The Best VST Plugins (Top Picks) [Free & Paid]

Here you’ll find a list of 12 of the best VST plugins you can use in your DAW. Some are virtual instruments, while others are tools for sound processing or applying effects.

Table of Contents

Let’s dive in:

Best VST Plugins List:

Sorting these plugins by importance or quality is a tough task due to their diverse functions, so don’t pay too much attention to the order. Instead, focus on their names and what they offer. Some of them are even available for free download.

1. Kontakt (Native Instruments)

Kontakt is a high-quality VST for sampled instruments. The sound quality is exceptional, and it comes with a vast library. It’s used at the highest professional level in music production, film, and video games.

Kontakt is a must-have VST plugin.

Learn more about Kontakt

2. Waves (Waves Audio)

Waves offers a suite of plugins for a wide variety of uses. They’re particularly famous for their quality and range when it comes to sound processing and effects. From compressors to equalizers and limiters, Waves has it all.

Waves plugins are often used during production processes, and you can even master your tracks using just Waves plugins.

Learn more about Waves Plugins

3. Nexus (reFX)

Nexus is a rompler—a type of virtual instrument that includes pre-recorded instruments and synths. One of its standout features is the sound quality. These sounds are often already so well-crafted that they require little to no additional processing.

Nexus is popular in Pop, EDM, and film scoring.

Learn more about Nexus

4. Serum (Xfer Records)

Serum is a wavetable-based virtual synthesizer, it allows you to create sounds from scratch. It’s renowned for its high-quality output and detailed sound design. Serum’s visual interface also makes it easy to work with.

It’s one of the most popular VST plugins today.

Download Serum

5. Ozone (iZotope)

Ozone is a mastering suite. This plugin includes all the tools you need for finalizing your music production—multiband compression, EQ, harmonic exciter, limiting, and more.

It’s widely used for mastering and now includes AI to assist with the process.

Learn more about Ozone

6. AutoTune (Antares)

AutoTune needs no introduction. It can be used either as a plugin or standalone. Its main function is pitch correction, primarily for vocals. It’s used far more often than people think, typically for subtle adjustments and corrections.

As you probably know, AutoTune is also famous for its heavily processed sound in certain genres of music. Even if you don’t want that signature effect, it’s a useful tool for vocal work.

Download AutoTune

7. Sylenth1 (LennarDigital)

Sylenth1 is a legendary and very popular synthesizer in the world of virtual instruments. It’s widely used to create professional sounds, and you’ll find thousands of downloadable presets online.

With years of use and a strong community, Sylenth1 is still a go-to VST plugin for many.

Download Sylenth

8. FabFilter

FabFilter offers a high-quality range of plugins, mainly focused on audio processing. The standout is the FabFilter Pro Q, their most popular EQ plugin.

Its interface is highly visual and very precise.

Download FabFilter

9. Omnisphere (Spectrasonics)

Omnisphere is a hybrid synthesizer that combines both synthesis and sampling with a huge sound library. It’s highly flexible, offering many options, and the sound quality is top-tier.

Omnisphere is widely used in both music production and film scoring.

Learn more about Omnisphere

10. Massive (Native Instruments)

Massive is another nearly iconic synthesizer from the digital age, popular in dubstep and similar genres. Its specialty lies in creating electronic, aggressive, and gritty sounds.

Additionally, they have released a new version called Massive X, which continues to be a great tool for creating dirtier sounds and other types.

Download Massive

11. Pigments (Arturia)

Pigments is an excellent synthesizer that combines various synthesis types (like analog, granular, and more) with a highly visual and appealing interface. It’s intuitive and offers extensive options for sound design. It delivers top-notch sound quality and includes a vast number of presets.

This is another ideal synthesizer, offering great flexibility thanks to its range of synthesis types.

Download Pigments

12. Effectrix (Sugar Bytes)

Effectrix is a unique plugin that works as a time-based and loop-based effects sequencer. It allows you to create repetitions, glitches, breaks, reverses, and more. You can also combine these effects, giving you unlimited creative possibilities.

Its interface is very intuitive and easy to use. The current version is 2, following years of success with the original release.

It’s widely used in electronic music to add dynamic touches. Highly recommended.

Download Effectrix

BONUS:

Reason (Reason Studios)

Although Reason is a DAW, it can also act as a VST plugin. It’s focused on sound synthesis and analog studio emulation. You can create racks or sequences where you connect modules and elements, even cables, to achieve unique sounds.

As a DAW, it may not provide the smoothest workflow, so using it as a plugin can be a great solution.

Download Reason

How Many Types of VST Plugins Are There?

There are mainly three types of VST plugins:

Virtual Instruments: These include synthesizers, samplers, or instrument emulators. While they can be further subdivided, in general, they either synthesize sound from scratch, sample pre-recorded sounds, or combine both methods.
Audio Processing Modules: This category includes compressors, equalizers, limiters, and all the tools needed for mastering.
Effects Modules: These are plugins that apply various effects such as reverb, echo, and many others.