-to-MIDI and MPE in a program bought once². Standard at EUR 279 is the cheapest edition without a track limit¹. The catch: new versions are paid upgrades, there is no Linux version, no free edition, and CLAP plugins are not listed^1,2.

Best for: Producers who write and perform with clips and want Max for Live.

Where the points come from

Recording and editing28 of 28

Mixing and control8 of 13

Plugins8 of 11

Systems3 of 6

Licence and updates10 of 22

Price2 of 20

Recording and editing 28 of 28 points

Rule	What is published	Points
100 or more tracks	YesStandard and Suite list unlimited audio and MIDI tracks; Intro has 16^1,2.	10 / 10
Take comping	YesEdition comparison lists comping in all editions; the manual describes combining takes into a composite track^2,4.	5 / 5
Built-in time-stretch	YesWarping changes sample playback speed independently of pitch to match the song tempo⁴.	5 / 5
Audio to MIDI	YesAudio to MIDI conversion is listed for Standard and Suite².	4 / 4
Video track	YesVideo import is listed in all editions; the manual has a Working with Video chapter^2,4.	4 / 4

Mixing and control 8 of 13 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Surround mixing	Not publishedSuite lists a Surround Panner for multichannel speaker setups, but the page names no 5.1 or wider format².	0 / 5
MPE support	YesMPE support is listed in all editions; the manual has an Editing MPE chapter^2,4.	4 / 4
Scripting or extension API	YesSuite includes Max for Live, a platform for building your own instruments and effects^2,5.	4 / 4

Plugins 8 of 11 points

Rule	What is published	Points
VST3 plugins	YesPlugin support is listed as VST2, VST3 and Audio Unit v2 and v3².	8 / 8
CLAP plugins	Not publishedThe edition comparison lists VST2, VST3 and Audio Unit support and does not mention CLAP; no page says CLAP is unsupported².	0 / 3

Systems 3 of 6 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other desktop systems	macOSThe shop lists system requirements for Windows and macOS only¹.	3 / 6

Licence and updates 10 of 22 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Buy once, keep forever	YesIntro, Standard and Suite are sold as one-off purchases; once paid, the licence is yours¹.	6 / 6
Update policy	paidUpgrade prices for existing licences appear after login, so new versions cost extra¹.	1 / 6
Open source	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's shop or edition pages^1,2.	0 / 4
Works offline after activation	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages^1,4.	0 / 3
Free trial of a paid edition	YesFree 30-day trial of Live 12 Suite, the full feature set³.	3 / 3

Price 2 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free edition	NoThe shop lists only the paid Intro, Standard and Suite; the trial cannot save or export after 30 days^1,3.	0 / 8
Cheapest edition with no track limit	$312.09/yrLive 12 Standard, EUR 279 one-off; Intro is capped at 16 tracks¹. Converted at €1 = $1.1186⁶.	2 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score digital audio workstations.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Live 12 Intro1 person	EUR 79 one-time¹	–	16 audio and MIDI tracks
Live 12 Standard1 person	EUR 279 one-time^1,2	–	Unlimited tracks; adds audio to MIDI
Live 12 Suite1 person	EUR 599 one-time^1,2	–	Adds Max for Live and Surround Panner; rent-to-own EUR 24.96/month

The shop showed euro prices only; the score converts at the ECB rate. Rent-to-own is offered for Suite only, and upgrades from older versions are priced after login¹.

Strengths

Standard and Suite have no track limit¹.
Comping, video import and MPE are in every edition².
A 30-day trial of Suite is offered³.
Suite includes Max for Live for building your own devices^2,5.

Limits

Intro is capped at 16 audio and MIDI tracks¹.
Audio-to-MIDI conversion needs Standard or Suite².
No Linux version; the shop lists Windows and macOS¹.
Upgrade prices for new Live versions are shown only after you log in¹.
The trial cannot save or export after 30 days³.

Other digital audio workstations

1
WaveformProducers who want a free DAW on Windows, macOS and Linux with a paid upgrade path
85/100
$0cheapest edition with no track limit
2
ArdourPeople who want an open-source DAW with Lua scripting and a video timeline
75/100
$0cheapest edition with no track limit
3
REAPERHome producers who want a one-off price of $60 and no track limit
71/100
$60/yrcheapest edition with no track limit
4
Bitwig StudioProducers who want a one-time licence, CLAP and MPE support, and a Linux build
64/100
$110.74/yrcheapest edition with no track limit

All 8 digital audio workstations

Sources

Buy Live 12, Ableton. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Compare Live editions, Ableton. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Try Live free, Ableton. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Live 12 manual: Live Concepts, Ableton. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Max for Live, Ableton. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Euro foreign exchange reference rates: US dollar, European Central Bank. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

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