18 Guitar Amp Simulators for Home Recording: Compared by Purpose (2026)

A guitar amp simulator is software that connects a guitar or bass straight to an audio interface and makes it sound as if played through an amplifier. You can record guitar at home without making loud sound, so it is essential for home recording. You can make plenty of sounds even with a free version, so we recommend trying a free version first, and choosing a paid one if you lack gear or features.

This list compares 18 guitar amp simulators on 4 criteria: range of tones, recording and practice, modeling technology, also usable for bass. 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.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, SoundBounty may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are as of the date checked and can change.

Picks by purpose

• If range of sound design matters most: AmpliTube 5 (rank S). More than 400 models, microphone position adjustment and a recorder are all there.
• If you also want to use it on things other than guitar: Guitar Rig 7 Pro (rank S). Many characterful effects that also work on vocals and synths.
• If you want the sound of real gear captured by AI: TONEX (rank S). You can use tone models that capture real amps and pedals with AI. You can try it from the free CS.
• To try it for free: AmpliTube 5 CS (rank B). A free version with 42 models, to which you can add only the gear you need later.

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: TONEX CS, AmpliTube 5 CS, Guitar Rig 7 Player.
• $150 and over: AmpliTube 5 (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.

Top-scoring products

• AmpliTube 5Rank S
• Guitar Rig 7 ProRank S
• TONEXRank S
• TONEX MAXRank S
• AmpliTube 5 CSRank B
• MGuitarArchitectRank B

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.

• AmpliTube 5 (rank S, free version available)
• Guitar Rig 7 Pro (rank S, free version available)
• TONEX (rank S, free version available)
• TONEX MAX (rank S, free version available)
• TONEX CS (rank A, free)
• AmpliTube 5 CS (rank B, free)
• Guitar Rig 7 Player (rank B, free)

How to choose a guitar amp simulator

Figure: SoundBounty

Can you try a free version?

Some guitar amp simulators let you start with a free version. In this comparison, Guitar Rig 7 Player, AmpliTube 5 CS and TONEX CS are free. You can try for free first and consider a paid version when it falls short.

Does it have the amps you want?

The kinds of amps and effects included, from clean to hard distortion, differ by product. Check whether it can make the sound of the genre you want to play.

Features that cut down the effort of recording

Compare features handy for home recording too, such as microphone position adjustment, a tuner and measures that reduce latency while recording.

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.

TH-U (rank A)

Overloud’s TH-U is guitar amp software that combines modeling, capture and Fluid IR processing. It has 253 premium models (89 amps, 4 bass amps, about 90 pedals and rack effects, and 18 microphones), SuperCabinet, which can use more than 42,000 Fluid IRs, and Rig Player, which plays captured rigs.

BIAS FX 2 (rank A)

Positive Grid’s BIAS FX 2 is an amp and effects app for guitar and bass in which you combine more than 100 amps with pedals, cabinets and microphone positions. It has Dual Amp, which blends the features of two amps, Time Machine, which automatically records the last 10 minutes of your playing, and a looper, and it can be used both as a plug-in and as a standalone app.

Archetype: Gojira X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Gojira X is an amp simulator from Neural DSP (a company that makes sound processing run on dedicated hardware) that recreates the sound of Gojira’s Joe Duplantier. It includes three amps, clean, crunch (Rust) and high gain (Hot), and pitch, distortion and spatial effects.

Archetype: Nolly X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Nolly X is an amp simulator from Neural DSP (a company that makes sound processing run on dedicated hardware) that recreates the amps modified by the producer and bassist Nolly (Adam Getgood). It has four amps: clean, crunch, rhythm and lead.

Archetype: Cory Wong X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Cory Wong X is an amp simulator from Neural DSP (a company that makes sound processing run on dedicated hardware) that recreates the sound of the funk guitarist Cory Wong (Vulfpeck). It suits clean sounds and sounds just before breakup, and it includes wah, an envelope filter, a compressor and more.

Archetype: Tim Henson X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Tim Henson X is an amp simulator from Neural DSP (a company that makes sound processing run on dedicated hardware) that recreates the sound of Tim Henson of Polyphia. It has Multivoicer, which adds four-voice harmony, three amps and a cabinet section with six kinds of cabinets (the speaker boxes of guitar amps).

Archetype: Petrucci X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Petrucci X is an amp simulator that recreates the sound of John Petrucci. It has four amps (piezo, clean, rhythm and lead), wah, a compressor, stereo chorus, delay and reverb, and a cabinet section where you can place six virtual microphones (you can also load your own IRs).

Archetype: Plini X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Plini X is an amp simulator that recreates the sound of Plini. It has three amps (clean, crunch and lead), a compressor, octaver, drive, delay, chorus, reverb, transpose and doubler, and a cabinet section that can use hundreds of IRs and six virtual microphones.

Archetype: John Mayer X (rank B)

Neural DSP’s Archetype: John Mayer X is an amp simulator built around IRs recorded in John Mayer’s studio and the “Three-in-One Amp”, which connects three amps in parallel. It has pedals such as Justa Boost, Halfman OD and Tealbreaker, Gravity Tank (spring reverb and harmonic tremolo), and a cabinet section where you can place 11 virtual microphones.

MGuitarArchitect (rank B, $329)

MeldaProduction’s MGuitarArchitect is a guitar chain simulator in which dozens of amps and cabinets (the speaker boxes of guitar amps), many stompboxes and studio effects can be arranged in series or in parallel, up to 64 in four groups.

bx_rockrack V3 (rank C)

Brainworx’s bx_rockrack V3 is a multi-amp plug-in made by studying amps such as AMPEG, GALLIEN KRUEGER, ENGL, Chandler and Mesa. It has 8 amp models and 40 recording chains (combinations of cabinet and microphone) recorded through a NEVE VXS72 console.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do I connect a guitar to the computer?

Connect it to the guitar input (Hi-Z) of the audio interface. The plug-in then adds the amp sound to the sound that comes in there.

Q. Can I use it for bass too?

If a product includes bass amps, yes. Check what is included on the official site.

Q. How is it different from a real amp?

The advantage is that you can record with an amp-like sound even at night, without making loud sound.

How we score

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.

The thinking behind scores and ranks is summarized in How we rate specifications. We add products in order.

More comparisons

• Tier list: every genre at a glance
• All comparison pages by genre

For free options

Pages about free products in this category:

• Free guitar amp simulators compared
• Free plug-ins for music production