Comparison: What is the difference between Ableton Live 12 Lite, Intro, Standard, and Suite (in 2025)?

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This post was updated 13 August 2025. 

The previous update was 30 August 2024.

Live 12 comes in three editions: Intro, Standard and Suite. They share common features, but Standard and Suite have additional features, instruments, effects, and Packs.


Lite is the version that is often bundled when you buy a Launchpad or keyboard or MIDI controller. The others - Intro, Standard, and Suite, are bought stand alone.

Overview of Editions

Edition Lite Intro Standard Suite
Key Features Limited Limited Full Full
Software Instruments 5 8 13 20
Packs 2 4 16 33
Presets, Samples, Loops N/A 5+ GB 38+ GB 71+ GB
Audio Effects 16 27 42 58
MIDI Effects 10 12 13 14
MIDI Tools 0 1 (Expressive Chords) 1 (Expressive Chords) 14
Modulators 1 2 6 6
Bounce to New Track ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Auto Filter (New Types) ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Browser Quick Tags ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Max for Live (Full Access) ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅

Software Instruments

Lite and Intro have less Software Instruments. This is not a major problem because you can download free VST Instruments to get the instrument sound that you want.

"The 10 BEST free VST Instruments to Get in 2024" from LANDR


"45+ Of The Best FREE Vst Instruments for 2023 from 2022 (Pc & Mac) - Synths, Pianos, Strings, Keys"

But if you have the budget, it is very convenient to have all of Ableton's Software Instruments inside Live Suite. Click on the links to see Demos of these instruments that are only available in Live Suite or Live Standard.

Free Sample Packs

Lite and Intro have less free Packs, Presets, Samples, and Loops. This is not a major problem, because you can download free sample packs from Cymatics, MyLoops, and many other websites. But if you have the budget, it is very convenient to have lots of free samples already available in Live Suite.

Audio Effects  

Lite and Intro's have less Audio Effects.  This is more significant because Ableton Live Suite has some very interesting and powerful Audio Effects that are not easily found elsewhere in VST form. There are 30 (!!!) Audio Effects that are not available in Lite and Intro. Click on the links to see demos: 

  1. Align Delay
  2. Drum Buss
  3. Dynamic Tube
  4. EQ Eight
  5. Filter Delay
  6. Glue Compressor
  7. Multi-band Dynamics
  8. Overdrive
  9. Resonators
  10. Shifter
  11. Spectrum
  12. Vinyl Distortion
  13. Vocoder
  14. Corpus 
  15. Amp
  16. Cabinet
  17. Color Limiter
  18. Convolution Reverb
  19. Echo
  20. Gated Delay
  21. Hybrid Reverb
  22. Pedal
  23. Pitch Hack
  24. PitchLoop89
  25. Re-Enveloper
  26. Spectral Blur
  27. Spectral Resonator
  28. Spectral Time
  29. Surround Panner
  30. Roar 

MIDI Tools

Lite and Intro's have none of the advanced MIDI Tools (except for Expressive Chords which is available in all editions). This is very significant, because these are the unique tools found in Suite that help you generate rhythms, melodies, even chords. 

MIDI Tools Not Available in Live Intro

MIDI Tool Description
Arpeggiate Turns notes into rhythmic patterns with pitch order, rate, and length settings.
Span Elaborates phrasing and articulation (e.g., legato, length offset).
Connect Links successive notes or chords for smoother transitions.
Ornament Adds flams, grace notes, and other embellishments.
Recombine Reorders MIDI note parameters like pitch, duration, and velocity.
Strum Simulates strummed chord behavior.
Stacks Generates a series of chord voicings and progressions.
Rhythm Generates rhythmic patterns.
Seed Generates notes with randomized pitch, time, duration, and velocity.
Shape Generates melodic lines based on drawn shapes and density.

Note: Only the Quantize MIDI Tool is available in Live Intro.

