Best Synth VST Plugins For Every Budget

We’re here to help you find the synth to suit your needs, whatever you’re willing to spend - starting from free.

If you’re looking for a software synthesizer, you’re in luck! There are many options available to you, ranging from completely free to paid. Soft synths can offer incredible value for money and sounds that you can’t find in the hardware world. They can faithfully emulate iconic models, offer brave new sounds, and even present fresh ways to synthesize audio – all at prices that are typically far lower than their physical counterparts.

Although you will always hear analog lovers decry them for the unforgivable sin of being in the box, the truth is that the power and functionality of synth plugins far surpass most hardware units out there. Throw in the fact that they’re far cheaper and don’t take up any space in your living room, and it’s easy to see why most producers have an arsenal of soft synth power to unleash in their tracks.

Types of Synthesizers

Perhaps your only real enemy when it comes to synth plugins is choice, as there’s quite an array of options available to you when it comes to purchasing time. Wavetable, virtual analog models, FM, modular, additive and subtractive synths – it can be hard to know where to begin, especially when you consider there’s a range of price points within each category. So let's break things down a little!

Wavetable Synthesizers: These synths use wavetable synthesis to generate sound. They are capable of producing a wide range of sounds, from classic analog-style tones to futuristic digital sounds.
Virtual Analog Model Synthesizers: These synths emulate the sound of classic analog synthesizers using digital signal processing. These types of softsynths are great for producing warm, rich tones that are reminiscent of vintage hardware synths.
FM Synthesizers: FM synths use frequency modulation synthesis to generate sound. To put it simply, this means that they use one signal to modulate the pitch of another signal that’s in the same or a similar audio range. These synths are capable of producing complex, evolving sounds that are ideal for creating ambient textures and otherworldly effects.
Modular Synthesizers: These synths allow you to create your own custom signal path by connecting various modules together. They are capable of producing a wide range of sounds, from simple tones to complex, evolving textures.
Additive Synthesizers: Additive synthesis uses the stacking of sine waves at various levels and frequencies as a way to generate sound. Through this, they can create complex, evolving sounds by combining multiple sine waves together.
Subtractive Synthesizers: These synths use subtractive synthesis to generate sound, which means that in order to generate the intended sound, they remove unwanted frequencies from the mix. They are capable of producing warm, rich tones by filtering harmonics from a complex waveform.

Each type of synthesizer has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your needs. Whether you’re looking for classic analog-style tones or futuristic digital sounds, there’s a software synthesizer out there that’s perfect for you.

Buying the Best VST Synth Plugin for You

When it comes to buying the best synth VST plugin for you, there are a few key factors to consider. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Features: Different synth VST plugins come with different features. Some plugins offer a wide range of sound design tools, while others are more streamlined. Some offer a broad choice of presets, whilst others choose to limit or do away with these entirely. Consider what features you need and choose a plugin that meets your requirements.
Sound Quality: Arguably the most important factor to consider when choosing a synth VST plugin is sound quality. Modern technology allows for detailed emulations of classic synths as well as crisp digital synthesis options, but not all softsynths are created equal in this regard. Look for a plugin that produces high-quality sounds that meet your needs.
Ease of Use: Some synth VST plugins can be quite complex, while others are more immediately user-friendly. Consider your level of experience with music production and choose a plugin that is easy to use and understand.
Compatibility: Make sure the synth VST plugin you choose is compatible with your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Most plugins are compatible with popular DAWs like Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, and FL Studio, but it’s always a good idea to double-check before making a purchase.
Price: Synth VST plugins can range in price from free to several hundred dollars. Consider your budget and choose a plugin that offers the features you need at a price you can afford. Luckily, we've provided below some synth VST plugin choices for all budgets.
Reviews: Finally, read reviews of the synth VST plugins you’re considering. This can give you a good idea of what other users think of the plugin and help you make an informed decision.

Are Free Synth Plugins Any Good?

Free synth plugins can be a great way to get started with music production without breaking the bank. While some people might assume that free plugins are of lower quality than paid ones, this is not always the case. In fact, there are many free synth plugins available that offer excellent sound quality and a wide range of features.

One of the main advantages of free synth plugins is that they allow you to experiment with different sounds and styles without having to spend any money. This can be especially useful if you’re just starting out with music production and want to get a feel for what’s possible.

Of course, not all free synth plugins are created equal. Some may have limited features or lower variety of possible sound outputs than their paid counterparts. However, there are many free synth plugins available that are just as good as their paid counterparts, if not in some cases better.

