The Most Popular DAWs and Music Production User Trends: Our 2021 Survey
We have finished compiling the results of our latest DAW software and equipment survey. This article reports the 2021 results among our respondents; it is not a current global market-share ranking.
A total of 7,526 people participated, a substantial increase from last year’s 3,952. Thank you to everyone who took part!
Here, we present the DAW popularity ranking alongside trends among the survey participants.
How do the results compare with last year’s ranking ? Let’s take a look.
2021 DAW Popularity Ranking: Video
About the Respondents
Before looking at the rankings, let’s review the characteristics of those who took part.
Gender
Last year’s breakdown was 95.04% male and 4.96% female, so there was little change.
Age
Compared with last year, the share of teenagers fell from 22.8% to 19.7%, while the share in their twenties rose from 37.4% to 42.3%.
In this survey, respondents aged 30 or younger accounted for 62% of the total, according to the original report.
Professional and Amateur Musicians
We introduced this question for the first time this year.
The results indicate that about one in ten respondents earned income from music as a professional.
Music Production Setups
Next, let’s look at the computer setups that can also influence DAW choices.
Computers Used
Last year, the breakdown was 36.92% Mac, 57.54% Windows, and 5.54% using both.
The share using both increased by about five percentage points, and Mac usage also grew in this survey.
The release of M1 Macs may have been a factor.
DAW Use on iOS and Android
This was another question introduced for the first time in 2021.
It covers the use of DAW apps running on iOS or Android.
The overwhelming majority said they did not use them.
At the time of the survey, we felt that no single app had become a decisive draw, and that computer-based DAWs might still offer greater ease of use for these respondents.
GarageBand for iOS was the most commonly mentioned app among those using mobile DAWs.
Top 5 DAWs: Primary and Secondary Use Combined
Once again, we asked about both primary and secondary DAWs.
Last year, 55.60% used a secondary DAW; the proportion fell substantially in this survey.
This may reflect an increase in people satisfied with a single DAW or just starting music production.
Let’s look at the most popular DAWs in our 2021 survey.
As in previous years, these rankings combine primary and secondary use. Respondents may use more than one DAW, so the percentages are not mutually exclusive market shares.
1. Cubase: 2,807 Users / 37.3%
Primary DAW: 2,371 users, 1st / Secondary DAW: 436 users, 3rd
Cubase retained first place, following its 43.70% share last year.
Its customizability and balanced feature set make it popular with both amateurs and professionals.
Around the time of this article, we were preparing our Cubase 11 beginner series . The original article was updated to note that the series had begun on March 14, 2021.
2. Logic Pro: 2,069 Users / 27.49%
Primary DAW: 1,694 users, 2nd / Secondary DAW: 375 users, 4th
Logic Pro moved from third place last year, at 24.40%, to second.
The increase in Mac use may have contributed. We also felt that its major free update in the previous year may have improved user satisfaction further.
3. Studio One: 1,838 Users / 24.42%
Primary DAW: 1,346 users, 3rd / Secondary DAW: 492 users, 2nd
Studio One fell one place from second last year, when its share was 28.40%.
One of its strengths is the ability to handle mastering, including DDP file creation, within the same application, with the appropriate edition.
However, CD production was becoming less common. We wondered whether that might have contributed to its lower ranking.
4. Ableton Live: 773 Users / 10.27%
Primary DAW: 499 users, 4th / Secondary DAW: 274 users, 6th
Live rose from fifth place last year, when its share was 12.90%, to fourth.
FL Studio, which can be considered a competitor to Live, fell to sixth in this survey.
We felt that the cooling of the EDM boom might have been one factor.
At the time of writing, Live 11 was due for release, and we were interested to see how it might affect future rankings.
5. GarageBand: 714 Users / 9.49%
Primary DAW: 89 users, 9th / Secondary DAW: 625 users, 1st
GarageBand rose one place from sixth last year, when its share was 10%.
As with Logic Pro, the increase in Mac usage appears to have been a factor.
GarageBand’s free availability also offers a strong path from getting started in music production to moving on to Logic Pro.
