Native Instruments’ “Guitar Rig 7” is a plug-in that recreates the sound of guitar amps and effect pedals on your computer. There is a free Player and a paid Pro. In this article we compare the 2 editions on the same criteria as the 12 guitar amp simulators on this site. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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In short: which one to choose by purpose
- Guitar Rig 7 Player (rank B): people who want to make a line-recorded guitar sound like an amp without spending money.
- Guitar Rig 7 Pro (rank S): people who want to play with distinctive effects not only on guitar but also on vocals and synths.
The highest score among the 2 editions is Guitar Rig 7 Pro (rank S, average 4.4). But you do not need to buy a higher edition for features you will not use. Choose the one that fits your purpose.
Main features of Guitar Rig 7
ICM amps made with machine learning
An amp simulator is software that makes a guitar plugged straight into a computer sound as if it were played through a real amp and recorded with a microphone. Guitar Rig 7’s ICM amps and pedals use machine learning to reproduce how a real circuit behaves, and the manufacturer explains that not only the sound but also the response when you play is close to the real thing. The free Player also includes the ICM amp Fire Seeker and the pedal Red Fuzz.
Pro has guitar and bass amps and 115 effects
Pro includes 26 amps with cabinets and 115 effects and tools. There are also bass amps (Bass Rage, Bass Invader, Bass Pro and others), so it can be used for bass recording too. There is also an IR loader for loading your own IRs (data for the resonance of a cabinet).
Looper and standalone use
Pro has a looper that lets you layer and repeat the phrases you play, which is useful for practice and for coming up with song ideas. It can also be launched as a standalone app without a DAW. The free Player gets you started with 2 amps, 26 effects and tools, and 60 presets.
Where it is useful
- Plugging a guitar into the free Player and playing with an amp sound
- Adding thickness to a line-recorded bass with a Pro bass amp
- Practicing solos while layering a backing with the looper
Differences between editions (comparison table)
| Edition | Rank | Range of tones | Recording and practice | Modeling technology | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guitar Rig 7 Player | B (2.6) | 2 amps + 26 tools | Standalone | Machine learning (ICM) | No bass amps |
| Guitar Rig 7 Pro | S (4.4) | Many + IR loading | Looper + standalone | Machine learning (ICM) | Has bass amps |
Rating of each edition
Guitar Rig 7 Player (rank B)
The free version of Guitar Rig 7, with amp simulators (with cabinets), 26 kinds of effects and tools, and 60 presets.
Score 2.6 / 5 (average of the 18 products compared: 3.3)
- Price
- Free
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Range of tones
- 2 amps + 26 tools
- Recording and practice
- Standalone
- Modeling technology
- Machine learning (ICM)
- Price (store, date)
- Not listed
- Range of tones: 2 points — A free version with two amps (Fire Seeker and Jump, with cabinets) and 26 effects and tools.
- Recording and practice: 3 points — It can be launched as a standalone app.
- Modeling technology: 5 points — Even the free version includes the ICM amp Fire Seeker, made with machine learning, and the pedal Red Fuzz.
- Also usable for bass: 1 point — The free Player does not include bass amps (NI official comparison table).
Guitar Rig 7 Pro (rank S)
A product that puts together amp simulators for guitar and bass, studio effects and pedals. It includes amps and pedals of “ICM (Intelligent Circuit Modeling)”, which uses machine learning, and can be used as a standalone app or a plug-in.
Score 4.4 / 5 (average of the 18 products compared: 3.3)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Range of tones
- Many + IR loading
- Recording and practice
- Looper + standalone
- Modeling technology
- Machine learning (ICM)
- Price (store, date)
- $189 [PB, checked Oct 26]
- Range of tones: 4 points — It includes many guitar and bass amps and effects, and an IR loader for cabinets.
- Recording and practice: 4 points — It has Loop Machine Pro (a looper) and can also be launched as a standalone app.
- Modeling technology: 5 points — It has ICM amps and pedals made with machine learning.
- Also usable for bass: 5 points — Bass amps (Bass Rage, Bass Invader, Bass Pro) are included (NI official comparison table).
Guitar Rig 7 Pro screens and images
The chart above shows the scores of Guitar Rig 7 Pro.