This video shows what the MIDI Tools can do


Here's another video showing what the MIDI Tools can do


Number of Tracks and Inputs

Feature Lite Intro Standard Suite
Audio & MIDI Tracks 8 16 Unlimited Unlimited
Scenes 16 16 Unlimited Unlimited
Send & Return Tracks 2 2 12 12
Audio Inputs (Mono Channels) 8 16 256 256
Audio Outputs (Mono Channels) 8 16 256 256
Audio Slicing ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅
Audio to MIDI ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅
Max for Live ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅

Audio to MIDI converts audio clips—such as drum loops, melodies, or harmonies—into MIDI notes. Ableton analyzes the pitch, rhythm, and timing, then generates a MIDI track that mimics the original audio’s musical content. Conversion types:

  • Drums to MIDI – Extracts rhythmic hits
  • Harmony to MIDI – Captures chords and polyphonic textures
  • Melody to MIDI – Translates single-note lines
This video shows how it works:

Max for Live is a powerful platform inside Ableton Live Suite that lets you:

  • Extend Live’s functionality with EVEN MORE MIDI TOOLS and AUDIO TOOLS and even VIDEO TOOLS, some of which are free, some of which are paid, and TENS OF THOUSANDS of which are community-made tools (free and paid) from https://maxforlive.com/
  • Build your own instruments, audio effects, and MIDI tools
  • Customize existing devices
  • Use interactive visuals, modulators, and generative systems

This is just one example

This is another example

Updated August 2025 — Ableton Live 12.2 is here, and it brings powerful new features to all editions: Intro, Standard, and Suite. If you're wondering which version is right for you, here's a breakdown of what each edition offers and what's new in 12.2.

🆕 What’s New in Live 12.2?

  • Bounce to New Track – Instantly render clips or time selections (with effects) to a new audio track. Great for transitions and micro-edits. Available in Intro, Standard, and Suite.
  • Auto Filter Overhaul – New filter types (Resampling, Comb, Vowel, DJ), real-time visualization, and modulation controls. Available across all editions.
  • Expressive Chords – A Max for Live device that lets you play rich harmonies from single MIDI notes. Now included in Intro and Standard via Packs.
  • Roar Enhancements – New Delay routing, Dispersion filter, MIDI sidechain, and envelope follower. Suite only.
  • Meld Synth Updates – Chord oscillator, Scrambler LFO, and scale-aware modulation. Suite only.
  • Spectral Resonator Quantize – Adds harmonic quantization and scale awareness. Suite only.
  • Browser Redesign – Quick Tags panel, metadata columns, custom icons, and simplified Filter View. Available in Intro, Standard, and Suite.

Feature Comparison Table (Live 12.2)

Feature Lite Intro Standard Suite
Bounce to New Track ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Expressive Chords (Max for Live) ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Auto Filter (New Types) ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Scrambler LFO (Meld) ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Spectral Resonator Quantize ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Browser Quick Tags ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅

Which Edition Should You Choose?

  • Lite – Great for beginners or those using bundled hardware. Limited features but solid for basic production.
  • Intro – Now includes Expressive Chords and other features, more than enough power to create good music.
  • Standard – Not recommended because it costs twice of Intro but lacks the best features of Suite.
  • Suite – The complete package. If you want Roar, Meld, Spectral tools, and full Max for Live access, this is the one.

Ben's personal view, in summary

  • Buy Live Suite if you can afford it, because it has a whole lot of powerful features /  instruments / sounds / effects AND access to the Max for Live platform which has even more powerful features / instruments / effects
  • Buy Live Intro if you are on a tight budget, then spend your time finding and downloading free instruments / sounds / effects 
  • Consider buying an instrument (keyboard controller? Launchpad?) which has Live Lite bundled if you just want to play your instrument, and don't mind the limit of 8 tracks
  • Don't buy Live Standard because it lacks the most powerful features of Suite but is twice the price of Intro.

Additional note: Whatever version you buy at EDU discount (for students), the discount applies to your first purchase, not to subsequent upgrades


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