June 21, 2026

11 Best Noise Cancelling Apps for Mac & iOS in 2026 (Tested)

Written by Alexandra Cote

Updated by Valentina Chilingaryan

Max 17 min read

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Looking for a noise cancelling app for your Mac or iPhone? Here’s a hands-on, tested shortlist of the best apps for the Apple ecosystem, split by what they actually do: clean up live calls, fix recordings you already have, or mask the room around you.

Most “best noise cancelling app” lists treat Mac and iPhone as an afterthought, lump in apps that don’t belong, and quote prices that went stale a year ago. That’s a problem when you’re standing in line for coffee trying to take a call on your MacBook, or salvaging a voice memo recorded next to a leaf blower.

Background noise isn’t a small annoyance either. In Owl Labs’ State of Hybrid Work survey, 86% of workers said their meetings have at least one remote participant, which means almost every call is one where your microphone is broadcasting whatever’s happening around you. The fix is software that cleans your audio before anyone else hears it.

We tested the noise cancelling apps below on macOS and iOS and sorted them into three groups so you can skip straight to what you need: real-time apps for calls and meetings, post-recording tools for cleaning existing audio and video, and native or ambient options. A quick note before we start: this guide is about software apps that clean up your microphone, not noise cancelling headphones, which block what you hear. They solve different problems, and the best setup often uses both.

If you want the bigger cross-platform picture, see our roundup of the 11 best noise cancelling apps and software, and Windows users should head to our noise cancelling apps for Windows guide.

How we tested these apps

This list isn’t pulled from marketing pages. We installed and used each app on a Mac and, where available, an iPhone, then judged them on the things that actually matter when you’re trying to be heard:

• Real-time vs post-recording: Does it clean audio live during a call, or only after you’ve recorded it?
• Platform availability: Does it run on macOS, iOS, or both? Several popular options are one or the other.
• One-way vs two-way: Does it only clean your outgoing voice, or also remove noise coming from the other people on the call?
• Noise handled: We threw the usual offenders at each app: keyboard clatter, a desk fan, café chatter, and a dog in the next room.
• Ease of use: How fast can you go from install to a quieter call, and is there a learning curve?
• Price and free tier: Is there a genuinely usable free option, and what does the paid plan cost today?

We didn’t run a lab with calibrated decibel meters, so treat our impressions as informed hands-on testing rather than formal benchmarks. Where a tool genuinely leads, we say so, even when it isn’t ours.

What to look for in a noise cancelling app for Mac or iPhone

A few things separate an app that quietly fixes your audio from one that frustrates you.

Start with platform. Some of the best Mac noise removers (like Hush and Audacity) don’t exist on iPhone, and several handy iPhone apps never made it to the Mac. If you take calls on your MacBook but record interviews on your phone, you may want one app for each, or one that covers both.

Then there’s the difference between real-time and post-recording. Real-time apps clean your microphone live, so the people on your Zoom or FaceTime call hear a clean voice as you speak. 

Post-recording tools work on files you’ve already captured, which is what podcasters and video creators need. Mixing these up is the single most common mistake in other guides, so we’ve kept them in separate sections.

Pay attention to one-way versus two-way (bidirectional) removal. Most options only clean your outgoing audio. A smaller group, led by AI-powered noise cancellation like Krisp, also removes noise coming from everyone else, so a coworker’s barking dog disappears on your end too.

Finally, weigh accuracy versus suppression. Cheaper tools simply lower the volume of noisy moments, which can muffle your voice along with the noise. The better apps use AI to separate your voice from everything else and keep only you. Extras like echo removal, recording, and meeting notes are nice bonuses, and price (including whether there’s a real free tier) usually decides it.

Best noise cancelling apps for Mac & iOS at a glance

Here’s the whole list in one view. Use it to narrow down by device, type, and budget, then jump to the full write-up for your shortlist. Krisp sits at the top because it’s the only pick that covers both Mac and iPhone, works with any app, and removes noise on both ends of the call.

Pricing reflects what we found at the time of writing. Always confirm on each app’s page, since plans change.

TL;DR

• Best overall: Krisp — the only app here that runs on both Mac and iPhone, works inside any calling app, and removes noise on both ends of the call.
• Best free built-in option: Apple Voice Isolation — already on your Mac and iPhone, great for FaceTime and supported apps, with real limits.
• Best free editor for Mac: Audacity — full control over post-recording cleanup if you don’t mind a learning curve.
• Best for iPhone recordings: AudioFix — fixes noisy videos and voice memos right on your phone.

