The organ is a studio staple. Whether it’s for classical, pop and rock, or even progressive metal, it has wide ranging application.
The organ is perfect for everything from haunting, dark tones to whimsical, jovial timbres. It’s great for ballads, and it’s great for the most upbeat tunes. Sometimes, the organ is just what you need to add a layer of texture or character to a track. And sometimes, an organ solo is extremely satisfying.
In this guide, we’ll be looking at the best free organ VST plugins.
Contents
CollaB3 by Sampleson
Not much needs to be said about what Sampleson’s CollaB3 is supposed to be emulating. This is a vintage tonewheel organ emulation (in the style of the famous Hammond B3). The developer originally created it to keep creatives busy having fun at home during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Sampleson teamed up with the likes of Librewave, Lalaland Audio, and Studio427 Audio in developing CollaB3, to ensure it would live up to studio quality. So, you know it’s no slouch. They weren’t afraid to go granular, either, reproducing noises, clicks, leakage, rotary speaker, and tonewheel for a more authentic feel.
CollaB3 also features chorus, reverb, and percussion, a scalable HD interface, and is compatible with Windows and Mac machines.
The results really are nothing short of stunning. CollaB3, to my ears, sounds stellar, with its soaring highs, warm lows, and rich body. It could certainly stand in for a Hammond B3 barring all other options.
I don’t know what you’re waiting for. Go grab this one immediately.
Download: Sampleson
LABS – Pipe Organ by Spitfire Audio
If you’re looking for a huge cathedral organ sound, then you will be hard pressed to find a free option that even touches Spitfire Audio’s LABS – Pipe Organ.
Spitfire Audio’s own Robert Angus Roberts-Carey recorded this pipe organ at his local church. Created in collaboration with the Pianobook community, LABS – Pipe Organ features seven presets (a rarity for their free offerings) covering a variety of stops and pads. That’s next level.
You shouldn’t be embarrassed to use LABS – Pipe Organ in a film or video game score, as it sounds just that good (as is the case with most LABS plugins). If you don’t believe me, check out the video below.
The plugin will take up a good chunk of hard drive space, but if you’ve got room to spare, this probably won’t concern you overly much. LABS plugins can be a little glitchy too, but the extra nuisance is worth putting up with for the sound quality.
Download: Spitfire Audio
HaNon B70 by Lostin70s Audio
Another Hammond B3 emulation, the HaNon B70 is based on the classic organ matched with the unmistakable Leslie 122 rotary speaker that became an unmistakable part of the trademark organ sound.
This software organ features an always active 91 toneWheel with adjustable, natural key clicks, simulation of the tube amplification stage and drive, MIDI control, percussions, chorus, vibrato, and reverb, adjustable leakage, Leslie slow / fast, two channels and two sets of drawbars, MIDI learn, and a collection of presets.
HaNon B70 sounds great. To me, it sounds a little tamer than CollaB3, but with less grit. I also don’t think it’s quite as authentic. But even so, it’s quite stunning, especially for a free VST plugin, and there aren’t too many of these. Check it out in the video below.
Download: Lostin70s Audio
Combo Model F by Martinic
Taking after the infamous Farfisa Mini Deluxe Compact combo organ, Martinic’s Combo Model F delivers that familiar, classic console organ sound, nearly to a tee.
Combo Model F features a four-octave keyboard, six polyphonic octave range, four footage tabs (16’, 8’, 4’ 2⅔′), three treble voice tabs (Dolce, Principale, Strings), multi-tone booster voice with all booster tab, knee level control, and bass voice (grey keys).
You also get a vibrato unit with adjustable speed and depth, volume pedal, adjustable tuning per note, sample-free modelling (with oscillators, dividers, crosstalk, noise, filters, key contacts, and key click), velocity-sensitive key contact attack and release. Plus, Combo Model F is fully automatable.
I don’t know if any part of my experience is “typical.” But the delightful sound of this VST organ reminds me of the decades-old organ that was sitting at my grandparent’s place that I’d mess around with as a kid. I don’t remember the brand. It could have been a Farfisa.
You’re not going to get the soaring punch and attack or the warm, deep lows of a B3 let alone a Nord Electro, but for traditional, classical, and religious styles, it will more than warm the cackles of your heart. For that reason alone, it might be worth a download.
