To save you time, I have searched and compiled together 15 Guitar Plugins that are completely FREE! Do let me know your favorite Plugin.
1. Clon Minotaur Transparent Overdrive by Nembrini Audio
Clon Minotaur Transparent Overdrive is modelled on The Klon Centaur* a guitar overdrive pedal developed between 1990 and 1994. The Clon Minotaur is characterized as a "transparent" overdrive, meaning it adds gain to the signal without significantly altering the tone of the guitar.
System Requirement ▷ VST2, VST3, AAX or Audio Units compatible host ▷ Intel compatible or Apple Silicon
Download Here
2. Black Distortion by Nembrini Audio
The Black Distortion plugin modeled on RAT2* distortion pedal will be your go-to distortion plugin for every recording, whether it’s rock, blues, punk, or jazz.
The beauty of the Black Distortion plugin lies in its versatility. Used as a primary distortion, it excels at arena rock rhythm tones and soaring leads.
System Requirement
▷ VST2, VST3, AAX or AudioUnits compatible host
▷ Intel-compatible or Apple Silicon
Download Here
3. Dr.Drive by Audiority Dr Drive is an analog simulation of a modern overdrive inspired by the Horizon Devices® Precision Drive™. This overdrive fits a large variety of applications for either the classic and the modern metal guitar player.
Features
▷ Analog Modelled Overdrive
▷ Drive, Tone, Attack and Level controls
▷ Pre and Post effect gain
▷ Mix control
▷ Noise Gate
▷ Resizable interface
System Requirement
▷ macOS 11.0 or later | Apple M1 or higher | Windows 7 64bit or later
▷ VST2, VST3, AU, CLAP 64-bit host
Download Here
4. Crunk V2 Guitar Amplifier by Nembrni Audio
It's version 2 of the first plugin designed by Igor Nembrini at the beginning of his career in DSP development more than ten years ago.
Thanks to the Crunck V1 Igor was hired by one of the most important companies in audio DSP development, Brainworx, and for them, he developed the most famous guitar and bass amp plugins on the market.
System Requirement
▷ VST2, VST3, AAX or Audio Units compatible host
▷ Intel compatible or Apple Silicon
Download Here
5. BratWurst Fuzz by Doom Plugs
It's a fuzzy ratty thing.
Features: ▷ 16x internal oversampling and mono / stereo compatibility. ▷ Corner resizer. ▷ Handy arrow button for mini mode. ▷ Paint splat for good measure. ▷ CLAP format System Requirement ▷ Windows 64bit (VST3) and Mac* (VST3 + AU). Download Here
6. Chameleon by Guitar ML
Chameleon is a guitar plugin using neural networks to create three distinct sounds from a vintage-style amp head. Chameleon's core sound comes from a neural net inference engine which allows the plugin to disguise itself as a high-end tube amplifier. While SmartAmp and SmartAmpPro are more experimental in nature, Chameleon uses the state-of-the-art RTNeural engine which brings CPU usage down to compete with other commercial plugins. Version 1.2
System Requirement
▷ Windows 10/11 64-bit (VST3, AAX)
▷ Mac 10.11 and up (AU, VST3, AAX)
▷ Linux (VST3, AAX)
Download Here
7. Burier by Kit Plugins
Burier ranges from subtle overdrive to sizzling distortion and covers everything in between. Designed to “bury” a wide array of instruments, buses, and FX, Burier is the ultimate go-to saturator for drums, bass, vocals, and more. Burier comes with 3 customizable color options and a fully-resizable GUI
System Requirement
▷ AU, VST3, and AAX formats
▷ macOS (10.11 or later, M1 not yet natively supported)
▷ Windows (7 or 10).
Download Here
8. Blacksun by Audioassault
Blacksun is a versatile two-channel amp sim, featuring the "mode" control that lets you change the flavor of the amp.
System Requirement
▷ Windows, macOS, and Linux 64 bit DAW'S
▷ VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin formats
Download Here
9. TS-M1N3 by Guitar ML
TS-M1N3 is a guitar plugin clone of the TS-9 Tubescreamer overdrive pedal. Machine learning was used to train a model of both the drive and tone knobs for an accurate recreation of the pedal in all possible configurations. Version 1.2
Available formats (from the installer):
▷ Windows 10/11, 64-bit (VST3, AAX)
▷ Mac 10.15 and up (AU, VST3, AAX)
▷ Linux (VST3, LV2)
Download Here
10. Phaser 74 by Fazertone
This was the first ever phaser to come in a small pedal format, but don't let its simplicity fool you: it's a gorgeous, shimmering sound that's been present on countless records, most notably associated with Van Halen and David Gilmour.
