Though premium options are generally better than free ones, you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on a VST plugin to get a good one. There are plenty of amazing VST plugins under $100 just waiting to be snatched up.
Whether it’s EQ, reverb, delay, compression, limiters, channel strips, or otherwise, regardless of category, you can find competent solutions on a budget.
In this guide, we look at the best VST plugins under $100.
Tonelux Tilt and Tilt Live by Softube – Best Overall
Tonelux Tilt is a simple but versatile plugin that can help you shape the tone of a track, from cool to warm with the spin of a dial. It can provide the much needed “glue” for your mixes, and it’s perfect for live use to boot.
Its ideal position is first in the signal chain, as you can easily “rough in” your settings before applying additional effects. But there are times when, surprise, Tonelux Tilt is all you need to polish up a track and have it sitting in exactly the right position in the mix.
Altogether, Tunelux Tilt comes with high and low pass filters, a 12 dB / oct feature, and modeled output transformer distortion. This plugin was practically tailor made for a fast workflow.
Its versatility, sound quality, and easy to use design are what make this our best overall pick.
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U73b Compressor by Audified – Best Premium Option
Coming in at just under $100, Audified’s U73b Compressor is a highly rated favorite thanks to its musicality and overall versatility.
Based on the legendary hardware compressor of the same name, Audified sought to bring the sound of this studio favorite to producers everywhere.
The U73b Compressor is a precise emulation of the German broadcast compressor. It comes with a modeled tube circuit, optional automatic output level control, hi-pass filter, external sidechain capabilities, as well as three program-dependent and three fixed return times.
For the price, this is an excellent compressor, making it our best premium option.
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Toraverb 2 by D16 Group – Best Bargain
D16 Group brings to us another superb entry, this time sub $100. Toraverb 2 is the latest edition of Toraverb, a tool for creating just about any type of algorithmic reverb you can imagine. D16 put extra effort into ensuring this baby sounds good regardless of how you set the parameters.
To help you avoid situations where your mix sounds thinner or muddier post verb, D16 has incorporated various features to ensure you’re delighted by the results Toraverb 2 produces.
The onboard diffusing network was custom designed by D16. In addition, the plugin comes with two, single-band parametric EQs, modulation, crosstalk, early and late reflection blending, and a built-in ducker.
There are plenty of great reverbs out there, but you would be hard pressed to find one this good at this price point.
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BLEASS Reverb by BLEASS – Super Budget Option
BLEASS Reverb is an undeniable budget friendly favorite. Comprised of three stages, this plugin comes with multiple handy functions you wouldn’t necessarily expect from such a low-cost option.
In addition to standard gain and pre-delay parameters at the input stage, you’ll also find two filter types – low-shelf and high-pass.
At the reverb stage, you can control room size, mod rate, mod amount, length, HF damp, and there’s even an X/Y panel.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a ducker stage. This is a sidechain compressor style effect for adding some serious pump to your tracks. Electronic music producers should love this.
BLEASS Reverb would not be a bad addition to your VST arsenal, regardless of your persuasion or approach as a producer.
BLEASS offers an excellent line of affordable plugins, but reverb is just one of those things you can’t really do without. That makes it our best budget selection.
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Morph EQ by Minimal Audio
Morph EQ, not surprisingly, is an EQ with a morphing feature. This function allows you to create as many filter paths as you want and be able to control all of them with a single knob.
The onboard parameters let you move and shift your filter shapes. This makes it easy for you to dial in the filter’s cutoff, create wide stereo effects, and even morph through your paths.
Seven filter types have been included with Morph EQ, including low pass, bandpass, high pass, notch, peak, and more. Morph EQ also comes with over 100 presets for essential mixing use, as well as wild effects.
All this and more make Morph EQ a fun and powerful plugin for configuring all kinds of sounds using nothing but an EQ.
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BLEASS Delay by BLEASS
BLEASS Delay isn’t just any delay. It can work as a delay, echo, a frequency shifter, and any combination thereof. It’s surprisingly versatile for being so affordable.
As the user interface suggests, this virtual effect is made up of four sections. First is the delay section, with parameters for sync, ping pong, stereo, delay, LFO, rate, and stereo. The shifter section comes with freq, LFO, rate, and stereo controls. The filter section comes with LP filter, HP filter, LFO, rate, and stereo controls. Finally, the mix section comes with settings for feedback and dry / wet.
Every stage comes with its own LFO and stereo phase, which means you can easily create wider sounds.
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RP-Delay by Rob Papen
Rob Papen’s RP-Delay serves as the perfect complement to his RP-Verb. This delay comes with FX routing, reverser, six delay lines, eight active multi-mode filters (mono delay, stereo delay, tape delay, etc.), and modulation (four LFOs and four envelopes with triggers).
There are plenty of other great features to be discovered in this unique delay, so be sure to check out the video below to see it in action.
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CFA Sound GRIP Valve Drive Compressor by Resonance Sound
CFA Sound’s GRIP Valve Drive Compressor is a hybrid vintage-modern compressor. The vintage part emulates vintage German tubes, while the modern section leverages VCA compression. Simply use the vintage section for a grittier, warmer sound, and the modern section for a cleaner, more transparent compression.
New York / parallel compression is also possible, and GRIP can even be used as a bespoke drive effect for drums, vocals, bass, or otherwise.
There are even two drive modes, including triode and pentode, depending on the desired crunchiness.
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TDR Limiter 6 GE by Tokyo Dawn Labs
TDR Limiter 6 GE is a hybrid compressor / limiter featuring six modules you can arrange as you see fit. From mixing to mastering, this effect can handle an array of applications and help you cut down on effect chain overload.
