How to Remove Background Noise From Audio With AI

A pressure cooker whistle in the middle of a client call. A dog that only barks when you hit record. Traffic horns under a podcast intro you'll never get to redo. Background noise is the most common reason good audio sounds amateur, and AI has become very good at removing it.

The trick is knowing there are two different problems. Noise on a live call has to be removed in real time, on your device, before anyone hears it. Noise in a recording can be cleaned up afterwards, with more processing power and a second chance if the first try sounds wrong. The tools for each are different, and several of the best ones are already on your phone or laptop.

Which problem do you have?

Situation	Best first fix	Cost
Google Meet call	Meet's built-in noise cancellation	Free on supported accounts and devices
Phone or FaceTime call on iPhone	Voice Isolation mic mode	Free
Calls in any app on a laptop	Krisp	7-day trial, then paid
Podcast, interview or voice-over file	ElevenLabs Voice Isolator	About 10 free minutes a month
Video you're editing anyway	Descript Studio Sound	Limited on the free plan
Phone video for YouTube	YouTube Create's noise removal	Free

Live calls: remove background noise in real time

Use what's built into your calling app

Before installing anything, check your calling app's own setting. Google Meet's noise cancellation removes sounds like typing, a closing door, room echo and construction. On a computer, it's under More options → Settings → Audio → Noise cancellation, and you can switch it on before or during a call.

Google is clear about its limits: voices from a TV or people talking nearby won't be removed, because they're speech. Availability also depends on your account. Cloud-based cancellation comes with paid Google Workspace plans and Google One plans with 2 TB or more of storage, while compatible Android phones can do it on the device.

On iPhone, turn on Voice Isolation

iPhones have a mic mode that does the same job for your own voice. According to Apple, Voice Isolation "prioritizes your voice and blocks ambient noises." It works in FaceTime and supported third-party apps on iOS 15 or later, and in regular phone calls from iOS 16.4.

To switch it on during a call, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap the app's controls, and pick Voice Isolation under the mic modes. The choice sticks for that app, so you only set it once.

For every app on a laptop, use Krisp

If you hop between Zoom, Teams, Meet and WhatsApp calls, a per-app setting gets tiring. Krisp installs as a virtual microphone and speaker: you pick "Krisp Microphone" and "Krisp Speaker" in your calling app, and it cleans the audio before it leaves your computer. It can also clean incoming audio, which helps when the other person is the one on a noisy street.

Krisp's pricing page currently lists a 7-day free trial, then paid plans from $8 per user a month billed annually ($16 billed monthly), all with unlimited noise cancellation. Older reviews mention a free daily allowance, so check the pricing page before you rely on one.

Recordings: remove background noise after you record

ElevenLabs Voice Isolator for audio files

For a podcast, interview or voice-over that's already recorded, a dedicated voice isolator gives the cleanest result with the least effort. ElevenLabs Voice Isolator takes WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG and AAC files up to an hour long or 500 MB, and returns just the speech.

It runs on credits: 1,000 credits per minute of audio. With the free plan's 10,000 monthly credits on the pricing page, that works out to roughly 10 free minutes a month, which is enough to fix a short episode or test it on your worst recording. ElevenLabs notes it isn't optimized for pulling vocals out of music, so use it on speech.

Descript Studio Sound if you're editing anyway

If you already edit in Descript, its Studio Sound effect removes noise and room echo inside the same project, so there's no exporting back and forth. On Descript's pricing page, the free plan includes 60 media minutes a month with 720p, watermarked exports, and Studio Sound is listed as limited. That's fine for trying it, but regular podcasting needs a paid plan.

YouTube Create for phone videos

Shooting on your phone for YouTube? YouTube's free YouTube Create app has a background-noise removal setting alongside captions and music. It's the simplest option if the video is going to YouTube anyway.

Get better results from any noise remover

AI noise removal works best on audio that's only a little bad. A few habits make a bigger difference than switching tools:

1. Fix the source first. Turn off the fan, close the window, and move the mic closer to your mouth. Every centimetre closer makes your voice louder compared with the room.
2. Soften the room. Hard walls cause echo, which is harder to remove than steady hum. Recording near curtains, a bed or a wardrobe of clothes helps more than any filter.
3. Use one noise remover at a time. Stacking Krisp on top of Meet's own cancellation can make voices sound thin or robotic. If that happens, switch one off.
4. Keep the original file. Process a copy, then compare the two on headphones. If the cleaned version sounds watery or clipped, the setting is too strong.
5. Don't expect miracles on overlapping speech. These tools separate a voice from noise. Two people talking at once, or a TV playing dialogue, is much harder.

Which tool should you choose?

If you mainly join Google Meet calls or talk on an iPhone, start with the free built-in options and you may never need anything else. If you take calls in several apps every day, Krisp's trial will tell you within a week whether it's worth paying for. For recorded audio, try ElevenLabs Voice Isolator on your noisiest file first, and look at Descript if you also need a full editor.

For more tools, see our list of the best AI voice and audio tools and the free AI audio tools.

FAQ

Can AI remove background noise for free?

Yes. Google Meet's noise cancellation (on supported accounts and devices), iPhone Voice Isolation and YouTube Create's noise removal are free. ElevenLabs Voice Isolator gives about 10 free minutes of audio cleanup a month on its free plan.

Does Google Meet have noise cancellation?

Yes. Turn it on under More options → Settings → Audio. It removes sounds like typing, doors and construction but not other people's voices or a TV, and cloud-based cancellation depends on your Google account or Workspace plan.

How do I reduce background noise on iPhone calls?

Open Control Center during the call, tap the app's controls and choose Voice Isolation. It works on regular phone calls from iOS 16.4 and in FaceTime and supported apps from iOS 15.

Is Krisp free?

Krisp currently offers a 7-day free trial. After that, its pricing page lists plans from $8 per user a month billed annually, or $16 billed monthly.

Can AI remove music from a voice recording?

Voice isolators are built for speech and can reduce background music behind a voice, but results vary. ElevenLabs says its Voice Isolator isn't optimized for separating vocals from music.