You're staring at your Mac, trying to decide: GarageBand or Logic Pro?
Both are Apple DAWs. Both can turn your musical ideas into actual songs. But they're built for different people at different stages. If you've been going back and forth on whether to stick with GarageBand or take the plunge into Logic Pro, you're in good company. This is one of the most common questions in music production circles.
Let's cut through the noise and figure out which one makes sense for you.
Here's the short version:
GarageBand is probably the first DAW most people ever open. It's free, already on your Mac or iPad, and you can be making actual music within five minutes of opening it.
That simplicity isn't a limitation, though. GarageBband packs in a surprising amount: virtual instruments, a massive loop library, solid editing tools. You can record vocals, stack guitar tracks, program beats—all without getting lost in menus or reading a manual.
Picture this: you're in your bedroom at 2am with a melody stuck in your head. Or you're on a train with your iPad and a sudden burst of inspiration. GarageBand lets you capture those moments fast, without making you think about signal flow or bus routing.
Genre check: Hip-hop producers love it for beat-making. Singer-songwriters use it for demos. Podcasters rely on it for simple editing. Bedroom pop? Absolutely. It punches well above its weight for a free app.
Best for: Anyone just getting into production, hobbyists who want to make music without overthinking it, or creators who need something quick and capable on the go.
Think of Logic Pro as GarageBand after years of gym training and a degree in audio engineering. It's £199.99 upfront (no subscription nonsense), and it's the same software you'll find in professional studios worldwide. First-time Mac users even get a 90-day trial, so you can test-drive before committing.
This is where things open up. Advanced MIDI editing. Proper mixing and mastering tools. Surround sound. An absolutely huge library of instruments and effects. You can automate nearly everything, edit audio with surgical precision, and work on projects that would make GarageBand buckle.
Imagine a 40-track monster: layered vocals, synth stacks, live drum recordings, orchestral strings. Logic doesn't just handle that. It thrives on it.
Genre check: Film composers live in Logic. Electronic producers building intricate, layered tracks need it. Anyone mixing for Dolby Atmos or spatial audio formats needs it. If you're trying to make something genuinely release-ready, this is the tool.
Best for: Producers who've outgrown the basics and want full creative control. Anyone who needs their music to sound properly polished and professional.
Yeah, they both look like Apple products. Clean, minimal, not too scary. But what you can actually do in each one? That's where things split.
Price: Free
Track count: Up to 255
Flex Time & Flex Pitch: Nope
Dolby Atmos mixing: Nope
Step Sequencer: Nope
Live Loops: Yes (iOS & Mac)
Score Editor: Basic notation only
Third-party plugins: Some AU plugins
Learning curve: Easy
Free trial: It's already free
Price: £199.99 (one-time)
Track count: Unlimited
Flex Time & Flex Pitch: Yes
Dolby Atmos mixing: Yes
Step Sequencer: Yes
Live Loops: Yes (way more powerful)
Score Editor: Full notation editing
Third-party plugins: Everything
Learning curve: Steeper, but manageable
Free trial: 90 days
GarageBand costs nothing. Logic Pro is £199.99, which sounds like a lot until you realize most pro DAWs either cost more upfront or bleed you dry with subscriptions.
GarageBand doesn't waste your time. Everything's where you'd expect it to be. Logic Pro has more depth, which means more menus, more options, more "wait, where's that setting again?" moments. But compared to something like Pro Tools, it's still pretty friendly.
GarageBand doesn't have these. Logic does. What are they? Tools that let you fix timing issues and pitch problems without re-recording. Huge time-saver when you've nailed a take except for one wonky note.
Logic only. If you're making music for modern streaming platforms and want that immersive, 3D sound thing, you need this.
Logic has both, and they're brilliant for building rhythms and jamming out ideas. GarageBand has Live Loops too (on Mac and iOS), but Logic's version is beefier than Garageband’s streamlined version. More flexibility, , more third-party controller integrations, better for live performance situations.
Logic has a full score editor. You can write sheet music for orchestras, string quartets, whatever. GarageBand has basic notation view, but it's more "here's what you played" than "let me arrange this for a chamber ensemble."
GarageBand lets you use some Audio Unit plugins, but it's limited. Logic? Go wild. Buy whatever weird vintage compressor emulation or experimental synth you want. No restrictions.
Here's the clever bit: you can start a project in GarageBand (maybe on your iPad while traveling) and open it later in Logic Pro on your Mac. Apple built them to play nice together. Your work doesn't get trapped.
If you're new to production, GarageBand's the obvious starting point. It's forgiving, it won't cost you anything, and you'll learn the fundamentals without drowning in options. When you start feeling cramped (hitting track limits, wishing you could tweak something GarageBand won't let you touch), that's when Logic makes sense.
If you already know your way around a DAW and you're serious about this, just get Logic. The extra tools aren't decorative. They'll let you work faster and push your sound further.
And honestly? You don't have to choose forever. Plenty of people use both. GarageBand for sketches and mobile ideas, Logic for the serious work.
Can you make professional music in GarageBand?
Yeah, people do it. Some legitimately successful tracks were made entirely in GarageBand. The tools are solid enough. But you'll hit walls eventually. Workflow gets clunky, you'll want features that aren't there. Think of it as professional-sounding, not professional-grade.
What happens to my GarageBand projects if I upgrade?
Nothing bad. Logic opens GarageBand files directly. Tracks, instruments, effects: it all carries over. You might need to reconnect a few loops, but there's no scary conversion process.
How long before GarageBand feels limiting?
Depends entirely on what you're making and how deep you go. Some people move to Logic in a few months. Others happily use GarageBand for years. You'll know when you know. You'll keep bumping into things GarageBand can't do.
Do I need a beast of a Mac for Logic?
Not really. It runs on any recent Mac. Bigger projects benefit from more RAM and processing power, sure, but you don't need a maxed-out Mac Studio to get started.
Here's the thing nobody tells beginners: the software doesn't make you good.
You can have Logic Pro X with every plugin imaginable, but if your timing's off or your fingers don't know where they're going, your tracks will sound like it. That's where Melodics comes in.
Melodics is built to help you actually play better: keys, drums, pads, whatever. It's interactive, it gives you real-time feedback, and it actually feels like playing rather than practicing.
Melodics builds the timing and muscle memory that separates "yeah, that's okay" music from "wait, who made this?" music. Your DAW gives you the tools. Melodics makes sure you know how to use them.
GarageBand vs Logic Pro isn't really a fight. They're different stages of the same journey. GarageBand gets you started without friction. Logic takes you as far as you want to go.
Pick whichever one matches where you are right now. And if you want to actually sound good using either of them? That's where Melodics helps.
Ready to figure out which one fits your workflow and start building the skills to back it up?
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