7 Best Budget Multi Effects Pedals For Guitar

If you want one answer, get the NUX MG-300 MKII. Guitar World’s main guide names it the best budget option, and for about $170 you get amp sounds, effects, a drum machine, a looper and a real expression pedal. If you need to stay under $100, start with the Zoom G1 Four at about $80.

This page used to list 20 pedals in four price brackets. A lot of them are gone now (the Boss GT-1 became the GX-1, the ME-80 became the ME-90), and a few were never really multi effects units. In November 2026 I cut it to seven you can buy new today, from about $65 to about $300, cheapest first. Each one has a demo and the first thing to do when you open the box. If you have more to spend, my best multi effects pedals page goes up to the big gigging rigs.

The Quick Picks

Pedal	Best for	Type	Price
Sonicake Pocket Master	Cheapest one worth buying	Pocket size, rechargeable battery	About $65
Zoom G1 Four	Best under $100	Floor unit, 2 footswitches, AA batteries	About $80
Line 6 POD Express	Recording at home	Compact pedal, knobs, no screen	About $150
Mooer GE150 Pro	An expression pedal for less	Floor unit, 4 footswitches, pedal	About $155
NUX MG-300 MKII	Best under $200	Floor unit, 2 footswitches, pedal	About $170
Boss GX-1	First unit if you can spend more	Floor unit, 3 footswitches, pedal, color screen	About $230
Boss ME-90	A step up you won’t outgrow	Floor unit, 8 footswitches, pedal, all knobs	About $300

Prices are typical US prices in November 2026, and they move around, especially around the holidays. Two of them are sale prices right now: the POD Express is usually about $180 and the ME-90 about $340. Click through for today’s price.

What Can You Get At Each Price?

• Under $100: the Pocket Master and the Zoom G1 Four. For the price of one decent single pedal, you get a whole box of amp sounds and effects.
• Under $200: add the POD Express, the GE150 Pro and the MG-300 MKII. This is where you start getting a real expression pedal and more sounds to work with.
• Under $300: add the Boss GX-1 and the ME-90, which are built much tougher. The ME-90 is the only one here with eight footswitches.
• Under $50: see the note near the end. Short version: I wouldn’t buy one as your main unit.

And don’t forget what it plugs into. A multi effects pedal sounds great through headphones, and my budget guitar amps page can help if you want a speaker too.

How I Picked These

I didn’t test these seven side by side. I went through reviews and buying guides from Guitar World, MusicRadar, guitar.com and Sound On Sound, plus each maker’s manual where I could get one, and checked that each one is still sold new in the US. Two of them, the Pocket Master and the ME-90, have no full magazine review that I could find, and I say so below.

1. Sonicake Pocket Master: Cheapest One Worth Buying

Amp models, effects, drum patterns, a looper, USB audio and a rechargeable battery in a box that fits in your hand, for about $65.

No magazine has reviewed the Pocket Master that I could find, so I’m going on owner reports and the maker’s specs here. Owners on guitar forums keep saying much the same thing: it sounds surprisingly good for the size and the money, and one called it probably the best multi effects unit under $100 when they tried it.

The complaints are fair ones too. Some owners find the stock presets weak and the metal sounds thin, and one reviewer said the looper is very short. It’s sold by Sonicake and online rather than in US music stores.

First thing to do: charge it fully and update the firmware from Sonicake’s site, since the demo above was filmed on the factory version. If you plug it into a real guitar amp, turn the Cab block off so you don’t filter the sound twice.

2. Zoom G1 Four: Best Under $100

A floor unit from a major brand for about $80, with 68 drum patterns, a looper, a tuner and simple controls you can work out without the manual.

MusicRadar reviewed the G1X Four, which is the same unit plus a pedal, and said Zoom is still the first name in multi effects for beginners. Its reviewer built a sound without opening the manual and called it a winner as a first multi effects pedal.

MusicRadar wasn’t impressed by the drive sounds, though, and there’s no USB audio, so you can’t record with it. The G1X Four adds an expression pedal for about $20 more, and it’s on my best multi effects pedals page. Stock of both was thin at Musician’s Friend in early November, so check a couple of stores. The demo mixes some talking with the playing.

First thing to do: turn Auto Save off before you touch any knobs. It’s on by default, so every tweak overwrites the factory sound. Then use the three EQ knobs to suit your headphones or amp. Those settings stay put when you change patches.

3. Line 6 POD Express: Best For Recording At Home

Line 6’s HX amp and effect models in a compact pedal, with a proper USB audio interface, for about $150.

Guitar World called it an excellent all rounder and said the amps live up to the reputation of Line 6’s HX range. Sound On Sound described it as a very small Helix for your pedalboard and liked the feel of the clean amp sounds. Guitar World’s budget guide liked how easy it is to use and that it doubles as an audio interface.

The catch is what’s hidden. With no screen, going deeper means memorizing button combinations, as Guitar World pointed out, though Line 6 now has an editing app that helps. There’s also a POD Express Black with heavier amp voicings for metal players.

First thing to do: decide where it plugs in. Going into a guitar amp’s input, turn the Amp knob to point straight down, which switches off the amp and cab models so it works like a normal effects pedal. For recording or headphones, leave them on. If you run it on batteries, unplug your headphones when you finish, or they’ll drain.

4. Mooer GE150 Pro: Best Expression Pedal For The Money

Four footswitches, a real expression pedal and an 80 second looper for about $155.