When choosing a free synth plugin, it’s important to do your research and read reviews from other users. This can help you find plugins that offer the features and quality you need.

It’s also worth noting that many paid synth plugins offer free trial periods, which can be a great way to test out different plugins before committing to a purchase. This can be a good way to compare the sound quality and features of different plugins and find the one that’s right for you.

So yes, free synth plugins can be a great way to get started with music production, or even just expand your existing plugin arsenal, without spending any money. While not all free plugins are created equal, there are many high-quality options available that offer excellent features and are loved by their users. By doing your research and reading reviews, you can find the best free synth plugins for your needs and take your music production to the next level.

In this article, we’ve gone through the best synths in every price category, from the freebies all the way up to the big guns.

Best Free Synth Plugin

Digital Suburban Dexed

Price: Free!

What We Love: A great emulation of a much-loved classic. Did we mention it's free?

Of course, you don’t always have to part with your hard-earned cash when you want to add a new synth to your collection. Digital Suburban Dexed is a free synth that emulates the Yamaha DX7. Yamaha’s digital synthesizer launched in 1983 and became a global success, featuring FM synthesis that was groundbreaking at the time.

Dexed perfectly captures the sound of the iconic instrument, which can be a little sterile, although nothing a few effects can’t warm up. Where the plugin really improves on the original is its all-in-one single UI window, which displays the entire six-operator synth engine - no menu diving required!

FM synthesis isn’t the most intuitive synthesizer format if you’re a beginner, but thankfully you can easily access thousands of free presets online. For a free synth, Dexed is plenty of fun and a great addition to your collection.

Best Synth Plugins Under £50

Klevgrand Pipa

Price: £36.95

What We Love: Weird, wonderful, and warped vocal sounds at a low price

Kicking things off in a rather unusual style, Pipa is a crossover between a wavetable synthesizer and a granulating sample player, specialised for vocal sounds. Instead of using ordinary samples or processing oscillators with formant filters, Pipa uses a large database of wavetables extracted from real vocal samples, which Klevgrand openly admit will tax your CPU pretty heavily.

During the development of the plugin, Kievgrand recorded singers performing vowel sounds using varying dynamics and pitches, which they then chopped up into tiny wavetables. Pipa’s internal engine morphs between these wavetables to give you a continuous vocal sound. You can develop the expression of this sound by using the synth’s LFO/envelope section, which allows you to add things like pitch scoops at the start and end of notes, shifting timbres and volume envelopes.

TAL TAL-U-NO-LX Synth

Price: £47.10

What We Love: A timeless classic recreated in stunning quality

It’s blindingly obvious which classic analog synth this plugin is inspired by, so much so that TAL felt they had to name it accordingly. “You know” what it looks and sounds like, and that it is of course the beloved Roland Juno 106. Classic synths made a serious comeback during the last ten years, you can hear the Juno 106’s warm, lush tones on White Ferrari by Frank Ocean, On the Level by Mac DeMarco and pretty much anything by Tame Impala.

TAL-U-NO-LX Synth is a fantastically authentic clone of the Juno 106 and comes with virtually all the same synth architecture as the original unit. The clean and crisp GUI means programming patches won’t give you a headache, but you’ll be most impressed by just how good the plugin sounds. The deep, subby bass; classic strings and pads, and slightly plasticky leads that the Juno 106 is known for have all been painstakingly emulated, and you’ll also enjoy the famous chorus modules that are almost worth the price of the instrument on their own.

Best Synth Plugins Under £100

Audio Damage Quanta 2

Price: £109.96

What We Love: Clean, sound-oriented UI

As we move into the higher price brackets, the synths in our list become more versatile and fully featured. Quanta 2 is a powerful but easy-to-use granular synth with far-reaching sound design capabilities, and it’s an instrument that succeeds in making granular synthesis fun and productive for music makers of all levels.

The sounds in Quanta 2 emanate from three sources: the “granulator”, an analogue oscillator and a noise generator. You start off by dropping an audio file into the granulator (it takes any mono or stereo WAV, AIF, OGG, FLAC or MP3 file), which Quanta 2 chops up into tiny grains. From there, you can use the synth’s wide range of controls to manipulate the way it synthesizes the sound.

Quanta 2 is also a fully capable subtractive synth in its own right and will work as a granular or subtractive (or both) synth without any sample at all. The synth’s two multi-mode filters and virtual-analog oscillator and noise generator can be used in addition to or injected into, the grain engine, adding some welcome colour and warmth.

