GarageBand vs REAPER
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which daw to buy.
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, REAPER comes out ahead (9.0). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Specs compared
| GarageBand | REAPER | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $60 / $225 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.1 | 9.0 |
| Formats | standalone, macOS, iOS | VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, standalone, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Product type | daw from Apple | — |
| Developer | Apple | — |
| Typical price | Free | — |
| Formats | standalone, macOS, iOS | — |
| Primary job | focused daw work in modern sessions | — |
| Catalog status | Current as of 2026 | — |
| Type | — | Full multitrack DAW (audio, MIDI, video) |
| Current version | — | 7.x (e.g. 7.77 as of July 2026) |
| License | — | $60 discounted / $225 commercial; DRM-free |
| Evaluation | — | 60-day full-featured evaluation |
| Updates | — | New v7 license includes free updates through 8.99 |
| Plugin formats | — | VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX, JS |
| Platforms | — | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Notable v7 features | — | Track lanes, swipe comping, FX containers, up to 128 track channels |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.