We list 72 Compressor plugins from 27 brands. The most represented are Waves, Universal Audio and Steinberg. Open any of them for a rundown of what it does and where it fits.
Universal Audio
Punch through dense mixes with three legendary 1176 variants delivering lightning-fast FET compression and overdriven character. All-Button mode stacks ratios for aggressive, colored aggression that cuts through anything.
Universal Audio
Nail aggressive, musical compression with API's legendary Thrust control and dual compression modes—switch between vintage warmth and modern precision to lock in vocals, drums, or bass with character.
Waves
Nail punchy, controlled mixes with dual-channel compression that handles stereo or parallel mono—choose between feed-forward and feedback modes while Thrust boosts presence exactly where you need it.
Avid
Tame dynamic peaks with vintage-style compression using four selectable ratios and precise attack/release control for studio-grade tracking and mixing.
Plugin Alliance
The bx_townhouse Buss Compressor is a plugin emulation of a rare 1978 SSL-based compressor hand-built by Townhouse Studios staff using components supplied by Solid State Logic. It delivers smooth, cohesive buss compression with distinctive character and warmth, offering the early SSL sound with added mojo compared to standard G-Series SSL emulations.
Waves
Control each frequency range independently with surgical dynamics processing—compress, expand, and EQ four bands simultaneously for pristine, balanced mixes.
Waves
Compress individual frequency ranges independently while watching real-time gain changes unfold—split vocals, drums, or bass into six controllable bands for surgical clarity without artifacts.
Waves
Glue vocals, bass, and instruments with the legendary optical compression that shaped hit records—smooth, transparent, and effortlessly musical.
Waves
Smooth your vocals and instruments with program-dependent optical compression that responds musically to dynamics, not just levels. The legendary 3A character tames peaks naturally while preserving tone.
Waves
Reign in aggressive transients with 50-microsecond attack and choose from 5 compression ratios for studio-grade vocal and drum control.
Arturia
Tame aggressive peaks with the legendary warmth of diode bridge compression—smooth, musical, and instantly professional.
Arturia
Tame aggressive transients with lightning-fast FET compression, then sculpt tone using mid/side processing and frequency-selective sidechain filtering.
Arturia
Achieve vintage tube compression character with program-dependent dynamics that adapt naturally to your source, eliminating rigid threshold settings.
Arturia
Tame peaks with studio-grade VCA compression and sculpt sidechain behavior through frequency-specific detection for surgical control over any mix element.
Kilohearts
Duck instruments dynamically with RMS, PEAK, or ISP detection and precise attack, hold, and release controls.
Ableton
Control dynamic range with surgical precision using Peak, RMS, or Expand modes—plus lookahead detection for transparent, musical compression.
Apple
Compressor is a dynamic range processor that emulates several professional-level compressor circuits, tightening audio by reducing sounds exceeding a threshold while smoothing dynamics and increasing perceived loudness. It's one of the most versatile sound-shaping tools in mixing, suitable for individual tracks or overall mix processing.
Bitwig
Tame dynamics with surgical control—dial in attack, release, and ratio for transparent compression or aggressive character shaping.
Kilohearts
Control dynamic range with precision using flexible RMS or peak detection, shaping any source from subtle glue to aggressive limiting.
PreSonus
Tame dynamics with surgical precision using interactive curve editing and adaptive look-ahead to eliminate pumping.
Steinberg
Tame dynamic peaks with musical precision using selectable knee modes and high-ratio presets for transparent or aggressive compression.
Bitwig
Tailor compression across four frequency bands with character modes and VCA colors for surgical mix control or creative processing.
Universal Audio
Tame dense mixes with legendary dbx compression and parallel blending for transparent control.
Waves
Squeeze vocals and drums into submission with feed-forward VCA compression and unlimited ratio control. Blend parallel compression to glue tracks without losing their punch.
