bpb Freeware Studio: Best Free Sidechain Compressor VST/AU Plugins

In this edition of bpb Freeware Studio, we will be covering the best freeware sidechain compressors in VST/AU plugin format for Windows and Mac. Most current DAWs do come with a native sidechain compressor, but just in case your DAW doesn’t have one, here’s a list of the best freeware alternatives.

All of the plugins listed above offer similar functionality, so my suggestion is to test them all out and make sure to use the one which performs best in your setup. My favorite choice is ReaComp, closely followed by Christian Budde’s Sidechain Compressor.

On the other hand, when I just need a quick sidechain compressor setup, I usually go for slim slow slider’s Side Chain Compressor plugin. The GUI clearly indicates how much compression is happening, and extremely easy to get satisfactory results with it.

Mac users will have to pick between DualComp and Mcompressor, both of which are actually pretty good choices for sidechain compression.

Many thanks to bpb reader Jackie for suggesting Density mkII and MCompressor and psilas for suggesting Molot!

Make some great mixes with these freeware sidechain compressors and please don’t forget to share this article on your favorite forums and social networks (you can do that easily by using the buttons below). Support BPB and help us grow!