DHPlugins HALO-2

Price: £99 (also available on Rent to Own!)

What We Love: Visually stunning, with virtually limitless possible sounds

HALO-2 by DHPlugins is a powerful and versatile software synthesiser that blends audio and synthesis in a visual and creative way. Whether you need huge basses, soaring leads, lush pads, or sharp stabs, this synth has you covered with its rich collection of presets and synth layers. You can also tweak the sound with filters, effects, and modulation options, or import your own audio files for further customisability. HALO-2 is not just a Rompler, but a fully-fledged synthesiser with features like sampler frequency modulation, split channel arpeggiator, sample unison, precision sample loop editing, bit-crushing, and more. You can even modulate your imported audio files with other imported audio files for some wild results.

HALO-2's well-featured user interface is designed for experimentation, and contrary to many other VST synth plugins currently on the market, can actually be picked up very quickly. With multiple expansions available, each with their own sonic character, HALO-2 is a synth that will undoubtedly keep you inspired for a long time.

Best Synth Plugins Under £200

u-he Diva

Price: £154.56

What We Love: An analog-lover's software dream!

Thought of by many as the closest thing to an analog sound in the digital realm, Diva is a game-changing soft synth that distils the essence of a gamut of vintage synths for a fraction of the cost, including the Moog Minimoog, Rolan Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, Alpha Juno and Juno 60 and the Korg MS20.

Diva feels analogue right from the off, with an attractive interface bookended in luxurious digital wood. The synth’s oscillator, filter and envelope models are all closely modelled on components found in the classic units mentioned above. Traversing the divide between analog and digital is no mean feat, and u-he have managed it by applying a combination of real-time circuit simulation and zero delay feedback design to give the synth its gloriously buttery sound.

Kilohearts Phase Plant

Price: £158.95

What We Love: Unbelievable creative potential, with a vast range of genre-tailored expansions available

When Phase Plant was released in 2019, it shot to the top of many producers’ synth wishlists. With modular functionality that includes a versatile waveform generating system, dynamic and easily adjustable filters, a three-lane effects section and almost limitless modulation capabilities, Phase Plant brings a fresh take on developing tones and textures to craft.

Phase Plant is a sound design playground that gives you full synthesis control. By routing the plugin’s built-in modules along a signal chain, you can build your patches from the ground up, or choose from one of the 300-plus quality presets if you prefer having instant sounds on tap. All in all, there are so many sound design possibilities with this synth that at times it feels like you’re only scratching the surface of what it can do.

Arturia Pigments 4

Price: £170.40

What We Love: Virtual analog meets wavetable synthesis in this powerhouse of a softsynth

As a developer known predominantly for its vintage gear emulations and forays into hardware, Arturia made a splash with the launch of Pigments in 2018. A totally original mega-synth, Pigments 1 was founded on two synthesis engines: a virtual analog synth oscillator and a wavetable sound engine. Arturia then added a sampler and granulator engine to the follow-up, and Pigments 3 came out of the traps with a fourth utility engine based on noise samples. Now in its 4th iteration, Pigments has once again been updated with improved engines, new effects/filters, and a new, simplified 'Play' mode.

Along with the colourful sound engines, Pigments include filters, effects, modulation, sequencing and arpeggiation, making it a sound design powerhouse. Finding your own sonic fingerprint with this synth is a doddle, by combining any of the state-of-the-art sound engines, and then shaping your sound with instant patch modulation, classic and modern filters and studio-grade FX.

Best Synth VST Plugins Over £200

Arturia V Collection X

Price: £512.92

What We Love: Every classic synth you're ever likely to need, in one premium bundle!

Okay, so it’s not a singular synth, but at the top end of our list is a premium instrument suite with top-end quality. For those of you with some cash to splash, Arturia’s V Collection X comes with a hand-picked, expertly engineered line-up of 39 instruments – essentially all the synths you’ll ever need! Although this collection is the most expensive title on our list, when you take a closer look at the array of iconic synths, keyboards and hybrids within, it can only be considered a bargain buy.

The V Collection has it all - analog classics remodelled in absolute detail with Arturia’s exclusive True Analog Emulation technology; digital synths and samplers reborn and remastered; keyboards, organs, acoustic and electric pianos captured with state-of-the-art physical modelling technology, and innovative augmented instruments that fuse sampling and synthesis.