Auphonic vs REAPER Comparison 2026
Auphonic runs one automated pass on a file that is already recorded: loudness normalisation, noise reduction and an optional transcript, billed by the hour processed, free for two hours a month with a jingle, then from $11 for nine hours. REAPER is a full digital audio workstation you record, edit and mix in yourself, a one-time $60 for individuals or businesses under $20,000 a year, $225 above that, with no further payments ever. These are not really rivals: Auphonic's own job description is finishing a recording that is already done, and REAPER is where that recording and editing would happen.
Automatic levelling and noise removal, by the hour
A full audio workstation for sixty dollars
At a glance
- Auphonic starts cheaper, at $11.
- Only Auphonic has a free tier.
Side by side
Auphonic | REAPER | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $11 | From $60 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | One-time purchase |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing (they differ) | Monthly or annual | One-time purchase |
| Free trial (they differ) | None | 60 days |
Auphonic
Automatic levelling and noise removal, by the hour
Auphonic does one job on a finished file: loudness normalisation to a broadcast target, noise and reverb reduction, and a transcript if you want one. It is the step between a recording that is done and a file that sounds like somebody mastered it. Billing counts processed audio hours rather than seats, which suits a show that publishes irregularly. Two hours a month are free, and free productions carry a jingle.
Only on this side
- Covers transcription & show notes
REAPER
A full audio workstation for sixty dollars
REAPER is a professional digital audio workstation that costs less than two months of most subscriptions and never expires. It records, edits and mixes as many tracks as the machine can hold, runs the plugin formats everybody else runs, and the whole install is small enough to keep on a memory stick. The interface is famously plain and famously configurable, which means a first session is harder and the tenth is faster. The licence is priced by how you use it rather than by what you get.
Why people weigh these two
- REAPER instead of Auphonic
- REAPER is a full audio workstation for a one-off $60, for anybody who would rather do the levelling by hand than buy it by the hour.
- Auphonic instead of REAPER
- Auphonic levels and cleans audio automatically and bills by the hour processed, skipping the manual mixing REAPER expects a person to do by hand.
Which one should you pick
Pick Auphonic if you already record and edit somewhere else and want the final loudness, noise and reverb pass done automatically. Two hours a month are free with a jingle attached, and paid tiers start at $11 a month for nine hours, scaling to $245 for 250, so the cost tracks how much audio is actually finished rather than what software is owned.
Pick REAPER if you want to own the whole workstation and never pay again. Sixty dollars covers individuals and businesses under $20,000 a year in revenue, $225 above that line, and the licence includes free upgrades through version 8.99 with no subscription at all. It records, edits and mixes unlimited tracks, and the two are easier to pair than to pick between: record and mix in REAPER, then run the finished file through Auphonic for the automated normalisation pass.
Common questions
- Is Auphonic cheaper than REAPER?
- They charge on different bases, so there is no single answer. REAPER is a one-time $60 for individuals, or $225 for larger businesses, and then costs nothing more. Auphonic is free for two hours a month, then a recurring $11 to $245 depending on how many hours are processed, so it can end up costing more or less than REAPER over time.
- Do Auphonic and REAPER do the same job?
- No. REAPER is a full workstation for recording, editing and mixing. Auphonic does one automated pass on a file that is already finished: loudness normalisation, noise and reverb reduction, and an optional transcript. One produces the recording, the other finishes it.
- Does REAPER's licence ever expire?
- No. The $60 discounted licence or $225 commercial licence is a one-time purchase that includes free upgrades through version 8.99, with nothing recurring. Auphonic works the opposite way: two free hours a month, then a subscription or pay-per-hour credits for anything beyond that.
- What does REAPER's $225 licence add over the $60 one?
- Nothing feature-wise. The $60 discounted licence covers individuals and businesses under $20,000 a year in revenue; the $225 commercial licence is the same program for businesses above that line. Auphonic's tiers instead scale by processed hours, from $11 a month for nine hours up to $245 for 250.
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