Table of Contents
Last Updated on January 4, 2024 by IDS Team
Yes, you read that right- 400 VST plugin tools completely free of charge (Audiounit versions for Mac OS are also available).
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our list for best FREE VSTs is continually updated, so make sure you bookmark this page for future reference and share it with your friends.
We’ve spent countless days digging through the web to find the very best free plugins – both VST and AU/Audio Unit. We found more than 400 free VSTs of all types, including one VST whose sole purpose is to crash your DAW.
We did our best to group these plugins by category, but some VSTs were simply impossible to classify. This list includes effects too, but if you’re looking for a list of the best vst SYNTHS, you can find it here.
But enough talk, without further ado, here is our list:
Best Free Amp Simulator VST
Traditionally used to emulate that vintage guitar sound that is unique to some old school amps, amp simulators can also be used with other instruments to achieve a unique sound.
Interested in more AMP SIMULATION? Then check out our list of BEST AMP SIMULATORS ON THE MARKET.
Below are our favorite free amp sim vsts. Blue Cat’s and Voxengo’s free amp simulators are some of the highlights.
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Black Rooster Cypress TT-15 | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Blue Cat’s Free Amp | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| LePou Amp Suite | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Nick Crow 8505 | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Boogex | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Plugin Alliance bx_rockrack V3 Player | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Shattered Glass Audio Ace Amp | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Ignite Amps Emissary | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| U-he Protoverb | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Boogex | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Tube Amp | Amp Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| ADHD Audio Tools Levelling Tool | Level Amp | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Autopanner VST
Manually changing the pan knobs is so last year. These plugins are free and will add some cool effects to your mix effortlessly.
Also you should check our list of BEST Rent-to-own VST plugins here in case you want to get a lot of VSTs but are strapped for cash.
Our favorite?
Well, PanCake is pretty cool.
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Cable Guys Pancake 2 | Autopanner | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MAutopan | Autopanner | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Bass Instrument VST
Bass VSTs nowadays can be anything from 808s to Upright Jazz.
Below, in no particular order, you’ll find a huge variety of bass sounds. Some come with interfaces, others don’t.
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Ample Bass P Lite | Bass Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Ample Sound Ample Bass P LITE II | Bass Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Steinberg Model E | Bass Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Twin Bass | Bass Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Bitcrusher VST
Bitcrushers are all the trend right now. And to be honest, they’re not that hard to program.
If you want to dive straight into world class VST SYNTHS (not free), here is our own list of BEST SYNTH PLUGINS right here.
Also, our list of BEST FM SYNTH Plugins is handy.
The plugins outlined below will give you some really good glitchy lo-fi sounds- for free, of course.
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Xfer DeltaModulator | Bitcrusher | DOWNLOAD |
| Tritik Krush | Bitcrusher | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Bitcrusher | Bitcrusher | DOWNLOAD |
| MDA Degrade | Bitcrusher | DOWNLOAD |
| Bittest | Bitcrusher | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free VST Bundle
This section contains no one type of VST. Instead it aggregates all bundles.
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Blue Cat Audio | Bundle | DOWNLOAD |
| MFreeFXBundle | Bundle | DOWNLOAD |
| Blue Cat’s Freeware Plug-ins Pack II | Bundle | DOWNLOAD |
| Native Instruments Komplete Start | Bundle | DOWNLOAD |
| Snap Heap | Bundle | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Chorus VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Acon Digital Multiply | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
| Blue Cat’s Chorus | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
| Mercuriall Chorus WS-1 | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
| Multiply | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Chorus-LX | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
| Xfer Dimension Expander | Chorus | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Compressor VST
A compressor is a must have plugin for any producer or engineer.
Fortunately, some of the free plugins we’ve listed below are pretty much at the same level of the state of the art paid plugins made by waves and others.
Our favorites are the Density mkIII and the Klanghelm MJUC Jr.
