Best FREE delay plugins for macOS, and Windows (2025)

This selection shows that the music production market is full of great free delay plugins for PC and Mac, even without cracking or pirating.

Delay plugins are a dime a dozen. Almost every plugin developer has a delay in their portfolio. New ones are added every year. But not just commercial ones. Every year, new free delay plugins come onto the market that can compete with commercial ones in terms of features and quality. 

In this list, I will simplify your search for free delay plugins. I split them into two groups: on one side, classic plugins with rather traditional features. On the other hand, delays in exploring new fields like granular synthesis, and more. 

Free Delay Plugins 

Every delay mentioned leads either directly to the manufacturer or to a newly written article. Plus, all mentioned are 64-bit plugins and are compatible with PC and Mac and some for Linux.

I hope you find something suitable here, and of course, the list will be updated as often as possible. (Last Update August 25, 2025

Highlight: Sixth Sample Deelay

A highlight of the classic delay list is Deelay from Sixth Sample and Integraudio. It’s a straightforward delay with a dense feature set. 5 delay modes (normal, reverse forward, chaos…) paired with various distortion algorithms result in long sound design fun.

Ranging from classic delays, reverb-style tones, distorted soundscapes, and more. It also features A/B sides for split testing and 100 factory presets for instant inspiration.

Free Classic Delay Plugins

Highlight: Chow DSP Chow Matrix

The list of free experimental delay plugins is just as exciting. These are delays with unusual, creative feature sets. A highlight is the Chow DSP Chow Matrix.

It’s a free delay powered by a modular engine that can be expanded infinitely in delay nodes. So, a patch can have not just one delay node but multiple.

Each delay node also has a dedicated delay time, time, pan, feedback, gain, filters (low/high), and a distortion unit. Plus, you can pitch-shifting and diffusion options.

Chow Matrix is capable of creating everything from subtle multi-tap delays to expansive reverberant spaces. It’s one of the most powerful delays on the market. And yes, it’s free. 

Free Experimental Delay Plugins

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