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FL Studio by Imagine Line is one of the most popular DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for music producers and beat makers. Unlike other DAWs, like Ableton Live or Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio comes with free lifetime updates included in the purchase price. But the software is not cheap to buy in the first place, whether you buy it as FL Studio 21 download or FL Studio box.
That's why we researched the cheapest ways to buy FL Studio, formerly known as Fruity Loops. So if you don't want to download an illegal crack and decide to buy, this guide can help you get the FL Studio for the best deal.
The best free sample packs for FL Studio - tested and reviewed
We researched all options we could find, and listed them in order. To help guide you to the best option for Fruity Loops, just follow the decision tree
Unbelievably, you can use FL Studio (Fruity Loops) for free forever*.
The catch? You can save any files but you cannot open your songs unless you purchase FL Studio. You can, however, export your creations as WAV or MP3 before saving them.
Check out our guide how to download the FL Studio trial version, and what are the FL Studio trial limitations.
FREE Auto-Tune: Our Ultimate Guide to 8 Free Auto-Tune Plugins to use in FL Studio
Are you a student or teacher?
Then use the educational offer to buy FL Studio Signature Edition for only $188, to save up to 38% off the full FL Studio price.
When is the next FL Studio sale? Where can I find a FL Studio coupon code?
We predict the FL Studio sale will be Black Friday 2024 offering 25% off. Based on our research of prior sales, we think Image Line will start from 4 November 2024, and continue until 6 January 2025.
Are you OK to do some research on the cheapest reseller?
We have done some work for you already to help you find the best FL Studio Mac price or FL Studio Windows price. Our research showed you can save up to 20%, compared to the Image Line FL Studio Shop, when you buy from the cheapest authorised FL Studio retailer.
Don't want to or can't do any of the above?
Then I recommend you buy a cheaper edition first, and then you can upgrade later in a sale for a big discount.
Do you want to find the cheapest ways to buy Ableton Live 11 with up to 56% off? Then check our 6-step guide to find the best Ableton Live for you.
Before any potential purchase of expensive software, such as FL Studio, we recommend you try first. But not every manufacturer offers this (such as Native Instruments), or functionality can be severely limited through intermittent white noise or the inability to save anything.
FL Studio however offers a generous free, time unlimited trial*. You can even save your projects, and export projects to WAV or MP3, but you cannot open any projects.
The trial version is equivalent to the Producer Edition, and comes with all FL Studio plugins. The trial is available for Windows and macOS, so just head to the download page* and install it.
The top of the range FL Studio Signature Bundle* is available as a special Academic Bundle, matching all its features. You can only buy the Academic Bundle from third party sellers*, not directly from Image Line. Effectively, this provides a 33% FL Studio coupon for students and teachers.
FL Studio prices seem to vary by country, with the best discounts offered in the US:
(Prices last updated: 11 January 2024)
The cheapest FL Studio Student Version for the Signature Bundle we found is from Thomann*. This offers 38% off, compared to the full price charged when you buy from the manufacturer directly*.
This German music retailer, which sells internationally, not only offers the lowest FL Studio price for students. We also crowned them the best place anyone can buy FL Studio. Why? Our research showed Thomann* consistently offers the lowest FL Studio price, and they are therefore our best FL Studio Buy.
You can also buy FL Studio Academic Version (same functionality as Signature Version) for $199 (33% off $299) from:
Musicmatters is an official reseller of the FL Studio Academic Bundle in the UK. They sell FL Studio for £162.50 to students, 39% off the £255 full FL Studio price (Signature Bundle)*. Musicmatters sell the boxed version of FL Studio, but standard shipping is free.
You can also buy the FL Studio Signature edition as a student from Thomann* for £175.
We found three retailers who provide the FL Studio Academic/Signature Bundle to buyers from European countries. The lowest price was offered by FLStudioShop.de which sells at the low price of €189 (37% off FL Studio Signature full price of €299).
The other two retailers in Europe selling the FL Studio Education license were:
Both students and teachers qualify for the FL Studio Academic Bundle.
Follow the steps outlined by each retailer to buy the FL Studio Academic Bundle. Typically, you will need to provide:
Take a look at the FL Studio Q&A on student discounts for further information.
