Serato Studio vs Soundtrap
Serato Studio
serato.com
Soundtrap
soundtrap.comSide by side
| Figure | Serato Studio | Soundtrap |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 6 |
| Spec score · Audio Editing Software | 8.5 (#20) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Founded | 1999 | 2013 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | The full-functionality trial lasts 14 days, starts when activated in the application, and does not require a credit card. | Soundtrap offers a free trial for premium personal plans and requires payment details to activate it; the opened page does not state the trial duration. |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Integrations | Studio integrates with Serato DJ crates and FX plugins and supports MIDI hardware mapping; the downloads page also lists native control for AlphaTheta SLAB. | Soundtrap supports MIDI export to Flat.io and Noteflight; education integrations include tools such as Canvas, Schoology, Clever, ClassLink, and Skolon, depending on plan. |
| Support | Serato lists 24/7 support with the subscription plan, and its Studio support section offers help requests and product guides. | The Education School plan includes chat and email support with a dedicated support team. |
Plans
Serato Studio
- FreeFree
- Buy$149 a month
- Subscribe$9.99 a month
- Buy$149, paid once
Soundtrap
- Soundtrap BasicFree
- Music ProductionPrice not published
- Production & VocalsPrice not published
- Sound StarterPrice not published
- Soundtrap for EducationPrice not published
- Vocals & SongwritingPrice not published
In their own words
Serato Studio
Serato Studio is beat-making software for creating beats and custom DJ edits, with a workflow aimed at producers and DJ users. Its Sample Deck can sync samples to project BPM and key, chop them, separate stems, and apply time stretching, key shifting, reverse and effects. Real-time stem separation can split tracks into acapella, melody, bassline and drum parts. Studio includes a step sequencer and more than 190 instruments, including bass, keys, synths, pads, percussion, guitars and orchestral sounds. It supports VST3 and Audio Unit plugins, MIDI hardware mapping, Serato DJ crates and FX plugins. Users can export tracks, mixes, loops or individual drum pads as separate audio files. Studio runs on macOS and Windows and requires a Serato.com account. Free mode is limited to one audio track, four decks and four scenes, with automation disabled. The Subscribe plan costs $9.99/mo; the separate Buy plan is listed at $149 a month.
Soundtrap
Soundtrap is a cloud-based digital audio workstation for creating music and podcasts, available in a browser and on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. The studio includes vocal and mixing tools, virtual instruments, a MIDI editor, and royalty-free loops and samples. Users can edit multitrack projects, sequence MIDI and use noise reduction. Collaboration includes real-time video and chat, comments on shared projects and autosave. Soundtrap says its library has up to 24,000+ loops and hundreds of presets, with new sound packs added every two weeks. A free account allows users to create and save projects and use selected free loops, instruments, drum kits and studio tools; some sounds and features require a paid plan. Soundtrap for Education is designed for students and teachers, and integrates with services including Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Canvas and Schoology. Educators can try it free for 30 days without providing payment details upfront. Browser support includes current Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, though some audio features may not work fully in every browser and operating system, and recording may have higher latency. Mobile apps do not include automation or MIDI input.