Here's the trap every new producer falls into: you spend £200 on five plugins because they were on sale, and end up using none of them well. The goal isn't to own plugins — it's to finish tracks. So we're going to spend that £200 on the smallest possible set that covers everything you actually need.
Start with what's free
Before you spend a penny, install Vital. It's a free wavetable synth that does most of what a £189 Serum does, and it's the single highest-leverage download in this whole guide. Pair it with TDR Nova — a free dynamic EQ — and you already have a synth and a mixing tool that punch far above £0.
Spend £40 on one great reverb
Reverb is where free plugins betray beginners most — everything turns to mud. ValhallaRoom fixes this for £40 and you will never need another general-purpose reverb. This is the first thing on the list worth paying for.
Buy one thing that fixes a real problem before you buy five things that solve problems you don't have yet.
The £200 breakdown
Here's exactly where the money goes. Notice how much is still left over — that's deliberate. The leftover is your “buy it when you hit a wall” fund.
What to ignore (for now)
Mastering suites, channel-strip bundles, and anything with “AI” in the name. Not because they're bad, but because they solve problems you won't have until you're finishing tracks consistently. Come back to them in six months — they'll likely be on sale anyway.