Soundtoys
Demolish dynamics with aggression—automatic release timing locks onto your input while Crush and Crunch unleash everything from vintage compression to extreme gating chaos.
Soundtoys
Smash vocals and drums with vintage 1960s-style extreme compression that glues everything together while a Darkness knob tames harshness. Blend in as much crunch as you need with switchable release times.
Avid
Control dynamic range from subtle glue to aggressive limiting with surgical precision and musical knee control.
Newfangled Audio
Tame aggressive peaks across 26 psychoacoustic bands while preserving transient clarity and natural tone—essential for transparent mastering.
Universal Audio
Tame or saturate any source with eight compression ratios and harmonic distortion modes. Parallel processing and sidechain filtering give you surgical control over tone and dynamics.
Universal Audio
Anchor mixes with tube warmth and harmonic saturation. Blend parallel compression for natural sustain without sacrificing dynamics.
Slate Digital
Dial in transparent or colored compression with variable curves and surgical knee control—perfect for tracking and mixing with zero latency.
D16 Group
Control dynamics with self-adapting gain makeup and three release modes for transparent, musical compression across any channel configuration.
Image-Line
Dial in everything from subtle to aggressive compression with switchable knee types and extreme ratio control for expansion or compression.
Ableton
Tighten mixes with analog warmth and adaptive compression that responds intelligently to your material's dynamics.
Waves
Route vocals through vintage analog circuitry—choose your compression character from four legendary transformer, tube, and transistor topologies to add warmth and cohesion without losing punch.
Baby Audio
Glide one XY pad to dial in compression intensity and wet/dry blend simultaneously, while dynamic saturation and transient control keep your tone punchy and musical.
Tokyo Dawn Labs
Tame dynamics with surgical precision using frequency-dependent compression and independent peak/RMS controls for pristine, transparent results.
Universal Audio
Smooth out vocals and instruments with three legendary tube compressor variants, each delivering the iconic warm, musical character that defined decades of hit records.
Analog Obsession
Glide vocals and instruments into cohesive mixes with silky vintage compression and surgical sidechain filtering.
Kilohearts
Limiter by Kilohearts is a straightforward peak-limiting plugin that prevents audio volume from exceeding a user-defined threshold. It provides essential dynamic control with input and output gain staging, threshold adjustment, and release time control, plus a VU meter for visual feedback of input level and attenuation.
Plugin Alliance
Nail transparent, musical compression with dual-mode control and pristine 16x oversampling that captures the legendary warmth of vintage diode bridge circuitry.
Plugin Alliance
Tame mixed frequencies independently with surgical 3-band diode compression and creative SMASH overload for polished, transparent mastering results.
Reason Studios
The Master Bus Compressor by Reason Studios is a straightforward dynamic range reduction plugin designed to add punch, cohesion, and polish to mix buses and drum channels. It features make-up gain and program-adaptive release for musical compression control, plus parallel processing via dry/wet mixing and external sidechain capabilities. This rack version is optimized for Reason's VST3 plugin format and standalone use, delivering the final "fairy dust" that makes mixes sound bigger and more powerful.
Reason Studios
Control dynamics intelligently with adaptive release that responds to your signal, plus sidechain ducking and CV modulation for creative compression.
Tokyo Dawn Labs
Molot GE is a characterful dynamic range compressor that blends classic compression mechanisms with sophisticated saturation, creative tone control, and a snappy peak limiter. It covers a wide range of compression colors from mellow leveling to tight dynamic control to aggressively vibrant compression, making it suited for drums needing crisp impact, vocal solidification and enrichment, and enhancement of guitar and bass recordings. The plugin is not a vintage emulation but was inspired by classic compression characteristics and emphasizes state-of-the-art audio processing with strict distortion control.
Steinberg
Control problematic frequencies without touching the rest. Four independent compression bands tackle boomy lows, harsh mids, and sibilant highs with surgical precision.