Real-time noise cancelling apps (for calls & meetings)

If your problem is live calls (Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime, or recording while you talk) you need real-time noise cancellation. These apps clean your microphone as you speak.

1. Krisp — best overall for Mac & iPhone

We tested Krisp from a café with two people talking at the next table and an espresso machine hissing every few minutes. On a Zoom call, the other side heard none of it. The same account, signed in on an iPhone, did the same thing on a walk past traffic. That cross-device consistency is what sets Krisp apart from almost everything else on this list.

Krisp is an AI noise cancelling app that removes background noise, echo, and even other people’s voices in real time, on both ends of the conversation. Behind it is a Deep Neural Network trained to keep only the voice of the speaker closest to the mic. You switch it on once, and it works as a virtual microphone and speaker with any app that accepts an audio input, which means Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, FaceTime, and most recording or streaming tools.

It does more than silence noise. Krisp also records meetings, transcribes them, and writes AI meeting notes with action items, so it doubles as a meeting assistant rather than a single-purpose utility.

Key features

• Real-time, two-way noise cancellation that removes background noise on both ends of the call
• Acoustic and room echo removal
• Works as a virtual mic with any conferencing, recording, or streaming app
• Cross-device: macOS and iOS (plus Windows and Android) on one account
• Built-in AI note taker, transcription, and meeting summaries

Pros

✅ The only pick here that covers both Mac and iPhone with the same account 

✅ Removes noise on both ends, not just your outgoing audio 

✅ App-agnostic, so you set it once and forget it

✅ Adds recording, transcription, and notes on top of noise cancellation

Cons

❌ It’s built for voice and meetings, not for cleaning up music or complex multi-track audio 

❌ Premium features sit behind a paid plan once your trial ends

💰 Pricing: Free plan available, plus a 7-day trial of all premium features with no card required. Paid plans start at $8/month for Core (billed annually, or $16 month-to-month), with Advanced at $15/month annually ($30 monthly). Enterprise is custom.

How Krisp keeps your data private

• Noise cancellation is processed on your device, so your raw audio isn’t sent off for filtering
• It’s built around a privacy-first model rather than treating your calls as training data
• You stay in control of what gets recorded and transcribed

📌 Verdict: If you take calls on a Mac, an iPhone, or both, Krisp is the most complete real-time noise cancelling app you can install.

2. Apple Voice Isolation — best built-in (free) option

If you’d rather not install anything, your Mac and iPhone already have a microphone mode called Voice Isolation. It uses on-device machine learning to prioritize your voice and push down ambient sound, and in our testing it noticeably cut a fan and some keyboard noise on FaceTime.

The catch is scope. Voice Isolation only appears in apps that support Apple’s mic modes, and you turn it on per call from Control Center while you’re talking, not as a single global setting. It cleans only your outgoing audio (it won’t quiet the noisy person on the other end), and pushed hard it can make your voice sound slightly processed. For FaceTime noise cancellation and supported apps it’s a genuinely good free option, but it isn’t a universal fix for every meeting tool.

How to turn on Voice Isolation:

• On Mac: Join a call, open Control Center in the menu bar, click Mic Mode, and choose Voice Isolation.
• On iPhone: During a call, swipe down to open Control Center, tap Mic Mode, and select Voice Isolation.

Pros

✅ Free and already installed on macOS and iOS 

✅ Processed on-device, so it’s private and low-latency 

✅ Genuinely effective for FaceTime and supported apps

Cons

❌ Not available in every app, and only one call at a time ❌ One-way only, so it won’t remove noise from other participants

💰 Pricing: Free, included with macOS and iOS.

📌 Verdict: The easiest free win for Apple users on FaceTime and supported apps, as long as you understand its limits.

3. Zoom, Teams & Google Meet built-in suppression — best for no extra install

Most major conferencing apps now ship their own noise suppression. In Zoom, you pick a suppression level (Low, Medium, or High) in the audio settings; Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have similar one-toggle options. For a quick, one-time fix when you don’t want another app running, these are perfectly fine.