The six modules include a peak limiter, true peak and EBU loudness meter, high-frequency limiter, output protection limiter, dynamics compressor, and clipper. Each module allows for fine-tuning so you can tweak to your heart’s content.
TDR Limiter 6 GE also features:
- Equal loudness bypass
- Presets
- Loudness maximization
- Bus processing
- And more
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BUTE Limiter 2 by Signum Audio
Signum Audio’s BUTE Limiter 2 is an easy to use, transparent true peak brickwall limiter. This plugin makes it easy for you to monitor your true peak, gain reduction, threshold, and output readings. You can either get a bird’s eye view of your settings or zoom in for more detailed information.
If there are any issues with your audio (e.g., overshoots), BUTE Limiter 2 will give you warnings, letting you know where adjustments should be made.
Overall, BUTE Limiter 2 comes with an overshoot proof brick wall limiting algorithm, linear phase upsampling, adaptive auto release, five release curves, pre-gain, post-gain, and automatic max target functionality, and three layouts.
You also get automatic DAW sync and re-metering, history for true peak, true peak output, threshold, and gain reduction, warning system for post-gain, history analysis, and up to 10 channel surround.
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Harmonic Maximizer by Audiority
Audiority’s Harmonic Maximizer is a multi-band exciter and loudness maximizer with auto gain, auto release, saturation, and blending options.
As you can see from the interface, you’re offered control over dry, low, low mid, mid, hi mid, presence, high, and the maximizer section. This makes it easy for you to dial in optimal settings.
Whether it’s boosting the presence of guitars, tightening up the vocals, fattening up the bass, or otherwise, there are a myriad of applications for an exciter such as Harmonic Maximizer.
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Type B by AudioThing
AudioThing’s Type B is a vintage style exciter based on legacy hardware. The original unit was typically used to add brightness and presence to instruments or vocal tracks. Dull-sounding recordings – especially those with tape overdubs – could be brightened up using the exciter.
Type B gives you access to more options than the original hardware. You are given more control over the harmonic generator, internal filter, and other aspects.
Type B also comes with filter controls, including mode, type, slope, and emphasis, as well as direct signal, background noise, and wet boost.
All in all, Type B features a HP / BP filter with emphasis, adjustable noise, up to 16x oversampling, resizable window, a light and dark UI mode, and a preset system with a randomizer.
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Lifeline Console by Excite Audio
The Lifeline Console channel strip / lo-fi plugin is one of our favorites, and judging by the popularity and positive reviews, we’re not alone in thinking that.
Modern recordings are generally clean and pristine, and this certainly can work, depending on the genre and application. But there often comes a point where you just can’t do without a little bit of analog warmth. And that’s what this plugin is all about.
Lifeline Console features a five-module design, with EQ, pre-amp, compressor, wear, and modulation. These can be arranged in any order, as you see fit.
Lifeline Console comes with a total of 15 algorithms, left / right or mid / side processing (stereo control), vintage and modern mixing desk styles, 350 presets, and a zero-latency design.
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Space Strip by AudioThing
If you’re looking to enhance your tracks on a budget, then you’ll probably love the concept behind Space Strip. This channel strip / multi-effect features six configurable stages, including vibe, contour, slapback, ambience, ensemble, and stereo. As with the Lifeline Console, you can arrange these modules in any order.
This is a great tool for keyboards and synths, but it’s versatile enough to work on other types of tracks too, like guitar, bass, or drums. Space Strip also comes with a preset system and randomizer.
The video below is a great demonstration of what this plugin can do to enhance the sound of your tracks.
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What Should I Look For In A VST Plugin Under $100?
Even on a budget, you can find great plugins in every category. I think we’ve hammered that point home.
So, how do you decide on which plugin(s) to buy? In this section, we’ll cover this from a few angles.
Here are the main criteria you should consider:
- Plugin type / category. We’ve basically covered two of everything in this guide – EQ, reverb, delay, compressors, limiters, exciters, and channel strips. We couldn’t quite cover every category of plugin, but the best idea for you, if you haven’t done it already, is to create a shopping list. What do you need? What’s missing in your VST arsenal? What do you need to upgrade? Prioritize the plugins you need, and you basically can’t go wrong.
- Sound quality. Although there are some nuanced elements to consider when it comes to sound quality, the big question is whether the plugin helps you achieve the sounds you’re looking to create. With this in the background, the selection process becomes much easier. So, be sure to listen to the audio samples and video reviews or demos.
- Features. Straight comparisons only apply to plugins of the same type. So, do not attempt to compare an EQ to a reverb, as an example. We can’t really use features as al filter for our purchases unless we’re comparing apples to apples. Even so, it’s still worth examining plugins on a case-by-case basis, so you know exactly what a plugin can and cannot do before buying it. Of course, you can generally make up for whatever’s missing with your effects chain.
- Budget. We know that shopping for plugins that cost less than $100 doesn’t automatically mean you’re on a tight budget, but we still caution against overspending and going into debt for studio related purchases. Please spend responsibly and save up for bigger purchases.
Top VST Plugins Under $100, Final Thoughts
Don’t forget. If there’s something else, you’re looking for – be it synths, virtual instruments, gating, auto-tune, doublers, or otherwise – you can probably find options under $100 to fulfill on your budgetary requirements. How amazing is that?
A plugin doesn’t need to be expensive to be good. If it is pricey, there’s usually a good reason for it, but upgrading is usually a process and not an event. So, keep evolving, even as a producer. Learning and growing is one of the most exciting aspects of creativity.
Most importantly, enjoy your new purchases!