iZotope and Boris FX Free Trials and Free Plugins: Time Limits and What You Keep

iZotope gives away five plugins you keep for good: Ozone EQ, Ozone Imager, Vinyl, Vocal Doubler and Trash Lite. RX 12, Ozone 12, Nectar 4 and Neutron 5 each have a 10-day product trial, and the iZotope Plus and Pro subscriptions add a 7-day trial that turns into a paid monthly plan unless you cancel. Across the rest of the Boris FX family, Sound Forge and VEGAS Pro run 15-day trials with no card, Mocha Pro runs 14 days, Sapphire and Continuum carry a red X watermark for 30 days, and CrumplePop's PopRemover and RustleRemover stay free after the trial ends. The terms below come from the vendor pages on October 20, 2026.

My rule is simple: take everything that is free to keep first, and start a trial only when a real project is waiting, because the clock does not care whether you used the days. The RX 12 trial, for example, starts the first time you open the RX 12 Audio Editor or an RX plug-in in a host, according to iZotope's RX 12 authorization guide. Billing is the other trap. Boris FX trials ask for no card and do not renew, while the iZotope subscription trial turns into a monthly charge after seven days unless you cancel. All of these brands now share one owner: Boris FX announced its purchase of VEGAS Pro, Sound Forge and ACID Pro on March 30, 2026, and iZotope said in July 2026 that it is joining Boris FX, with existing licenses and subscriptions staying active. The installers are still separate: iZotope tools install through Native Access, and Boris FX trials through the Boris FX Hub.

Free plugins and trials at a glance

Read the second column first. "Free to keep" means no clock at all; everything else is an evaluation copy with the limit shown.

Two durations appear only in the FAQ on Boris FX's free-trial page: 30 days for Sapphire and Continuum, whose own trial pages state no length, and 14 days for the CrumplePop plugins. The same FAQ lists Particle Illusion among the 14-day trials and, a few lines later, calls it a free trial with no time limit; the product page agrees with the second reading.

iZotope plugins that are free to keep

iZotope's free plugins page lists Vocal Doubler, Vinyl, Ozone Imager and Trash Lite, and offers Ozone EQ in a separate block through Native Access. All five show $0.00 in the US iZotope store. They are complete plugins, not timed demos:

• Ozone Imager 2: stereo width with two Stereoize modes and three vectorscope views. The Ozone Imager guide covers mono-safe settings and what the paid Ozone 12 Imager adds.
• Vinyl: record dust, scratches, warp and mechanical noise, plus a Lo-fi effect, per iZotope's Vinyl page. The iZotope Vinyl guide covers install, settings and how it compares with RC-20.
• Vocal Doubler: one pad that sets stereo separation and human variation for a natural double. The Vocal Doubler guide has starting settings and a comparison with Nectar 4 and VocalSynth 2.
• Trash Lite: the free mode of Trash with its namesake distortion module, over 60 distortion types and an XY pad that blends up to four of them, per iZotope's Trash Lite page; it is also free on iPad as an AUv3 plugin. The Trash Lite guide covers drums, bass and vocals and when the paid Trash is worth it.
• Ozone EQ: the Equalizer from Ozone 12, delivered through Native Access with Native Instruments' Komplete Start, which asks for no credit card. The Ozone EQ guide walks through the install, Transient/Sustain mode and what the paid Ozone 12 editions add.

Audiolens, Iris 2, Dialogue Match and BreakTweaker also show $0.00 in iZotope's store feed, but they carry an end-of-life tag and are absent from the free plugins page, so treat them as retired listings. Free iZotope Plugins: The Five Real Freebies walks through each one, the legal download routes and what reviewers report.

For Sound Forge, which hosts VST2 and VST3 plug-ins, I'd load the VST3 versions: Vinyl, Vocal Doubler and Ozone Imager ship as VST2 and VST3, while the Ozone EQ and Trash Lite pages list no formats and the full Ozone 12 and Trash builds no longer support VST2, so plan on VST3 for those two. Sound Forge is not on iZotope's tested-host list for Vinyl, Vocal Doubler or Ozone Imager, so if one is missing after a rescan, start with the Sound Forge VST fixes. What Is a VST Plugin? explains the format differences if VST2 versus VST3 is new to you.

iZotope free trial: product trial or subscription trial

I'd use a product trial when you are judging one product, and the subscription trial when you are deciding between a plan and a perpetual license. iZotope's product downloads page offers both routes side by side.

Product trials: 10 days per product

Install the product and choose the trial when the authorization screen appears. The RX 12 Standard download page states the rule for every RX edition: export is disabled for 10 days, then Demo mode inserts silence at regular intervals. iZotope's support article on how to demo iZotope software adds the detail that matters for planning: the plug-ins run with full functionality during the trial, while saving and exporting are disabled in the standalone editor. Ozone 12 works fully for 10 days in every edition; afterwards your saved settings remain, but the plugin window locks until you authorize. Nectar 4 Standard and Neutron 5 Elements run without restriction for 10 days and then switch to Demo mode. iZotope's product downloads page offers separate demos of smaller paid tools as well, including Insight 2, VocalSynth 2, Trash and Tonal Balance Control 3.

