Audio plugin manager. Small tool to manage VST / AU plugins on Windows
OwlPlug is a compact audio plugin manager designed to streamline the organization and management of VST, AU, and LV2 plugins across multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Key Features:
Cross-platform support for VST, AU, and LV2 plugin formats.
Easy discovery, installation, and removal of plugins from a centralized interface.
Plugin activation/deactivation to optimize system performance.
Clean, intuitive UI for seamless navigation and management of your plugin library.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for audio producers, engineers, and musicians who need efficient control over their plugin collection. OwlPlug helps users maintain an organized workspace, reduce clutter, and quickly access the tools they need to create professional-grade music and audio content.
Available under the GPL-3.0 license, OwlPlug can be installed via winget or downloaded from its official website.
README
OwlPlug is an audio plugin manager. It provides a complete view of your plugin setup and simple tools to manage it.
Overview
OwlPlug simplifies the way you organize, discover and install audio plugins. No more tedious file management, scattered folders, or missing dependencies ā OwlPlug gives you a centralized experience for VST, AU, and LV2 plugins.
š Manage ā Detect and list your existing audio plugins.
š Organize ā Merge plugins from multiple locations into a single root directory.
š Analyze Projects ā Scan DAW projects to identify referenced and missing plugins.
š Discover ā Connect to remote sources to browse and install plugins.
OwlPlug is an open-source plugin manager designed to simplify the installation, discovery, and management of audio plugins.
It was born out of frustration with the tedious process of installing and organizing plugins. Inspired by dependency managers and online content stores, OwlPlug offers a seamless way to manage your audio tools while also helping you discover new plugins from the community.
All feedback, contributions, and suggestions are warmly welcomed.
Download the installer for your platform from the Releases page.
Windows: .msi installer
macOS: .dmg file
Linux: .deb package
Run the installer.
Launch OwlPlug.
ā ļø macOS Users: On some versions of macOS, you may see a warning that OwlPlug is damaged. This can be fixed by following the instructions on the Troubleshooting wiki page. This issue occurs because the app is not notarized by Apple.
Package Managers
Windows
winget install --exact --id=OwlPlug.OwlPlug
Features
Plugins discovery
OwlPlug can discover VST2, VST3, AU and LV2 Plugins. OwlPlug is compatible with all previously installed plugins as long as they are all in a specific root directory, for example C:/AudioPlugins. Additional directories can be configured if your plugin setup is fragmented on the filesystem.
After downloading Owlplug, you can still organize (add, move, delete, ...) your plugins with a file explorer or with your favorite DAW without breaking anything.
Links management
A Link allows you to create and manage symlinks across your filesystem and plugin directories. With Links, you can access directories anywhere on your filesystem (Hard drive, USB keys, custom directories...) through a single root plugin directory. For example, you can configure a link named usb-drive in C:/AudioPlugins to target your usb hard drive D:/myPlugins. All plugins in D:/myPlugins will be accessible using C:/AudioPlugins/usb-drive. This feature may be useful for DAW that scans plugins from predefined or limited number directories. On some Windows version, symlinks creation may require admin privileges.
DAW Projects analysis
OwlPlug can scan DAW projects to extract referenced plugins. Plugins references in project files are compared to plugins installed in configured directories. This way, users can quickly identify missing plugins required to open projects.
The list of compatible DAWs is available in the documentation
Explore and download Plugins
OwlPlug can be connected to several remote sources to download plugins. A Remote Source (or Registry) is a collection of downloadable plugins that can be installed locally. OwlPlug can be configured to use any compatible third-party source in Explore Tab > Sources > Add a new source.
Here are some recommended compatible sources.
OwlPlug Registry ā
OwlPlug official plugin registry for Free or Open Source plugins
