Buying guide
By PedalBro · Updated October 9, 2026 · We do not test pedals, here is how we rank them
A distortion pedal is the quickest way to get a thick, saturated sound from a clean amp, and you don't need to spend more than $100 for a good one. Before you buy, check how much control you get over the tone, whether the pedal uses true or buffered bypass, and how much power it draws from your supply.
The Boss DS-1 Distortion is the one to buy. It is simple to set up, and its gain goes from a light push all the way to heavy distortion. Players often say it covers more ground than its two main controls suggest. It costs a moderate amount for this list, runs on a battery or a standard 9V supply, and is still in production after decades on the market.
If you want to spend as little as possible and mostly play metal, the Caline CP-15 Tantrum is among the cheapest pedals here and is built for high gain. If you can stretch toward the top of the budget, the ProCo Rat 2 earned a perfect score from Guitar.com and adds a filter knob for shaping the top end.
Top pick · Best for most players who want one easy, flexible distortion
The Boss DS-1 Distortion reaches from mild grit to heavy saturation and is very simple to dial in. But we would point players who want detailed EQ toward something else, since it has only a gain knob and a single tone control.
Budget pick · A good choice if you want cheap, high-gain distortion for metal
The Caline CP-15 Tantrum is among the least expensive pedals here and gives you a three-band EQ for shaping heavy, saturated sounds. But we know less about it than about the other picks, since little has been published on it.
Upgrade pick · The step up if you want the pedal reviewers rate most highly
The ProCo Rat 2 received 5 out of 5 from Guitar.com, and its filter knob gives you more control over the top end than the Boss DS-1 Distortion. But we note it costs more than our other picks and draws more power.
Who this is for
This guide is for guitarists who want one solid distortion pedal for $100 or less and value simple controls over deep editing. If you need stereo outputs, MIDI or a guaranteed true-bypass switch, none of our three picks is documented to offer that, so you may need to look elsewhere.
Buffered or true bypass
The Boss DS-1 Distortion uses a buffer when switched off. So do the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion and the Electro-Harmonix Nano Metal Muff. The spec sheet for the ProCo Rat 2 does not state its bypass type, so check with the seller if this matters to you.
How much tone shaping you get
The Boss DS-1 Distortion keeps things minimal, with a gain knob and a single tone control. The ProCo Rat 2 adds a filter for the high end. The Caline CP-15 Tantrum and both Metal Muff models give you a full three-band EQ.
Power draw
The Boss DS-1 Distortion needs only 4 mA, while the ProCo Rat 2 draws 50 mA. Both are standard 9V center-negative pedals and can also run on a battery, but the difference adds up on a shared power supply.
Board space
The Donner Dark Mouse is a mini pedal and the smallest option here. The Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff, at 154.2 x 120.7 mm, takes up far more room than any of the picks.
How we picked
We looked at every pedal that fits this guide and is on sale new today, then ranked them by what reviewers and buyers say, how many sources say it, and what it costs. The full method is here.
What we do not do
We do not test pedals. Everything here comes from published reviews, retailer ratings and player discussion, so you can follow it back to its sources.
PedalBro is an index of guitar pedals, not a testing lab. For this guide we gathered the published reviews, retailer star ratings and player discussion we hold for every pedal that fits, turned them into a single PedalBro score, and ranked the pedals on that score, how many sources stand behind it and price. A person reads every guide before it is published. 104 pedals fit this guide and 25 of them had a score we could rank.
Best for most players who want one easy, flexible distortion
PedalBro score 84/100 · 1 source, medium confidence
Players regularly call the Boss DS-1 Distortion versatile, and its gain range explains why. At low settings it acts as a gentle push, and turned up it becomes a full, heavy distortion. That range lets one pedal handle several roles on a board.
It sits in the middle of this list on price and asks very little in return. It draws just 4 mA from a 9V center-negative supply, the lowest figure among the picks, and it can also run on a battery. The housing is compact, and Boss builds it in Japan.
The controls are easy to learn. Boss says its single tone knob changes the treble and the bass at once, so you reach a usable sound quickly without working through a bank of EQ settings. That makes it a sensible first distortion and a reliable spare.
The Boss DS-1 Distortion uses buffered bypass rather than true bypass. Some players prefer a buffer, but if you want true bypass, this pedal does not offer it.