Subscription trial: 7 days, then a monthly plan

iZotope Plus costs $15 a month or $150 a year and includes Neutron 5, Ozone 12 Standard, Nectar 4 Standard and RX 12 Elements. iZotope Pro costs $25 a month or $250 a year and includes Ozone 12 Advanced, RX 12 Standard, Neutron 5 and Nectar 4 Advanced; neither plan lists RX 12 Advanced. The iZotope subscriptions FAQ says the 7-day trial costs nothing if you cancel inside it, renews monthly afterwards, and sends a reminder email before billing starts. If you cancel later, the tools revert to read-only mode once the plan expires: they keep your last saved settings, but the controls stop being editable, so bounce any track that depends on them to audio first. Put the renewal date on your calendar the day you start.

One more route shows up in search: Splice sells Ozone 11 Advanced + Neutron 4 rent-to-own with a 3-day free trial, then $27.99 a month for 22 months, ending in a lifetime license. It is the previous generation and a payment plan, not a free version.

Guides to use during the trial

• RX 12 Elements vs Standard vs Advanced: pick the edition to trial, so you judge the modules you would actually buy.
• RX 12 tutorial for beginners: a first clean repair in the editor, step by step.
• Remove background noise in RX 12: which module fits which noise, in the order to try them.
• RX Dialogue Isolate: the three faders and settings that keep a voice natural.
• iZotope RX 12 review and RX 12 vs RX 11: what reviewers concluded, and whether an RX 11 owner should update.
• Ozone 12 review and Ozone 12 vs Ozone 11: which edition is worth it and what the update adds.
• Tonal Balance Control 3: it has its own demo on iZotope's downloads page and is also part of the iZotope Pro trial.
• Trouble during the trial: Product Portal and authorization fixes, RX plugins not showing and RX crashing or not opening.

The product hubs keep every RX and Ozone page in one place: iZotope RX and iZotope Ozone.

Sound Forge and Boris FX audio trials

Sound Forge 2026 runs a fully functional 15-day trial with no credit card, according to the Sound Forge pricing page, and it needs Windows 11 per the Sound Forge system requirements. Start with Sound Forge Free Trial 2026 for what the 15 days include, install through the Boris FX download and install guide, and keep the Boris FX Hub and setup fixes open if the installer stops. Sound Forge Price 2026 lays out what the plans cost when the trial ends.

• CrumplePop: the plugin trial is fully functional but its output carries an audio watermark, and Boris FX says it includes two free plugins you can keep. Production Expert reports that those two are PopRemover and RustleRemover, and that they keep working for free once you install the full bundle through the Boris FX Hub. SoundApp, the standalone version, has a 15-day trial with no credit card on the CrumplePop page. CrumplePop vs iZotope RX helps decide whether one-knob cleanup is enough.
• ACID Pro: the ACID Pro trial page offers a 15-day full-featured trial for Windows, installed through the Boris FX Hub; the bundled loops and content come only with the full version.
• Samplitude and Sequoia: 15-day trials, Windows only; Boris FX calls them limited because the extra third-party content is not included.
• Music Studio: a fully functional 15-day trial for Windows; Boris FX pitches it as music software for beginners.
• Melodyne 5: Celemony's trial runs Melodyne 5 studio with all functions for 30 days, lets you switch to the smaller editions to compare them, needs an internet connection at every launch and works once per computer. Melodyne essential vs assistant covers the editions and opening Melodyne with ARA in Sound Forge.

The Boris FX audio hub compares Sound Forge, Samplitude, Sequoia, Music Studio and CrumplePop as products.

Boris FX video trials: Sapphire, Continuum, Mocha and the rest

Every Boris FX trial runs through the Boris FX Hub; you sign in or create a free account with just an email address. The Boris FX free-trial page says no credit card is required and that trials do not auto-renew or charge you; when one ends, some products stop until licensed and others drop to a restricted mode.

If you edit in VEGAS Pro, check what you already have before starting another trial. VEGAS Pro's own 15-day trial gives full access with no card, and the VEGAS Pro plans page shows that Plus and Ultimate include Mocha Vegas, Particle Illusion, the CrumplePop VST plugins and Sound Forge, while Ultimate adds the Mocha Pro plugin for VEGAS, Optics, the Continuum VFX plugins for VEGAS and CrumplePop SoundApp. Boris FX forum threads on Continuum in VEGAS Pro 2026 and CrumplePop in VEGAS Pro Plus report that the bundled Continuum and CrumplePop plugins work only inside VEGAS. No VEGAS edition includes Sapphire. VEGAS Pro Plugins breaks this down by edition.

