Speaking of top-notch music production software, “FL Studio” aka FruityLoops has long been a go-to platform for many including aspiring music composers and professional artists. The digital audio workstation stands out on many fronts like versatility, customizable interface and more significantly; high efficiency. That said, FL Studio does have some drawbacks including clunky recording, complicated editing process, and more that can dampen productivity especially if your workflow is too demanding. The complex editing process means newbies find it rather hard to master the tricks of the trade. Not to mention, the software warrants a premium price tag that starts from $99 and goes all the way up to a whopping $899. And that’s exactly why some folks would look its alternatives. Well, if you are one of those folks, here are the best FL Studio alternatives in 2020.

Fortunately, there are a plethora of digital audio workstations like FL Studio. Both in terms of high-end tools and proficiency, they can make a match with what it has to offer. For those who are looking for cheaper and free FL Studio alternatives, there are also quite a few pretty solid options. So, it doesn’t matter whether you are hunting for a music production software for creating a masterpiece or willing to cut your novice audio editing teeth with a super handy app with all the basic tools, this roundup can help you find the right answer to your needs. That all being said, let’s explore similar DAWs like FL Studio!

“Avid Pro Tools” is a powerhouse when it comes to composing and editing audio. And, if you no longer find FL Studio’s features more productive, you should keep this top-notch digital audio workstation in mind. The DAW comes with a wide range of tools to let you record, edit and mix audio with the desired flexibility. Equipped with 64-bit architecture and robust audio/video engines, it’s more geared to live up to pro demand.

As someone who has always appreciated FL Studio’s project collaboration and found it pretty seamless, I must say that Avid Pro Tools feels up to the mark (if not superior). You can use multiple collaboration tools to stay in sync with your team and enjoy working together seamlessly. Not to mention, the offline bounce attribute that works efficiently in accelerating the final mix and low-latency input buffer that makes it incredibly straightforward to keep track of record inputs.

Cons: 

Pricing: Free, $299/year (starting price)

Platform Availability: macOS and Windows 

If you are into creating music professionally, chances are pretty high that you may have already heard of “Logic Pro X”. Both in terms of efficiency and high-end features, it can outshine FL Studio – hands down. Interface-wise, Logic Pro can also come very close to what its noted counterpart has to offer. The software has an ever-growing collection of tools to let you create a masterpiece at will.

Another department where it has an edge over many other rivals is a good collection of professionally recorded instrument loops that can add the missing X-factor to your creativity. Are you a newbie? Don’t worry, the software also offers plenty of tricks and tips to help you master pro audio editing tools.

Pricing: $199.99

Platform Availability: macOS 

Fed up of expensive music production software? Look no further than Audacity, if you are on the hunt for super handy audio composing and editing software to create impressive music without burning a hole in your pocket. The app may lack an elegant interface but it has got enough appreciable tools to stake the claim of being a fairly good substitute for FL Studio.

The software also has support for 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit. As for converting sample rates and formats, it’s as proficient as FL Studio thanks to the use of top-quality resampling and dithering. And if you are someone who loves to try out all-new plugins to create stand out music, you would really appreciate the support for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST, and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. In a nutshell, Audacity is by far the best free alternative to FL Studio.

Pricing: Free

Visit: Website

As a pro music producer, if your priority lies with excellent tools, “Ableton Live” should be an obvious choice for you. Packed with a huge library of modern tools, the software ensures you have maximum liberty to compose and edit music in a way that works best for you. And it’s this aspect that makes this software very close to FL Studio.

Pros: 

Pricing: Free trial, $99 starting price, Full version comes at $749

5. Traverso DAW

Should you wish to compose exciting music without getting into complexities, “Traverso DAW” would be a safe bet for you. Featuring a very simple user-interface, the software seems to be familiar right from the moment you dive into it. Apart from being highly scalable, it’s also fully customizable. That means you get more freedom to compose your music.

  • Super handy album mixer
  • Ability to record tunes onto a CD
  • Optimized audio engine

When there is a desire to find an all-around digital audio workstation, it would be nothing but blunder to miss out on “Cubase”. The software is very similar to FL Studio in terms of functionality and comes with a vast assortment of tools tailormade for composing and editing professional quality music. Despiting being feature-rich, it doesn’t look daunting at all thanks largely to exceptionally flexible tools and neatly-designed interface.

Cons:

  • Complex workflow

Pricing: $111 starting price 

Though nowhere near as feature-packed as some of the biggest names included in this roundup, GoldWave deserves to find a safe place as one of the best apps like FL Studio. With over 25 years of expertise, it’s known to provide reliable audio editing experience. Putting simplicity at the forefront, the software is good at all the important aspects including recording, editing, audio processing, conversion and more.

Speaking of user-interface, GoldWave’s UI and UX look decent. But if you are fond of FL Studio’s intuitive interface, it may not appeal to your liking. Even though the tools are nowhere near as versatile and proficients as the ones found in the latter, they are good enough to live up to the task.

Pricing: $45

Platform Availability: Windows

For all the folks who want a fairly cheap alternative to FL Studio without compromising much on quality, “Reaper” (aka Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording) seems to be a smart pick. What makes it a fine asset is the ability to record MIDI and audio bits from many inputs together with the utmost ease. Besides, it also lets you splice your recordings more efficiently than FL Studio.

On top of all, it also comes with some really useful features like seamless branching and undo system as well as native plug-in and firewalling that can make a decisive difference in the way you handle your audio.

Pricing: $60 (Commercial license costs $225)

Frankly speaking, I have saved “LMMS” specifically for the folks who want to get a hang of music production before spending tons of bucks on high-end tools. As a beginner, you would find this software more user-friendly and productive than the feature-rich FL Studio which may seem clunky at times for the newbies.

10. Ardour

Last but not least, Ardour is not only very affordable but also a highly user-friendly substitute for FL Studio. That’s the reason why this DAW didn’t have to work too hard to catch my attention. That said, the software is designed for both the ones who are trying to master the art of music production and those who live for music creation.

  • Exceptionally flexible mixer architecture
  • Handy floating-point fidelity
  • External control surfaces

Pricing: Starts at $1/month 

Without an iota of doubt, Adobe Audition belongs to an elite league of digital audio workstations. And if you don’t want to settle anything less than the very best, you shouldn’t fail to give it a close look. Audition comes with a powerful toolset including waveform, multitrack, mixing, editing, spectral display for creating, and restoring audio content. In terms of high-end tools, Audition makes a fairly good match with FL Studio. But unlike FL Studio, Adobe’s interface looks a touch more intuitive. That’s probably the reason why Audition could easily fit into the needs of both pros and newbies.

Cons: 

  • The subscription-based pricing is quite expensive

Pricing: $20.99/month on an annual plan

With over 20 years of experience, Sound Forge (aka Sonic Foundry) by Magix Software GmbH is a highly-rated digital audio editing suite designed to cater to both the professional and semi-professional markets. The software comes in two variants: Sound Forge Pro and Soun Forge Audio Studio. Both the DAWs perform well in all the essential aspects including recording, audio editing, audio mastering, and processing audio.

When it comes to audio editing efficiency, Sound Forge can give a strong competition to FL Studio. Not to mention, it’s known for rapid audio processing without sacrificing quality. So, Just in case FL Studio seems to be stuttering while processing audio, you should give a try to this software. Another department where it has looked quite good to me is a vast library of professional effects which can go a long way in giving a pro touch to your music.

Pricing: The Soun Forge Audio Studio 14 is available for $59.99, while the Sound Forge Pro 13 comes for $399

Platform Availability: Windows and macOS