What FabFilter does

FabFilter is a privately held Dutch software company founded in 2002 in Amsterdam by co-founders Frederik Slijkerman and Floris Klinkert. The company designs and develops professional audio plug-ins used in music production, mixing, mastering, recording, and creative sound design. Its portfolio of 14 plug-ins is organized into mixing and mastering tools (Pro-Q 4 equalizer, Pro-C 3 compressor, Pro-L 2 limiter, Pro-R 2 reverb, Pro-MB multiband compressor, Pro-DS de-esser, Pro-G gate/expander) and creative and basic tools (Saturn 2 distortion/saturation, Timeless 3 delay, Volcano 3 filter, Twin 3 synthesizer, One basic synthesizer, Simplon filter, Micro filter). Customers include recording artists and music producers, mixing and mastering engineers, sound designers, and accredited music students and educators, served through a horizontally segmented approach. FabFilter is named by third-party industry analyst Verified Market Reports as a dominant player in the global audio plugin software market alongside iZotope, Native Instruments, Waves Audio, Steinberg, and Avid.

Name

FabFilter

Legal name

FabFilter B.V.

Website

https://fabfilter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FabFilter is a Dutch audio software company that designs and sells 14 professional plug-ins for music production, mixing, mastering, and creative sound design, serving individual producers, mixing engineers, studios, and educators globally via direct online sales and resellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audio Plugin Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Audio plugin software
• Music production tools
• Audio mixing plugins
• Audio mastering software
• Audio effects plugins

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Perpetual License Sales: One-time perpetual license purchase for individual plugins and bundles. Licenses are personal and valid for major version purchased. Minor updates included free; major version upgrades require separate purchase. Personal licenses allow activation on up to 3 devices.
2. Bundle Sales: Bundled software packages (Total Bundle, FX Bundle, Pro Bundle, Mixing Bundle, Mastering Bundle, Essentials Bundle, Creative Bundle, Custom Bundle) at discounted prices compared to individual plugin purchases.
3. Upgrade Licenses: Paid upgrade path for existing users when new major versions are released (e.g., Pro-Q 3 to Pro-Q 4). Users receive discounted upgrade pricing through Personal Upgrade Offer in their account.
4. Site Licenses: Multi-seat licenses for studios, educational institutions, and organizations with tiered volume discounts (40-85% discounts for additional seats beyond the first).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

FabFilter designs, develops and sells professional audio plug-in software for music production, mixing, mastering and creative sound design. The portfolio consists of 14 individual plug-ins (EQ, compressor, limiter, reverb, multiband dynamics, de-esser, gate/expander, distortion/saturation, delay, filter and synthesizers) sold as perpetual licenses individually or as discounted bundles (Total, FX, Pro, Mixing, Mastering, Essentials and Creative), available in all major plug-in formats on Windows, macOS and iOS.

