- Apple’s
Logic Pro X and Avid’sPro Tools are two titans of pro audio software/ - Both have similar features but differ in some crucial areas.
- Learn which DAW is the best for your needs!
DAWs (or ‘Digital Audio Workstations’) are a tricky subject. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. One producer will find their workflow is suited to one DAW while the next producer will feel the complete opposite.
With many options to choose from it can be difficult to determine which DAW is for you, never mind which is superior. One thing that is certain, however, is that
While they are both similar in a lot of ways, there are also big differences depending on your workflow that can either make or break your opinion of each.
So whether you’re deciding to invest in either or maybe you just want to witness a ‘DAW war’, pull up a seat as we dive into Pro Tools.
Also, consider checking out our massive guide on Ableton vs Logic vs Fl Studio vs Pro Tools.
Logic Pro vs. Pro Tools Comparison Table
Category | Logic | Pro Tools |
Best for | All skill levels | Depending on tier anyone from hobbyists to professionals |
Pricing | Flat rate | Tiered pricing subscription |
Compatibility | Mac only | Windows and Mac |
Industry standard | Yes, but most popular with musicians | Considered the best |
Learning curve | Low-medium | High |
Navigation | Easier than |
Difficult until you really learn the program |
Dolby Atmos compatible | Yes | Not at every tier |
Audio track count | 255 and 64 buses/auxiliary | 8-2,048 based on price tier |
Instrument track count | 1,000 | 8-512 |
MIDI track count | 1,000 | 8-1,024 |
3rd party plugin support | AU | AAX, RTAS (v 10 and earlier) |
Pro Tools (The Differences)
Primary differences between
- Logic Pro is only available on Mac.
- Logic Pro is a flat fee.
- Logic Pro is popular among modern musicians.
CPU and RAM
Both pieces of software are particularly intensive on computer usage with Logic requiring 8GB of RAM to run and a minimum of 6GB disk space for minimum installation.
For Apple users, this can quickly equate to an extra few hundred dollars to upgrade from the ‘bare minimum’ tech specs of a new MacBook.
If money is no object, then neither are the specs, but for those sticking to a budget,
Winner: Logic Pro X
Sophisticated creative tools for professional songwriting, beat making, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that’s designed to get results quickly. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments, effects, loops and samples.
- Versatile
- Great stock plugins
Cost
If you’ve got the funds to set up a top-spec recording studio then you probably have the funds for both Logic and Pro Tools (even if you don’t use them both!). If you’re stuck choosing between them then cost is going to play a big part.
Logic itself doesn’t offer a free version as such, although there is a demo version available. These days, Apple has evolved Garageband to be something close to a free version of Logic. However in terms of taking the hit financially then
The bonus with Apple is they offer education bundles if you’re a student, so while you won’t necessarily get a discount on
Avid also offers education bundles to help students purchase or subscribe to

Although these options can be a little confusing when you are trying to figure out where to start with
Winner: Pro Tools
Pro Tools provides everything you need to compose, record, edit, and mix music and audio. Create without bounds and work at the speed of your creativity, so you can take on the most demanding sessions and deliver the best sounding mixes possible.
Learning the Ropes
If you’re familiar with working in a DAW (and who isn’t these days?) you already have a head start. But Logic and
But it’s pretty much consensus that Logic’s GUI is easier to navigate – especially for beginner and intermediate users.
Winner: Logic Pro X
User-Friendliness
Forget sound, forget recording, we need to think about the user-friendliness of the different DAWs. In this case, we’re referring to things like setting up your preferences, saving sessions, remembering audio interfaces, and the general ease of navigating the software.
We’ve all sat there in our mixing or post-production session wondering why there is a blinking light, or a tick, or a missing option!
We’ve also all opened a session to find our tracks have just…gone. It’s a nightmare, so it’s important that we find a DAW that makes file management clear and easy. Auto-recovery is another life-saving feature that you can’t thank enough when it works!
In
Setting up or changing your audio interface is easily done and can be completed without needing to restart
Pro Tools, on the other hand, can be a bit more temperamental. The menus are more difficult to navigate and can seem unintuitive for newbies. Changing interface requires a restart of the software, again eating into valuable mixing time.
If you don’t save your session or import your stems properly, you can open up a session and find your music is gone (that’s not to say that won’t happen in Logic but its a bit less fiddly).
Winner: Logic Pro X
Sophisticated creative tools for professional songwriting, beat making, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that’s designed to get results quickly. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments, effects, loops and samples.
- Versatile
- Great stock plugins
Interface
By interface, we’re talking about the screen, tracks, routing, aux’s, metering, etc. The thing you spend your time looking at when recording!
Both have a similar layout (which is pretty standard between most audio and recording software anyway), with shortcuts to switch between your mix and edit windows. So if we’re debating
Both give you the option to organize your tracks by color, and both have similar recording options allowing you to punch in or record passages in your own preferred way.
In this case, we would argue that Apple’s software is still more user friendly and easier to pick up for beginners. It feels like the layout is more intuitive for someone who may be new to music production, making it easier for them to progress quicker.
Pro Tools again feels a little like you need to already have a certain level of knowledge to be able to pick up on the nuances of the software.
Yes, ultimately you will be mixing the same recording and the same audio but if Pro Tools is a little more tricky to pick up on then you’re probably going to have an easier time in Logic.

