Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which bundle to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
iZotope Music Production Suite 9: 100 plugins with Ozone 12 Advanced, Neutron 5, Nectar 4 Advanced and RX 12 Standard. $799 at Plugin Boutique and Best Service; crossgrades from $459.
Soundtoys 5.5: all 23 Soundtoys plugins, Decapitator, EchoBoy and SpaceBlender, chained in Effect Rack. $599 at Plugin Boutique and Best Service; Effect Rack alone is $299.
Technical matrix
| Signal | iZotope Music Production Suite 9 | Soundtoys 5.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $799 | $599 |
| Dubspot Score | — | — |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX, macOS, Windows | VST, VST3, AU, AAX, macOS, Windows |
| Plugins | 100, including Ozone 12 Advanced, Neutron 5, Nectar 4 Advanced, RX 12 Standard, Tonal Balance Control 3, Equinox, Neoverb, VocalSynth 2, Insight 2, Guitar Rig 7 Pro | 23, including Effect Rack, Decapitator, EchoBoy, EchoBoy Jr., SuperPlate, Little Plate, SpaceBlender, PrimalTap, Little PrimalTap, Crystallizer, Little AlterBoy, Devil-Loc Deluxe, Devil-Loc, Radiator, Little Radiator, MicroShift, Little MicroShift, FilterFreak, PhaseMistress, PanMan, Tremolator, Sie-Q |
| Catalyst series | FXEQ, Aurora, Plasma, Cascadia, Velvet | — |
| Native Instruments effects | Raum, Crush Pack, Mod Pack, Supercharger GT, Replika XT, Solid Mix Series, Driver, Transient Master | — |
| Also included | Visual Mixer, Relay, Melodyne 5 Essential | — |
| Formats | AAX, AU, VST3, 64-bit only (no VST2) | — |
| Systems | Ozone 12: macOS 14.8 or later, Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 24H2; Intel or Apple silicon | macOS 10.15 or later; Windows 10 or later (not ARM-based Windows) |
| Activation | Internet connection needed to install and activate; works offline afterwards | — |
| Crossgrades at Plugin Boutique | $599 from Ozone or Nectar Standard; $499 from Ozone Advanced, Nectar Advanced or Neutron; $459 from RX | — |
| Updates at Plugin Boutique | $225 from MPS 8; $459 from MPS 1 to 7.1 | — |
| New in 5.5 | — | SpaceBlender experimental reverb, 67 Effect Rack presets, resizable interfaces on every plugin |
| Hosts | — | Pro Tools, Live, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, Studio One, Reaper, Bitwig |
| Authorisation | — | iLok account, computer-based (no dongle needed); two activations |
| Effect Rack (separate) | — | $299; 14 effects inside the Rack only, no individual plugins |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.