Using the same neural network tech as our other pedals, we've reproduced all the analog warmth of the original circuit so you can get it in plug-in format - and we're releasing it for free! Get the elegant simplicity of this classic pedal - a welcome respite from the complex controls in more modern gear, all you need is to drag and drop it to instantly get that vintage 70s phasing effect. With the speed knob, you can control the rate of the phasing, allowing you to go from a subtle background wooshing effect to an intense psychedelic swirl.
System Requirement
▷ Mac OS X 10.14 or later, Native M1 or Intel from 2014 or later.
▷ Windows 7, 8 or 10, 64-bit
▷ VST3,AU Tested in Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Reaper and Cakewalk.
Download Here
11. Comp 76 by Fazertone
You'd be hard-pressed to find a piece of gear that's in more pedalboards than this legendary classic from the 70s, and there's a good reason for that: instead of spending hours finding the right attack/release/ratio combination, you can rely on the fact that this is the piece of gear that has stood the test of time as being the perfect match for guitar and bass.
All you need is to add it to your tone stack, adjust the sensitivity and volume to your liking, and you're set. Push the sensitivity to the max and you'll get a gorgeous, long sustain, with strong percussive attacks; while you can just add a little bit to even out your playing.
Plus, with the neural network, you'll get all the magic of the analog envelope follower, along with a little hint of saturation that's present in the original circuit.
System Requirement
▷ Mac OS X 10.14 or later, Native M1 or Intel from 2014 or later.
▷ Windows 7, 8, or 10, 64-bit
▷ VST3, AU Tested in Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Reaper, and Cakewalk.
Download Here
12. Proteus by Guitar ML
Proteus is the new standard in GuitarML device capture, maintaining sound quality while dramatically decreasing CPU usage from the SmartPedal. Create your own Knob captures of the full range of a Drive / Gain / EQ knob from your amp or pedal, or quickly create a snapshot model of a single setting. Download the Proteus Capture Utility and check out the tutorial videos for the easiest way to capture Amplifiers and Distortion/Overdrive/Boost pedals, and check out the growing ToneLibrary for pre-made tones from popular and rare guitar gear.
Special thanks to John Stutts for the hand sketched graphic and Stefan Schmidt for the 3D pedal and waves Blender model.
System Requirement
▷ Windows 10/11, 64-bit (VST3, AAX)
▷ Mac 10.15 and up (AU, VST3, AAX)
▷ Linux (VST3, LV2)
Download Here
13. L12X SOLID STATE AMPLIFIER by Audiority
L12X is an analog simulation inspired by the Marshall® Lead 12™ solid-state amplifier of the late ‘80s.
The original head was an op-amp-based amplifier: compared to tubes or FET/JFET transistors, the op-amp is able to provide a huge amount of gain with very little or no distortion. However, when the amplified signal reaches the voltage applied to power the op-amp, it gets clipped. Marshall engineers exploited that to provide a great-sounding amplifier with very few components.
This little solid-state head is able to push cabinets up to 4×12 and can easily sound like a JCM™. We modified the original circuit by adding a Contour knob (to get a more scooped tone) and an additional Boost overdrive stage. We also included an integrated Cab Simulator, loaded with a Marshall cabinet IR featuring Celestion V30 cones.
Features
▷ 3x Analog Modeled Amplifiers
▷ Solid State Amplifier: Standard
▷ Tube Amplifiers: Clean & Metal
▷ 2 Channels (Clean/Boost)
▷ 3 bands tone stack
▷ Contour
▷ Integrated Cabinet Simulator
▷ Resizable interface
▷ Standalone included
System Requirement
▷ Windows 7 64bit or later
▷ OSX 10.8 or later | macOS 11.0 or later,Apple M1 or higher
▷ VST2, VST3, AU, CLAP 64-bit host
Download Here
14. Wah Pedal by Nembrini Audio
Nembrini Audio Wah is modeled on the Wah pedal created by Thomas Organ* Company and manufactured by JEN in Italy.
This is the unmistakable wah tone heard i Hendrix classics like "Up From the Sky," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "Little Miss Lover" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming." The Nembrini Audio Wah reproduces these timbres.
System Requirement
▷ VST2, VST3, AAX, or AudioUnits compatible host
▷ Intel-compatible or Apple Silicon
Download Here
15.UnifiedPreamplifierbyAuroraDSP
Made for chugging, the Unified Preamplifier will make your amp scream. Based on the original unit, used by 8 string pioneers. It's perfect for boosting medium-gain amplifiers or unleashing hell in your high-gain setup.
Whether you use this pedal as a clean booster, or tone warmer, it'll always remain transparent to your tone.
Clean boost with EQ
Well-known sound and tone
System Requirement
▷ AU, AAX and VST
Download Here