Compressor plugins are one of the must-have tools in your mixing arsenal. Without them, you can’t create great mixes and tracks.

Fortunately, today we have a huge number of great plugins. And the compressor is one of them. You can find many free or premium plugins that work great.

Every DAW comes with free, built-in plugins or effects. You can use them and it’s fine. But most of them lack some features and sound quality.

And because of this, I am here to find, test, and recommend some awesome compressor plugins you will love.

What’s The Best Compressor Plugin?

Let’s dive in and see the best compressor plugins you can find. The list contains premium and free compressor plugins that I have used and think that they are the best compressor plugins for mixing.

1. FabFilter Pro-C 2

FabFilter compressor

FabFilter Pro-C 2 is one of the most popular and my personal favorite digital compressors. It has many great features and awesome sound quality. Although it is feature-packed, it’s pretty easy to use. Has a great interface which makes navigating and understanding plugins easier.

Pro-C 2 has control knobs for threshold, ratio, attack, and release. You can control range, hold, knee, and even mix dry signal with compressed signal too. Also, it has an auto-gain feature that makes input and output levels correct. But I rarely use it.

One of my favorite features of it is the display where you can visually see how the audio is compressed. It makes the process easier. Also, you can see the input and output meters.

Other great things about the mid-range Pro-C 2 are the sidechain feature and built-in compressor types like bus, mastering, etc.

FabFilter Pro-C 2 Features:

  • You can use sidechain compression
  • Has beautiful visuals for audio compressing
  • Auto gain
  • Built-in compressor types

2. Tube-Tech CL 1B

tube tech compressor

Tube-Tech CL 1B by Softube is an amazing compressor. It’s based on a famous analog tube compressor of the same name. Has an amazing sound and is great for analog sound lovers. Working with it is like you tweak a real, outboard compressor. Looks and feels like an analog compressor even though it’s a digital one.

You get the ratio, threshold, attack, and release controls. Additionally, you can control output gain, and parallel compression, and also have a sidechain option. With a little VU meter, you can see how much compression is applied.

Although originally it was a vocal compressor, it works great with instruments and you can use it in any style of music genre. There are no limitations with CL 1B plugin. With it, you get an analog sound in a digital format.

Tube-Tech CL 1B Features:

  • Analog sound in a plugin
  • Amazing sound and features
  • Great for any music genre
  • Used by top engineers

3. SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor

ssl 4000

SSL 4000 G is another analog-based digital compressor and one of the best bus compressors made by Waves. Based on the famous SSL 4000 G Console you get that awesome analog sound in a plugin. With this bus compressor, your mixes will sound amazing.

Like all the compressor plugins this has an attack, release, threshold, and other controls a compressor needs. Also, a small VU meter with a needle and the option to choose an analog sound. Works great on every genre and makes mixes great sounding.

Also, you can use it not only in mixing but in mastering too. Just add a little compression to your tracks during mastering to add more glue to them.

SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor Features:

  • Analog bus compressor in a digital format
  • Great for mastering too
  • Perhaps the best bus compressor

4. Empirical Labs EL8

distressor compressor

Universal Audio’s EL8 compressor is based on one of the most popular compressors among engineers. It is based on Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor. With this, you can create amazing mixes because it sounds so awesome. It’s a versatile, fast, modern compressor with many colors. Great for analog sound enthusiasts.

Although it’s a compressor, it works as a limiter too. So you can use it for mixing and mastering too. It’s two devices in one. You get all the compressor features and additional options like a high pass filter, and limiter, and is great for instruments and vocals.

The Empirical Labs EL8 plugin is a must-have for every mixing and mastering engineer. Has a great price and everyone can afford it. It can be a great addition to your home recording studio.

Empirical Labs EL8 Features:

  • Analog-based with a great sound
  • Works as a compressor and limiter
  • Adds color to your tone

5. Waves CLA-2A

waves compressor

CLA-2A by Waves is another best compressor plugin based on analog gear. You get all the flavor and sound of an analog compressor in a digital format. So, if you love analog sound then it’s for you. Like EL8, it is a compressor and limiter too.

But it has a more minimalist design and you get only two knobs. You can control gain and peak reduction. Has a VU meter display and a switch to choose between a compressor and a limiter. It’s a simple yet powerful digital tool with an analog flavor for engineers.

Waves CLA-2A Features:

  • Based on an analog gear
  • Minimalist design
  • Acts as a compressor and limiter

6. Softube FET Compressor

FET Compressor

One of my favorite compressor plugins is the FET compressor by Softube. Like many other premium plugins, it’s based on a real device and sounds great. Makes mixes alive and it’s very easy to use and understand.

