Comparison
TineEQ vs iZotope Nectar, Neutron and Ozone
Both use AI to help you mix and master in Logic Pro, but they solve different problems. iZotope gives you a smarter set of tools. TineEQ does the job and shows you what it did.
iZotope prices and features below were checked on izotope.com in November 2026. We couldn’t load Ozone’s own product page that month, so Ozone appears only as part of iZotope’s bundle.
The short version
- Choose iZotope if you want to learn mixing and mastering, and like having every setting in front of you. The assistants get you started; you finish.
- Choose TineEQ if you record vocals over beats, want the song finished, and would rather describe what you hear than set parameters.
What iZotope makes
- Nectar 4: a vocal channel strip with a pitch module for transparent or extreme correction and key detection. Elements US$55, Standard US$199, Advanced US$299.
- Neutron 5: a mixing plug-in. Its AI-powered Mix Assistant creates a custom signal chain for your audio, which you refine with instrument profiles, references and macro controls. Neutron 5 Elements is US$55 and the full Neutron 5 is US$299.
- Ozone 12: the mastering suite. Ozone 12 Advanced comes in the Mix & Master Bundle Advanced (US$599) with Neutron 5, Nectar 4 Advanced and Tonal Balance Control 3.
They run as Audio Units in Logic Pro on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. They are one-time purchases.
How the two approaches differ
| iZotope | TineEQ | |
|---|---|---|
| How you use it | Run an assistant on a track, then adjust modules and macros | Type what you want; it changes the tracks and tells you why |
| What it sees | The track it’s on (with Tonal Balance Control and references to compare) | The whole session: tempo, key, sections, which tracks are vocals |
| Mixing between tracks | Up to you | Levels, pan, space and moves over time across every track |
| Tuning | Nectar’s pitch module | Live tuning to the song’s key, natural or hard per section |
| Arranging | No | Places the hook and adlibs and lines up doubles (Logic Pro only) |
| Undo | Logic’s undo and each plug-in’s history | One step reverts the whole job |
| Control | Every parameter | Plain-words requests; Compare and Details show each change |
| Price (USD, Nov 2026) | From US$55 per plug-in; bundle US$599 | US$14.99 a month or US$149 a year |
Where iZotope is stronger
- Depth. Ozone and Neutron have far more modules and settings than TineEQ shows you. If you know what you want to do, you can do exactly that.
- Ownership. You buy a version once instead of subscribing.
- Maturity. iZotope’s tools have been around for many versions. TineEQ is new and has been tested on real songs, not yet on a wide range of recordings.
- Any genre, any tempo. TineEQ needs a song at one constant tempo.
Where TineEQ is stronger
- The whole song from one request. “Finish the song” tunes, mixes and masters every track. You don’t have to know which plug-in to open or what a setting means.
- Mixing between tracks. The hard part of a vocal-over-beat mix is how the vocal and the beat sit together. TineEQ hears where the beat covers the voice and makes room.
- Reasons for every move. Each change comes with a short reason, like “cut 300 Hz: mud under the beat”. Hold Compare to hear the song without the last change.
- Undo everything. One step puts every setting, track and fader back. Your original recordings are muted at most, never changed.
- Genres it knows. Rap, trap, drill, afrobeats, amapiano and more, with reference comparisons in hip-hop, afro house, amapiano and kuduro.
Privacy
TineEQ keeps your audio on your Mac. The AI only receives text: measurements like levels, tempo, key and section layout, plus what you type. It needs an internet connection for requests. iZotope’s plug-ins run in Logic on your Mac too; check their privacy policy for what else they send.
Using both
You can. Put TineEQ first on each track: TineEQ hears tracks through Logic’s export, which captures a track before any plug-in above TineEQ. For example, let TineEQ tune and mix the song, then master it by hand in Ozone.
Questions
- Is TineEQ a replacement for iZotope Ozone?
- For mastering a song for streaming, it can be: TineEQ’s Master mode masters to −14 LUFS with a −1 dBTP ceiling, or a loudness you name. Ozone gives a mastering engineer far more modules and control. If you want to master by hand, Ozone is the deeper tool.
- Does iZotope mix the whole song for me?
- No. Neutron’s Mix Assistant builds a custom chain for the audio on the track you put it on, and you refine it. Balancing the tracks against each other and deciding what the song needs stays with you.
- Which is cheaper, TineEQ or iZotope?
- It depends how long you use it. As of November 2026, iZotope’s Elements versions are US$55 each and the Mix & Master Bundle Advanced is US$599, as one-time purchases. TineEQ is a subscription at US$14.99 a month or US$149 a year. iZotope often runs sales.
- Can I use TineEQ and iZotope together?
- Yes, but keep TineEQ first in each channel strip. TineEQ hears each track through Logic’s export, which captures a track before any plug-in that sits above TineEQ, so a plug-in placed first changes what TineEQ hears.
- Which is better for tuning vocals?
- Nectar has a pitch module for transparent or extreme correction. TineEQ tunes live to the song’s key, leaves notes that are already in tune alone, and does natural or hard tuning per section on request. Neither replaces note-by-note editing in Melodyne or Logic’s Flex Pitch.