Combo Model F is Windows and Mac compatible.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Combo Model V by Martinic
Another entry via Martinic, Combo Model V was inspired by a popular 1960s combo organ (specifically the Vox Continental, popularized by Ray Manzarek of The Doors).
Its feature set is quite comparable to Combo Model F – four-octave keyboard, seven polyphonic octave range, four footage drawbars (16’, 8’, 4’, mixture), two voice drawbars (flute, reed), vibrato unit (with adjustable speed and depth), swell (volume) pedal, and adjustable tuning per note.
Combo Model V also includes sample-free modelling, oscillators, dividers, crosstalk, filters, key contacts, key click, velocity-sensitive key contact attack and release, and 32 presets. This software organ is also fully automatable.
Overall, the Model V features a competent Vox Continental sound (I was pleasantly surprised). On its own, it can’t compare to the real thing, of course, but honestly it can still make your arm hairs stand on end. I’d say this one is well worth adding to your VST arsenal, even given its somewhat legacy status.
Combo Model V is available in Windows and Mac compatible formats.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
ScandiClavia 2 by Fanan team
Fanan team always seems to come up with some interesting stuff. An improvement on the original ScandiClavia, it’s no mystery what ScandiClavia 2 is supposed to be emulating. The latest version comes with 26 Nord organ models per channel, enhanced sound path, and other great features.
ScandiClavia 2 features oscillators with the highest possible dynamic range and 26 possible models (per oscillator), gleam effect, global hipass / lopass filters per oscillator, rotary speaker emulation, drawbars, hammer generation (click) and an effects rack.
The onboard hammer manager lets you manage the percussive effect, with seven sound types, and the ability to set random hit and random intensity.
The effects include a cabinet effect with four emulations, chorus, phaser, wah-wah, reverb, unison, and delay.
ScandiClavia 2 doesn’t sound anywhere near as rich as a Nord organ to me. The Nords are generally capable of a very realistic Hammond B3 sound. That said, the one thing ScandiClavia does offer in spades is variety and customizability.
So, for those times when you need access to a variety of sounds, this VST organ is well worth a look. And at the very least, the sounds all pass a certain quality threshold.
Download: Fanan team
S30 by Krakil
Krakil’s S30 drawbar organ takes a departure from the large array of Hammond B3 emulations (which you can’t blame anyone for trying) and instead focuses on church, power, electronic, and other types of organ sounds. Basically, it’s supposed to be a very versatile organ VST.
The S30 features drawbars, detune, vibrato, delay, percussion, drive, and other parameters and controls you would expect to find on an organ.
Its sound is quite full and rich, but its high end can sound a bit muffled and indistinct depending on the preset. Just as the developer suggests, though, this baby can produce a lot of different sounds.
S30 doesn’t feature the best sound quality of any organ plugin out there, but of course, it isn’t exactly new either. It could still be a fun addition to your VST arsenal, and you never quite know when it might come in handy.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
B8 Organ by Autodafe
Autodafe didn’t set out to do anything too ambitious here. They wanted an organ VST plugin that took after the best organs of the 60s and 70s.
B8 Organ features nine oscillators (sine, saw wave), drawbars, vibrato, chorus, and reverb – basically the essentials.
The sine setting offers up church and B3 style sounds, while the saw wave setting will give you more of a combo organ sound characterized by the likes of Farfisas, Cumar, and Davoli.
B8 Organ is pretty much a product of its time. Its interface reflects about the quality you can expect from its sound. It’s not aiming to be fully authentic, or it was about as authentic as the developer was willing to go. It’s still a fun addition to the list.
B8 Organ is only available for Windows.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Phibes by Land of Cockaigne
Phibes attempts to put the sound of “sweet” 60s organs at your fingertips. In the developer’s own words, it can’t compare to the Hammond B3 or the Vox Continental, but It is a “cheap imitation” of the legendary consoles.
Phibes comes with nine drawbars (five tones), vibrato, tremolo, rotator (rotary?) effect, and staccato mode.
Well, at least the developer knew what they were creating – they certainly didn’t oversell it.
But Phibes, all told, is still a fun software organ to mess around with. It’s certainly not going to pass the audition for film and video game scoring, but maybe for demos, sketches, and some lo-fi hip-hop it would be a fun addition? You can always try for yourself and see.
