Audio Plugin Hosts

A plugin host is a standalone app whose entire job is loading plugins, routing audio between them, and connecting to your audio interface. Useful for: live performance rigs without a DAW, guitar / amp-modeling rigs (see neural-amp-modeling), embedded / Pi-based audio appliances, and as a JACK / PipeWire patchbay GUI on Linux.

For DAWs that already host plugins, see daws-overview. For routing on Linux see audio-routing-linux-pipewire. For routing on Win / Mac see audio-routing-win-mac.

Free / OSS general-purpose hosts

• ★ Carla — GPL, KXStudio project (Falktx). Hosts VST2 / VST3 / AU / LV2 / LADSPA / SFZ on Linux, Mac, Win. Patchbay UI, plugin browser, OSC remote control. The default OSS plugin host on Linux; works just as well on Mac / Win.
• ★ Element — GPL fork; modular plugin-graph host. Cross-platform; "modular DAW" feel.
• AudioPluginHost — example app shipped with JUCE; minimal but functional and free. Source-available reference implementation.
• MOD Desktop / MOD UI — GPL host that powers MOD Devices' guitar-pedal hardware; runs on Linux desktop too.
• NAM Standalone / AIDA-X Standalone — see neural-amp-modeling for hosts dedicated to neural amp models.

Live performance hosts

• ★ Cantabile Lite (free) / Solo / Performer — Win-only; designed for live keyboardists; the live-rig favorite. Lite is free.
• Gig Performer — paid; cross-platform; live-rig leader on Mac.
• MainStage — Apple, paid (~$30); Logic's live-performance sibling. Mac only.
• AudioMulch — paid Win / Mac; modular live performance.
• Plogue Bidule — paid; modular live host.

Patchbay / routing GUIs (Linux)

• ★ qpwgraph — GPL Qt patchbay for PipeWire (and JACK). The default on modern Linux audio rigs.
• Patchance / Catia / Claudia — KXStudio patchbays (older).
• Patchage — GPL JACK + ALSA patchbay (less actively developed but still works).
• Helvum — GPL PipeWire patchbay.
• Carla — also serves as a patchbay.

Pi / embedded audio hosts

• MOD Audio (mod-host + mod-ui) — GPL; the brain of MOD Duo / Dwarf hardware; runs LV2 plugins on a Pi-class board.
• Patchbox OS / Pisound — Blokas Labs Pi distribution; Patchbox + Pisound HAT for guitar pedalboard rigs.
• Zynthian — open-source synthesizer / sampler appliance running on Raspberry Pi; ships LV2 plugins via JACK.

Browser / WASM-based experimental

• WebAudio Modules (WAM) — emerging spec for running plugins in the browser; ecosystem still small.
• Faust web IDE — see audio-dsp-frameworks; compiles DSP to WASM and runs in browser.

Pick this if…

• Default OSS host, all platforms: Carla.
• Live keyboard rig on Win: Cantabile.
• Live keyboard rig on Mac: MainStage or Gig Performer.
• Pi guitar pedalboard: MOD Desktop or Patchbox + Pisound.
• Patchbay GUI on Linux: qpwgraph (PipeWire) or Patchage (JACK).
• Modular plugin-graph DAW feel: Element.