Free Piano VST Plugins

This article is about free piano VST plugins. For more categories, return to the Free VST Plugins page.

We live in the golden age of audio production. Virtual instruments, including synthesizers and virtual piano plugins, have never been more accessible or realistic. But with so many great options, how do you find one that will provide the piano sounds you need?

This list includes a variety of options for modeling acoustic and electric pianos, each with distinct features. Some are plain virtual piano instruments, and some offer a host of sounds and features.

But no matter what kind of piano sounds you’re looking for, there is a plugin that will fit the bill.

So, without further ado, here is a list of the best free piano VSTs in 2024.

Upright Piano by 99Sounds

99Sounds offers the Upright Piano, a freeware piano VST plugin based on a set of samples recorded by Rudi Fiasco

The cool thing about the Upright Piano instrument is that it can sound realistic or lo-fi, depending on your preference. The built-in filter, tremolo, and reverb effects can create a lovely tape-like vibe.

However, when used without effects, the instrument sounds very realistic, thanks to the excellent source piano samples.

Upright Piano also features key release samples and envelope controls for adjusting the attack and release time.

If you need a versatile, easy-to-use free piano VST, this offering from 99Sounds is well worth looking into.

More info: Upright Piano

Upright No. 1 by Versilian Studios

Upright No. 1 is an upright piano plugin with a tremendous dynamic response. The articulation of your playing will really translate – and if you have a good enough MIDI controller, it can be almost as realistic as the real thing.

The plug-in comes with onboard volume, panning, and reverb controls and also offers direct control over the ADSR curve of the envelope with individual knobs. Versilian comes in VST and AU formats and uses minimal CPU resources.

More info: Upright No. 1

Grand Piano by Audiolatry

The free Grand Piano plugin from Audiolatry features the sound of a Yamaha C5 Grand Piano, recorded using two AKG c414 condenser microphones. It reproduces sampled piano sounds and key release noises as separate multi-samples, offering a realistic and expressive musical experience.

Grand Piano boasts 16 velocity layers per sampled note and provides separate volume controls for the piano sound and key release noises. Its semi-deep sampling balances realism and efficiency, making it an ideal tool for sketching new piano melodies and harmonies in your DAW.

The interface includes four effect modules—Reverb, Chorus, Delay, and Motion (a tremolo effect)—as well as a main ADSR Envelope for shaping the piano sound. This opens up possibilities for customizing the piano sound, allowing you to transform it into something more ethereal or experimental.

Grand Piano supports VST2, VST3, and AU 64-bit plugin formats and is optimized for low CPU usage, ensuring smooth performance in various music production settings. It occupies 1.19 GB of disk space, which is relatively efficient for a multi-sampled ROMpler of this quality.

More info: Grand Piano

Attic Grand by The Crow Hill Company

The Crow Hill Company launched its Vaults plugin with the free Attic Grand piano sound library. The Attic Grand is free for life, although other Vaults in the series will require a paid subscription.

The Attic Grand piano emerged from previously unused material found in a piano recording session from 2008. The piano was recorded with the celeste pedal down, resulting in a unique, intimate piano tone.

This session initially led to the creation of The Felt Piano, later known as The Soft Piano, which became immensely popular.

The Attic Grand piano stands out for its unique character, offering a lush and dreamy sound that leans more towards nostalgia than polish or refinement. It excels in making simple harmonies and melodies shine.

The piano’s interface features six macros, two central sliders, and four control knobs, providing a range of sound manipulation options. The macros include Reverse, Offset, Smash, Hair, Echo, and Splosh, each adding distinct effects like reverse piano sounds, action tightness adjustment, and combinations of limiters and compressors.

Attic Grand is available in multiple formats—AU, VST, VST3, and AAX—for both macOS and Windows platforms.

More info: Attic Piano

LABS Soft Piano by Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audios LABS is a freeware virtual instrument in VST and AU plugin formats with an extensive collection of freely downloadable add-on sound libraries.

Soft Piano is a free piano sound library for the LABS workstation. The samples were recorded with a felt-tipped piano and high-end Scheps microphones at London’s infamous Air-Edel studios.

The sound is very warm and subdued, so if you’re looking for a bright piano with a fast attack, you might have to look elsewhere. Two sliders control the expression and attack, and there is a singular knob to control the amount of reverb.

This is another plugin that is great for music production and sound design. It has a limited application and isn’t for everyone, but the Soft Piano is the way to go if you need a moody, vibey piano sound. The library includes sustain pedal up and down samples for more dynamic variation.

It can waver a bit as the samples are trimmed at the heads, giving it more of a human feel – which is not ideal if you’re creating EDM or house music but perfect for more organic genres.