How we score (Guitar amp simulators)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range of tones | Choices of amps, cabinets, microphones and so on | 400 or more models, plus adjustment of microphone position, room and even your own IRs | Many amps and effects, plus loading your own IRs | Dozens of amps and effects can be combined | A small number of models (such as a free version) | — |
| Recording and practice | Features that help with home recording and practice | A recorder, a looper and a tuner are all included | Two or more, such as a looper and standalone use | Can be run as a standalone app | — | Not mentioned on the official page |
| Modeling technology | The technology used to recreate real gear | Has models made with machine learning or AI | Has its own IR (cabinet response) technology | Standard modeling | — | — |
| Also usable for bass | Whether it includes bass amps and the like, so you can record bass with it too | The official page states that it includes gear (amps and so on) for both guitar and bass | — | Stated to be usable for bass too (general-purpose processing) | — | No bass gear, or not mentioned |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: recording guitar and bass through a line at home and making them sound like an amp. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Range of tones" 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. "Also usable for bass" is a criterion that answers the common search for "bass amp simulator". 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.
Trade-magazine reviews (for reference, not part of the score)
We summarized the main points from reviews in overseas music-production magazines.
Sound On Sound, March 2024
- It rates the range of guitar and bass tones as very wide
- It rates it as an excellent sound-design tool that can also be used on sounds other than guitar
- It rates the looper and external control functions as solid
Source: review in Sound On Sound (English)
Guitar Rig 7 system requirements and getting started
| Supported OS | Windows (64-bit) / Mac (64-bit) |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | Windows: VST3, AAX / Mac: VST3, AU, AAX |
| Standalone | Yes |
| Free version | The free Guitar Rig 7 Player is available (it is also included in the free Komplete Start) |
| OBS (streaming) | Not usable as is (VST3 only). It can be loaded with a bridge plug-in |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official page on September 27, 2026. How to use them in the OBS streaming software is explained in How to use VST3 plug-ins in OBS.
Compared with other guitar amp simulators
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Range of tones | Recording and practice | Modeling technology | Bass | Free | OBS (streaming) | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native InstrumentsGuitar Rig 7 Pro | S 4.4 | Many + IR loading | Looper + standalone | Machine learning (ICM) | Has bass amps | Free version available | × (VST3 only) | $189 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsGuitar Rig 7 Player | B 2.6 | 2 amps + 26 tools | Standalone | Machine learning (ICM) | No bass amps | Free | × (VST3 only) | Not listed |
| IK MultimediaAmpliTube 5 | S 5.0 | 400+ + mic positions | Recorder and more | AI (TONEX) | Guitar and bass gear | Free version available | × (VST3 only) | $29.99 (sale; regular $199) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| IK MultimediaAmpliTube 5 CS | B 3.0 | 42 models | Standalone | Standard | Guitar and bass gear | Free | × (VST3 only) | Not listed |
| MeldaProductionMGuitarArchitect | B 2.6 | Dozens of models | No recording or practice features | Standard | Usable for bass too | — | ○ | $329 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| IK MultimediaTONEX CS | A 3.4 | 20 models | Standalone | AI | Guitar and bass tones | Free | × (VST3 only) | Not listed |
| IK MultimediaTONEX | S 4.2 | 400+ + IR | Standalone | AI | Guitar and bass tones | Free version available | × (VST3 only) | $199.99 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| IK MultimediaTONEX MAX | S 4.2 | 1,250+ + IR | Standalone | AI | Guitar and bass tones | Free version available | × (VST3 only) | $99.99 (sale; regular $299.99) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Gojira X | B 3.0 | 3 amps + effects + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | Hundreds of IRs + 6 mics | For guitar | — | ○ | Not listed |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Nolly X | B 3.0 | 4 amps + effects + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 640 IRs recorded by Nolly | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$151.32 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Cory Wong X | B 3.0 | Amps + effects + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 6 mics + 324 IRs | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$133.39 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Tim Henson X | B 3.0 | 3 amps + Multivoicer + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 6 mics + 324 IRs | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$133.39 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Positive GridBIAS FX 2 | A 3.6 | 100+ amps + pedals | Looper, auto-recording, standalone | DSP + tube emulation | Bass amps and effects | — | Not checked | Not listed |
| OverloudTH-U | A 3.8 | 253 models + SuperCabinet | Tuner | Fluid Modeling + Fluid IR | 4 bass amps, 2 cabinets | — | Not checked | ≈$301.53 (sale; regular €299) [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Brainworxbx_rockrack V3 | C 2.2 | 8 amps + 40 chains | Not stated | Standard modeling | For guitar and bass | — | Not checked | $75 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Petrucci X | B 3.0 | 4 amps + effects + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 6 mics + IR | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$167.02 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: Plini X | B 3.0 | 3 amps + effects + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 6 mics + hundreds of IRs | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$133.39 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Neural DSPArchetype: John Mayer X | B 3.0 | 3 amps + pedals + IR | Standalone, tuner, metronome | 11 mics + IR | For guitar | — | ○ | ≈$189.43 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
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