Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which effect to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Dubspot may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our scores or what we recommend (read our policy).
Contenders
iZotope Photon: standalone app and ARA2 plugin for AI stem separation and denoise, with 12 models running on your GPU. $259 at Plugin Boutique until 7 Dec 2026.
Steinberg's AI-driven spectral audio editor, updated to version 13 with sound-effect unmixing, spectral reconstruction, and two-voice separation for modern post-production.
Technical matrix
| Signal | iZotope Photon | Steinberg SpectraLayers 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $259 (intro, until 7 Dec 2026) | €359 Pro / €89.99 Elements |
| Dubspot Score | — | 8.7 |
| Formats | ARA2, Standalone, macOS, Windows | Standalone, VST3 ARA2, AU ARA2, AAX AudioSuite |
| Type | AI stem separation and audio cleanup, standalone and ARA2 | Spectral audio editor (standalone + ARA 2) |
| Demix models | Music 4 Stems, Music 4 Stems Ultra, Drums 5 Stems, Voice 2 Stems, Voice Separator, Cinema 4 Stems | — |
| Denoise models | Voice Restore, Indoor, Indoor Noisy, Outdoor, Outdoor Traffic, Outdoor Wind | — |
| Import | WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF, AAC, M4A, MP4, MKV, MOV, MXF, MPG | — |
| Export | WAV, FLAC, MP3 or video same as source; ProRes supported | — |
| System | macOS 14+ on Apple silicon; Windows 10+ 64-bit with a 4 GB VRAM GPU; 16 GB RAM recommended | — |
| Licensing | Perpetual licence, crossgrades from $49, or Boris FX subscription from $19 a month; free trial | — |
| Editions | — | Pro, Elements, Go |
| New modules | — | Unmix Sound Effects, Ambience Heal, Reconstruct, Attenuate, Voice DeClick, Unmix Two Voices, Voice DeCrosstalk, Level Check, Fade |
| macOS support | — | macOS 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 26 (Intel & Apple silicon) |
| Windows support | — | Windows 10 & 11 21H2+ (x64), Windows 11 on Arm 24H2+ |
| Released | — | 2026-07-01 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.