Apple
Isolate and compress specific frequency ranges independently, eliminating unwanted noise while preserving tonal balance across your mix.
Waves
Boost quiet details while controlling peaks—MV2's dual-range compression lets you lift whispers and tame loud moments simultaneously, all with surgical precision.
Universal Audio
Glue vocals and drums with the warmth of legendary British compression. Diode-bridge gain reduction adds harmonic richness while independent channel controls refine stereo sources.
Eventide
Morph between expansion and compression in one sweep, then flip sound envelopes inside-out for otherworldly tape-reversal textures.
Sonnox
Control dynamics with surgical precision using independent compressor, limiter, expander, and gate sections plus harmonic warmth.
Baby Audio
Fatten drums, bass, and vocals by blending dry signal with aggressive compression and warm saturation on independent parallel paths.
FabFilter
Tame any source with eight distinct compression characters—from pristine mastering to aggressive pumping—while variable knee and 20ms lookahead let you dial surgical precision or creative aggression instantly.
FabFilter
Dial in the perfect compression character with 14 sonic styles, from vintage warmth to transparent control, plus immersive audio support.
Waves
Vintage tube compression that glues tracks with smooth, musical saturation—dial in the perfect timing with six proven time constants and choose your link mode for stereo magic.
Cockos
Tame dynamic peaks with surgical control using sidechain filtering and program-dependent release that adapts to your material.
Cockos
Control each frequency band independently with unlimited surgical precision, tackling mix problems without compromising musicality.
Waves
Tame dynamics with surgical precision using dual compression modes—vintage optical warmth or modern RMS accuracy—while subtle harmonic control keeps your tone rich and present.
Steinberg
Split your audio into three independent bands for surgical tonal control and dynamic shaping with upward or downward compression per band.
SSL
Glue your mix with the legendary SSL G-Series character—dial in perfect compression balance with variable attack/release and parallel blending for professional polish.
Softube
Tame dynamic peaks with musical control and vintage-inspired saturation, offering flexible attack and release for any source.
Tokyo Dawn Labs
Control dynamic complexity with surgical precision using independent peak and RMS processing for transparent, musical compression.
Tokyo Dawn Labs
Explore eleven distinct compression flavors with pristine signal integrity and zero-latency options for real-time tracking or mixing polish.
PreSonus
Balance multi-band dynamics with three-band compression that auto-adapts attack, release, and thresholds to your material.
Steinberg
Tube Compressor is a versatile dynamics processor that combines smooth compression with integrated tube-simulation for warm, analog-modeled compression effects. It features an internal side-chain filter section for creative gain reduction triggering, and uses a VU meter to display gain reduction in real-time.
Softube
Control dynamics with vintage analog character using continuous ratio control and flexible attack/release modes for precise musical compression.
Universal Audio
Blend compressed and uncompressed signals to thicken vocals and drums while keeping punchy transients intact. Optical compression with sidechain filtering locks in control without sacrificing impact.
Universal Audio
Control vocal punch and mix glue with ultra-fast tube compression—dial in classic warmth or aggressive control across four selectable ratios.
Waves
Add warmth and cohesion to your mix with vintage analog compression that tames peaks while preserving musicality and presence.
Steinberg
VintageCompressor is a dynamics plugin modeled after vintage-style compressors, featuring separate input and output gain controls with dedicated attack and release parameters. It distinguishes itself through a Punch mode that preserves the attack transient even with short attack times, and an Auto Release function that adapts release timing to the source material.
Goodhertz
Vulf Compressor is a distinctive compression plugin based on a rare algorithm from the Boss SP-303, expanded and refined for modern production. It delivers a characterful, slightly vintage-sounding compression that can range from subtle coloration to aggressive, brutal processing, making it a go-to tool for adding a distinct sonic signature to individual tracks or entire mixes.
Softube
Nail transparent dynamics control with three authentic limiter modes and real-time waveform feedback for pristine mastering-grade results.