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Acustica Tan | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Audio Damage Rough Rider 2 | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| FXPansion DCAM FREECOMP | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Beatskillz MAX1 | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| DC1A | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Density mkIII | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Eareckon FR-COMP 87 | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Feedback Compressor II | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Klanghelm MJUC Jr. | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MCompressor | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| ReaXcomp | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Stereo Bus Compressor | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| ThrillseekerLA | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| UltraComp | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Vladg Molot Compressor | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
| Xfer OTT | Compressor | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Delay and Echo VST
Another essential plugin to have in your library.
Once again, the free options are almost as good as the paid ones. Voxengo Tempo Delay 2.0. is the pick of the litter for us.
| Voxengo Tempo Delay 2.0. |
|---|
|
Maker: Voxengo Features: Filter section, Tremolo section, Delay signal panning, Stereo processing, 64-bit floating point processing, Preset manager, Undo/redo history, A/B comparisons, Contextual hint messages, All sample rates support, Zero processing latency, Our Rating: 4.6/5
DOWNLOAD
|
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Delay Studio KVR12 | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| E-phonic Tape Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Delay Studio | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Latency Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Musical Entropy Spaceship Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Delay Studio | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| PPD Echobox | Echo | DOWNLOAD |
| Puremagnetik Driftmaker | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-DUB-III | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Tempo Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Valhalla Freq Echo | Echo | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Latency Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Tempo Delay 2 | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Latency Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Tempo Delay | Delay | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Vinyl Crackle and Scratch VST
It’s not easy to find a great vinyl scratch effect, but we have you covered. For us, one of the best and simplest is ScratchPlug by Dirk Brandner.
Whilst other plugins do some of the same things, we think this is one of the best vinyl scratch plugins because of its simplicity. Plus, it lets you visualise the soundwave as you pull it back and forth to scratch.
Meanwhile Vinyl crackle FX are more common, so we’ve only included the best of the very best here, and that’s Isotope vinyl.
It has a real variety of imperfections that you can add, including age, scratches, and electrical noise. However, it’s also compatible with your Native Instruments Complete Controller.
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Scratchplug | Vinyl Scratch Simulator | DOWNLOAD |
| Izotope Vinyl | Vinyl imperfections simulator | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Distortion VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Melda MBitFun | Distortion | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MWaveFolder | Distortion | DOWNLOAD |
| Temper | Distortion | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Drum VST
My mother always told me “march to the beat of your own drum”, but I guess she was wrong, because I found a bunch of really good free drum vsts.
You should also check out this cool drum plugin by Loopcloud here.
Amongst them, is the T.REX 606, a classic sound that could have easily cost hundreds of dollars, but for some reason is free:
| Roland T.REX 606 |
|---|
|
Maker: Max Project Features: 7 samples, Master volume, Reverb. Our Rating: 4.5/5
DOWNLOAD
|
Best Free Dynamic Processor VST
Are you processing your own voice? Then why not check out this list of BEST MICROPHONE ARMS AND STANDS listed on Amazon.
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| The Monster Extreme Dynamic Processor | Dynamic Processor | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free EQ VST
We all need some balance in our lifes. And so do our mixes, that’s why you should definitively download a free EQ plugin.
Our favorite here is TDR Nova by Tokyo Dawn Records.
| Tokyo Dawn Records- TDR Nova |
|---|
|
Maker: Tokyo Dawn Records Features: Parametric equalization, Dynamic equalization, Frequency selective compression, Multi-band compression, Wideband compression. Our Rating: 4.7/5
DOWNLOAD
|
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Bee-Happy 550 | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Black Rooster VHL-3C | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Blue Cat’s Triple EQ | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Eareckon FR-EQUA 87 | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| GEQ Graphic EQ | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Ignite Amps PTeq-X | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MEqualizer | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| MEQ EQUALIZER | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| N6 Paragraphic Equalizer | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Plugin Alliance Elysia Niveau Filter | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Plugin Alliance SPL Free Ranger | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| TDR Nova | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| TDR Slick EQ | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Overtone GEQ | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Filter VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Filter Bank | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MBandPass | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| Plugin Alliance Brainworx bx_cleansweep | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| Bark of Dog | filter | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Filter | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Filter-2 | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| u-he Triple Cheese | Filter | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo Overtone GEQ | EQ | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Flanger VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Blue Cat’s Flanger | Flanger | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MFlanger | Flanger | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Frequency Analyzer VST
| Voxengo SPAN |
|---|
|
Maker: Voxengo Features: Stereo, mid-side, surround spectrum analyzer, Stereo correlation meter, RMS, true peak level and clipping detector, EBU R128 LUFS/LU metering, Preset manager. Our Rating: 4.7/5
DOWNLOAD
|
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst | Frequency Analyser | DOWNLOAD |
| SPAN | Frequency Analyser | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Wavetable Synth
Hands down, one of our best free synth vsts overall, not just wavetable synthesis, is the Surge XT.
