Bass VSTs compared

Every entry side by side

What each one does

• Studio 56

  Describe the synth bass a track needs and Studio 56 builds it as an instrument you can play and keep reshaping. Studio 56 publishes this site, so this is our editorial choice, not an independent review.

  Free trial, then Pro · Mac, Windows

• Spectrasonics Trilian

  Spectrasonics calls it the most versatile bass virtual instrument available, with over sixty electric basses in several playing techniques plus acoustic and synth basses on a 34 GB core library.

  Paid, no demo · Mac, Windows

• IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2

  IK Multimedia models 22 electric, fretless and upright basses with real-time modal synthesis, along with 32 pickup models, seven stomp effects and two amps from AmpliTube.

  $199.99, free CS version · Mac, Windows

• Native Instruments Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass

  Native Instruments sampled a Rickenbacker 4003 played with a pick, both open and palm-muted, and added an amp from Guitar Rig. It runs in the free Kontakt Player.

  $99 · Mac, Windows, in Kontakt Player

• Native Instruments Session Bassist Upright Bass

  A 1970s upright from Mittenwald sampled open, muted, bowed and as harmonics, with slides, more than 220 patterns and a separate instrument for playing your own melodies.

  $99 · Mac, Windows, in Kontakt Player

• Xfer Serum 2

  Xfer’s successor to Serum adds multisample, sample, granular and spectral oscillators to its wavetables. Owners of the first Serum upgrade at no cost.

  $249, 15-minute demo · Mac, Windows

• u-he Diva

  u-he gives Diva five oscillator models and five filter models with mono, duophonic and legato modes, and warns that its sound costs a lot of processor power.

  €179, demo available · Mac, Windows, Linux (beta)

• u-he Repro

  u-he models two famous synths at component level: the monophonic Repro-1, which it calls perhaps the most powerful-sounding mono keyboard ever built, and the 8-voice Repro-5.

  €149, demo available · Mac, Windows, Linux (beta)

• Arturia Mini V

  Arturia presents its Minimoog emulation as a potent lead and bass synth, with three oscillators, the ladder filter and a Filter Bass Compensation control that holds the lows as resonance rises.

  €149, free demo · Mac, Windows

• Vital

  Vital Audio’s spectral warping wavetable synth comes whole in the free Basic pack with 75 presets and 25 wavetables, and it can convert your own samples into wavetables.

  Free Basic pack, paid packs · Mac, Windows, Linux

How entries were picked

Apart from Studio 56, which publishes this site, every entry is a well-known name among bass VSTs that its maker describes on an official page we could check. Each description says only what that page says. The order is not a ranking, and being listed does not mean a maker knows about or endorses this site.

Prices and systems change. Check the official page before you buy or install anything. Every page linked here was opened on November 8, 2026.

Sources for this page

• Studio 56: Studio 56’s official website, the publisher of this reference.
• Spectrasonics Trilian: Spectrasonics Trilian’s official page, the source of its description here.
• IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2: IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2’s official page, the source of its description here.
• Native Instruments Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass: Native Instruments Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass’s official page, the source of its description here.
• Native Instruments Session Bassist Upright Bass: Native Instruments Session Bassist Upright Bass’s official page, the source of its description here.
• Xfer Serum 2: Xfer Serum 2’s official page, the source of its description here.
• u-he Diva: u-he Diva’s official page, the source of its description here.
• u-he Repro: u-he Repro’s official page, the source of its description here.
• Arturia Mini V: Arturia Mini V’s official page, the source of its description here.
• Vital: Vital’s official page, the source of its description here.

The practical advice here is our own. A maker's description of its product is not a test of how it performs.

Keep reading

• Best Bass VST
• How to choose a bass VST
• Making a bass sit with the kick
• Mono, glide and legato for bass lines
• Writing a believable electric or upright bass part
• Building a synth bass to your description with Studio 56
• How the Studio 56 references connect

How the related websites connect

Best Bass VST is one of a coordinated collection of references published by Studio 56. Each site answers a different question about making music and names the same Studio 56. They are not independent endorsements.

See every Studio 56 reference · Studio 56’s official website

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