LANDR vs eMastered: Which Is Better? [Pricing, Features, Reviews]

A few questions may pop into your mind when deciding between online mastering services LANDR or eMastered.

First, which service does a better job mastering a song, and how much will it cost you for a single master or subscription?

Is LANDR better than eMastered, or is it the other way around?

Luckily, we’ve done plenty of experimenting with our own songs between the two mastering websites and have a final verdict for you.

Keep reading: we’re here to make this decision easier!

What Is LANDR And eMastered? How Do They Work?

Photo by Anna Pou on Pexels.com

LANDR and eMastered are popular online music mastering websites where you can upload a song and have it mastered for streaming and radio.

Generally, you need to have a pre-mixed song needing that final touch to use these services correctly, but many people have great success with lightly mixed tracks as well.

LANDR is also a music distributor, boasting millions of artists yearly, and has garnered quite a reputation for high-quality (and affordable) results.

Conversely, eMastered is a self-proclaimed “best mastering service” one can use for their upcoming release, boasting Grammy-winning technology.

LANDR has many more offerings between the two, but that’s not to say they’re the best at this time: trust us, we’ll dive deeply into both below.

Online mastering services work the same, taking your unmastered MP3 or WAV file and adding levels, depth, and improving clarity in vocals and instruments depending on the genre.

This would be considered artificial intelligence as the system analyzes your song and recommends adjustments based on its programming.

It’s very sci-fi in theory: but to many, it’s how they get their tunes ready for release and large-scale distribution.

Regardless of your choice, it’s crucial to understand what your track should look/sound like before submitting it to the AI music machine.

With all that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of these competing services. Yay! <3

LANDR vs eMastered: Which Is Better For Musicians?

Between LANDR and eMastered, the overall quality of our music was easier to improve using LANDR’s online mastering portal.

On LANDR, there are more choices for revisions and tweaking based on your track’s genre and current balance: which we love.

**Therefore, LANDR did a better overall job at mastering and balancing a song than eMastered.**

eMastered also offers revisions and even a “Reference” upload option, where someone can add a song they want theirs to sound like when the AI mastering finishes. LANDR does this too, so they’re similar in that regard.

The one thing we immediately notice between LANDR and eMastered is that eMastered needs to be more transparent with its price plan and aggressively nudges people into a subscription.

Because we’ve used both and subscribed to both services, LANDR was much more pleasant in attracting subscribers and users.

That, from a customer standpoint, felt a little better.

LANDR & eMastered’s Pricing + Features

Photo by Manuel Filipe on Pexels.com

Moreover, LANDR offers better pricing for more features if you sign up for a ‘Studio’ plan, a fan favorite (and what we use).

According to their website, here are your mastering options on LANDR:

Single master: $9.99
Studio: $11.99 per month / $143.88 upfront
Studio Pro: $15.99 per month / $191.88 upfront

We use the Studio plan because it gives you unlimited MP3 masters and up to 36 WAV masters each year, which is a STEAL. If you were to pay an audio engineer per song, per master, you’d be looking at $200+ PER song.

LANDR gives you a year’s worth of music mastering for under $200, which is unheard of in the industry. Although we love audio engineers, this can be a lifesaver for a musician on a tighter budget.

We have a $50 discount to share with you!

Moving to eMastered, they have a somewhat unique mastering price table, with these being your options:

Yearly (Billed Monthly): $19 per month for 12 months
Yearly: $13 per month / $156 upfront
Monthly: $39 per month (no-commitment)

These plans are awkward at first glance, confusing many frustrated customers locked in a 12-month commitment without reading the fine print. (The TrustPilot and Reddit reviews aren’t great).

Considering that the no-commitment monthly plan is $40 versus LANDR’s single $9.99 option, this feels aggressive on eMastered’s part.

Quality-wise, LANDR made our song sound clearer and even tweaked with vocal levels and crackling/popping: something eMastered wasn’t as equipped to handle.

The LANDR website also feels more upscale and music-oriented, offering additional services to those mastering. They have audio engineers on call to mix your music and even master it via LANDR, which is cool.

eMastered feels more DIY and doesn’t have those bells and whistles we wish it did. For the monthly price: it didn’t hit the mark.

Again, that’s not to say eMastered sucks, but it does need to introduce a cheaper tier of mastering options and be clearer in its advertising.