• Sapphire: the Sapphire trial page gives access to all effects with a red X watermark, limited to HD. In VEGAS Pro the effects sit in the Video FX tab under the third-party tab. Sapphire Plugins for VEGAS Pro covers the license, GPU requirements and fixes.
• Continuum: the Continuum trial includes all of its nearly 350 effects and built-in Mocha tracking, with the same red X watermark. Pick between the two with Sapphire vs Continuum, which starts from your host.
• Optics, Silhouette, SynthEyes, Particle Illusion: Optics and Silhouette run 14 days at full function. SynthEyes' product page offers a 14-day trial, while the trial FAQ describes a demo with saving disabled and limited tracking, so plan a short test shot. Particle Illusion Pro's trial never expires, but it is meant for non-commercial use and cannot import background layers. The Boris FX hub explains where each tool fits.

Is Mocha Pro free?

No. Mocha Pro has a free 14-day trial through the Boris FX Hub, and the trial FAQ says it then reverts to a limited Learning Edition. Free versions of Mocha do exist inside other products: Mocha AE ships inside Adobe After Effects, VEGAS Pro Plus and Ultimate include Mocha Vegas, and Continuum and Sapphire carry lite Mocha tracking. Boris FX's Mocha AE vs Mocha Pro comparison lists what only the full product adds: the Lens, Insert and Remove modules, camera stabilization, and stereo 3D and 360/VR support. Mocha Pro Price 2026 compares every license once the free routes run out.

Free tools inside something you already own

• Sound Forge editions: both include the coreFX Suite, the essentialFX Suite and the dynamic EQ plug-ins; Sound Forge Plus adds Melodyne 5 Essential, Vandal, VariVerb II and 3D Reverb. Sound Forge plugins by edition lists them, and the Plug-In Chainer guide shows how to save them as reusable chains.
• VEGAS Pro Plus and Ultimate: Mocha Vegas, Particle Illusion, the CrumplePop VST plugins and Sound Forge, with Mocha Pro for VEGAS, Optics, Continuum for VEGAS and SoundApp added in Ultimate; forum reports say the bundled Continuum and CrumplePop plugins run only inside VEGAS.
• After Effects: Mocha AE, opened from Animation > Track in Boris FX Mocha.
• Komplete Start: Ozone EQ, at no cost through Native Access.
• Students: full-time students at accredited universities or colleges can get a 12-month Boris FX Suite license for a $5 application fee on the Boris FX student license page. It is for self-learning only, does not renew automatically, and excludes for-profit trade schools. iZotope offers a 50% student discount after you verify eligibility.

Free online audio tools on SoundForgePro

These run in your browser with no install and no trial clock. Use them to check a file or your gear before you spend trial days on it.

• Loudness and analysis: LUFS meter for loudness and true peak, audio spectrum analyzer for FFT and frequency peaks, phase correlation meter for mono compatibility.
• Test signals: tone generator for sine, square and sweep tones, pink noise generator, bass test with 20 to 200 Hz tones.
• Check your gear: headphone test, speaker test, left and right speaker test, speaker polarity test, microphone test for level, clipping and noise.
• Pitch and tempo: pitch detector for note, Hz and cents, tap tempo, BPM to ms calculator for delay times.
• Planning and reference: musical note frequency chart, audio frequency chart for EQ bands, audio file size calculator for WAV, FLAC, MP3 and AAC, audio latency calculator from samples to milliseconds.

The audio tools tag collects all of them. If you would rather meter inside your editor, Best Free Metering Plugins lists eight free loudness, spectrum and phase meters.

Free editors and repair tools outside the Boris FX family

This page sticks to the Boris FX family. For a free editor instead of a trial, compare Audacity vs Sound Forge and Ocenaudio vs Sound Forge. For free noise reduction, Best iZotope RX Alternatives includes free picks such as Bertom Denoiser Classic, which is pay-what-you-want, including free, and the roundups of audio noise reduction software and audio restoration software match tools to the damage.

How to choose: keep it, trial it, or wait for a sale

1. You need width, lo-fi color, doubling, distortion or a clean EQ. Install the five free iZotope plugins. There is no clock and nothing to cancel.
2. You are judging one iZotope product. Take its 10-day trial, and open it only when the audio you want to fix or master is ready. For RX, expect the editor not to export during the trial.
3. You are weighing several iZotope products, or subscription against perpetual. Take the 7-day Plus or Pro trial, note the renewal date, and bounce your work before you cancel.
4. You edit video in VEGAS Pro. Start the 15-day VEGAS Pro trial first; if you buy, Plus and Ultimate bundle Mocha Vegas, Particle Illusion, CrumplePop and Sound Forge.
5. You need Sapphire, Continuum or Mocha Pro. Choose by host, then spend the trial on your hardest shot. The watermark and HD cap are fine for judging, not for delivery.
6. You are a full-time student. The $5 Boris FX Suite license beats any trial for learning, as long as the work is not commercial.

My pick for a Sound Forge user starting from zero: the five free iZotope plugins plus the 15-day Sound Forge trial, then an RX 12 Standard trial only when a damaged recording is actually on your desk. When you are ready to pay, check current deals, iZotope's past Black Friday discounts and Boris FX's past Black Friday sales before you pay list price.

All guides in this hub