Rankings · the real-time cut
Noise suppression software rankings: the live-microphone ledger
This table re-cuts our field to real-time suppression — tools that filter the call while you are on it. Upload-and-wait services sit on the main standings; here, immediacy is the entry fee.
| Tool | Score | One-line verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Krisp | 86/100 | The most complete noise cancelling software we score: two-way cleanup, any call app, both desktop platforms. The free plan’s 60-minute day is the asterisk. |
| 2. | NVIDIA Broadcast | 79/100 | Free, excellent, and gated behind an RTX card and Windows. If you clear both bars, it is the value pick. |
| 3. | SteelSeries Sonar | 74/100 | A free mixer with useful ClearCast suppression — built for game comms first, meetings second. |
Why this cut exists
“Best noise suppression software” is usually asked by someone whose problem is now — the recruiter call in a loud flat, the daily stand-up over a housemate’s blender. Post-production tools, however good, answer a different question. The three above install a virtual microphone and clean the signal as it happens; the full field, upload tools included, is ranked on the best noise cancellation software standings.
The suppression you already own
Before installing anything: Zoom ships Noise removal with Auto, Low, Medium and High levels, and Teams’ new client keeps a noise suppression toggle under Settings → Devices — both free, both adequate for mild rooms, both limited to their own app. Discord’s built-in suppression is literally Krisp’s engine, licensed. Dedicated software earns its place when you need one behaviour across every app, incoming-audio cleanup, or better results than an app toggle’s single setting — the case our Krisp review prices out in full.
OBS-style filter chains (RNNoise, Speex, gates) belong to the streaming workflow rather than the meetings shelf, so we note them and pass — scoring a filter you assemble yourself would flatter nobody’s arithmetic.
Questions we actually get
- Is noise suppression different from noise cancellation?
- In software, the words are used almost interchangeably; “suppression” most often labels real-time filtering of a live microphone, which is how this page uses it. Our primer covers the vocabulary in full.
- What is the best noise suppression software right now?
- Krisp (86/100) leads for anyone on macOS or without an RTX card; NVIDIA Broadcast (79/100) is the free pick for RTX-equipped Windows machines; SteelSeries Sonar (74/100) suits gamers who want suppression inside a free mixer.