Best Free Plugins of 2024: Freeware Picks of the Year
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It’s been a good year for free plugins! From unique effects to creative software synths, there were heaps of great freeware to discover. As the year draws to a close, we check out the best free plugins of 2024!
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 2024.
Best Free Plugins of 2024
#10: Melda Production MDelay
Melda Production added MDelay to the MFreeFXBundle this year, calling it “the most powerful free delay ever”. While that’s a bold claim, MDelay does have a feature set that rivals many commercial competitors.
Each of the two independent tap units offers a choice of two algorithms and three modes. Each tap also has independent Gain, Pan, Time, Feedback, Shuffle, and Sync controls, which allows you to craft complex and evolving delay patterns.
MDelay is available as part of the Melda Production MFreeFXBundle, which also includes 37 other free plugins. It runs on Windows and macOS in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
#9: DDMF Endless
DDMF Endless is one of several great free reverb plugins that came out this year. Specializing in atmospheric, otherworldly soundscapes, it’s great for film scores, ambient textures, or “larger-than-life sounds”. With features like granular processing, shimmer, and detune, Endless isn’t just a reverb, but a powerful sound design tool. One of the best free plugins of 2024!
Endless is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
#8: Analog Obsession ATONE
It’s no coincidence that we often feature plugins by Analog Obsession in our freeware section. The developer consistently delivers high-quality plugins that don’t cost a thing – although we highly recommend that you support him via his Patreon page if you like his work.
Analog Obsession released some of the best free plugins this year. Take ATONE, for example. Modeled after vintage Altec hardware from the 1950s, this channel strip combines an A-type EQ, filters, and a 436-style compressor in a single plugin.
ATONE is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
#7: Wave Alchemy Magic7
Magic7 by Wave Alchemy brings the sound of the Bricasti M7 to your DAW for free! With a price tag of almost $5000, the Bricasti is one of a few remaining hardware icons in the world of algorithmic reverb, renowned for its natural and incredibly musical sound. And Magic7 includes all 234 presets of the iconic hardware unit – from small rooms to huge cathedrals and plate reverbs.
The plugin also offers tempo-synced pre-delay, two EQ bands (Low and Air), and two kinds of modulation (Flux and Ensemble) for shaping the reverb and exploring creative possibilities. In addition, there’s a Smooth slider for shaping the initial transient of the sound. Magic7 also comes with a built-in ducking feature. A fantastic reverb and one of the best free plugins to come out in 2024.
Magic7 is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
#6: Audiothing Moon Echo
A delay plugin that uses the moon as a reflector? Yes, you heard that right. The brainchild of Berlin-based test equipment connoisseur Hainbach, Moon Echo is based on a 1950s communications technique that bounces signals off the moon to transmit them around the globe. They actually sent signals to the moon and back using a big radio telescope dish and captured the results to make this plugin! The result is a highly unusual and crunchy delay, modulation, and lo-fi effect unlike any other.
Moon Echo is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats. There’s also an AUv3 and standalone version for iOS.
#5: Full Bucket Music Six-Traq
Full Bucket Music contributed several excellent software instruments to our weekly round-ups of the best free plugins this year. Six-Traq is a free emulation of the Sequential Circuits Six-Trak polysynth from 1984. While they stayed as close as possible to the hardware in terms of sound generation, they thankfully expanded the user interface to make the synth much easier to tweak and program. With up to 96 voices, the plugin also offers much more polyphony than the original.
Six-Traq is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, and AAX formats.
#4: Kilohearts Shaper
Like all plugins of the Kilohearts ecosystem, Shaper doesn’t look like much at first glance. But don’t underestimate it – this little freeform waveshaper really packs a punch! Shaper allows you to freely customize the waveshaping curve, providing an endless supply of unusual distortion effects. Perfect for pulverizing drums, basses, or anything else you throw at it!
Kilohearts Shaper is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
#3: Davisynth Ripple Delay Free
How about another unusual delay? Ripple Delay Free by Davisynth is an awesome multi-tap delay that easily deserves a spot on the list of the best free plugins of 2024. Its standout feature is a unique modulation engine that lets you create “waves” of modulation. These can then be used to modulate the delay time, filter, pan, and volume. Ripple Delay also includes a handy pattern editor that lets you create separate 32-tap patterns for the left and right channels.
While the free version is already quite powerful, there’s also a paid version ($99) that comes with many additional features, such as a more capable curve editor, advanced ripple automation, a triplet option, and the ability to save and load presets.
Ripple Delay Free is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
#2: nakst ExtraBold
Extrabold by nakst is a free virtual analog synth that packs a punch! While it may not seem as exciting at first glance as its FM-based sibling Fluctus from a few years ago, Extrabold has got a lot going on.
There are three oscillators with continuously variable waveshapes, PWM, and sync. The multi-mode filter offers two unique comb filter modes in addition to classic lowpass and highpass characteristics. For modulation, ExtraBold has four LFOs and two ADSR envelopes. There’s even a built-in effects section with three slots and five effects to choose from.
Thanks to its clear and uncluttered layout, ExtraBold is an excellent choice if you’re just getting into virtual analog synthesis. At the same time, it’s got plenty of options for more advanced sound design.
ExtraBold is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux in CLAP and AU formats.
#1: Dawesome ZYKLOP
ZYKLOP by Dawesome is by far my favorite free software synth of 2024 and one of the best free plugins of the year. Based on the same resynthesis engine as the equally awesome MYTH, ZYKLOP lets you turn any sample into a completely new sound.
Simply drag and drop your sample onto the beautiful iris to have it resynthesized (there’s a choice of two algorithms for this). Then, use various transformers to manipulate the timbre and control how ZYKLOP plays back the resynthesized sample. Everything can also be modulated using an array of LFOs and envelopes. ZYKLOP is even MPE-compatible, which opens up amazingly expressive possibilities with a compatible controller.
Moreover, ZYKLOP also offers built-in chord and scale modes and an arpeggiator. While it can take a while to wrap your head around how it works, there are handy tool tips that indicate what each control does. Once you get the hang of it, ZYKLOP is an incredibly powerful and inspiring sound design tool. And it’s completely free!
ZYKLOP is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats. Want more? Then check out its big sister MYTH at Plugin Boutique*!
Looking for even more free plugins? Check out our huge archive!
*This post about the best free plugins of 2024 contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
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