Delay is an effect that delays a sound and repeats it like an echo. In a cover-song mix you use it to give depth to the vocal in the chorus or to stretch the ends of phrases memorably. The sound each product is good at differs: warm tape-style, clear digital, multi-tap that makes rhythms, and so on.
This list compares 10 delay plug-ins on 3 criteria: tone character, rhythm and width, easy to blend. Scores are decided by how well each product serves its purpose, using the conditions for each criterion, and the basis is official manufacturer information. Price is not part of the score.
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Picks by purpose
- If you want the classic warm delay for vocals: EchoBoy (rank S). Choose from 30 vintage-gear styles.
- If you want a delay that stays out of the singing’s way: Timeless 3 (rank S). Ducking and a filter keep the delay gentle while you sing.
- If you want to try many kinds of delay in one: ValhallaDelay (rank S). Switch between 17 modes such as tape, analog and digital.
- To try it for free: MDelay (rank A). Both tape-style and clear delay for free.
Picks by budget
The highest-scoring product in each price range. Prices are the regular prices in US dollars shown on Plugin Boutique on October 10, 2026; sale prices change often, so check the store page. Price is not part of the score.
- Free: MDelay, REPLIKA.
- $50 to $149: Timeless 3 (rank S, $149). The highest-scoring product in this price range.
- $150 and over: EchoBoy (rank S, $199). The highest-scoring product in this price range.
Tier list by rank
Ranks are based on the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not on sound quality. Within a row, products are ordered by score. The basis is explained in How we rate specifications.
Tier table by criterion
Products with the same overall rank can have different strengths. Click a column heading to sort by the rank on that criterion, and use it when you choose by the feature you want.
| Product | Overall | Tone characterWarmth that blends with a vocal, and the choice of coloration | Rhythm and widthPing-pong, multiple taps, tempo sync and so on | Easy to blendControls that keep it from getting in the way of a vocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SoundtoysEchoBoy | S4.8 | S30 styles | SRhythm editing + ping-pong | AFilter + saturation |
 FabFilterTimeless 3 | S4.5 | ATape + 5 effects | S16 taps + ping-pong | SDucking + filters |
 Valhalla DSPValhallaDelay | S4.5 | S17 modes | A4 taps + ping-pong | ADucking and more |
 MeldaProductionMDelay | A4.0 | ATape + modern | A2 taps + ping-pong | AFilter + distortion |
 ArturiaDelay TAPE-201 | A4.0 | ATape + reverb | A3 heads + ping-pong | AEQ + LFO + saturation |
 Native InstrumentsREPLIKA | A3.8 | AModern + vintage | BPing-pong + tempo sync | AFilter + saturation |
 WavesH-Delay | A3.8 | A4 analog + digital | BTempo sync | AFilter + modulation |
 EventideUltraTap | B3.3 | CClear | S64 taps | ATone + Slurm |
 ArturiaDelay MEMORY-BRIGADE | B3.3 | BBBD (analog) | BPing-pong + tempo sync | AEQ + envelope + LFO |
 SoundtoysPrimalTap | B3.0 | BVintage digital | B2 lines + tempo sync | BVCO wobble |
Click a column heading to sort by that criterion (click again to reverse). Each cell shows the score (1 to 5) on that criterion as 5 = S, 4 = A, 3 = B, 2 or lower = C. A dash means the criterion is not scored. This is a rating of the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not of sound quality. See How we rate specifications.
Top-scoring products
Up to 9 products in order of score. Images are the manufacturers’ official press images or Plugin Boutique images. The overall order and the basis for each rank are in the tier tables above and on each product’s page.
Free ways to start
If you want to try something without spending money, or are looking for your first one, you can start with a product that is free to use. Check the free scope and conditions on each product’s page.
How to choose a delay plug-in
Figure: SoundBounty
Can it follow the tempo of the song?
A vocal delay blends in naturally when it repeats in time with the tempo of the song. Check whether it can sync to the DAW’s tempo and whether you can set the rhythm in detail.
Keeping the voice from being buried
If the delay sound overlaps the voice, the lyrics get harder to understand. A function that lowers the delay while the voice is sounding keeps the voice clear even with repeats.
Coloring of the sound
Some products can add the coloring of tape or analog gear, where the sound blurs with each repeat. If you want atmosphere, compare this point too.