Our Ultimate Guide to Student Discounts lists top brands offering up to 66% discounts, including AVID Protools, Ableton Live, Native Instruments Reaktor, Output, Antares Auto-Tune and many more
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We predict the FL Studio sale will be Black Friday 2024 offering 25% off. Based on our research of prior sales, we think Image Line will start from 4 November 2024, and continue until 6 January 2025. Prior FL Studio Sale periods offered the following:
The 25% off Black Friday deal went live from 3 November 2023, and continued as Year-End sale until 8 January 2024.
Image Line offered FL Studio at up to 25% discount:
Existing owners could upgrade to a more fully featured FL Studio version for up to 50% less:
You could also save $30 (or 37%) on the new FL Cloud annual subscription
Don't want to miss the latest FL Studio deals? Sign up to the musicmanta newsletter, and we will keep you up-to-date. Plus, you will receive a free 130 MB sample pack, exclusive competitions, the latest news and reviews, and much more.
Some retailers choose to sell FL Studio at a lower price than the FabFilter shop and other retailers. This may take a bit of time to research, but the savings are worth it - and we did some research for you. No need
At the time of writing, we found Thomann* to be the cheapest official FL Studio reseller. The most popular version, FL Studio Producer Edition, was sold at up to 20% discount when you buy in US Dollars and are based in the United States, for example. Discounts vary in other countries.
(Prices last checked 11 January 2024)
Here are the best selling FL Studio and Image Line plugins, with live prices from Thomann*. If this doesn't show your local currency, you can change this on the website.
Do you want to find the cheapest ways to buy FabFilter plugins with up to 60% off? Then check out one of musicmanta's most popular articles.
FL Studio offers a range of editions*, priced from $99 up to $499. We recommend you compare the features carefully, and first buy the cheapest edition right for your needs, and then upgrade later in a sale for a big discount.
Check out the full comparison of features for each FL Studio edition and their prices* on the FL Studio website.
During Black Friday 2023, upgrade prices for exiting FL Studio owners were reduced by up to 50%
Do you fancy owning high class Output plugins for up to 69% off? How about trying Output Arcade for free for 100 days? Then read our brand new guide on cheapest ways to buy Output.
Image Line offered FL Studio at up to 25% discount from 3 November 2023 to 8 January 2024. We expect a similar offer to be provided in 2024, from early November 2024. We think it will include the same versions:
If you don't want to miss the next FL Studio sale, sign up to the musicmanta newsletter.
Students can save up to 38%, and everybody can save up to 17% by buying at the cheapest FL Studio retailer. Just follow the musicmanta step by step guide to find the cheapest price for you.
Yes, you can get up to 38% discount off the full FL Studio price as a student or teacher. You can only buy the FL Studio Academic Bundle through a reseller, or buy an educational version of FL Studio from a retailer. The Student ID will be verified as part of the purchase process. The documents required vary by reseller. Normally this includes: a valid student or faculty ID card, or an employment contract with a school.
No. Image Line prohibits the license transfer of FL Studio in their End User License Agreement.
No, not the fully functional version of Fruity Loops (FL Studio). You can download and try FL Studio for free*, but there is a serious limitation. You cannot open any saved projects again.
You can however render any projects as MP3 or WAV files. So if you want to produce a quick beat in one session and render it, you can. You can save it, but not re-open it again until you buy the full license.
We recommend you try for yourself with a free trial. If you like it, use the musicmanta guide to find the cheapest way to buy. We also recommend you try all other DAWs you can, such as Ableton Live. In the end, you have to decide for yourself.
A few factors that speak for FL Studio:
It depends on your needs. We recommend you try the full edition with all plugins first, but work out carefully which features you actually need and use most. Most people start with the Producer edition, as the Fruity edition is limited, with no audio editor or clips supported.
Here are all editions available:
Check out the full comparison of features for each FL Studio edition* on the FL Studio website.
Yes, it is. Buying FL Studio* includes a lifetime update promise from Image Line. This means all future versions will be provided at no cost. This means the recent major update to FL Studio 21 (from FL Studio 20) was free to all existing owners.
