REAPER is Cockos's complete digital audio workstation, and it remains the clearest value proposition in pro audio software. One version does everything: multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, mixing, mastering, video, and deep routing. There are no artificial track limits, no "unlock the good mixer in the expensive tier," and no subscription. You evaluate the full app for 60 days, then pay $60 for a discounted license or $225 for commercial use if your revenue qualifies.
It excels at flexibility and efficiency. Projects load fast, the audio engine is stable, and the routing model (including FX containers and parallel chains in version 7) can model almost any studio topology. Track lanes and swipe comping modernize take management. Support for VST/VST3/AU/CLAP/LV2 plus ReaScript and the SWS/ReaPack ecosystem means the DAW can grow into a custom instrument. A new major-version license includes free updates through the next major cycle (v7 licenses cover through 8.99), so you are not nickel-and-dimed for point releases.
The trade-offs are polish and hand-holding. The default look is functional rather than glamorous. Stock instruments and factory loops do not compete with Ableton Suite or Logic's libraries. Power comes from configuration — themes, key maps, scripts — which rewards tinkerers and intimidates absolute beginners who want a guided "make a beat" path.
Against its alternatives, Ableton Live wins for clip performance and electronic flow. Cubase and Logic win for composition/scoring comfort and factory content. FL Studio wins for pattern-first beatmaking. Studio One is a polished all-rounder. Choose REAPER when you want the whole DAW for the price of a single mid-range plugin, and you are happy to shape the tool instead of accepting a fixed corporate workflow.