01
Vital
Matt Tytel · Wavetable · VST3, VST2, AU, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The wavetable synth that made Serum optional. Spectral warping, drag-and-drop modulation, all of it free.
Best free synths for Linux
Linux has a serious synth catalogue now. These free instruments run natively on Linux as VST3, CLAP, LV2 or standalone apps, and most of them are open source.
02Surge XT
Surge Synth Team · Hybrid · VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
A former $99 synth, open-sourced and then out-developed by its community. Twelve oscillator types, 2,800 patches.
03Dexed
Digital Suburban · FM · VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The DX7 in your DAW. Loads original sysex patches, so forty years of FM sound design is yours for nothing.
04Zebralette 3
u-he · Spectral · VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
One oscillator from u-he’s upcoming Zebra 3, and it is absurd: spline drawing, spectral effects, MSEGs and a mod matrix.
05Odin 2
TheWaveWarden · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2 · Windows, macOS, Linux
A 24-voice analog-style synth with drawable waveforms and filters modelled on the Moog ladder and Korg 35.
06Cardinal
DISTRHO · Modular · VST3, VST2, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
VCV Rack as a plugin, with 1,382 modules baked in. Free, open source, runs in your DAW or in a browser.
07TyrellN6
u-he · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
A Juno-flavoured dream synth designed by a magazine’s readers and built by u-he, with early Diva filters inside.
08OB-Xf
Surge Synth Team · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The Surge team’s open-source continuation of OB-Xd: Oberheim OB-X flavour, patch-compatible, GPL forever.
09TAL-NoiseMaker
Togu Audio Line · Virtual analog · VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, CLAP · Windows, macOS, Linux
Three oscillators, a self-resonating filter and that Juno chorus. Still the fastest way to a good analog bass.
10RipplerX
Tilr (tiagolr) · Physical modelling · VST3, AU, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Strings, beams, membranes, plates and tubes, coupled and struck. An open-source answer to Chromaphone.
11Six Sines
BaconPaul · FM · VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Six sine operators that can all modulate each other at audio rate. Strange, deep and MIT-licensed.
12Galdr
Sognevo · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
2026’s new arrival: a black-metal-styled open-source synth with morphing wavetables and a granular Blizzard layer.
13Vaporizer2
VAST Dynamics · Wavetable · VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
A full commercial wavetable workstation, 220 mod destinations and all, handed to the world under GPL in 2023.
14Helm
Matt Tytel · Virtual analog · VST3, VST2, AU, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Matt Tytel’s pre-Vital synth: 32 voices, formant filter, stutter effect. Archived in 2025 but still fantastic.
15Podolski
u-he · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
u-he’s one-oscillator workhorse with WaveWarp morphing and a 16-step arpeggiator. Simple on purpose.
16Triple Cheese
u-he · Physical modelling · VST3, AU, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
No oscillators at all: three comb filters make the sound. Won the 2006 KVR Developer Challenge for a reason.
17Beatzille
u-he · Modular · VST3, AU, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
A pocket Bazille: two digital oscillators with FM, phase distortion and fractal resonance, patchable modulation.
18OB-Xd 2
discoDSP · Virtual analog · VST3, VST2, AU, LV2, AAX · Windows, macOS, Linux
discoDSP’s long-running Oberheim OB-X emulation. Free for any use, no registration. OB-Xd 3 is a separate paid product.
19Charlatan
BlauKraut Engineering · Virtual analog · VST3, CLAP · Windows, Linux
Bare-bones subtractive engine with drawable waveforms and three filter models. Windows and Linux, VST3 and CLAP.
20VCV Rack 2 Free
VCV · Modular · Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The virtual Eurorack. Thousands of modules, a whole community, free as a standalone app.
21Bespoke Synth
Ryan Challinor · Modular · Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
A modular canvas made for jamming: patch synths, sequencers and even VST plugins in a free-form space.
22OctaSine
Joakim Frostegård · FM · VST2, CLAP · Windows, macOS, Linux
A four-operator FM synth written in Rust, with a trick nobody else has: modulation panned across the stereo field.
23Digits
Extent of the Jam · FM · VST2, AU · Windows, macOS, Linux
Casio CZ-style phase distortion synthesis, pushed further than the hardware and open-sourced in 2017.
24Tunefish 4
Brain Control · Additive · VST2, VST3, AU · Windows, macOS, Linux
Born in the demoscene to fit inside a 64k intro. An additive wavetable engine that punches far above its size.
25ADLplug / OPNplug
jpcima · Chiptune · VST2, VST3, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The Yamaha OPL3 and OPN2 chips of Sound Blaster and Sega Genesis fame, with selectable emulator cores.
26Monique Mono-Synth
Surge Synth Team · Virtual analog · VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Thomas Arndt’s monophonic bass and lead synth, now maintained by the Surge Synth Team.
27ZynAddSubFX
ZynAddSubFX team · Additive · VST2, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Three engines, 128-harmonic waveform generator, 1,100 instruments. A veteran of Linux studios since the 2000s.
28Yoshimi
Yoshimi project · Additive · LV2, Standalone · Linux
The Linux-only ZynAddSubFX fork with deep MIDI learn and background PADsynth recalculation.
29amsynth
Nick Dowell · Virtual analog · VST2, AU, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
A classic two-oscillator subtractive synth developed since 2002, now with a JUCE interface and MTS-ESP tuning.
More guides
Best free VST synths · Best free AU synths for Logic and GarageBand · Free synths with CLAP support · Best free synth apps for iPad and iPhone · Best open-source synthesizers · Free FM synths · Free wavetable synths · Free virtual analog synths · Free modular synths