I found this comparison:
 
https://www.slant.co/versus/6425/6433/~cubase_vs_studio-one
 

There's been lots of discussion on the relative merits of both of these products. My take on the concensus is that neither is a true replacement for Sonar but that either will be a good place to start your journey assuming you are prepared to make some changes.

If you look at the comments you will see that what one person calls feature rich is another's bloat. That is to say it all depends.

I chose based on a few things that mattered to me. Only time I will tell if I made the right choice. However things turn out I'm not expecting either to suddenly become more like Sonar to keep me happy. I am becoming an Ex Sonar user.

For context I had planned to continue with Sonar but changed my mind based on the cross grade offers. Unfortunately Sonar is no longer a competitor so while I am sure that the others will continue to try and win over Sonar users in the months ahead I'm not expecting the commercial offers to be as attractive.

My decision to change was a financial one the product choice was based on the features and functions that matter to me.

anydmusic
My decision to change was a financial one the product choice was based on the features and functions that matter to me.

Which did you choose and what where the key factors in your decision ?

CedricM
I found this comparison:
 
https://www.slant.co/versus/6425/6433/~cubase_vs_studio-one
 

"The Studio One DAW doesn't expect users to deal with a lot of windows, answer questions, or use the mouse excessively. This DAW is known for lettings users be creative without getting in the way."

This kind of comment sums it up. Easy to use can mean limited control...

CedricM

anydmusic
My decision to change was a financial one the product choice was based on the features and functions that matter to me.

Which did you choose and what where the key factors in your decision ?

MIDI
External MIDI Devices
Integration with MIDI Quest
Work flow

I still start with MIDI and add Audio.

Secondary for me were:

Bundled VSTs
Features not in Sonar that complement my work flow

I chose Cubase

Of course if ARA support or a dislike of dongles mattered to me I would have chosen Studio One.

In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with either one. My preference is Studio One. It's workflow (IMO) is second to none. However, I just picked up my second copy of Cubase (strictly for convenience, as I don't want to have to move the dongle from one workstation to the next).
 
Cubase is a very mature DAW. It's what I learned on. Still, I find it's approach to most things to be convoluted compared to Studio One. However, Cubase has closed the gap a bit with version 9.5, enough so that I plan on using it to create music for TV . I believe the new sampler track alone will be worth it.
 
For songwriting/arranging/recording, Studio One has no competition. Just my opinion.

I chose Cubase because it has the features I need, but having downloaded the demo and discovered that the GUI is very laggy on my system for some reason, I'm back to square one again now. Unless I can find a fix for that I might have to plump for Studio One. I have looked high and low, but I can tell you all with complete certainty that there simply is no replacement for Sonar. It was unique and Gibson are idiots. I'm actually starting to think of going hybrid and using Mixbus which I got last summer + a midi scoring tool like Overture. In the meantime, I shall plod on with Sonar. There no panic.

35mm
I chose Cubase because it has the features I need, but having downloaded the demo and discovered that the GUI is very laggy on my system for some reason, I'm back to square one again now. Unless I can find a fix for that I might have to plump for Studio One. I have looked high and low, but I can tell you all with complete certainty that there simply is no replacement for Sonar. It was unique and Gibson are idiots. I'm actually starting to think of going hybrid and using Mixbus which I got last summer + a midi scoring tool like Overture. In the meantime, I shall plod on with Sonar. There no panic.

Hey 35mm,
When I switched from Cubase to Sonar years ago, I felt the same way. Everything was completely foreign to me. Sonar also lacked some very fundamental features at that time (compared to Cubase). As I stumbled my way through though, things became much easier. It's mostly a matter of adjusting to a new way of doing the same things..
 
As far as the problems you are experiencing with the GUI, I haven't a clue. Cubase is very efficient on my machine thus far.

DarinBad
 
Hey 35mm,
When I switched from Cubase to Sonar years ago, I felt the same way. Everything was completely foreign to me. Sonar also lacked some very fundamental features at that time (compared to Cubase). As I stumbled my way through though, things became much easier. It's mostly a matter of adjusting to a new way of doing the same things..
 
As far as the problems you are experiencing with the GUI, I haven't a clue. Cubase is very efficient on my machine thus far.

To be honest I have never had much luck with Cubase. I first used it in the late 80's on an Atari ST but had problems with it so I changed to C-lab Notator and was happy with that for many years. Then later I got Cubase again in the early 2000's, but again I was having problems with it then - it was buggy and unstable. So then I gave Cakewalk a try and have been here ever since. Each time I have chosen Cubase based on some great features it has, but am always let down by some other issue. I think it's just not meant to happen.

35mm

DarinBad
 
Hey 35mm,
When I switched from Cubase to Sonar years ago, I felt the same way. Everything was completely foreign to me. Sonar also lacked some very fundamental features at that time (compared to Cubase). As I stumbled my way through though, things became much easier. It's mostly a matter of adjusting to a new way of doing the same things..
 
As far as the problems you are experiencing with the GUI, I haven't a clue. Cubase is very efficient on my machine thus far.

To be honest I have never had much luck with Cubase. I first used it in the late 80's on an Atari ST but had problems with it so I changed to C-lab Notator and was happy with that for many years. Then later I got Cubase again in the early 2000's, but again I was having problems with it then - it was buggy and unstable. So then I gave Cakewalk a try and have been here ever since. Each time I have chosen Cubase based on some great features it has, but am always let down by some other issue. I think it's just not meant to happen.

Hmmm. My experience was pretty much the opposite. I was still doing 8-track tape in the 80's, with my buddy using something on a Mac. Don't recall what it was.
 
Cubase was always stable for me though, when I eventually got into the whole 'computer recording' thing in the late 90's. When I switched to Sonar, well... Man, I don't want to ruffle a bunch of feathers here, but Sonar was the most buggy DAW I had ever used. After X1, I jumped ship (ironically, back to Cubase). IMO, X1 killed Cakewalk. It was a step in the right direction, but a step taken way before it was ready for prime time. I don't think Sonar ever really recovered from that.