More info: LABS Soft Piano

Piano One Special Edition by SoundMagic

Piano One Special Edition is an updated version of SoundMagic’s popular freeware piano virtual instrument. It offers a fresh take on the Yamaha C7 grand piano with a versatile physical modeling engine and an intuitive user interface that lets you adjust the sound.

This free piano plugin uses a blend of sampling and physical modeling to provide extensive control over the piano sounds. Users can adjust noises, damping, and the instrument’s touch response, as well as key dynamics and tracking.

Additionally, Piano One Special Edition lets you manipulate the piano overtones and enhance the sound using a solid built-in reverb. While the included reverb may not replace specialized reverb plugins, it integrates well with the piano’s sound.

I love Piano One’s sound quality, which is surprisingly realistic for a piano plugin that isn’t purely based on sampling. Both the grand and upright piano models in Piano One SE possess a unique tone, but their highlight is the ability to fully customize the piano sound using the synthesis engine.

Piano One SE is compatible with VST and AU plugin formats and can be used in hosts that support 32-bit or 64-bit plugins on Windows or Mac.

More info: Piano One Special Edition

4Front Piano by George Yohng

Not all virtual instruments need to offer the most extensive feature set, and 4Front Piano is about as minimalist as they get.

The sound is naturally pretty bright, like you imagine a parlor piano would be. This allows 4Front Piano to cut through a mix, but it might be a little too bright for solo piano parts.

While the instrument might not offer much at all in terms of customization or visualization, it is a good free piano VST plugin that takes up virtually no resources.

It runs on a mix of sampling and synthesizing technology to make a convincing hybrid virtual instrument. 4Front comes in several plugin formats, including VST, AU, and RTAS.

More info: 4Front Piano

Monster Piano by MonsterDAW

Monster Piano is a lightweight free acoustic piano VST developed by MonterDAW. It is available for Windows and macOS users.

The instrument offers 10 piano presets, including Grand Piano, Upright Piano, and Baby Grand.

You can customize the piano’s sound using built-in effects and filters. Monster Piano also includes an ADSR envelope and a stereo pan knob.

My favorite Monster Piano feature is its lightweight plugin architecture, which results in low RAM usage and quick loading times. This makes it suitable for running multiple instances across tracks, even on older desktops.

Despite its compact size, Monster Piano delivers tones with significant depth and nuance, making it usable for various genres like pop, rock, jazz, and classical.

Monster Piano supports Windows 64/32 bit as VST and macOS as VST and AU, making it compatible with all major DAWs.

More info: Monster Piano

Klavir by MNTRA

Klavir is a free upright piano virtual instrument for the MNDALA sound engine. Unlike popular platforms like Kontakt or Decent Sampler, the MNDALA engine is designed for extreme audio manipulation.

So, here’s a free piano instrument that you use for sound design experimentation. It works equally well for melodic piano sounds, ambient soundscapes, and anything in between, fitting seamlessly into various production styles.

Klavir features a meticulously recorded upright piano sample set, utilizing modern and retro ribbon microphones to capture a beautiful and versatile sound. The instrument captures the sound of a Petrof upright piano, offering a rich timbral presence and delicate feel.

To use Klavir, users need to download and install the MNDALA engine separately and create an account for plugin access and sound management. Upon registration, a license key is provided to activate Klavir within the MNDALA plugin platform.

More info: Klavir

DPiano-A by Dead Duck Software

DPiano-A is based on MDA Piano, an old freeware plugin with no visualization other than a few control settings. But what it completely lacked in GUI, it made up for in the number of sound customization options it offered.

Meanwhile, MDA Piano became open-source software, and Dead Duck Software refined the code to create a more polished-looking piano plugin called DPiano-A.

With DPiano-A, you have control over the decay and release of the envelope, hardness, and treble, as well as the stereo width parameter. You can also set the velocity sensitivity, tuning, and polyphony. Messing with the sliding polyphony control can even get you into synth territory, going way beyond simple piano sounds.

It’s not the most realistic-sounding free piano VST here, but it has some great presets that are useful not only for music but also for post-sound production for film.

More info: DPiano-A

Keyzone Classic by Bitsonic

Some freeware plug-ins are more robust than others, and Keyzone Classic is one of the more advanced free piano VST plugins on the market. It offers presets that emulate acoustic pianos like Steinway, Yamaha, Rhodes, and more.

The control set allows you to set each stage of the ADSR curve, as well as add in reverb and detuning within the plug-in. There are also master volume and controls over the rate and depth of the LFO.

Keyzone’s sample library sounds excellent, and the plug-in’s architecture is beyond solid. It works with VST and AU plugin formats for 32-bit and 64-bit DAW software.

More info: Keyzone Classic

For more freeware plugins and instruments, return to our Free VST Plugins page.