REAPER differentiates itself from most other DAWs on the philosophy behind its creation, and this shows in the development cycle, the installation process and how the licenses work. Because of how REAPER defines its usage and licenses, a common question inside the audio community, especially among new REAPER users, is if REAPER is free or paid? I have seen people ask this question over and over, so I thought I’d discuss the topic in this write up and explain how things work in this regard.
Is REAPER Free?
The short answer is no, depending on what license you get, it can either cost $60 or $225 USD. However, Cockos doesn’t place any restrictions or limitations on the usage of REAPER, so you can keep using it even after the 60 day trial ends.
This is confusing for a lot of people. If I can keep using the trial version and it doesn’t really have any limitations then it’s basically free, right? Well yes, you can think of it like that in a practical sense, but I want to remind you of the 5 second message that appears every time you open an unlicensed installation of REAPER
It’s not that simple. REAPER ships with a 60 day trial, after which you should technically buy a license. If you don’t get one, instead of crippling your experience, the developer only chooses to show you a 5 second message each time you open REAPER. I consider this a notable statement about the philosophy of the Cockos team, especially when you think of it in contrast with the rest of the audio products out there.
There are two types of personal licenses you can choose from on the REAPER page. The discounted license costs $60 USD and the commercial license costs $225 USD. These prices are before tax, that is calculated depending on where you live.
You may use a discounted license if you own a non-profit or educational organization,that is if you use REAPER only for your own productions, or you make less than $20,000 USD a year
If you make your living with REAPER, you should really buy a Commercial License. If you need a large volume of licenses for a business, feel free to contact the Cockos team and make a deal depending on your needs.
Free vs Paid Version of REAPER
So other than price, what is the difference between a discounted and a commercial license? Basically none, there is only one version of REAPER. The trial, the discounted or commercial license do not involve any limitations or any special hidden functionality.
The only difference between paying for REAPER is the little pop-up message on launch that counts how many days you’ve used REAPER and to consider buying a license before allowing you to close it.
Here’s a comparison table:
Feature | Evaluation | Discounted License | Commercial License |
|---|---|---|---|
Audio engine | 64 bit float | 64 bit float | 64 bit float |
Audio resolution | 192 kHz | 192 kHz | 192 kHz |
Maximum number of tracks(Audio, video or MIDI), track folders, sends and receives | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Maximum simultaneous recording inputs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multichannel support per track | Stereo – 64 channels | Stereo – 64 channels | Stereo – 64 channels |
Track grouping | 64 groups | 64 groups | 64 groups |
Item grouping | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Advanced automation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Project and Track templates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Project tabs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Use, create and edit JS plugins | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dynamic split | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Custom actions and ReaScript | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Third party plug-in support | VST, VST3, CLAP, LV2, Direct-X | VST, VST3, CLAP, LV2, Direct-X | VST, VST3, CLAP, LV2, Direct-X |
ARA 2 support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Community extensions and resources | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pop-up reminder to buy a REAPER license | Yes | No | No |
Your name on the title bar | No | Yes | Yes |
For most of us REAPER users, buying a license is a signal of love and respect to the Cockos team, the same love and respect they pour into this software and share with the whole world. I’ve found that the more you use the software, the more you fall in love with it. The number of features, the ability to adapt to your own workflow instead of forcing one into you, the stability, the constant updates, the customization, the community… are all enough for most of us to just want to repay them for creating such a marvelous piece of software!
Most people that start using REAPER choose to buy the license with the money they make out of their first few projects. Some fall in love within the first week and buy it outright, while others may have different priorities or adverse conditions and choose to wait. It has even become an inside joke between producers. Also, there’s the realization from Cockos and the community that there will always be some people that don’t understand it or don’t care at all so they just keep using REAPER as if it is free.
For me, what broke the camel’s back was that in the pandemic, Cockos gave a free worldwide license. Naturally, this eliminated the pop-up and the 5 second wait at launch, so when that went away it began to annoy the hell out of me, so I used some of the money from my first formal job in a studio to buy a license. Now I can breathe happy because I don’t have to see that message again!
How to Get a License for REAPER
So let’s say that you want to buy a license now and that you know which license is right for you depending on your circumstances.
First, go to the purchase REAPER page and scroll down to the darker area.
The easiest way of purchasing a license is to process everything online(on the left side). But you can always send a check to the physical address in Rosendale, NY (shown on the right side)
Click on the BUY NOW button that is directly above the name of the license you want to buy, Discounted or Commercial.
This will take you to a safe payment processor. Here you can specify the amount of licenses you need, although if you need a lot of them for a business you may want to contact the Cockos team. Then, fill in the Order details and select a payment method. In the next step, the page will automatically calculate the appropriate tax or VAT value for your locale.
Selecting ‘Credit card’ as a payment method will take you to a page where you can fill in your Credit Card Details. The second option will take you directly to the PayPal page so that you can complete your payment.
You will then receive an email from Cockos Incorporated with your license.
It contains your purchase reference, the REAPER versions for which this license is valid, the license itself between two — cut — lines, and a list of instructions to properly activate your REAPER installation. Here they are:
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Download and install REAPER, if you have not already, from https://www.reaper.fm/download.php
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Select the license key above, including both “— cut —” lines.
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Copy the text (using Ctrl+C on Windows, Cmd+C on macOS, or by choosing “Copy” from your mail program’s Edit menu).
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Run REAPER, or if REAPER is already running, open the Help menu and choose “About REAPER.”.
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If you successfully selected and copied the license text, REAPER will ask you if you wish to import the license.
- If REAPER does not prompt to import the license, check to make sure that the license text is in the clipboard. You can do this by running Notepad or TextEdit, and pasting the license key text into it. Once the text is in the clipboard, closing and re-opening REAPER’s about box will cause REAPER to look for the license key again.
If you have trouble activating your REAPER installation, reply to the license email and the Cockos support team will contact you for troubleshooting!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does REAPER cost?
Is the REAPER license for life?
Is it worth buying REAPER?
How long can I use REAPER for free?
Is REAPER a good DAW for beginners?
Can REAPER be activated on more than one device?
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