Best Free Plugins of 2025: Freeware Picks of the Year
4,7 / 5,0 | 
2025 has been a fantastic year for free plugins! From creative software synths to unique effects, there was a lot to discover in our weekly freeware columns this year. As the year draws to a close, we check out the best free plugins of 2025!
With so many great free plugins, it’s impossible to name all of them. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least ten more freebies that absolutely would’ve deserved a spot on the list of the best free plugins of the year. But I’ve only got so much space to work with here… So please don’t be mad if your favorite free plugin didn’t make the list – you’ll probably find it in our archive of our weekly freeware columns! Here are our picks for the best free plugins of 2025 – in no particular order.
Best Free Plugins of 2025
Tiagolr RipplerX: Awesome Free Physical Modeling Synth
Spoiler alert: this isn’t the only time developer Tiagolr will show up in our list of the best free plugins of the year. But let’s kick things off with RipplerX, a fantastic physical modeling synth along the lines of AAS Chromaphone and Ableton Collision. The idea is to simulate the acoustic behavior of various physical objects, which then become the source of unique timbres and textures.
RipplerX offers dual resonators, each with a choice of nine different models: String, Beam, Squared, Membrane, Drumhead, Plate, Marimba, Open tube, and Closed tube. You can shape the timbre of each resonator using the Inharmocity, Tone, Ratio, and Material controls. The character of the mallet used to strike the objects is also adjustable for even more sound shaping options.
RipplerX is currently available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, and LV2 formats.
Morphoice Unstable: Free Yamaha CS-80 Emulation
Although Morphoice claims that Unstable is “in no way intended to be a CS-80 emulator”, the developer doesn’t deny that it’s very heavily inspired by the undisputed king of analog polysynths. Like the original, Unstable has a dual-layer synthesis architecture, with each layer offering its own set of controls. It also supports polyphonic aftertouch, just like the CS-80.
However, Morphoice has made a couple of adjustments. Unlike the CS-80, Unstable lets you adjust the levels of the saw and square waves independently. The filters are also different: instead of the original’s dual state-variable filters, Unstable pairs a CS-80-style high-pass filter with a Moog-style ladder filter.
In addition to this, the developer has thrown in a suite of effects, including overdrive and the reverb, delay, and chorus algorithms from the developer’s DarkStar and Wingmen plugins. There’s also a very versatile 16-step arpeggiator with variable note and modulation values. One of the must-have free software synths and best free plugins of the year!
Unstable runs on macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
ZL Audio ZL Equalizer 2: Giving Pro-Q a Run for its Money
Originally released in 2024, ZL Equalizer got a big update this year that makes it even better and earns it a well-deserved place among the best free plugins of the year. If you’re looking for a free alternative to FabFilter Pro-Q and similar dynamic EQs, look no further than ZL Equalizer 2 from ZL Audio. The updated GUI looks a lot slicker than the first version, with an improved spectrum analyzer and clearer controls for a smoother workflow.
With up to 24 frequency bands, each with a choice of eight filter types, and full dynamic control of each band, this may just be one of the most versatile free EQ plugins available. Each band also offers a choice of five stereo modes, so you get full control of your stereo image.
ZL Equalizer 2 is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, LV2, and AAX formats. CLAP support is in the works.
Full Bucket Music Fury-68: Free KORG Poly-61 Emulation, but Better
As the first analog synth I ever owned, the KORG Poly-61 holds a special place in my heart. A bit of an ugly duckling, it unfortunately suffers from a severe case of early ‘80s knob phobia. That said, it can produce some really nice sounds, as its synthesis architecture is very similar to the mighty PolySix that preceded it. It does have a rather narrow sweet spot, though.
Full Bucket Music, known for excellent free software synths that consistently show up on lists of the best free plugins, dedicated a plugin to the Poly-61 this year – and they didn’t just capture the essence of it, but managed to make it better. Most importantly, Fury-68 does away with the original’s most annoying limitation, namely the infuriatingly low resolution of certain parameters (for those of you not familiar with the Poly-61, imagine having just 16 values to choose from for envelope attack and decay, and 8 (!) for filter resonance). It’s also got an extra envelope, extended polyphony, and even built-in effects. In a way, Fury-68 demonstrates what the Poly-61 could have been, had KORG not attempted to make it look as ‘digital’ as possible.
Fury-68 is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats.
BaconPaul Six Sines: 6-Operator FM Synth with a Twist
Best known for his work on SurgeXT, BaconPaul released some of the best free plugins this year, including Six Sines. The open-source FM synth is loosely based on the famous Yamaha TX81Z, the 1987 rack module with the famous ‘Lately Bass’ preset that shaped the sound of ‘90s house music.
