The Best Drum VSTs 2025 For Drummers, Producers, And Beyond

Perhaps you’ve tried using drum VSTs in the past and were immediately put off by how flat and lifeless they sounded — the opposite of the big, crisp, and crashing sounds of a real-life drum kit. Or maybe you thought only genres such as techno, house, and other electronic genres were best served by digital drums.

Grab your drumsticks, because this is no longer the case. MIDI drums have taken a huge leap forward in recent years, to the point where huge rock bands like Bring Me The Horizon have drum VSTs on their masters. Modern drum samples and MIDI drums have managed to capture the wonderful nuances of the drums and some of the famous rooms in which they have been recorded. Whether you need drums on a track but can’t afford a drummer and studio, or you’re just a MIDI lover, here are the very best drum VSTs, starting with the most affordable, to get you rocking and rolling.

This article will largely focus on acoustic drum VSTs — if you’re looking for more electronic beats, check out our Best Drum Machine Plugins buyer’s guide.

Spitfire Labs Vintage Drums

If you’d like a completely convincing and great-sounding drum VST for free, then step into the lab. Spitfire Labs is Spitfire Audio’s community-focused collection of completely free VSTs. The music software company, most famous for its orchestral samples, have delivered one of the best drum VSTs that won’t cost you a pound, dollar, or euro. These drum samples were recorded using the 1970 Ludwig with 26” bass drum (of Led Zeppelin fame) and recorded at Kerwax studio, one of the few remaining analogue recording studios. If you are particularly after the ultra-clean, more processed-sounding drum sounds often heard in modern metal, these vintage vibes may not be for you. Otherwise, the fact that these realistic drum sounds are this good and this free is almost unbelievable.

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Steven Slate Drums 5.5

We’re making the light jump from our free drum VST option to one of the most affordable on the market (that said, you can try this one out for free with some decent features). Steven Slate has put their flag, or drum stick, in the sand with some great realistic drum sounds, and Drums 5.5 is a high-quality drum plugin packed with value: 150 presets, encompassing 112 bass drums, 135 snare sounds, loads of cymbals, and more. They recently introduced Groove AI, which allows you to record a drum/vocal/synth/guitar part in your DAW, and you can then have this feature generate an accompanying drum beat. Otherwise, these drum sounds are a lot of fun to play in yourself.

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Getgood One Kit Wonder: Architects

We mentioned Bring Me The Horizon earlier, and their peers Architects have had a similarly timed and sized trajectory, with an epic and clean metalcore sound that has been imitated countless times. Interestingly, this is one of the genres that often uses MIDI drums rather than a real drummer on album recordings as MIDI is a very convenient way of getting sounds precisely ‘on the grid’ and quantising sounds. Architect’s drummer is Dan Searle, and Getgood (who will be mentioned here again) says they had many requests for a sample pack based on his drumming and sound. This drum VST is based on his Zildjian cymbals, huge crashes and hi-hats, plus his trademark mixing in of FX cymbals. It has been tuned to perfection, so no need to worry about any sour notes in the mix.

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Toontrack EZDrummer 3

Keep those devil horns held proudly above your head for now, as we are keeping it metal for this next entry in our best drum VSTs compendium. Toontrack's EZDrummer 3 offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, combined with the raw power of modern drum production. The library is vast, with samples created via collaborations with such industry legends as Bob Rock and Steve Albini. The songwriting tools included, such as Bandmate and MIDI grooves, are great if you need a little creative nudge.

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Room Sound

Let’s enter another room in the best drum VSTs building, this time belonging to Room Sound. The company’s catalogue encompasses four signature producer titles for you to choose from: Jay Maas, Kurt Ballou, Beau Burchell, and then Bill Stevenson, also titled Blasting Room. Like a few of the names on our best drum VSTs list, there is a focus on hardcore and metal sounds, which is perhaps disingenuous on Room Sound’s part as they have created realistic drum sounds that can be used in a multitude of genres. The packs are run on the Native Instruments Kontakt Player, and you can familiarise yourself with plenty of walkthroughs and audio demos from the company itself.

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XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2

Drum addicts anonymous, here is the virtual drum software that might give you that sweet hit. As far as realistic drum sounds go, XLN Audio’s Addictive Drums 2 is right up there in the drum sample premier league table. Its interface is nice and easy to get to grips with, and the mixer is great too. Effects-wise, there is EQ and tape saturation to play with, distortion and master compression, and pitch and volume envelopes. Addictive Drums 2 is a refreshing change from all the metal and heavy-focussed and offers great options for indie rock and other contemporary sounds.

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MixWave Drum Libraries

Throwing another one of the best VST drum plugins into the mix in the form of MixWave. The plural Drum Libraries refers to the numerous options belonging to renowned drummers. Sample packs include Thomas Pridgen, Mario Duplantier (Gojira), Brookes Wackerman (Avenged Sevenfold), Tony Royster Jr, and Luke Holland, the latter being the creator of MixWave. This is another of the best drum plugins that is used via the Kontakt Player. These MIDI drums utilise raw, high-quality drum samples for creative mixing or pre-mixed reverbs and master effects for quick results. There are more great effects including compressor, EQ, and tape saturation.

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Toontrack Superior Drummer 3

If spending up to £330/$419 for MIDI drums is setting off alarm bells for you, rest assured that you truly are kitting yourself out with one of the best VST drum plugins known to humankind in Superior Drummer 3. It’s only been knocking around since 2017 but is now Toontrack’s flagship drum program after they first released Drum Kit From Hell two decades ago. And while it has some of the very best acoustic drum samples, a brilliant thing about SD3 is that it also has 350 electronic drum machine sounds — so some serious bang for your buck, albeit costing you a lot of bucks. There’s a built-in EQ, 35 effects in total, and you can get really hands-on with the drum mapping and dynamics. This drum software is not superior in name alone.

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Key features to look for in the best VST drum plugin

Workflow and interface: There’s so much to be said for an intuitive and easy-to-follow interface — a clumsy and difficult interface will eat up your time and be a source of frustration rather than creativity.

High-quality samples: However obvious this may sound, it has to be emphasised. Do your listening homework with each drum VST you consider — 99%, the company will provide audio demos and video walkthroughs.

Mix-ready presets: Presets will save you time, inspire creativity, and are a great choice for those who just want great-sounding drums straight out of the virtual box, rather than spending hours tweaking and customising a sound. Almost all of the best VST drum plugins will offer numerous plugins for different sounds and genres, as well as customisation options.

Effects: A range of effects, which are often pre-built in to improve the sound, are something that comes massively in handy and saves you bringing in third-party effects plugins helps to streamline your workflow. Of course, you can get creative with other plugins if you’re after a particular result.

Godspeed, drummers of the world, and of course, non-drummers looking for a great MIDI option! Have fun finding the best drum plugin for your needs, and get ready to make some righteous noise.