The 6 Best AI Noise-Cancelling Tools We’ve Tried

When aiming for great audio quality, every content creator faces a common foe—background noise.

The intrusive hum of unwanted sounds can diminish the quality of your work. But thanks to AI noise-canceling tools like Cleanvoice, it’s easier than ever to produce clean, professional audio.

We’ve tested tons of noise-canceling tools over the years—some good, some bad. In this guide, we help you skip straight to the absolute best. Here are the top six AI noise-canceling tools we’ve tried and loved.

Let’s get started!

What Is an AI Noise-Cancelling Tool?

An AI noise-canceling tool uses artificial intelligence to effectively identify and remove unwanted background noise from recordings. This technology can be applied to audio recordings made with any device—whether it’s a smartphone, laptop microphone, or professional recording equipment.

Take Cleanvoice, for example.

Our tool uses AI to automatically scan podcast audio for background noise, along with other imperfections like mouth sounds, stutters, dead air, and more. All of this is then removed automatically, leaving you with a clean piece of audio.

Why Are AI Noise-Cancelling Tools Important?

AI noise-canceling tools are essential solutions that effectively deal with the ongoing issue of background noise, transforming the podcasting experience. Here are the reasons why you should consider using these tools:

  • Improved Audio Quality: AI noise-canceling tools elevate the overall audio quality of podcasts by effectively eliminating unwanted background noise, ensuring a crisp and clear listening experience for the audience.
  • Focused Audience Engagement: Clear and uninterrupted audio captures and retains the audience's attention. AI noise-canceling tools allow podcast professionals to create content that engages listeners without the interference of ambient disturbances.
  • Excellent Guest Experience: With the rise of remote podcasting, AI noise-cancelling tools become essential for achieving studio-quality sound, even when recording from different locations. This flexibility enhances productivity and content creation possibilities.
  • Audience Retention: Background noise can be a significant distraction for listeners, potentially leading to disengagement. Noise-canceling tools contribute to retaining your audience's attention, ensuring they stay focused on your content.
  • Streamlined Editing Workflow: Simplifying the editing process is crucial for podcast professionals with tight schedules. AI noise-cancelling tools streamline the editing workflow by reducing the need for manual noise removal, allowing for more efficient post-production.

Criteria for Choosing AI Noise-Canceling Tools

Precision in Noise Reduction

Look for tools with advanced algorithms that precisely identify and eliminate background noise without compromising the clarity of the primary audio source, ensuring a natural and unaltered sound.

User-Friendly Interface

Consider tools with intuitive interfaces that simplify the noise-cancelling process. A user-friendly design facilitates a smoother workflow, allowing podcast professionals to focus on content creation rather than intricate technical details.

Compatibility with Recording Setup

Ensure the chosen tool seamlessly integrates with your existing recording setup, including compatibility with various recording equipment and software, to prevent compatibility issues during the production process.

Post-Processing Flexibility

Consider tools that provide flexibility in post-processing, allowing podcast professionals to fine-tune noise reduction settings during the editing phase. This flexibility ensures the ability to tailor the noise-canceling effects to specific podcasting scenarios.

6 Best AI Noise-Canceling Tools

Here’s an overview of our top noise-canceling software recommendations:

  1. Cleanvoice
  2. Claerity
  3. Audioalter
  4. Dolby On
  5. Krisp
  6. Descript

Now, let’s dive into the details.

1. Cleanvoice

By seamlessly removing background noise, Cleanvoice ensures that your audio content has a professional sound.

Cleanvoice offers powerful noise cancellation capabilities combined with filler word removal, podcast mixing, hesitation and dead air removal, and even stutter correction—all completely automated.

You can even remove noise from video, and get studio-quality sound. Without having a studio setup.

Key Features

  • Automatic Audio Enhancement: Automatically removes unwanted background noise.
  • Multi-Track Noise Remover: Removes background noise from each track of a podcast, ensuring clean and professional-sounding audio​​.
  • Versatility Across Environments: Even if you record from a windy street, busy neighborhood, noisy room, with children crying behind, or a music band in the background, Cleanvoice removes ambient sound from your audio and video.
  • ** Multilingual Support**: Create transcriptions in various languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Japanese.

Pricing

Cleanvoice offers sets of pricing options—Subscription and Pay-as-you-Go.

Subscription:

  • 10 hours of processed audio per month for €10/month.
  • 30 hours of processed audio per month for €25/month.
  • 100 hours of processed audio per month for €80/month.

Pay-as-you-Go:

  • 5 hours of processed audio for €10.
  • 10 hours of processed audio for €18.
  • 30 hours of processed audio for €40.