A word on each product
Prices in the headings are regular prices in US dollars shown on Plugin Boutique on October 10, 2026. They are not part of the score.
EchoBoy (rank S, $199)
Soundtoys’ EchoBoy is a delay with 30 echo styles, including the Echoplex, Space Echo, Memory Man and DM-2. It has Dual, Ping-Pong and Rhythm Echo modes, and adjustments for saturation (a faint distortion, as if passed through analog gear), tape wobble and diffusion.
Timeless 3 (rank S, $149)
FabFilter’s Timeless 3 is a delay based on the sound of a vintage tape delay. The delayed sound can pass through five kinds of effects and up to six analog-style filters, and its 50 modulation slots can make ducking (reducing the effect only while someone is singing) and wow and flutter.
ValhallaDelay (rank S)
Valhalla DSP’s ValhallaDelay is a delay with 17 switchable modes, including tape echo, BBD (analog) and 1980s digital. Diffusion (a smearing function) can also make a reverb-like sound.
MDelay (rank A)
MeldaProduction’s MDelay is a free delay with three modes: tape, modern and ping-pong. Its two taps can be adjusted separately, and it includes saturation (a faint distortion, as if passed through analog gear) and filters.
Delay TAPE-201 (rank A)
Arturia’s Delay TAPE-201 is a delay that recreates a tape echo of the 1970s. Its three tape heads and a spring reverb can be combined in 12 ways, and it has three delay modes (left-right, ping-pong and mid/side), an input EQ and an LFO with 16 destinations.
REPLIKA (rank A)
Native Instruments’ REPLIKA is a free delay with delays such as modern (digital) and vintage digital, and a diffusion (smearing the sound) algorithm. A resonance filter and a phaser can be moved in time with the tempo of the song.
H-Delay (rank A)
Waves’ H-Delay is a hybrid delay that can make a wide range of delay-based effects, such as echo, tape delay, chorus, flanger and vibrato. You can choose from four analog textures or a clear digital sound, and match lengths of 1 to 3500 milliseconds to the tempo.
UltraTap (rank B, $99)
Eventide’s UltraTap is a multi-tap delay with up to 64 taps. It can make everything from rhythmic delays to reverb-like sound with smeared taps and a pad-like swell of volume. The LFO (a mechanism that slowly varies a sound periodically) and Length can be matched to the tempo of your DAW (music production software).
Delay MEMORY-BRIGADE (rank B)
Arturia’s Delay MEMORY-BRIGADE is a dark, lo-fi delay based on a classic 1970s analog delay (BBD). It has three delay modes, an input EQ, an envelope follower and an LFO with 16 destinations.
PrimalTap (rank B)
Soundtoys’ PrimalTap is a two-line delay based on the “Prime Time”, a digital delay that appeared in 1978. Multiply doubles the delay length while making the sound rougher, and VCO (wobble) and Freeze let you make lo-fi echoes and loops in which the pitch moves.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is there a free delay?
In this comparison MDelay and REPLIKA are free.
Q. What is a classic way to use delay on vocals?
Adding a small repeat only at the end of a word, or adding a little more in the chorus, is often used. Using it loudly all the time makes things too busy, so take care.
Q. Should delay or reverb come first?
There is no rule, but putting reverb on the repeats of the delay as well helps it blend.
How we score
How we score (Delay plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tone character | Warmth that blends with a vocal, and the choice of coloration | Choose from the styles of many vintage units | Tape-style sound plus other coloration to choose from | Either tape-style or vintage-style | Clear digital sound only | — |
| Rhythm and width | Ping-pong, multiple taps, tempo sync and so on | Multi-tap rhythm editing and ping-pong, or more | Multiple taps and ping-pong | Either ping-pong or tempo sync | — | Not mentioned on the official page |
| Easy to blend | Controls that keep it from getting in the way of a vocal | Ducking and a filter for the delayed sound | Two or more controls, such as a filter and saturation | One control | — | Not mentioned on the official page |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: adding depth and lingering tails to a vocal. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Tone character" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent. The "OBS (streaming)" column in the table shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format that the streaming software OBS Studio can use (○). OBS does not support the VST3 format. It is not part of the score.
The thinking behind scores and ranks is summarized in How we rate specifications. We add products in order.
More comparisons
For free options
Pages about free products in this category: