I use them both. Ableton has the core I need, and Bitwig has the glitter I want.

Why I keep using Ableton:

1. Ableton’s PUSH is just so good for my workflow. I wish they made a 16 pad version.
2. The Groove Pool! It take a while for people understand how this hybrid quantization and groove extraction tool can become a growing asset over time. Maybe another article or video about that.
3. They care about the little things, like intelligent clip recording: automatically clipping my loop to the nearest bar….because sometimes we need to hold a chord or play to the very end and can’t stop the clip perfectly.  Also, many times I don’t know how long I’m going to make a loop.  I’m a real musician …I like to flow with my fingers.  So I may start with a 4 bar loop in mind, but end up recording 32 bars.  When I stop at 32 1/2, Abelton ‘knows’ I just want 32 bars.  This simple detail adds up to a lot of saved time by reducing mouse clicks and distractions from the creative flow.
4. THE METRONONE.  This is petty, but having the ability to have the MPC-style click sound is so satisfying.  Who wants to hear beep or wood? Not me!
5. Owners of the Suite bundle get a very generous collection of sounds, fx, presets, and instruments.  You probably won’t need to buy a plugin for a while because truly exploring the included packs will be rewarding, regardless of your genre.

What annoys me about Ableton

1. Limited/opinionated options about core configuration and shortcuts. I perform a lot of repetitive tasks, like cropping clips and extracting grooves. I can’t assign a shortcut.
2. Setting up complex modulations require to many max devices. In Bitwig, modulation is already built into each device and cross modulation between devies requires no extra devices.

Why I keep my Bitwig subscription

1. A great selection of built-in synths and fx.  With Bitwig’s stock devices, you can achieve “VST quality” sound.  Most DAWs lacked good sounding synths and effects, which increased demand for VSTs. The amount of wave-shaping, distortion, and sound coloring built into the latest release is unmatched. Bitwig’s spectral devices features the ability to add fx to specific frequency bands. Your CPU is the limit.
2. Bouncing midi to audio while keeping midi active?  Yes please!  Why is no one else doing this?  Maybe because it requires a total rewrite of the source code.  Bitwig also allows you to bounce the group track audio…on the group track.  Just wow.
3. Automation is very well integrated into just about everything.  I noticed that other software developers started following the trend that Bitwig made popular.
4. XY effects.  Imagine an XY grid where each corner is a separate VST effect.  You can blend them in real-time and record automation from a gamepad, tablet, smart phone, or other midi-capable device. Native Instruments uses this technique with their Mysyteria and Thrill libraries. Now we can do it with any fx in our toolkit.
5. The Grid: Bitwig’s modular canvas which allows you to built instruments and fx processors from a large set of tools.  I have spent some time building synths and found it easy to learn if you understand basic audio signal flow. As a hardcore nerd, I like seeing what Polarity Music does with Bitwig.
6. Loading Ableton Sessions.  Maybe not exciting to everyone, but it has added a flare to my workflow for certain tasks that Bitwig does better…such as stemming.

What annoys my abount Bitwig

There are a few subtle things about Bitwig that hinder full adoption:

1. It currently lacks the intelligent clip recording mentioned earlier about Ableton. So, a lot of clicking is needed to build your ideas and this can be distracting.
2. No straight forward note repeat like that of Ableton’s PUSH. There are work arounds, but they were complex to get tight performance and key-switching of time divisions. Logic Pro has something relatively simple that allows a customizable range of keys for note repeat. Even Ableton lacks this, and without PUSH hardware, you’ll have to be clever with arpeggiators and other devices just like Bitwig users.

Summary

Are you mainly focused on sampling and making beats?  Ableton would likely be a better workflow in combination with the Push hardware, especially coming from standalone hardware like MPC.   Are you into sound design, heavy/complex automation, or frequently committing midi to audio?  Bitwig will do these better than any other DAW available right now.