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The best free plugins we use every day are Softube Saturation Knob for analog warmth, Xfer OTT for over-the-top compression, iZotope Ozone Imager for stereo width and Tritik Krush for crispy bitcrushing. All four punch well above their weight. Below are our top 10, plus two bonus picks.
Quick picks
| Name | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Softube Saturation Knob | Warming up bass and vocals | Saturation plugin, free to download |
| Camel Audio Camelcrusher | Saturation and distortion | An older classic producers still use |
| Tritik Krush | Turning flat synth leads into something gritty | Bitcrusher with analog-modeled filters and modulation |
| Xfer Records OTT | Over-the-top compression and color | The compressor Ableton users already have |
| Flux Stereo Tool | True panning in Ableton | Stereo tool that corrects Ableton’s panning |
| Flux Bittersweet | Shaping transients in the mids and sides separately | Multi-band transient shaper |
| iZotope Ozone Imager | Stereo width and mono checks | Multiband imager with a vectorscope |
| Cableguys Pancake | Drawn-in auto-panning | Custom modulation curves with soft or hard points |
Free plugins for music producers are essential. Third-party plugins are what professionals use, and they kick ass. Anyone who tells you they don’t matter is wrong. Today, they’re necessary for polished-sounding music, whether you’re in Ableton, Logic, Cubase, or anywhere else.
That said, your DAW’s plugins are good. But sometimes you need more.
Here are our 10 favorite free plugins and VSTs we actually use every day. This isn’t a list of 100 plugins you’ll never touch, these are our must-haves.
1. Softube, Saturation Knob
Softube Saturation Knob is completely free to download and one of the best saturation plugins out there. We talk about saturation all the time. It’s THE best way to add analog warmth to your digital productions. Use it to fatten up bass lines, add some harmonics and shimmer to vocals, or simply destroy your drum loop. This plugin is as versatile as it is functional.
If you want to go deeper on saturation, here’s a video that covers why it’s such a big deal for digital productions:
For more third party saturation plugins we’re using in all of our music, check out our Top 20 Favorite Saturation Plugins for Electronic Music.
Pro Tip: Run the Saturation Knob at the end of your drum bus, not just on individual elements. Low-to-medium settings gel the whole kit together and add that analog cohesion that ITB mixes often lack.
2. Camel Audio, Camelcrusher
Camelcrusher is a free saturation and distortion tool from Camel Audio. Apple bought Camel Audio a few years back, but you can still dig up this gem if you Google it. This plugin is NOT new, but the fact that so many producers continue to use it is a testament to how good this thing sounds.
3. Tritik, Krush
Krush by Tritik is a free bitcrusher that punches way above its price tag. The only thing better than this plugin’s interface is how malleable it is. Krush combines the crispy taste of the digital realm with the warmth of its drive stage and analog modeled resonant filters. A modulation section allows you to quickly add extra life to the sound by modulating any parameter.
Krush is the kind of plugin that turns a flat synth lead into something you can’t stop listening to.
4. Xfer Records, OTT Compressor
OTT by Xfer Records needs no introduction. It is a fantastic over-the-top compressor with beautiful coloration that is now associated with modern music. If you’re an Ableton user, you already have this. If not, scope the free download.
Pro Tip: OTT works best when blended. Try running it on a parallel channel at 30-50% wet, rather than slapping it fully across a bus. You get the coloration and density without the artificial squash that makes everything sound the same.
5. Flux, Stereo Tool
Stereo Tool by Flux is a free plugin that solves a real problem. If you use Ableton, you don’t have true panning in your DAW. When you pan in Ableton you are simply lowering left and right stereo volumes.
Should you be concerned about that? Maybe. For now, just know Flux’s Stereo Tool will correct for this, plus, it’s just a great stereo tool to begin with.
6. Flux, Bittersweet
Bittersweet by Flux is a simple and powerful multi-band transient shaper. Yes, you can actually transient shape your stereo information differently from the mids or sides. Not bad for a freebie.
7. iZotope, Ozone Imager
Ozone Imager by iZotope is free, and that’s kind of insane. We’re talking about one of the most powerful multiband imagers on the market, from one of the kings of mastering plugins. And it doesn’t cost a cent. Insane value.
Pro Tip: Use Ozone Imager in mono-check mode to catch frequency-specific phase issues before they become a problem at the final mix stage. The vectorscope alone is worth installing it for.
8. Cableguys, Pancake
Pancake by Cableguys is a sweet panning plugin that lets you draw in auto-panning, making it extremely malleable and functional. You can construct your own modulation curves using soft or hard control points (perfect for gentle transitions or sharp bends).
9. Valhalla, Freq Echo
Valhalla Freq Echo is a gift. I love Valhalla’s description of this one, so I’ll let them do the talking: “Skull melting chaos perfect for all of your psychedelic needs. Sonic results range from subtle chorusing and double tracking to barberpole phasing and flanging to endless glissandos and runaway echos.”
10. Glitchmachines, Hysteresis
Hysteresis by Glitchmachines is a glitch delay plugin specifically geared toward creating robotic artifacts and musical malfunctions. On top of being able to create contorted signal mutations, it can also be tamed to generate classic delay effects.
Bonus
11. Integraudio, Deelay
Deelay by Integraudio, created in collaboration with Sixth Sample, packs loads of features in a simple, minimalistic interface. Diffusion for creating reverbs from small chambers to huge cinematic swells, distortion from subtle saturation to aggressive waveshaping, modulation for making your sounds come alive. And much more.
12. BABY Audio, Magic Dice
Magic Dice by BABY Audio generates random and lush wet-FX textures on demand. It puts the algorithmic firepower, and modern sound, of their award-winning Spaced Out plugin into a fun and unpredictable experience.
Get anything from hazy space echoes over lush reverbs to alien-sounding modulation effects. The combinations are endless, and you’ll never hear the same result twice.
Every plugin on this list has earned a permanent spot in our sessions. Start with one or two that match what you’re working on right now, get to know them properly. And build from there.
Start Building Your Sound
Free doesn’t mean compromised. Some of the most iconic sounds in modern music were made with free tools. The plugins above are proof that budget isn’t your bottleneck. Taste, technique, and time spent are.
Grab a few from this list, load them up, and actually use them on your next session. You might be surprised what’s been sitting right there the whole time.
Heads up: some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we earn a small cut (costs you nothing extra). But we'd point you at this exact gear whether we made a dime or not.