The TX81Z was the first of the classic Yamaha FM synths to offer waveforms other than sine waves. Accordingly, Six Sines has a variety of waveforms to choose from, including the original TX81Z waves. Each operator can output audio or modulate itself or subsequent operators, which is easy to configure thanks to a clearly laid-out matrix interface. And best of all, it sounds fantastic!
Six Sines is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, and CLAP formats and as a standalone app.
GATE-12, TIME-12, FILT-R, REEV-R: Modulated FX Plugins by Tiagolr
RipplerX wasn’t the only excellent free plugin by Tiagolr this year. The developer also released a suite of four very nice FX plugins: GATE-12, TIME-12, FILT-R, and REEV-R. What they all have in common is a powerful modulation engine that lets you draw custom multi-segment curves or rhythmic patterns. 12 of these can be stored as presets and triggered by MIDI notes or the incoming audio signal. If you’re into modulated, rhythmic FX like Cableguys ShaperBox, these should be right up your alley.
GATE-12 is a volume automation and envelope plugin that lets you create anything from tempo-synced rhythmic gates to transient-triggered envelopes. TIME-12 is a modulated delay that can produce a wide range of creative and glitchy effects like stuttering, tape stop, scratch, reverse, pitch shifting, and more. FILT-R applies the same principle to a resonant multi-mode filter with six types. And REEV-R is a convolution reverb with a drawable multi-stage envelope for shaping the impulse response. All four are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, and LV2 formats, and all four are among the best free plugins of the year in my book.
Fors Sala: ‘Ceremonial Reverb’ with a Zoom Control
It may not look like much at first glance (although I’m a fan of minimalist GUIs), but Sala is probably one of my favorite reverb plugins to come out this year. Instead of presenting the same old collection of standard rooms, halls, and cathedrals, Sala is an ‘incredibly unrealistic reverb’ that sends your sounds to ‘the furthest points of our galaxy’.
Its main strengths are huge ambient spaces with plenty of modulation. Simple, unassuming sounds can turn into endless washes of shimmering reflections. But Sala can also produce claustrophobic-sounding up-close effects: in addition to the familiar Size, Decay, and Tone parameters, there’s a unique Zoom control that affects the pre-diffusion stage, letting you zoom in on the sound. Great stuff!
Sala is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, and CLAP formats.
Discreet Signals 8TT: 8-Band OTT Compressor with an Intuitive GUI
Here’s another free plugin that won me over with its GUI. 8TT by Discreet Signals is an 8-band OTT-style upward/downward compressor. It also has a sidechain input for ducking or expanding your signal relative to another track. That alone makes it a powerful tool for precise dynamic shaping. What’s best, however, is the ingenious user interface.
Everything is clickable and draggable. Need an extra band? Simply double-click one to split it in two. Want to adjust the crossover? Drag horizontally between two bands. Drag the handle of a band to adjust the threshold, and the body to change the ratio. Multi-band OTT compression has never been more intuitive.
8TT is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
BaconPaul Two Filters: Dual Animated Filters
Developed as a test bed for a new filter API, Two Filters by BaconPaul is a side product of his work for the SurgeXT project. However, this dual modulated filter became so popular that they decided to release it as a free plugin.
Based on the Surge filter library, Two Filters offers a pair of multi-mode filters with loads of types and slopes to choose from. There are numerous lowpass, bandpass, highpass, and notch filters, including emulations of legendary designs, plus a bunch of unusual types like Jatin Chowdhury’s Warp and tri-pole filters. You can arrange the two filters in various serial and parallel configurations.
The real fun starts, however, when the dual step LFOs at the bottom kick into action. Both offer up to 16 steps (but can have different pattern lengths) and are capable of bipolar modulation. And both can modulate the cutoff and resonance of both filters simultaneously at varying intensities, which means that you can go absolutely wild with modulation. Fantastic stuff, and clearly one of the best free plugins of 2025!
Two Filters is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST, AU, and CLAP formats.
Full Bucket Music FB-02: Instant ’80s Nostalgia
Full Bucket Music released yet another fun free software synth just a few weeks ago: FB-02 is an emulation of the Yamaha FB-01 sound module, an often-overlooked 4-operator half-rack module from 1986. FB-02 not only simulates the original FM sound engine, but also makes it much more accessible by providing hands-on controls for the four operators. This is the interface the FM synths of the ‘80s should’ve had in the first place. A great way to start experimenting with FM synthesis!
The sound is instant ‘80s nostalgia. In addition to the original factory presets of the FB-01, the software synth includes loads of new sounds. It can also import and export SysEx data. And just in case you happen to own the original module, you can even use the plugin as a controller for the hardware!
Full Bucket Music FB-02 is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats.
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2 responses to “Best Free Plugins of 2025: Freeware Picks of the Year”
Unstable is not free anymore, here is a quote from their website: “To obtain a license code (serial), send payment of € 69”
Unstable not free