Who has the worst plugin manager/install experience?

[aMUSEd]

OK the UJAM one is starting to P me off too - it starts up every time I start a host that rescans the plugins or load the Usynth, Delay or Finisher (strangely not Reverb 2) - tried deleting it but then I get a bunch of popups complaining that it can't find it when I load those plugins - very tempted just to delete the lot of them

F**ing Ujam POS - deleted the app and all their plugins because it kept popping up every time I opened any host - now it's doing this - obviously some process left behind in the background trying to phone home

Screenshot 2026-02-26 at 18.09.33.png

[Scotty]

Melda's stuff is solid. Updating takes minutes. Login in to the app. Select the button that chooses all the plugins that you own. Click install. It updates everything you bought to the latest version. I'm on both Windows and latest Mac OS. Seamless on both platforms. YMMV

Yeah, I forgot about Melda. The entire Melda ecosystem is such a clusterfluff that I uninstalled even the "free" plugins and walked away forever.

[jamcat]

I was mostly thinking about Melda’s misleading “free” plugins that are actually crippled nagware. I suppose the manager itself works well enough, being that I was able to immediately uninstall everything and never look back.

[MrJubbly]

Audio Modeling Software Centre.

It is supposed to be able to efficiently and reliably update all installed products - just like other such installers from developers like Arturia, Korg, Native Instruments, iZotope, etc. Only, it is far less reliable than any of those.

Unlike other product installers, Audio Modeling Software Centre has never once manged to successfully update all SWAM instruments unattended as it should.

Instead, it always fails on at least one, but usually several more product update installations. I have tried using it on multiple different devices and over separate reliable internet connections, but it is useless. It will always fail and so always has to be babysat and have the user manually intervene to fix the failed update installations, every time.

Which, when you consider how much Audio Modeling charge for their products, is quite an insult.

[Scotty]

Fair enough.

I was mostly thinking about Melda’s misleading “free” plugins that are actually crippled nagware. I suppose the manager itself works well enough, being that I was able to immediately uninstall everything and never look back.

[Aloysius]

Softube. Just trying to use it now. It seems to have forgotten that I own licenses for some products. Failure during some installs. Not the first time these things have happened. Also very slow in operation.

[Keekee]

Roland Cloud. So cluttered and clunky. I just recently wiped my Mac just tog get rid of it lol.

[oobesan]

Razzies for Download Managers:

Steinberg. Based on the bloatware alone.

UVI. Look, I don't need your entire company's website on my download manager. You need 4 pages for me to download my software? Four? And you default to advertising more crap rather than the products I already own? F you, UVI.

Crow Hill. Opens up every time I just open Logic Pro.

UJAM. Does the same thing as Crow Hill.

Universal Audio. Always running and open on my title bar of my screen. Like the Gestapo.


Best Managers Awards:

#1 XLN Audio. it only runs when I tell it to, never in the background. Its file size and screen real estate are both tiny. It does exactly what it is supposed to do and nothing else. And it does it extremely fast. Something it could do better: hover to show release notes.

#2 Plugin Alliance. Hear me out. It's very small, bare bones. It runs fast. It tells you what plugins have an update. It does not open or run on its own. Almost as good as XLN Audio.

#3 Tracktion. Similar to above. Just straightforward.

[jamcat]

#2 Plugin Alliance. […] It tells you what plugins have an update.

It does? Are you sure about that, because I haven’t been able to find that feature. That’s my biggest complaint about it.

What I do like about it is you can select which plugin format(s) to install.

[oobesan]

#2 Plugin Alliance. […] It tells you what plugins have an update.

It does? Are you sure about that, because I haven’t been able to find that feature. That’s my biggest complaint about it.

What I do like about it is you can select which plugin format(s) to install.

Yes, the update to its download/installation manager came about a (maybe?) year ago. And yes, along with some others, it allows you to select only those plugin formates you want.

[jamcat]

Thanks, I was using version 1.2.4. I just updated to 1.4.0, and I see "My Updates" now!

[Harry_HH]

inMusic BFD is the clear winner.

[BazJacuzzi]

inMusic BFD is the clear winner.

Close the thread, we have a winner.

Several minutes to phone home and authorize all of the expansions (on a separate http call for each expansion) every time you open the plugin, freezing the DAW. Abysmal. I'm not hater, it's my favourite drum plugin by far, but an absolute atrocity for paid up users.

[Harry_HH]

Yes, I’m the BFD user since the ver 1, great product, and no problem with the installation/authorization in the days of the Fxpansion - but since the exit of the original developers its been pure hell to manage the plugin. What a pitty.

[eLawnMust]

Not a good advert for plug purchases... Everything becoming malware-infused, subscription bullshit... If everyone stops buying they will change...

Easiest install would be bare DLL which requires nothing, copy it to other machines/folders just for fun... "Mommy!... I just copied a DLL!!"...