Get Phibes at PLUGINS 4 FREE.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
AZR-3 by Rumpelrausch
Emulating the wonderful sound of drawbar organs, Rumpelrausch’s AZR-3 offers up a few basic waveforms for access to different tones. The developer warns, though, that it’s “not a close tonewheel emulation,” so that already tells you something about its overall sound quality.
Overall, AZR-3 comes with drawbar control, click emulation, sustain, percussion, pitch bend, vibrato, distortion / overdrive, and “rotating” speakers emulation. Not a bad set of tools.
Rumpelrausch honestly might be a little humble, though, because this organ is about 60 to 80% as good as some of the best organ VSTs on this list. It has some unusable or noisy presets, sure, but some of the organ and synth-like sounds are honestly quite good.
We are quickly running out of amazing sounding free VSTs in this guide. To be honest, we have passed that point long since. But AZR-3 is an oddity that’s well worth a look. Rumor has it, though, that the plugin is a little unstable, so that’s probably why it doesn’t score as high marks as it should.
AZR-3 is only available for Windows.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
VL-122 by AM Music Technology
An emulation of the vintage electro-mechanic spinet organ Hammond L-122, VL-122 comes with a physical modelling engine emulating the tone-wheels, drawbars, filters, and effects (reverb, vibrato). AM Music Technology added some new goodies to go with it too.
A spinet organ has a different character than combo or console organs, so this should certainly not be thought of as a close match or variation on the B3 or C3. That said, VL-122 doesn’t sound half bad. I think it’s lacking a bit of the depth and richness of a full organ (even a spinet organ), but its sound quality is real decent.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
8-Bar by Samsara Cycle Audio
Samsara Cycle Audio’s 8-Bar is intended as a vintage drawbar organ. Its user interface is stark and simple.
8-Bar features eight volume controls from 32’ to 2’, sine / saw shapes, vibrato section (rate, amp, pitch, filter, shape select, delay), filter section (cutoff, resonance, mix, ADSR), envelope section (ADSR), output section (tune, level, glide), and MIDI learn.
8-Bar is delightfully cheesy. It’s got a decent amount of warmth and depth, but it’s clear that it’s not authentic in every frequency. Some of the sounds are still quite usable though. Have a listen for yourself.
8-Bar is available for Windows only.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Drawbox by Samsara Cycle Audio
Another entry via Samsara Cycle Audio, Drawbox is a drawbar style hybrid organ with a sizable stable of effects and filter settings.
Drawbox features 16 octave drawbars, individual tuner controls per drawbar, individual PWM controls (when pulse wave is selected), wave selector (saw, pulse, sine, ramp, triangle), low pass / high pass filter, tune controls, EQ sections, ADSR filter envelope, ADSR amp envelope, distortion / vibrato, and MIDI learn.
Drawbox tends to have distinctive synth-like qualities and shouldn’t be thought of purely as a virtual organ. But as with some of the other entries here, it at least has novelty appeal and could come in handy for some oddball projects.
Majoris Free by Fanan Team
Fanan Team’s Majoris Free is a synth-based arranger organ. It comes with an automatic accompaniment feature (the likes of which can be found on a keyboard like the Korg Pa900). It has a built-in drum & bass and ACC oscillators that you can program. These features can all be used without any additional MIDI routing.
As with any other arranger organ, Majoris Free splits the keyboard into two sections. The right side is for melody / solo, and the left side is for chords (fingered and one finger mode included).
Majoris Free comes with six variations slots per style with intro, main variations, fills, and end. These can be controlled via your MIDI controller or MIDI pads.
Overall, this entry is packed with a ton of features – 10-slot drum sampler with built-in effects, bass synth with built-in effects and ducking, solo synth with three variations per style, transition sensitivity control, mute, hold variation, split keyboard knob, global and independent transpose knob, mastery, style, and solo volume knobs, auto cymbal crash, and much more.
Given its feature set and quirky developers, it’s no surprise, at least to us, that Majoris Free is quite unique. Its chief strength isn’t really in being an organ, or even sounding great, but rather in being an arranger organ. This could be a fun tool for generating ideas, composing video game style music, or experimentation in general.
Regardless, it is neat to see it in action.