We got into a subscription and had to fight tooth and nail to get out of it: not fun and not what any musician needs to be dealing with.

Can You Try LANDR For Free?

Yes, there is an option to master a track for free on LANDR in the form of a “Preview.” When you log into LANDR or even head to their mastering portal, you can upload a song (for free) and get working.

However, you must sign up for a subscription OR pay $9.99 for a single WAV/MP3 download.

Again, this isn’t too much cash to throw down in the beginning stages, especially if you’re torn between eMastered and LANDR.

The best idea is to try a free master from LANDR and listen to it in the car, on speakers, and in headphones to see if it’s well-balanced and radio/streaming friendly.

One of the fatal flaws musicians make is not mastering their songs (or doing it wrong) and having the final product sound muffled.

Luckily, with LANDR, this shouldn’t continue to be an issue.

A free master is a nice trial for you before a $100+ subscription, so we highly recommend this before making any decisions.

LANDR is very easy to navigate and offers an extensive catalog of artist-help articles and videos: all of which we’ve watched. They’re helpful!

Here’s where you can go to create a free master.

Can You Try eMastered For Free?

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Yes, you can also create a free master on eMastered before you sign up for a monthly or annual subscription.

Luckily, this is one of the nicer parts of the eMastered platform, as they let you hear your entire song (minus a weird watermark periodically sounding).

We did this before signing up because it was a great, bass-heavy sample for mixing and repeat mastering, so eMastered has a nice option here.

However, eMastered doesn’t allow users to purchase a single master but rather sign up for a month-by-month plan for just under $40.

LANDR has the under $10 single master, which we prefer between the two services. Again, not everyone is ready to pay $40 for a service they don’t know they 100% love.

Regardless, eMastered having the free sample choice for artists is a plus, and we liked how you could use a few presets and mess around with the MP3 file before signing up for any expensive plan.

See, we’re not total eMastered denialists.

Which Is Cheaper: LANDR Or eMastered?

Between eMastered and LANDR, you’ll spend more per month at eMastered. LANDR has cheaper monthly rates and offers a single master purchase for $9.99, which eMastered does NOT.

Of course, LANDR has more expensive annual plans, but after using them: we can confidently say they’re worth the money.

Remember, most audio engineers charge $200 or more per master, so you paying one time for a year’s worth of online music mastering services is a no-brainer.

Plus, we have a $50 discount for LANDR ‘Studio,’ which brings that yearly price tag down to $93.88 for an entire year.

THAT IS WILD, PEOPLE!!

Again, we won’t shove LANDR down your throat because of a discount code; they’re the superior software.

AI mastering isn’t anything new to the music industry. Still, with more accessible options, this gives more of us a chance at high-quality production before sending our music to streaming.

Subscription services are often predatory, with eMastered feeling like a true example of that statement. They offer a 14-day money-back guarantee, although many past customers claim it’s nearly impossible to cancel and contact someone.

LANDR, on the other hand, has always been very easy to pause, cancel, or contact, which makes a difference when someone is spending their hard-earned money.

We’re giving these evaluations as users of both services: so there is no deception from us. That’s not how we roll at Inside The Industry.

Is LANDR The Best Online Mastering Service?

Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA production on Pexels.com

Yes, LANDR is the best online mastering service for musicians versus eMastered. Because of its easy-to-follow format and affordable pricing, LANDR is the better choice for you.

They are also a distribution network, posting help articles, inspiring artists, and sharing features with those who purchase subscriptions.

The value with LANDR feels greater than with eMastered and is one of the reasons we recommend them to you.

After all, people want bang for their buck.

With LANDR: you get just that.

On top of that, LANDR has better add-ons and included services with the Studio-tier plans, which eMastered and other services only sometimes offer.

Is LANDR perfect? No. But are they a great alternative to traditional expensive audio engineers? Yes.

Compared to eMastered, LANDR feels more artist-directed and helpful, which we value in their product.

You don’t want the production process to feel cold or distant, and with eMastered, we felt that way. It’s very ‘good luck; you’re on your own’ vibes over there: which is fine for some but not for most.

Artistry comes in all shapes, sizes, and budgets, so why go with a service that feels any different? Although eMastered and LANDR are both great options for musicians, we’d have to give this one to LANDR.

Sorry, not sorry. 🙂