We also offer a free trial that gives you 30 minutes of processed audio for free, so you can test out all of Cleanvoice’s features.

2. Claerity

Claerity is an AI noise reduction tool designed for remote work.

It essentially acts as a filter for your microphone—it analyzes sounds that come in, isolates and enhances the primary speaker’s voice, and sends this enhanced version on to whatever meeting or recording tools you’re using.

Claerity uses AI for accurate background nose reduction across multiple languages and in all kinds of environments.

Key Features

  • Primary Speaker Identification and Isolation: Identifies and isolates the primary speaker’s voice while suppressing other background noises.
  • Microphone and Speaker Noise Cancellation: Provides noise cancellation both for input (microphone) and output (speaker), enhancing audio clarity during calls and recordings.
  • Real-time Audio Processing: Effectively removes background noise as it happens through real-time processing of audio.

Pricing

Here are Claerity’s pricing plans:

  • Remote Pros ($6/month): Unlimited talk time, noise suppression, speaker identification, low-power consumption, and more.
  • Teams ($5/user/month): For teams up to 100, billed quarterly, with added benefits like user management dashboard and centralized billing.
  • Enterprise (custom): Dedicated customer success manager, enterprise invoicing, and priority enterprise support.

3. Audioalter

Audioalter is a suite of free, online audio tools (including a decent noise reduction tool).

For a free tool, this is a solid option. You can upload files under 52 MB (about 10 minutes), the noise reduction algorithm works well, and downloading your cleaned audio files is simple. Just don’t expect any bells and whistles.

Key Features

  • General Noise Reduction: Removes common disturbances from audio tracks.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Just drag-and-drop files to get started.
  • Free: No subscription fees, no hidden costs, and no long-term commitments.

Pricing

Audioalter is completely free to use.

4. Dolby On

Dolby On is an app or iOS and Android that lets you record clearer, louder audio with just your phone.

It uses AI-powered noise reduction to reduce background noise and enhance the sound of your voice (or instruments) as you record.

Key Features

  • Dynamic Audio Leveling**: Adjusts audio levels in real-time to maintain consistent sound quality.
    • Multiple effects**: Choose from a selection of pre-built effects like noise reduction, stereo widening, easy fades, and more.
  • On-the-Go Convenience**: Works on any iPhone or Android device or with connected microphones.

Pricing

Dolby On is free to download and use.

5. Krisp

Krisp is an AI-powered noise-cancelling tool that actively cancels background noise and enhances vocals for meetings and calls.

Krisp works by acting as an intermediary between your microphone and the call application you’re using. Rather than transmitting audio directly from your mic, Krisp intercepts it, cleans it, and passes it along to the application.

It also offers AI-generated transcripts and summaries to help you pull out important details from your calls.

Key Features

  • Real-Time Noise Cancellation: Instantly mutes background noise in real-time with no detectable lag.
  • Primary Voice Enhancement: Enhances primary voice quality to ensure clarity during conversations.
  • Platform Flexibility: Compatible with any app or platform including Zoom, Skype, Slack, Discord, VoiceMeeter, Teamspeak and more.

Pricing

Krisp has a free plan that offers 60 minutes of noise-cancelling per day.

There’s also a Pro plan ($8/user/month) that unlimited noise-cancellation, AI voice enhancement, and centralized team management, as well as an Enterprise plan (custom) that offers SSO, analytics, and more.

6. Descript

Descript is a podcast video and audio editing platform that offers a good selection of AI tools—including AI noise cancellation.

The Studio Sound feature lets you clean up your audio recordings with one click. You can remove background noises like sirens and air conditioners, reduce unwanted breaths and plosives, and add reverb for more room ambience.

Key Features

  • Podcast Editor: Use a powerful podcast editor to create professional-level podcasts and audio content.
  • AI Voice Enhancement: Make your vocal track sound clear and polished with AI voice enhancement tools.
  • Studio Sound: Enhance podcast audio with a single click.

Pricing

Descript offers a free plan with 10 minutes of Studio Sound processing per file.

There’s also Creator ($12/user/month), Pro ($24/user/month), and Enterprise (custom) that offer higher limits and better features.

Conclusion

In the podcasting world, achieving top-notch audio quality is made possible with the best AI noise-cancelling tools. This guide has explored the essential criteria for choosing these tools and highlighted standout platforms. These tools can enhance audio quality, maintain brand consistency, streamline workflows, and foster audience engagement becomes evident.

At Cleanvoice, we offer podcasters a simpler way to polish their audio recordings. Just upload your files, choose what imperfections you want to remove, and let Cleanvoice do the rest.

Create a Cleanvoice account and get started for free!