The trade-off is that each one only works inside its own app. Hop from Zoom to a browser-based call and you start over. The processing is also lighter than a dedicated AI tool, so heavier noise (overlapping voices, a sudden bang) tends to slip through. Think of these as a baseline rather than a complete solution.

Pros

✅ Already built into the app you’re using 

✅ Nothing extra to install or configure

✅ Good enough for light, occasional background noise

Cons

❌ Works only inside that one app 

❌ Lighter processing than dedicated AI tools, and one-way only

💰 Pricing: Included with each conferencing app.

📌 Verdict: A solid baseline if you live in one conferencing tool and only deal with mild noise.

Post-recording noise removal apps (clean up existing audio & video)

These tools don’t help during a live call. They clean recordings you already have, which is exactly what podcasters, video creators, and anyone salvaging an interview needs.

4. Hush — best AI cleanup for Mac

Hush is a macOS app that uses AI to strip background noise and reverb out of spoken-word recordings. We ran a slightly echoey voiceover through it and the room reflections dropped away without the hollow, over-processed sound you sometimes get from manual noise reduction. It’s focused squarely on voice, which makes it a clean choice for podcasters, voiceover artists, and audiobook narrators on a Mac.

Pros

✅ Removes both noise and reverb, which most simple tools can’t

✅ Designed for spoken audio, so voices stay natural 

✅ Straightforward Mac-native workflow

Cons

❌ Mac only, and post-recording only

❌ Not meant for music or multi-track projects

💰 Pricing: Offers a limited free option with paid upgrades; check the App Store for current terms.

📌 Verdict: The fastest way to get clean voiceovers and podcast audio on a Mac.

5. Audacity — best free editor for Mac

Audacity is the free, open-source audio editor that’s been a creator staple for years, and it runs natively on macOS. Its Noise Reduction effect works by sampling a quiet section of “just the noise,” then removing that profile from the whole track. It’s powerful and completely free, but there’s a real learning curve, and it only helps after the fact.

In testing, it cleaned up a steady hum well once we got the noise profile right, though it took a couple of tries to avoid that underwater sound that comes from pushing the settings too far.

Pros

✅ Completely free and open-source

✅ Deep editing control beyond just noise removal 

✅ Big community with tutorials for every step

Cons

❌ Steeper learning curve than one-tap tools 

❌ Post-recording only, no live cleanup

💰 Pricing: Free

📌 Verdict: The best free choice if you want full control and don’t mind learning the ropes.

6. LALAL.ai Voice Cleaner — best online noise remover

LALAL.ai’s Voice Cleaner runs in your browser, so it works on a Mac without installing anything. You upload an audio or video file and its AI strips out background noise and music, then hands back a cleaned voice track. There’s a free allowance to try it, paid options for more, and an API if you want to bake the same cleanup into your own workflow.

Pros

✅ Browser-based, nothing to install on your Mac 

✅ Handles both noise and background music 

✅ API available for automation

Cons

❌ Requires uploading your files to a web service 

❌ Post-recording only

💰 Pricing: Free allowance to start, with paid plans for higher volume.

📌 Verdict: Great for a quick, occasional cleanup when you don’t want dedicated software.

7. AudioFix — best for iPhone video & audio cleanup

AudioFix is an iOS app that removes background noise from videos and audio you’ve already recorded, with filters like audio smoother, hiss removal, and wind reduction. We ran a windy clip from an iPhone through it and the gusts dropped noticeably, though it improves rather than perfects, so heavy noise still leaves a trace. For fixing recordings on the go without moving them to a computer, it’s handy.

Pros

✅ Cleans video and audio directly on your iPhone or iPad 

✅ Multiple filters for different noise types 

✅ No desktop transfer needed

Cons

❌ Improves audio rather than fully cleaning it 

❌ Post-recording only

💰 Pricing: Free to try, with in-app purchases for full features.

📌 Verdict: A convenient iPhone fix for noisy clips you’ve already shot.

8. Audio Noise Reducer & Recorder — best simple iOS recorder + cleaner

This iOS app combines recording and noise reduction in one place, which is useful if you capture voice notes or interviews on your phone and want to tidy them without a second app. It’s lightweight and quick rather than feature-deep, and that simplicity is the point.

Pros

✅ Record and reduce noise in a single app 

✅ Simple, fast workflow for voice notes

✅ Lives entirely on your iPhone

Cons

❌ Basic compared with desktop editors 

❌ Post-recording only

💰 Pricing: Free to download with in-app purchases.