There is one thing that, depending on your style, might seal the deal for you in this argument. Logic’s signal routing is designed to be as easy as possible. As an example, if you want to send your guitar tracks, or any of your music, to an auxiliary or buss track then simply selecting an output to that track will automatically create the aux and route the signal there.
On the other hand, Pro Tools will not send a signal anywhere unless it is specifically told to. Create a send for one of your tracks and, well, nothing will happen until you have created that track yourself and routed the signal to it.
However, in music production, it’s important to not cut corners. Don’t run before you can walk, as they say. So as a newbie, there are benefits to approach that
It would seem like Logic scores the points again BUT there are instances where Logic’s intuitiveness can be a little annoying. For example, if you load up a software synth it’s not uncommon for it to create its own bus tracks, usually a reverb attached to the synth patch.
What if you then decide you don’t want to use that software synth? Well, you need to go back and delete the bus track manually.
So there are pros and cons to each, however, we still think
Winner: Logic Pro X
Sophisticated creative tools for professional songwriting, beat making, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that’s designed to get results quickly. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments, effects, loops and samples.
- Versatile
- Great stock plugins
Recording
One of the most important aspects of any DAW is how it performs in a recording situation. Again, both have similarities but in this case, we feel that there is a reason why
Both offer a selection of tools, allowing you to cut, copy, and fade but there is something that feels a lot more intuitive in
Depending on your style you might want to get several takes, and you might want to keep going until you nail that perfect take that hits the mark. You might even end up in the unfortunate situation of needing to record a section in small pieces and patch it together.
The multi-tool in
It also means you can trim your regions and add your fades super quick, saving you a whole bunch of time later on in the mixing process.
(Want to mix like a pro? Check out out these essential tips from mixing engineers.)
Logic, on the other hand, does offer a similar tool, but you’ll need to go into your preferences menu to set it up. Of course, that isn’t the end of the world but
For editing on the fly and tidying up your sessions in prep for mixing,
Winner: Pro Tools
Pro Tools provides everything you need to compose, record, edit, and mix music and audio. Create without bounds and work at the speed of your creativity, so you can take on the most demanding sessions and deliver the best sounding mixes possible.
MIDI Integration
For those producing electronic music, or anyone wanting to use a MIDI controller to add synth, strings, and pads, MIDI functionality is just as important as recording functionality.
Logic is great for MIDI, it’s as easy as plugging in your midi controller and then you’re ready to start recording.
It’s the same for automation as well, both offer the same functions you’d expect from a DAW (read, touch, write, latch) but again Logic makes this a lot easier. Just hit ‘A’ and your automation is quickly displayed, allowing you to choose your parameter from a simple drop-down menu.
With

With both DAWS it is very straightforward to assign parameters to your MIDI controller, so if you want to adjust your sounds in real-time then this is easily done with Pro Tool and Logic.
The piano roll in both is very similar, allowing you to adjust velocity and duration for each note, but there is just something a lot more intuitive about Logic’s ability to create a MIDI track, followed by a MIDI region (meaning you can begin editing in seconds).
Winner: Logic Pro X
Sophisticated creative tools for professional songwriting, beat making, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that’s designed to get results quickly. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments, effects, loops and samples.
- Versatile
- Great stock plugins
Mixing & Plugins
Both of these DAWs rely on their own plugin format standard – AU (audio units) for
Both DAWs also come with a big selection of standard plugins.
Now, these are great, and it’s brilliant to be able to open the software and experiment with such a variety of plugins to get the sound you are after.
Pro Tools however doesn’t support VST plugins. You have to use what’s called a “plugin wrapper” to integrate them into your system. This is an application that essentially “tricks”
But keep in mind this can lead to technical and compatibility issues, so proceed with caution.
Logic, on the other hand, comes with a similar array of standard plugins which are all exclusive to Logic users (ie they are only usable within the Logic DAW). While you won’t get the same variation as you would get with
The other huge bonus of mixing within Logic is the large number of soft synths and the free-to-use Apple loop library.
You’ll be able to add extra dimensions to your sound with strings, brass, drum loops and more. Granted they aren’t the BEST on the market but when it comes to music-making and mixing, it’s great to be able to have a quick scan of the loop library and find a sample to jam with.
Winner: Logic Pro X
Sophisticated creative tools for professional songwriting, beat making, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that’s designed to get results quickly. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments, effects, loops and samples.
- Versatile
- Great stock plugins
Compatibility
An obvious disadvantage to
So in case you were wondering, there is no PC version available for
(There is also no PC version of Garageband, though there are some great free DAW alternatives for Windows users).

However, one cool feature of Logic is the ability to import Garageband sessions into the DAW, which means if you’re recording or making music on your iPad, you can simply load up the session within
Obviously there are some notable differences between Logic and Garageband, but it’s a great feature to make use of if you want to demo your music on the go and load into Logic later. An obvious downside, however, is cost – you still need to buy an Apple product!
So in this round, we’re going to assume you have neither a PC or a Mac. If we look at it that way then
Winner: Pro Tools
Pro Tools provides everything you need to compose, record, edit, and mix music and audio. Create without bounds and work at the speed of your creativity, so you can take on the most demanding sessions and deliver the best sounding mixes possible.
Logic vs Pro Tools : Which Is Better?
It depends.
A copout answer, but ultimately, your individual needs are going to determine which one is best for you.
As for me personally, Logic Pro comes out on top.
For me, Logic has become my go-to DAW for the fact that it makes life simpler and easier when it comes to mixing and creating music. It feels more intuitive, and the standard plugins are great for creating a pro-sounding mix.
Whilst there are certainly advantages to using
But that’s not to say that
What’s your preferred DAW? Tell us in the comments!
FAQ
Is Logic better than Pro Tools ?
They both accomplish the same thing and will get you professional results. They work differently, so you have to find the one that works best for you.
Do professionals use Logic?
Logic is absolutely considered a professional-level DAW. The biggest downside is that it’s only for Mac systems, but a lot of people prefer that.
Do professionals use Pro Tools ?
Pro Tools has long been considered the industry standard digital audio workstation. It’s used in recording and broadcast studios, film and TV production, and radio stations all over the world.
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