Its tone shaping is limited. The ProCo Rat 2 gives you a dedicated filter, and the Caline CP-15 Tantrum has a three-band EQ, while the DS-1 relies on one tone control.
Who should skip it: Skip it if you want a three-band EQ for precise metal tones, in which case the Caline CP-15 Tantrum fits better.
A good choice if you want cheap, high-gain distortion for metal
PedalBro score 72/100 · 1 source, medium confidence
The Caline CP-15 Tantrum is aimed squarely at high gain. It is voiced for dense, modern metal tones rather than light crunch, so it suits players who want a lot of distortion straight away.
It gives you more EQ than the Boss DS-1 Distortion for less money. Its three-band EQ lets you adjust lows, mids and highs separately, which the DS-1's single tone knob cannot do.
Reviewer and player feedback on the Caline CP-15 Tantrum is thin, and the published specs leave out its power requirements and bypass type. Confirm those details before you buy if they matter for your board.
Its focus on high gain makes it a narrower tool than the Boss DS-1 Distortion. If you also want lighter drive sounds, the DS-1 covers more ground.
Who should skip it: Skip it if you want a pedal that also handles light, low-gain sounds, and choose the Boss DS-1 Distortion instead.
The step up if you want the pedal reviewers rate most highly
PedalBro score 85/100 · 1 source, medium confidence
The ProCo Rat 2 has the strongest review behind it on this list. Guitar.com gave it 5 out of 5, called it close to faultless and pointed to its long presence on players' boards. The reviewer listed no reservations at all.
Its filter control is the main practical advantage over the Boss DS-1 Distortion. It gives you a dedicated way to tame or brighten the high end. The distortion itself comes from an analog circuit that clips through LEDs.
It is built in the USA, it is still in production, and it runs on either a 9V center-negative supply or a battery.
The ProCo Rat 2 is among the most expensive pedals here. It also draws 50 mA, far more than the 4 mA of the Boss DS-1 Distortion, which matters if your power supply has limited outputs.
Its spec sheet does not state the bypass type and lists no extras such as stereo or MIDI.
Who should skip it: Skip it if you want to keep spending and power draw low, and choose the Boss DS-1 Distortion instead.
These did not make the top three, but some of them are the right choice for the right player.
If you need the smallest possible pedal: the Donner Dark Mouse is a mini, Rat-inspired distortion with a vintage-leaning mode and a hotter modern mode, and it draws only 10 mA. It comes from a newer brand with little feedback behind it, so players after that sound should consider the ProCo Rat 2, which has a much stronger review.
The Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion builds on the Boss DS-1 Distortion with a second voicing that adds mids and presence, and you can change voicings with an external footswitch. It costs about the same as the DS-1, and most players will be well served by the simpler original.
The Fender Hammertone Distortion is an analog pedal, and Bonedo praised the Hammertone series for its sturdy build, its low price and the extra options its internal trim pots provide. That 4.5 out of 5 rating covered the whole series rather than this pedal alone, and the reviewer found its bass somewhat muddy.
If you want high gain with plenty of control: the Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff adds a noise gate, a three-band EQ and a separate footswitch that boosts the upper frequencies. It is among the dearest pedals here and is much larger than any of our picks.
The Electro-Harmonix Nano Metal Muff keeps a noise gate and a three-band EQ in a much smaller housing than the full-size Metal Muff. Very little has been published about it, and it is built purely for heavy tones.
No. The Boss DS-1 Distortion uses buffered bypass. The Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion and the Electro-Harmonix Nano Metal Muff use buffered bypass as well.
The Caline CP-15 Tantrum is our budget pick for metal because it is voiced for saturated, high-gain sounds and has a three-band EQ. If you want a noise gate as well, look at the Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff or its smaller sibling, the Nano Metal Muff.
Yes, for most of them. The Boss DS-1 Distortion, ProCo Rat 2, Donner Dark Mouse, Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion, Fender Hammertone Distortion and both Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff models can all run on a battery or a 9V center-negative supply. The published specs for the Caline CP-15 Tantrum do not list its power details.
We looked only at distortion pedals currently sold new for $100 or less that had at least one published review or retailer rating. We then weighed their review scores, how many sources backed each one and where each sat on price to choose a best overall, a budget pick and a step up.
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