digital audio workstation · Cockos Incorporated

REAPER

DAW for Windows, macOS and Linux with no track limit, a 60-day evaluation and a $60 discounted licence.

71/100

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

In short

The discounted licence costs $60 and the commercial licence $225, before tax².
A new licence includes free upgrades through REAPER version 8.99².
You can evaluate the full program for 60 days, with no registration^1,2,3.
Cockos says there are no limits on track counts, sends or effects¹.
Official builds exist for Windows, macOS and Linux, and it loads VST3 and CLAP plugins^1,3.

REAPER suits home producers and small studios who want a $60 one-off licence with no track limit^1,2. The $60 discounted licence covers personal use and commercial use under $20,000 yearly revenue, and includes upgrades through version 8.99². The catch: the code is closed and the vendor's pages do not document audio-to-MIDI conversion or MPE recording^4,6.

Best for: Home producers who want a one-off price of $60 and no track limit.

Where the points come from

Recording and editing24 of 28

Mixing and control9 of 13

Plugins11 of 11

Systems6 of 6

Licence and updates12 of 22

Price9 of 20

Recording and editing 24 of 28 points

Rule	What is published	Points
100 or more tracks	YesCockos says there are no limits on track counts; the single version has no artificial limitations¹.	10 / 10
Take comping	YesLanes let you pick the best parts of several takes and build one composite take¹.	5 / 5
Built-in time-stretch	YesThe features page lists real-time pitch shifting and time stretch; release notes describe stretching imported media to project tempo^4,7.	5 / 5
Audio to MIDI	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages^1,4,7. Dynamic split and pitch detection are listed, but no audio-to-MIDI conversion.	0 / 4
Video track	YesThe home page lists native video support; release notes cover video decoding and encoding with FFmpeg^1,4.	4 / 4

Mixing and control 9 of 13 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Surround mixing	YesRelease notes list the ReaSurroundPan panner with a 7.1 layout; the features page lists built-in multichannel/surround panners and surround recording^4,7.	5 / 5
MPE support	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages^1,4,7. Release notes mention only MIDI editor options that help MPE editing.	0 / 4
Scripting or extension API	YesReaScript supports EEL2 and Lua built in, and Python if installed separately⁵.	4 / 4

Plugins 11 of 11 points

Rule	What is published	Points
VST3 plugins	YesThe home page lists VST3 among supported plugin formats¹.	8 / 8
CLAP plugins	YesThe home page states full CLAP support on Windows, macOS and Linux, and does not call it beta¹.	3 / 3

Systems 6 of 6 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other desktop systems	macOS, LinuxThe download page lists macOS and Linux builds as well as Windows³.	6 / 6

Licence and updates 12 of 22 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Buy once, keep forever	YesThe store shows a single payment per licence with no subscription; the licence covers versions through 8.99^2,6.	6 / 6
Update policy	periodA new licence includes free upgrades through version 8.99².	3 / 6
Open source	NoThe licence calls the code a trade secret; only third-party libraries are open source⁶.	0 / 4
Works offline after activation	Not publishedNot published on the download, purchase or licence pages, which do not mention activation or offline use^2,3,6.	0 / 3
Free trial of a paid edition	YesThe full program can be evaluated for 60 days with full functionality².	3 / 3

Price 9 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free edition	NoThe licence allows free use for 60 days only and requires a purchase after that; there is one version and no free edition^1,6.	0 / 8
Cheapest edition with no track limit	$60/yrDiscounted licence, $60 one-time; open to personal use. There is no track limit in any edition^1,2.	9 / 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
Discounted licencePersonal use, or commercial use up to $20,000 yearly revenue, or education and non-profit	$60²	–	Upgrades through version 8.99
Commercial licenceCommercial use; the discounted licence covers up to $20,000 yearly revenue	$225^2,6	–	Upgrades through version 8.99

Prices exclude VAT and local taxes. One licence key can be installed on several computers if only one is in use at a time².

Strengths

Discounted licence is $60, available for personal use or businesses earning up to $20,000 a year².
Cockos describes a single version with no artificial limits, and no limit on track counts¹.
Builds for Windows, macOS and Linux, and loads VST3 and CLAP plugins^1,3.
Scripting in EEL2, Lua and Python comes with the program through ReaScript⁵.
60-day full evaluation with no registration required^2,3.

Limits

There is no free edition; after the 60-day evaluation you must buy a licence⁶.
Upgrades are included only through version 8.99, and the page says nothing about later versions².
The source code is not public; the licence calls it a trade secret⁶.
Cockos's pages do not document audio-to-MIDI conversion or recording of MPE data^1,4.
All licence purchases are final².

What Cockos Incorporated says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

Cockos says it is a single fully featured version with no artificial limitations¹.

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
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
5
FL StudioProducers who want to pay once and keep every future update
63/100
$179/yrcheapest edition with no track limit

REAPER vs Waveform · REAPER vs Ardour · All 8 digital audio workstations

Sources

REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
REAPER | Purchase, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
REAPER | Download, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
REAPER release notes (whatsnew.txt), Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
ReaScript documentation, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
REAPER licence agreement, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
REAPER | About, Cockos. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: www.reaper.fm · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Cockos Incorporated.