I'd go with the MBP. With the MBA you have a limit on how much storage you can add, with the MBP, you can add up to 500gb-1TB compared to the MBA only adding up to 128gb. The MBP has better battery life, and an optical drive, so it would be easier to use DVDs when you have to install certain apps that aren't available via download. It also has a faster processor. But that's just my opinion. Remember you get what you pay for