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Cota vs Cota Lite
Cota comes in two editions built from a single engine — there are no forks and no crippled measurement path. The most important thing to know first:
Metering is never gated
Cota Lite is free and includes the identical ITU-R BS.1770 metering engine as paid Cota. The Gauge — integrated, short-term and momentary LUFS, loudness range and true peak — measures exactly the same in both. You never pay for accuracy.
What the paid edition adds is everything around the meter: the Dashboard, the 3D Spatial view, the spectral analyser, the remote view, and report export. Those are the tools for surround/Atmos work and for signing off deliveries — but the loudness numbers themselves are free for everyone.
Cota Lite (free)
Cota Lite gives you Gauge metering with the full BS.1770 engine. If all you need is a reliable, accurate loudness and true-peak readout, Lite is a complete tool on its own — and it costs nothing.
Lite omits:
- the Dashboard (history, spectrogram, goniometer, per-channel true peak),
- the Spatial view,
- the spectral RTA (the four-style spectral terrain),
- the remote view,
- export and reports (PDF / CSV), and
- audio passthrough.
Cota (paid)
Cota is the full edition — everything: the Gauge, the Dashboard, the Spatial view up to 9.1.6, the spectral terrain, the remote view, and report export, plus audio passthrough. It's the edition for professionals delivering to spec in stereo or Dolby Atmos.
Comparison
| Feature | Cota Lite | Cota |
|---|---|---|
| BS.1770 metering engine | Yes | Yes |
| Gauge (LUFS, LRA, true peak) | Yes | Yes |
| Spectral terrain (RTA) | — | Yes |
| Spatial (up to 9.1.6) | — | Yes |
| Dashboard | — | Yes |
| Remote view | — | Yes |
| Report export (PDF + CSV) | — | Yes |
| Audio passthrough | — | Yes |
Pricing
- Cota Lite — free.
- Cota — £149 launch price (was £199).
Early Access pricing
Cota is in beta and pricing is provisional. The £149 launch price reflects Early Access; it may change at full release. Beta testing is open — you can apply on the Cota site. A one-week closed beta round was run earlier, and testers who completed it receive an early-access discount.
Where next
- Features — a full walkthrough of everything in the paid edition.
- Requirements & Formats — platforms, plugin formats and accuracy.
- FAQ — beta status and common questions.