October 2026– date –

Universal Audio's 1176 Classic Limiter Collection suits people who want the color of a fast, forward vintage compressor on vocals and drums. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Universal Audio's LA-2A Leveler Collection suits people who want a classic compressor that evens out vocals and bass naturally and smoothly. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Klanghelm's MJUC suits people who want the thick, warm texture of a tube compressor on vocals and buses. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Klanghelm's DC1A suits people who want to try a free compressor first, without difficult settings. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

MeldaProduction's MCompressor suits people who want to try a free compressor where you can even draw the compression curve. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Klanghelm's DC8C suits people who want to try everything from transparent to characterful compression in one compressor. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Native Instruments' Vintage Compressors suits people who want the coloration of classic vintage compressors in one affordable set. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

Native Instruments' Supercharger suits people who want to try compressor coloration for free with a single knob. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

FabFilter's Pro-C 3 suits people who want to shape the compression of vocals, drums and the master with one compressor. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.

sonible's smart:comp 3 suits people who do not yet understand compressor numbers and want to choose settings while watching how the sound changes. We rate it on three criteria against 16 compressor plug-ins, using official manufacturer information.