Focusrite, Universal Audio, RME and Arturia are the interface brands most home and project studios choose between. At Thomann each of them wins a different chart, and the split follows price and connection type almost exactly.
The four brands in numbers
| Focusrite | Universal Audio | RME | Arturia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listings | 27 | 35 | 20 | 12 |
| Models | 25 | 18 | 13 | 7 |
| Median price | $346 | $993 | $1,512 | $281 |
| Top-10 spots | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| #1 spots | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Arturia has the fewest models and the lowest prices; RME the highest. SSL, Audient and MOTU, which also sell interfaces at Thomann, have no top-10 spot.
Arturia: the top three USB interfaces
Arturia's MiniFuse range holds the first three places among USB interfaces: the MiniFuse 2 at #1, the MiniFuse 1 at #2 and the MiniFuse 4 at #3. Its AudioFuse 16Rig is #5.
Arturia MiniFuse 2, $180
Two inputs, USB-C and a price that fell since August. #1 of 205 USB audio interfaces.
Universal Audio: Thunderbolt
UA has 6 of the top 10 Thunderbolt interfaces, led by the Apollo Twin X Duo Gen 2 and the Quad Gen 2, and the #1 DSP accelerator, the UAD-2 Satellite.
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X Duo Gen 2, $1,112
A desktop Thunderbolt interface with built-in DSP for UAD plug-ins. #1 of 17 thunderbolt audio interfaces.
RME: PCIe cards and the big USB box
RME holds 6 of the top 10 PCIe cards, with the HDSPe AES at #1, and its Fireface UFX III is the #6 USB interface at $2,606, the most expensive in that top 10.
Focusrite: networked audio, and the Scarlett at #13
Focusrite's #1 is in Ethernet interfaces, with the RedNet X2P for Dante networks; the Red 8 Line is #2. In USB, the Scarlett 18i20 is #7 and the Clarett+ 8Pre #9. The Scarlett 2i2 is #13, though it has more units for sale on Reverb than any other USB interface we track. What holds it back is price: at Thomann it went from €172 in August to €189, while the MiniFuse got cheaper.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen, $210
The best-known two-channel interface, now #13 in our index. #12 of 205 USB audio interfaces.
Questions
Which audio interface should a beginner buy?
A two-input USB interface. The MiniFuse 2 is our #1 at $162; the Scarlett 2i2 costs $212 and is the most traded. Both record a vocal and a guitar at once. More in what audio interface you need.
What does the extra money for UA or RME buy?
With UA, built-in DSP that runs UAD plug-ins while you record. With RME, drivers and connections for larger studios, such as MADI and AES cards.
How we measured. All audio interfaces Thomann listed as in stock on October 23, 2026: 307 listings in 6 categories. Variants of the same model are grouped. A "top-10 spot" is a place in the top 10 of one of our 5 interface rankings by the AudioFu Index, which weighs demand on Reverb, the lineup, price movement since August, specs and the maker. Prices are in euros, converted at the European Central Bank rate.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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