Guitar World gave the battery version, the Pro Li, four stars and called it an ideal stepping stone for newer players. Its reviewer felt comfortable using it after a few minutes. The plain Pro here is the same unit without the battery.

Guitar World also said the amp models aren’t always convincing, some effects disappoint, and you can’t change the order of the signal chain. No US music store I checked stocks it new, so it’s sold mainly online. If you want the built in battery, the Pro Li is about $180.

First thing to do: set it up for what it’s plugged into. Going into a guitar amp’s input, Mooer recommends turning off the AMP and CAB modules. For headphones, a PA or an audio interface, turn them on.

5. NUX MG-300 MKII: Best Under $200

Guitar World’s budget pick, with lovely clean sounds, a real expression pedal, a drum machine, a looper and USB audio.

Guitar World’s main guide calls it the best budget option and says you’ll barely need the manual. Its reviewer was surprised by how good the tones are for the money, especially the cleans. Most of that praise was written about the original MG-300, which has the same design. I couldn’t find a full magazine review of the MKII on its own.

Guitar World also found that the high gain sounds can get harsh at the top end, the presets need tweaking, the build isn’t as rugged as Boss or Line 6, and the screen is hard to read when you’re standing up.

First thing to do: open a high gain preset and ease off the noise gate. Guitar World found it cuts notes off before they’ve finished ringing, and it’s easy to fix in the menu. Then press the Jam button, pick a beat and play along.

6. Boss GX-1: Best First Unit If You Can Spend More

Boss build quality, a color screen, an expression pedal and an app that plays along with YouTube, for about $230.

Guitar World called it a great choice for beginners, with outstanding build quality and plenty to grow into. guitar.com found the screen and menus clean and inviting and said it might be the best first effects pedal you could choose. Boss’s Tone Studio app can play a YouTube video and repeat one section so you can learn it, which is the closest thing here to real lessons.

Both reviews agree on the weak spot: the amp models are hit and miss, and the high gain sounds get fizzy or flat. It’s also on my best multi effects pedals page, because nothing under $300 is a better first unit.

First thing to do: press Menu, go to Output Select and choose what it’s plugged into. There’s one setting for headphones, mixers and recorders, and another for a small guitar amp.

7. Boss ME-90: Best Step Up Under $300

A full size Boss floorboard with amp models from the GT-1000, eight footswitches, an effects loop and knobs instead of menus.

There’s no full magazine review of the ME-90 that I could find, only launch coverage. Guitar World’s launch story called it a compelling package for the money. Killer Guitar Rigs tested one at Boss’s request and said it sounds as good as pricier modeling units and is built to a professional standard. Owners on Thomann’s site say it feels natural and doesn’t fight you.

About $300 is a sale price. It was about $340 and launched at $349, so if the price goes back up, the GX-1 is the better buy. Owners say it isn’t convincing for high gain metal either.

First thing to do: set the Gt. AMP/LINE switch on the back. Use Gt. AMP going into a guitar amp, and LINE for a PA or other full range system. Then start in Manual mode, where each footswitch turns one effect on or off like a row of pedals, so you can learn what each one does.

What About Multi Effects Pedals Under $50?

I wouldn’t buy one as your main unit. Down there you get things like the M-Vave Tank-G, the Cube Baby and the Donner Pocket Go, and I couldn’t find a magazine review of any of them. Compared with the Pocket Master you get far fewer sounds, usually no drums or looper, and sometimes no screen at all, so you do everything from your phone. They’re fine as a toy or a gift.

Here’s what I’d do instead:

• Spend about $65 on the Pocket Master.
• Buy used from a shop with a return policy. In early November, Musician’s Friend had used Zoom G1X Fours for about $72 to $83. A used one of those beats anything new under $50.

What Happened To The Rest Of The List?

The old version of this page had 20 pedals. Here’s what happened to them:

• Replaced by a newer model: the Boss GT-1 became the GX-1, the Boss ME-80 became the ME-90, the Boss GT-100 became the GT-1000, the NUX MG-100 became the MG-101, and the Tech 21 Fly Rig RK5 moved on to a newer version.
• No longer made: the Zoom G5n and the DigiTech Element XP.
• Hard to find new in the US: the Ammoon PockRock, Zoom G3n and G3Xn, Mooer GE200 and GE250, VOX StompLab 2G, NUX MG-20 and Donner Alpha Force.
• Too expensive for this page now: the Line 6 POD Go, at about $600.
• Not really multi effects units: the VOX Lil’ Looper is a looper, the Valeton Dapper Indie is a strip of pedals, and the Wampler Terraform only does modulation.
• Dropped: the Joyo R-09.

How To Choose A Budget Multi Effects Pedal

• Where it plugs in. For headphones or recording you want the amp models on. Going into a guitar amp, you usually want them off. Each pick above tells you how.
• Recording. Every pick here does USB audio except the Zoom G1 Four.
• Expression pedal. If you want wah or volume sweeps, the GE150 Pro, MG-300 MKII, GX-1 and ME-90 have one built in. The POD Express has a jack for one.
• Footswitches. Two is fine at home. If you want to switch sounds in the middle of songs, look at the GE150 Pro or the ME-90.
• Drum patterns. The Pocket Master, G1 Four, GE150 Pro and MG-300 MKII have them on the unit. The GX-1 keeps them in its app, and the POD Express doesn’t have any.
• Power. The G1 Four, POD Express, GX-1 and ME-90 run on AA batteries, but their power adapters are sold separately. Budget a few extra dollars if you’d rather plug in.

Good luck and keep on rockin’!