Side by side
Rustortion vs TONEX
Both stand on guitar amp software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxWindows
Pick Rustortion if you need a free amp simulator for Linux or Windows and want standalone or DAW plugin use with flexible processing. Look elsewhere if you need a macOS build or prefer software described as beyond experimental development.
Visit Rustortion Free plan MacWindows
Visit TONEX The facts
| Rustortion | TONEX | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Windows | Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | See the plans |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | ikmultimedia.com |
| On guitar amp software | #14 of 35 | #18 of 35 |
Rustortion: what it does well
- Free and MIT-licensed, with standalone, VST3, and CLAP options.
- Twelve DSP stages include preamp, effects, graphic EQ, and NAM loading.
- Configurable oversampling ranges from 1x to 16x.
- Impulse response cabinet simulation supports guitar and bass.
- Includes tuner, real-time recording, pitch shifting, and MIDI support.
What to know first
- There is no macOS build.
- Linux requires PipeWire and JACK support plus a Rust toolchain.
- The project is experimental and advises use at the user's own risk.
- Linux aarch64 and Windows plugin builds are not hand-tested.
TONEX: what it does well
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