Product overview

FabFilter is a Dutch audio software company (founded 2002, Amsterdam) specializing in professional audio plug-ins for music production. The portfolio consists of 14 individual plug-ins organized into two main categories: Mixing and Mastering tools (Pro-Q 4 equalizer, Pro-C 3 compressor, Pro-L 2 limiter, Pro-R 2 reverb, Pro-MB multiband compressor, Pro-DS de-esser, Pro-G gate/expander) and Creative tools (Saturn 2 distortion/saturation, Timeless 3 delay, Volcano 3 filter, Twin 3 synthesizer, One basic synthesizer, Simplon filter, Micro mini filter). Products are available as VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX Native and AudioSuite formats for Windows and macOS. The company offers seven different bundle options (Total, FX, Pro, Mixing, Mastering, Essentials, Creative) with increasing discounts for bundling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pro-Q 4 equalizer plug-in Top-quality equalizer plug-in with perfect analog modeling, dynamic and spectral EQ, linear phase processing and a gorgeous interface with unrivalled ease of use, used by professional mixing and mastering engineers.
• Pro-C 3 compressor plug-in Professional compressor plug-in with versatile side chain and routing options, high-quality sound and an innovative interface; features six new compression styles and character modes for smooth saturation, vintage color and analog-style processing.
• Pro-L 2 limiter plug-in Feature-packed true peak limiter plug-in with multiple advanced limiting algorithms and extensive level and loudness metering, used in professional mastering and mixing.
• Pro-R 2 reverb plug-in High-end reverb plug-in offering both vintage and natural sound, musical controls and innovations like the unique Decay Rate EQ to shape the reverb's character.
• Pro-MB multiband compressor/expander plug-in Powerful multiband compressor and expander plug-in with all the expert features needed, combining exceptional sound quality with great interface workflow.
• Pro-DS de-esser plug-in Highly intelligent and transparent de-essing plug-in, suitable for processing single vocal tracks as well as entire mixes.
• Pro-G gate/expander plug-in Highly flexible gate and expander plug-in with advanced side chain options and precise metering, used in professional mixing and sound design.
• Saturn 2 multiband distortion/saturation plug-in Multiband distortion, saturation and amp modeling plug-in with extensive modulation options for creative sound design and mixing.
• Timeless 3 tape delay plug-in Ultra-flexible tape delay plug-in with time stretching, top quality filters and drag-and-drop modulation.
• Volcano 3 filter plug-in Filter effect plug-in with smooth, vintage-sounding filters and endless modulation possibilities for creative sound shaping.
• Twin 3 synthesizer plug-in Powerful synthesizer plug-in with the best possible sound quality, a high-quality effect section and an ultra-flexible modulation system.
• One basic synthesizer plug-in Basic synthesizer plug-in with just one oscillator, perfectly fine-tuned controls and the best possible sound and filter quality.
• Simplon basic filter plug-in Basic and easy-to-use filter plug-in with two high-quality multi-mode filters and an interactive filter display.
• Micro mini filter plug-in Ultimate lightweight filter plug-in with a single high-quality filter including envelope follower modulation.
• Total Bundle (all 14 FabFilter plug-ins) Complete bundle containing all 14 FabFilter plug-ins, offering professional EQ, reverb, compressor, multiband dynamics, limiter, de-esser, gate/expander, creative distortion, delay, filter and synthesizer plug-ins at a discounted package price.
• FX Bundle (10 effects plug-ins) Bundle containing Pro-Q 4, Pro-R 2, Pro-C 3, Pro-L 2, Pro-MB, Pro-DS, Pro-G, Saturn 2, Timeless 3 and Volcano 3 for comprehensive effects processing.
• Pro Bundle (professional mixing/mastering) Professional mixing and mastering bundle containing all plug-ins from FabFilter's Pro range including EQ, reverb, limiter, multiband dynamics, compressor, de-esser and gate/expander.
• Mixing Bundle Mixing-focused bundle containing Pro-Q 4, Pro-R 2, Pro-C 3, Pro-DS, Pro-G, Saturn 2 and Timeless 3.
• Mastering Bundle Essential plug-ins for mastering: Pro-L 2 limiter, Pro-Q 4 EQ, Pro-C 3 compressor and Pro-MB multiband compressor.
• Essentials Bundle Entry-level bundle with Pro-Q 4, Pro-R 2 and Pro-C 3 covering the most essential mixing tools.
• Creative Bundle Creative effects bundle containing Saturn 2, Timeless 3, Volcano 3 and Twin 3 for inspiration and sound design.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Waves Audio: Waves is one of the largest commercial audio plugin developers, offering mixing, mastering, and creative effects plugins (EQ, compression, reverb, saturation) sold under perpetual and subscription licenses. It competes head-to-head with FabFilter across nearly every category of its 14-plugin catalog.
• iZotope: iZotope develops professional audio plugins for mixing, mastering, and restoration (Ozone, Neutron, RX, Nectar) and is named alongside FabFilter as a dominant player in the audio plugin market. It targets the same professional and prosumer customer base with overlapping product categories.
• Native Instruments: Native Instruments produces Komplete, a comprehensive bundle of synthesizers, samplers, effects, and creative tools widely used by music producers. It competes directly with FabFilter's creative plugins (Twin 3, Saturn 2, Timeless 3, Volcano 3) and effects bundles.
• Universal Audio (UAD): Universal Audio produces highly regarded analog-modeled audio plugins (EQ, compression, reverb, tape emulation) used by professional mixing and mastering engineers. Its UAD plugin line is a direct competitor to FabFilter's Pro-Q, Pro-C, Pro-L, and Pro-R series.
• Arturia: Arturia develops software synthesizers, effects plugins, and MIDI controllers used by producers and sound designers. Its FX Collection and synth plugins overlap with FabFilter's Twin 3, Saturn 2, and creative effects lineup.
• Soundtoys: Soundtoys specializes in creative effects plugins (saturation, delay, modulation, pitch) widely used in mixing and sound design. It competes with FabFilter's Saturn 2, Timeless 3, and Volcano 3 for the creative effects portion of a producer's plugin library.

Broad incumbents

• Steinberg (Yamaha): Steinberg, owned by Yamaha, develops the Cubase DAW and its own line of audio plugins used in music production and post-production. While its plugin business is part of a broader hardware/software/DAW portfolio, it competes directly with FabFilter's Pro and creative plugin ranges.
• Avid (Pro Tools / HEAT): Avid develops Pro Tools, the dominant professional DAW, and bundles select audio processing features with it. While its plugin strategy is part of a broader hardware/DAW ecosystem, Pro Tools integrates with and partially overlaps FabFilter's plugin catalog at the high end of professional studios.

Emerging players

• Plugin Alliance (Soundwide/Avid-affiliated): Plugin Alliance aggregates plugins from boutique developers (Brainworx, SPL, elysia, Lindell) under subscription and bundle licensing. While not a single direct competitor, its bundle-and-subscription model directly pressures FabFilter's perpetual bundle pricing.
• Valhalla DSP: Valhalla DSP is a small, highly regarded developer of affordable reverb, delay, and modulation plugins (ValhallaVintageVerb, ValhallaDelay). It overlaps with FabFilter's Pro-R 2 reverb and Timeless 3 delay on price-conscious and quality-focused buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/fabfilter
• Facebookfacebook.com/fabfilter
• Instagraminstagram.com/fabfilter_plugins
• Xx.com/fabfilter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FabFilter