TurboBass vs Waves MaxxBass: a MaxxBass alternative compared

What they have in common

Both split the signal at a crossover frequency and generate harmonics from the bass below it. Everything above passes through unchanged.
Both let you set the level of the harmonics and of the original bass separately, down to removing the original bass completely for very small speakers.
Both let you solo the harmonics or the original bass while you set them up.

Side by side

	Waves MaxxBass	TurboBass
Crossover frequency	32 to 256 Hz	40 to 200 Hz
Harmonics level	+12 dB to off	+12 dB to off (−60 dB)
Original bass level	+12 dB to off	+6 dB to off (−60 dB)
How fast higher harmonics fall off	Decay, −9 to −24	Character, 0 to 100%
Even against odd harmonics	Not adjustable	Tone, from warm (even) to growl (odd)
Saturation	None built in	Drive: tube-style saturation of the bass
Low end of the harmonics	High-pass: 6 dB/oct at 16 Hz, or 12 / 24 dB/oct at the crossover	Fixed high-pass at 0.7 × the crossover
Top of the harmonics band	Not adjustable	Range, 1 to 3 octaves above the crossover
Dynamics of the harmonics	Upward compressor: Ratio, Response (attack and release in ms)	Dynamics: how the level follows the bass (0 to 200%); Sustain: keeps long notes up
Upper-bass weight	Not built in	Body: boosts the octave or so above the crossover
Peak control	None built in; the guide suggests Waves L1 after it	Soft limiter on the added signal only
Stereo	Not described in the user guide	Mono: harmonics from the mono sum, 0 to 100%
Monitoring	Audio, MaxxBass, Original Bass	Mix, Harmonics, Original Bass
Display	Graph of the original bass and the harmonics	Response graph with draggable controls, harmonic shape, level law
Factory presets	Mastering, small-speaker, effect and artist presets	24 presets
Plug-in formats	AAX, AU, VST3	AU, VST3
Platforms	macOS 14 or later, Windows 10 or later	macOS 11 or later (Windows in the works)
Licensing	Perpetual license, or part of the Waves Creative Access subscription	One-time purchase, one computer at a time, works offline after activation
Price	Varies: Waves runs frequent sales; subscriptions from $14.99/month	$29.99, free 1.x updates
Trial	7 days with a Waves Creative Access subscription	3 days, no account

Which one to choose

MaxxBass is the better fit if

You work in Pro Tools: MaxxBass comes as AAX, TurboBass doesn't yet.
You already own a Waves bundle or subscription that includes it.
You want an upward compressor on the harmonics, or the switchable high-pass slopes.

TurboBass is the better fit if

You want to shape the harmonics: even against odd (Tone), how bright (Character), saturation (Drive) and how high they reach (Range).
You want upper-bass weight (Body) and peak protection (limiter) without extra plug-ins.
You like seeing what the settings do: the graph shows the response, the harmonic shape and the level law, and the main settings can be dragged on it.
You prefer one fixed price and no account or subscription.

See TurboBass Listen to the demo