The XT uses subtractive wavetable synthesis but the best part is it is also MPE compatible. So if you have an MPE controller, or don’t want to break the bank with MPE in general, this is the synth for you.
Seriously, we find this amazing that it’s free, but of course, that’s because it’s an open-source synth, located on GitHub
As a result it comes with a close-knit and inspiring community as passionate about synthesis as you may be.
Maker: Open source. Yes, this is a free open-source synth vst. Make of that what you will.
Our Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Features: Amongst much more, includes classic, modern, sign, wavetable, and FM oscillators. This is a really feature-packed synth due to its open source nature which is why we can’t believe it’s free.
It has 3 kinds of lowpass filters, as well as cutoff warp, ladder filters, bandpass, and allpass. Apart from this, check out the website below for full details, including 27 FX involving unusual mangling and multi FX features.Â
You can download Surge XT here.
Best Free Fuzz Pedal VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Audio Damage Fuzz Plus 3 | Fuzz Pedal | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Chiptune VST
Chiptune, or 8 bit music, gets it’s name from the original chips that were used to create it in video games. We’ve included two of what we think are the best chiptune vsts here.
However, to be honest, there are a huge variety of plugins out there that emulate these sounds.
One of our choices is the Cosmic Boy Ice Cream as not only is it great for chiptune, its generally both very retro and lo-fi. The only thing is, the interface can get distracting.
Whilst it’s meant to conjure up old retro games, after the novelty and nostalgia wear off, the garish colors do make it kind of hard to focus. Comes with filter, sequencer, two oscillators, reverb, and delay.
For something with a more streamlined look that still brings the retro chiptune sound to your DAW easily, we have the Synth 1 by Daichi Laboratory. Amongst other features, it has an arpeggiator, FM and ring modulators, 16-note polyphony, legato mode, 4 filters, and distortion. It’s particularly good at bit crushing.
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Synth 1 by Daichi Laboratory | Analog subtractive synth | DOWNLOAD |
| CosmicBoy Ice Cream | 8 bit synthesiser | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Gate VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Bob Perry Gate | Gate | DOWNLOAD |
| Eareckon FR-GATE 87 | Gate | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Glitch VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Glitchmachines Fracture | Glitch | DOWNLOAD |
| Glitchmachines Hysteresis | Glitch | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Granular Effect VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Eugene Yakshin Ribs | Granular Effect | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Guitar VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Ample Guitar M Lite II | Guitar Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| DSK Dynamic Guitars | Guitar Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Native Instruments Guitar Rig Player | Guitar Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Instrument Tuner VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Algae Software Tune it! | Instrument Tuner | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Limiter VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Eareckon FR-LIMIT 87 | Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
| Diablo Lite | Soft Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
| George Yohng W1 Limiter | Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
| Limiter â„–6 | Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
| LVC Audio ClipShifter | Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MAGC | Limiter | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Mastering VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| AAMS (Auto Audio Mastering System) | Mastering | DOWNLOAD |
You should also check out our article on online mastering services here.