6th–10th Place
- 6. FL Studio: 621 Users / 8.25%
Primary DAW: 434 users, 5th / Secondary DAW: 187 users, 7th / Last year: 4th, 17% - 7. Pro Tools: 615 Users / 8.17%
Primary DAW: 310 users, 6th / Secondary DAW: 305 users, 5th / Same position as last year, 9.6% - 8. Cakewalk by BandLab: 423 Users / 5.62%
Primary DAW: 240 users, 7th / Secondary DAW: 183 users, 8th / Same position as last year, 6.6% - 9. Maschine: 145 Users / 1.93%
Primary DAW: 39 users, 13th / Secondary DAW: 106 users, 9th / Same position as last year, 2.6% - 10. REAPER: 121 Users / 1.61%
Primary DAW: 60 users, 10th / Secondary DAW: 61 users, 13th / Same position as last year, 1.3%
FL Studio’s fall from fourth to sixth was a surprise, but the positions below it were unchanged.
FL Studio has many dedicated fans. Adding distinctive features and communicating the product’s strengths to users looked likely to remain important.
Top 5 DAWs: Primary and Secondary Rankings Separately
The charts below separate the primary and secondary DAW results summarized above.
The primary DAW results largely follow the overall ranking.
GarageBand, with its low barrier to entry, takes first place among secondary DAWs.
We suspect that many people use Studio One as a secondary DAW for mastering.
Next, the following chart ranks combinations of DAWs.
As last year, the combination of Cubase and Studio One stands out.
Logic Pro and GarageBand in third place is understandable given their project-transfer compatibility.
Top 5 DAWs Among Amateurs and Professionals: Primary and Secondary Use Combined
We also looked at whether DAW choices differed between amateurs and professionals.
- Amateurs
1. Cubase: 2,433 Users
2. Logic Pro: 1,739 Users
3. Studio One: 1,640 Users
4. Ableton Live: 681 Users
5. GarageBand: 658 Users
- Professionals
1. Cubase: 374 Users
2. Logic Pro: 330 Users
3. Pro Tools: 202 Users
4. Studio One: 198 Users
5. Ableton Live: 92 Users
GarageBand appears in the amateur top five.
Its free availability makes it a common choice for people who want to try music production.
Pro Tools, meanwhile, ranks third among professionals.
We suspect that some own or use it for compatibility with recording and mastering studios.
Age Groups for the Top 5 DAWs
The chart below shows age trends among users of the top five DAWs.
Music Genres
Next, let’s look at the genres respondents produce.
The top four categories are song-based styles, followed from fifth place by electronic music, including EDM.
The next chart groups those genres into three broad categories: song-based music, EDM/electronic, and instrumental music.
The results show the strong popularity of pop-oriented music among this Japanese survey audience.
Top 3 DAWs by Broad Genre: Primary and Secondary Use
Here are the three most-used DAWs in each of those broad genre groups.
- Song-Based Music
1. Cubase: 1,958 Users
2. Studio One: 1,270 Users
3. Logic Pro: 1,227 Users
- EDM/Electronic
1. Logic Pro: 452 Users
2. FL Studio: 428 Users
3. Cubase: 389 Users
- Instrumental Music
1. Cubase: 402 Users
2. Logic Pro: 293 Users
3. Studio One: 250 Users
Cubase, with its balanced feature set, leads in several areas, while Logic Pro takes first place for EDM/electronic music.
We were surprised that Ableton Live did not make the EDM top three. It was also interesting to see Logic Pro in first place after its major update the previous year added a session-style workflow, Live Loops, comparable in concept to Ableton Live’s Session View.
That concludes the survey results.
Thank you for the encouraging comments and valuable feedback you shared in the survey.
We will read all of it and work to provide even more useful information.
The next installment will present the drum-instrument rankings and explore the sounds and features of each product.
2021 Top 10 Most Popular DAWs: A Survey of 7,526 Music Production Users
We also cover genres and user trends, including professional/amateur and Mac/Windows breakdowns.
Where did your DAW rank?
Details: https://t.co/BRlVUmamBR #DTM #DAW #MusicProducers— SLEEP FREAKS (@SLEEPFREAKS_DTM) March 12, 2021
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