Today is Black Friday, and if you’re on a tight budget but still want to grab something nice for your studio, check out these plugins under $5.
We already covered the best deals under $10 and $20, and we also rounded up this year’s top Black Friday freebies. But now, let’s dive into the ultra-budget tier.
And by the way, some of these deals punch way above their price tag (my absolute favorites being the Megaphone and Cyberdrive Core, followed by Usynth Stranger).
Oh, and if you get any of these, you’ll also get a free gift from Plugin Boutique.
AudioThing – Megaphone ($5)
AudioThing Megaphone is currently just five bucks, and it’s one of the most fun sound-mangling tools you can pick up for this price.
It’s a bullhorn/loudspeaker emulation, but that description undersells it. I use it all the time to push vocals or instruments into gritty, lo-fi territory. The built-in slapback-style feedback is especially cool for that chaotic live-PA vibe.
The noise module lends you blend button clicks, bursts, and other textures for a more realistic sound. Overall, it’s great for the “cheap megaphone in a warehouse” sound, but it’s also a flexible lo-fi sound design tool that you can use on all sorts of audio sources.
BeatSkillz – Chorust ($5)
Chorust is a lush chorus plugin with some extra flavor thanks to its lo-fi and ladder filter controls.
I’m a sucker for chorus plugins that have an 80s vibe, and Chorust makes that gooey type of sound really easy to achieve. The lo-fi circuit adds some grit, while the filters let you shape the tone and remove some of the highs for an even warmer sound.
The ladder filter is my favorite addition and definitely not something you’ll find in a typical chorus. You can use it to create a rounder top end or make the modulation more focused on a specific frequency range.
I’ve been using this on synths and pads a lot, in addition to typical JUNO choruses like JU-60.
United Plugins – Bassment Core ($5)
Bassment Core is a stripped-down version of United Plugins’ flagship bass processor plugin, Bassment.
This lightweight edition is perfect if you just want to improve your bass tone without digging through various FX (and you should also try our free BPB Bassaturator for that same purpose).
You get the main amp, multi-band shaping, tone-enhancement, and a nice cab section.
Excite Audio – Lifeline Wear ($5)
Lifeline Wear is a tool for audio degradation, and it’s one of the easiest recommendations on the list.
The included Tape, vinyl, and cassette modes give you three flavors of imperfection, ranging from subtle warmth to more lo-fi artefacts like distortion and dropouts.
The noise engine is also fun. You get Multiple noise layers that can duck or react to your input, letting you turn noise into a creative layer. You can get rhythmic pumping dust or mechanical hum that cuts through your percussion.
I always liked that type of sound as it makes beats sound more organic, and you’d easily mistake it for something that was resampled from an actual tape (but is just a plugin running in your DAW).
UJAM – Usynth STRANGER ($5)
Usynth STRANGER is a dark-sounding instrument with various cinematic synth-textures for you to explore.
I love UJAM’s approach with their Usynth series: they give you deep synthesis engines on the inside but hide the complex stuff behind macro controls. STRANGER is particularly fun if you’re into 80s and 90s sci-fi sounds.
And even if you’re not a synth programmer, STRANGER lets you shape the patches with its macros. The built-in Finisher effects are another fine addition, and for only $5, it’s an absolute steal for ambient and scoring synth work.
UJAM – UFX Reverb Version 2 ($5)
UFX Reverb 2 brings a big upgrade over the original. Most importantly, the Dual Mode lets you layer two reverb types at once.
You also get Early Reflections for added realism, and the new Finisher and Filter sections make this one feel more like a multi-effect than just a reverb.
Also, if you’re ambient, the Freeze function is perfect for drones, and the Ducking control can help you place the reverb in the mix without blurring everything else.
The Surprise button is another neat addition if you like happy accidents during writing sessions.
Plugin Boutique – Exceed ($5)
Exceed is a compact multi-effect for warming up tracks. It splits processing into high and low frequency bands, whereas each comes with a set of saturation and imaging tools.
I like this one on the mix bus. It’s useful for adding a touch of presence without harshness.
United Plugins – WideFire ($5)
WideFire takes the widening engine from DarkFire and packages it into a more streamlined stereo widening and saturation tool.
It saturates your signal, splits the harmonics, and widens them while keeping the original audio intact. The main idea is to make the signal sound wider without the typical phasing issues you’d get with similar tools.
It’s a bit more subtle than what I’m used to with stereo wideners, but that really does the trick in the sense that the signal is more coherent.
United Plugins – Cyberdrive Core ($5)
Cyberdrive Core is the lightweight version of Cyberdrive. It carries the full set of 64 distortion models but in a more streamlined interface.
If you like distortion plugins that give you a bunch of flavors to choose from, from warm to absolutely ridiculous, this is one of the most versatile options you’ll ever find under $5.
I love how the Control knob changes behavior depending on the model. Sometimes it shapes the curve, sometimes it changes symmetry, sometimes it alters dynamics. So when I’m feeling a bit stuck during sound design, I load this on a texture and try the different algorithms until I find something that sounds inspiring.
Deal of the day 🔥: The best BLACK FRIDAY DEALS in one place!
Last Updated on November 28, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
