9.2Essential
Serum 2 is Xfer Records' wavetable synthesizer plugin with five oscillator engines, flexible effect routing, an arpeggiator, and a clip sequencer.
Plugin comparison
Serum 2 vs Surge XT
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
8.7Great
Surge XT is a free open-source hybrid synthesizer with deep modulation, 12 oscillator algorithms, MPE, microtuning, and 2800+ factory patches.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, Serum 2 comes out ahead (9.2). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Serum 2 | Surge XT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 | Free |
| Dubspot Score | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX | VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone |
| Oscillator engines | 5 (Wavetable, Multisample, Sample, Granular, Spectral) | — |
| Factory presets | Over 626 presets | — |
| Wavetables | 288 wavetables | — |
| Plugin formats | VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit) | — |
| Platforms | Windows 10+ and macOS High Sierra+ (Intel) / Big Sur+ (Apple Silicon) | Windows, macOS (Intel/Apple Silicon), Linux |
| Additional tools | Arpeggiator, clip sequencer, flexible effect routing | — |
| Type | — | Open-source hybrid synthesizer |
| Version | — | 1.3.4 (stable) |
| Oscillators | — | 3 per scene; 12 algorithms (Classic, Modern, Wavetable, FM2/FM3, String, Twist, and more) |
| Factory content | — | 2800+ patches; 700+ wavetables |
| Scenes | — | Two full synthesis scenes for layer/split patches |
| Formats | — | VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.