📌 Verdict: A no-fuss pick for recording and cleaning short audio on an iPhone.

9. Noise Eraser — best one-tap iOS noise remover

Noise Eraser is an App Store tool built around stripping noise from recordings with minimal setup. You import a clip, let it process, and get back a cleaner version. It’s the kind of app to reach for when you want a fast result and don’t care about fine-grained controls.

Pros

✅ Minimal setup, close to one-tap 

✅ Good for quick cleanups on the move 

✅ Native iOS app

Cons

❌ Limited manual control 

❌ Post-recording only

💰 Pricing: Free to try, with in-app purchases.

📌 Verdict: The simplest way to clean a recording on your iPhone in a hurry.

Native & ambient apps (mask noise & boost focus)

One important clarification: ambient apps don’t cancel the noise on your microphone. They play sound into your ears to mask the room around you, which helps with focus or sleep but does nothing for the people on your call. We’re including one because they’re often searched for alongside noise cancelling apps, so it’s worth knowing the difference.

10. White Noise Lite — best free ambient sound app (iOS)

White Noise Lite is a free iOS app with a library of ambient sounds, plus the ability to record and mix your own. It’s genuinely useful for concentrating in a loud room, winding down at night, or masking tinnitus. Just don’t expect it to clean your audio on a call, because that isn’t what it does.

Pros

✅ Free, with a large ambient sound library 

✅ Record and mix your own sounds 

✅ Great for focus and sleep

Cons

❌ Masks noise for you, doesn’t remove it from your mic 

❌ Looping sounds can become noticeable over time

💰 Pricing: Free, with a paid upgrade.

📌 Verdict: A good focus and sleep aid, but not a substitute for true noise cancellation on calls.

11. A note on noise cancelling headphones vs apps

It’s worth saying plainly: noise cancelling headphones and noise cancelling apps solve opposite halves of the problem. Active noise cancellation (ANC) in headphones blocks what you hear, so you can focus. A software app cleans what others hear from your microphone, so you sound clear. The two work best together, headphones for your concentration and an app like Krisp for your outgoing voice. If you’re shopping for the hardware side, our guide to the best noise cancelling headphones covers it.

Mac vs iPhone: which apps work where

Device availability decides a lot here, so here’s the quick map:

• Works on both Mac and iPhone: Krisp and Apple Voice Isolation. If you switch between devices, start with these.
• Mac only: Hush and Audacity for post-recording cleanup.
• iPhone only: AudioFix, Audio Noise Reducer & Recorder, Noise Eraser, and White Noise Lite.
• Browser (works on Mac): LALAL.ai Voice Cleaner.

A simple way to choose: if your main pain is live calls on either device, pick Krisp (or Apple Voice Isolation for a free FaceTime fix). If you’re cleaning recordings, choose by where you record. Mac creators want Hush or Audacity; iPhone creators want AudioFix or Noise Eraser.

Why background noise hurts your calls and focus

It’s not just irritating. A 2024 study published in Building and Environment found that raising background sound to around 60 dBA (roughly normal conversation volume) significantly impaired people’s auditory working memory. In plain terms, the noise around you makes it harder for everyone on the call to hold onto what’s being said.

Combine that with how much of work now happens remotely, where your microphone carries every sound in the room straight into the meeting, and the stakes get clearer. Cleaning up your audio is one of the few fixes that’s quick, cheap, and obvious to everyone you talk to.

How Krisp compares

Full disclosure: Krisp is our product, so we’re not a neutral party. That said, the picks above are based on real testing, and the tools that genuinely lead in their niche (Apple Voice Isolation for free FaceTime calls, Audacity for free editing, Hush for Mac voiceovers) are called out as such.

Here’s the honest case for Krisp as the top overall pick for Apple users. It’s the only option here that runs on both your Mac and your iPhone under one account, it removes noise on both ends of the call rather than just your side, and it works inside any app instead of being locked to one platform. On top of that you get echo removal, recording, transcription, and AI notes, so it replaces several single-purpose tools at once. The trade-off is real too: the best features are paid once your trial ends, and it’s built for voice and meetings rather than music production. If those fit your use case, it’s the most complete AI meeting assistant and noise canceller you can run across Apple devices.

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