It has VU meters for input and gain reduction, and LED meters for peaks, ratio, attack, and release controls. You can use it for external side chaining and also allows you to control low and high cuts.

Not many plugins have these many features. But not only are the features great but also the sound is amazing. Adds analog-like saturation to the sound. If you like this kind of flavor, then you will love this plugin.

Softube FET Compressor Features:

  • Adds analog saturation to the sound
  • Low and high-cut control
  • Beautiful VU display

7. Kotelnikov

Kotelnikov compressor plugin

Kotelnikov by TDR is perhaps the best free compressor plugin in the world. And the reason is that it has great features and it’s an amazing-sounding plugin. The interface is like an analog compressor. It’s a fast and natural-sounding plugin.

Kotelnikov is great for instruments and vocals. You can control threshold, ratio, knee, and attack, and with the release, you can control peaks or RMS. Has a great reduction meter and you can mix dry signal with compressed sound.

If you want to try a great-sounding, easy-to-use, and free compressor plugin, then Kotelnikov is for you. I have used it on different instruments and works perfectly.

Kotelnikov Features:

  • Great sounding plugin
  • Peak and RMS release control
  • Comes with presets

8. Klanghelm MJUC JR

Klanghelm plugin

Klanghelm MJUC JR is a simple yet powerful free compressor plugin with just two knobs and a switch. This can work as a great bus or mastering compressor. With its simplicity, it makes mixing and compression easier and fast.

One knob controls the compression and the other controls the makeup gain. You have a switch for time constants to choose between slow, fast, or auto. Additionally, you get a VU meter to visually see the compression power.

I personally really love this plugin not only for sound quality but for simplicity.

Klanghelm MJUC JR Features:

  • Simple and easy to use
  • Powerful and great-sounding
  • Great mastering compressor

9. D16 Frontier

D16 Frontier

D16 Frontier is another simple and powerful free compressor plugin. Amazing and beautiful compressor plugin for home studios. It’s simple, powerful, great-sounding, and free and is great for any music genre or instrument.

It has two big knobs for threshold and output levels, a VU display, and a soft clip switch. You can set slow, medium, or fast release, and control the left and middle channels separately. It also comes with various presets.

D16 Frontier Features:

  • Easy to use
  • Very powerful
  • Left and right channel control

10. Rough Rider 3

Rough Rider comp plugin

Rough Rider 3 is another amazing free plugin. It has a very modern, beautiful, and kind of futuristic interface. I love working with this plugin. Apart from that, it has great features, and sound, and comes with several presets.

What you can control with Rough Rider 3 is input, ratio, compression, make-up gain, attack, release, and output. Also, you can mix dry and wet signals and support the sidechain option. Great plugin for home studios and perhaps the best vocal compressor plugin I have used recently.

Rough Rider 3 Features:

  • Sound great
  • Has amazing features
  • Awesome design

11. DCAM FreeComp

free compressor plugin

DCAM FreeComp is a simple, old-looking plugin with great sound and options. It’s modeled after a console bus compressor. Great for beginner engineers or any home studio owners to make their mixes more awesome. Just drop it in and compress your audio for free.

The interface consists of two sides. On one side you get an attack, ratio, threshold, and makeup knobs. The right side consists of VU display, input, and output gain knobs. It’s a simple but powerful plugin.

DCAM FreeComp Features:

  • Based on a famous console bus compressor
  • Simple and easy to understand
  • Great sounding plugin

12. BUSTERse

BUSTERse plugin

And lastly my favorite free bus compressor among all free compressor plugins. BUSTERse is made by Analog Obsession, a team behind many great plugins. It’s a great free alternative to the SSL 4000 G Bus compressor. Has a similar look and feel.

It works great as a bus compressor and can be used during mixing or mastering. Sounds awesome. You can control all the compressor options and see the effect on the VU meter.

Also, it has sidechain options like HPF, boost, and dry/wet mix. The best free bus compressor you can find. If you are interested, you can check out other Analog Obsession Plugins.

BUSTERse Features:

  • The great-sounding bus compressor
  • Analog feel
  • Sidechain feature

Conclusion

If you have a home studio and record at your home, you need to have a good compressor. Premium and free compressor plugins make our job easier. They offer amazing features and sound in a digital format. You can choose between pure digital or analog-based compressors and make high-quality mixes.

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