Best Free Orchestral VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Alan Vista Chau Gongs | Orchestral Percussion Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Versilian Studios Chamber Orchestra 2 Community Edition | Orchestral Synth | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Oscilloscope VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Melda MOscilloscope | Oscilloscope | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MStereoScope | Oscilloscope | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Overdrive Pedal VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Mercuriall Greed Smasher | Overdrive Pedal | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Phase Distortion VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Extent of the Jam Digits 2 | Phase Distortion | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Phaser VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Blue Cat’s Phaser | Phaser | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MFreeformPhase | Phaser | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MPhaser | Phaser | DOWNLOAD |
| SupaPhaser | Phaser | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Piano Instrument VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| DSK The Grand | Piano Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Keyzone Classic | Piano Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Piano One | Piano Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
| Sound Magic Piano One | Piano Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Pitch Correction VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Auburn Graillon Free | Pitch Correction | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MAutoPitch | Pitch Correction | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Audio Player VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Applied Acoustics Systems AAS Player | Player | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Reverb VST
| Valhalla Supermassive |
|---|
|
Maker: Valhalla Features: Galactic sound, Pitch warping, Modulation, Shelving eq, Presets that sound great out of the box. Our Rating: 4.7/5
DOWNLOAD
|
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Ambience | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| epicVerb | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| Valhalla Supermassive | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MConvolutionEZ | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| OldSkoolVerb | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| Smartelectronix Ambience | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Reverb 2 & 3 | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
| TAL-Reverb-4 | Reverb | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Saturation VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Creative Intent Temper | Saturation | DOWNLOAD |
| Klanghelm IVGI | Saturation | DOWNLOAD |
| Melda MSaturator | Saturation | DOWNLOAD |
| Softube Saturation Knob | Saturation | DOWNLOAD |
| Wave Arts Tube Saturator Vintage | Saturation | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free String Synth VST
VST NAme |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| 2getheraudio Cheeze Machine | String Synth | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Saxophone VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| DSK Saxophones | Saxophone Instrument | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Spectral Analyzer VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Melda MAnalyzer | Spectral Analyser | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo AnSpec | Spectrum Analyser | DOWNLOAD |
| Voxengo SPAN | Spectrum Analyser | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Stereo Width Control VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| A1StereoControl | Stereo Width Control | DOWNLOAD |
| Polyverse Wider | Stereo Width Control | DOWNLOAD |
| Aegean Music Doppler Dome | Stereo Effect | DOWNLOAD |
Best Free Stompbox VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Ignite Amps ProF.E.T. | Stompbox | DOWNLOAD |
Best FREE Synth Instrument VST
Welcome to the most popular category of this article.
A good synth can make or break a song, and you’d be surprise how far a free synth can go.
A great example is Synth1 by Daichi Labs. Artists such as Noisia have confessed to using it extensively and it sounds just amazing. Check for yourself:
| Synth1 |
|---|
|
Maker: Ichiro Toda Features: 2 Oscillators, FM modulation, ring modulation, sync, modulation envelope. 4 types of filters, distortion. 2 LFOs (synchronized with host). Arpeggiator (synchronized with host). Tempo delay (synchronized with host), stereo chorus/flanger. Legato mode, portamento. 16 notes polyphony. 128 presets. Our Rating: 4.8/5
DOWNLOAD
|
Best Text Editor
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Melda MNotepad | Text Editor | DOWNLOAD |
Best Transient Shaper
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Auburn Couture Free | Transient Shapper | DOWNLOAD |
| Flux BitterSweet v3 | Transient Shapper | DOWNLOAD |
| Diablo Lite | Transient Shapper | DOWNLOAD |
Best Tremolo
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Adam Monroe Tremolo | Tremolo | DOWNLOAD |
| PechenegFX Tremolo | Tremolo | DOWNLOAD |
Best Trigger Gate
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| A1TriggerGate | Trigger Gate | DOWNLOAD |
Best FREE Tuner VST
VST Name |
VST Type |
Download Link |
| Melda MTuner | Tuner | DOWNLOAD |
Best Uncategorized Plugins
These are plugins that we could not categorized or still haven’t had the time to use and assign a category.
Final Thoughts
And that’s it folks! If you’ve got any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below, or contact us. And remember, stay tuned on this article as there are constant updates!