Download: KVR Audio Software
Mini-Chord by SynthIV
Now for something a little different. SynthIV’s Mini-Chord will automatically play a four-note chord for you whenever you play a single note. Since that is the case, it might be a nice option for beginners and those less confident with music theory in general. It should, in theory, make coming up with chord progressions easier.
Mini-Chord comes with four chord types, six waveforms, ADSR / amplifier envelope, tempo-sync, auto-drift with two variations, poly / mono modes with glide rate, Octivator (sequence wave pitch modulation), three filter types, and “tape recorder” with looping playback and pitch shift.
Does Mini-Chord sound like an organ, though? Well, in subtle ways it does. But it’s got some quirky presets, that’s for sure. Don’t expect too much if an authentic sounding organ is what you’re after, but if you’re going to grace your track with some weird tones, this is the one.
Download: KVR Audio Software
Orpheus by B Serrano
B Serrano’s Orpheus is a capable string / organ machine with some serious retro vibes. For 60s pop and classic rock style experimentation, it might be just the ticket.
Orpheus comes with two generators, three strings / organ sounds, 128 voice polyphony, unison, drift, mono mode with portamento, vibrato, three band resonators with LFO, randomize, low / high EQ, chorus, delay, auto-pan, and tremolo.
To me, Orpheus is decidedly synth like, and I think that’s where it shines brightest. It doesn’t do other things all that well. Some of its presets are quite basic and can’t compare to cheap hardware synths, but there are still some that are quite usable, possibly even for synthwave and electronic genres.
It’s a little limited on the “organ” side of things, admittedly, but Orpheus is kind of cool.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Oddly Organ by Odosynths
The aptly named Oddly Organ aims to be a percussion organ, and true to form, the included sounds are quite percussive. As with most VSTs from this era, some of its sounds are more characteristic of synthesizers, but there certainly are a few presets that sound like organs.
Overall, Oddly Organ comes with effects (distortion, tremolo, chorus, rotate), simple EQ, ADSR for filters and volume, tracking cutoff and resonance, key click effect, retrigger, as well as glide and mono mode.
It’s fun to play with, but it’s certainly not going to wow anyone with its sound quality.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Organ by SocaLabs
This electric tonewheel organ emulation is a simply named and simply configured virtual instrument. Organ’s standout feature is that it’s compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Now that’s something!
And while Organ might be a little limited in what it can do, its rich, warm sound will catch your ear. It’s surprisingly capable for being so understated. If you like its sound, then it’s probably worth a download.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Morphiza by Krakli
With a 60s and 70s transistor organ vibe, Morphiza is an organ synth that employs harmonic tone and boost knobs for expanded customization, rather than relying on the classic drawbar style configuration.
To that extent, I’m not sure how much Morphiza sounds like an organ. It obviously has organ as its base, but it seems to produce a lot of strings, harmonica, and synth like sounds. But it is, after all, an early attempt at organ.
Again, as an oddity, it has some merit. And it might just be the ticket for tracks requiring a quirky flavor.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
KOX by Pianovintage
You can tell, from the name and the GUI alone, that KOX was inspired by the infamous Vox Continental. As developer Pianovintage says, though, it has a bit of a different structure.
KOX features four oscillators, a filter section with real time controls, envelope generator, chorus, reverb, and 10 presets.
The tones certainly don’t compare to the Vox Continental. Some are quite cheesy even. Many of them are closer to harmonica, harmonium, or strings than organ. But there appears to be more than a few producers who ended up liking it, so you just never know.
If you love the Vox Continental, Combo Model V will be more to your liking.
Download: PLUGINS 4 FREE
Top Free Organ VST Plugins, Final Thoughts
When it comes to free organ VST plugins, you’ve got plenty to choose from. But as is the case with most plugin categories, the top 20% or so offer the best results, while the remaining 80% long tail is largely made up of oddities, legacy plugins, novelty instruments, and “lesser” VSTs that were developed on the way to creating something better.
The best free software organs can confidently be used for scoring purposes, beats, and even music you release on major streaming platforms. As for the rest? It mostly depends on what you’re going for. They could be used in sketches, demos, fuller mixes (where they can hide), and maybe for lo-fi tracks and sound effects. But that’s where creativity comes in, right?
So, enjoy those organ VSTs and let me know how it goes!