6 Best Noise Reduction Plugins For Clear Audio (2026)

Unwanted noise can spoil even your best recordings. If you need to clean up vocals, fix podcast dialogue, or get rid of hum in a guitar track, noise reduction plugins are now must-have tools for anyone working with audio.

The best noise reduction plugins use advanced processing to remove background noise, hiss, hum, and other unwanted sounds, all while keeping your main audio clear and natural.

This guide covers both paid and free noise reduction plugins that actually work at the end. You’ll find professional tools with AI-powered processing alongside free plugins that handle basic noise problems surprisingly well. I’ve included options for different budgets and skill levels, plus a breakdown of how these noise-removal plugins actually process your audio, so you can make better decisions about which one fits your workflow.

Noise reduction is all about balancing noise removal with keeping your audio sounding natural. I’ve tested these plugins, and here’s what I found.

If you need to remove steady background noise from your recordings, Brusfri is one of the first noise reduction plugins to try.

What makes it different from most noise reducers is how it works. Instead of using phase cancellation or spectral subtraction (which can make your audio sound weird or thin), Brusfri uses targeted gating across different frequency bands. This means it mutes the noise without messing up the phase or tone of your actual recording.

The interface is simple and easy to use. You can adjust controls like Threshold, Attack, Release, and others to fine-tune how much noise reduction you want. There’s also a Mix knob, so you can blend the processed sound with the original if full reduction feels too harsh.

Main features:

• Learn-Based Noise Profiling

This is the main way Brusfri works. Hold down the Learn button while playing a short section with only noise, without any voice or music. Brusfri captures that noise profile. Then, when you play your track, it removes that noise from the entire recording. I’ve used it to clean up laptop fan hum, air conditioner buzz, and even headphone bleed with just a few clicks.

• Minimal Artefacts & Transparent Sound

Since Brusfri uses gating instead of phase-based processing, your audio stays natural. I’ve tried it on vocals, acoustic guitar, and dialogue, and it doesn’t leave the hollow or metallic sound that some other noise reducers do. As long as you don’t overdo the settings, the results are clean and barely noticeable.

• Simple Controls That Work

Once you’ve captured the noise, you can adjust a few main settings. Threshold sets how much noise is removed, Attack and Release control how quickly the gating responds, and Edge adjusts the crossover between frequency bands.

There’s also a high-pass filter and an HF boost to help bring back brightness after noise reduction. The plugin is built to give you quick results without too many complicated options.

2. Accentize dXRevive Pro

dXRevive Pro brings back missing frequencies and restores clarity in ways other plugins can’t.

It works more like a tool for rescuing dialogue. If you’ve ever recorded a podcast guest with a bad internet connection or used a cheap USB mic for voiceover, you know how frustrating it is when EQ and compression don’t solve the problem. This plugin goes further than basic noise removal.

The interface is simple, with only a few main controls, but it offers several processing algorithms and lets you split your audio into bands. This way, you can fix specific issues without changing the whole recording. I like how it balances ease of use with powerful features.

Features:

• AI-Powered Speech Restoration

dXRevive Pro uses machine learning to analyze your dialogue and rebuild it from the ground up. Instead of just removing noise, it fills in the gaps where frequencies are missing because of bad recording conditions or compression.

• Studio, Natural, and EQ Restore Algorithms

The plugin offers different processing modes for different needs. Studio mode is great for a polished, professional sound. Natural mode keeps more of the original character while still cleaning up the audio. This variety lets you choose the best option for your material instead of using the same setting every time.

• Multiband Processing Control

This is where dXRevive Pro really shines for me. You can split the audio into up to four frequency bands and process each one independently. Maybe your low end is fine, but the highs are full of hiss, or you’ve got reverb muddying up the mids.

Targeting specific frequency ranges gives you much more control than a single-knob tool. This is especially helpful when working with different voices or recording environments in one project.

3. Supertone Clear

Supertone Clear uses AI to pull the voice out from noise and reverb, rather than just covering them up with a gate. This method gives you much more control than older noise reduction tools.

The plugin breaks your audio into three parts: voice, ambience, and reverb. You use three easy knobs to balance them, so you can clean up dialogue without making it sound flat or artificial.

Because Clear works in real time, you can use it while recording vocals, streaming live, or editing without having to bounce files. This is great for podcasters and streamers who need clean audio right away.

The interface is simple, but the AI working in the background is very smart.

• AI-Powered Voice Separation

Clear does more than just cut noise. It uses neural networks to pick out and separate the voice from everything else in your recording.

This means background hum, room noise, and extra reverb are separated without hurting the natural sound of your voice. I’ve tried it on rough home recordings, and the results were much better than what I got with basic noise gates or EQ.

• De-Voice Mode for Ambience Extraction

Here’s a cool twist: you can flip the process and remove the voice entirely, leaving only the background ambience. This comes in handy for sound design, creating atmosphere tracks, or extracting room tone for post-production work.

• Low CPU & Broad Compatibility

Clear supports AU, VST3, VST, and AAX formats on both Windows and Mac, including native Apple Silicon support. There’s also a low-CPU mode, so you can run multiple instances without your computer struggling.

4. Waves Clarity VX Pro

The Waves Clarity VX Pro noise reduction plugin has completely changed how I approach cleaning up noisy vocal recordings. It uses AI-trained neural networks to tell your voice apart from things like fans, street noise, room hum, or even background conversations.

I like that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool. If you just want a quick fix, the single knob works well. But if you need more control, you can use the six-band multiband processing to adjust each frequency range separately.

Main features:

• AI-Powered Voice Separation Clarity

VX Pro uses Waves Neural Networks technology that’s been trained on millions of voice files. So, it can tell your voice apart from background noise right away. You just load it up and it already knows what to keep and what to take out.

• Real-Time Processing Inside Your DAW

This is one of my favorite features. You can edit and mix while the plugin works in real time. All your video and audio tracks keep playing, so you stay in the flow and don’t lose your place.

It’s also fully automatable. If the noise level changes during a recording, you can set the plugin to adjust automatically. This makes the workflow much faster than older plugins that require you to stop, analyze, render, and check your results.

• Multiband Control & Ambience Tools

When I need more precise control, I use the multiband view. It lets you adjust six separate frequency bands, each with its own settings for processing amount, bypass, solo, and gain.

There’s also a “Reflections” control that adds back some natural room sound after noise reduction. Without it, voices might sound too dry or flat. I use this feature when I want the vocal to feel like it’s still in a real space, just without the unwanted noise.

• Multiple Neural Network Modes Clarity

VX Pro includes four different neural network modes for different situations. Broad 1 keeps both main and secondary voices, which is great for group recordings. Broad 1 HF does a better job of keeping high frequencies, so airy voices and breath sounds stay clear. Broad 2 is more aggressive and works well for heavy noise or separating main voices from background chatter.

The plugin also comes with a free trial you can try. If you decide to buy it, you can support this site by purchasing through this link.

5. Acon Digital Extract Dialogue

Here’s another noise-reduction plugin from Acon Digital. It’s designed to separate speech from all the annoying sounds that often end up in recordings, like wind, traffic, hum, rustling, clicks, and pops.

Unlike traditional noise gates or static profiles, this plugin was trained on thousands of voice recordings and noise samples. It can tell the difference between dialogue and unwanted noise, so you get cleaner results without having to manually find problem frequencies or spend time adjusting thresholds.

The interface is very straightforward. There aren’t a lot of controls or menus to sort through. Usually, you just load the plugin, adjust the sensitivity if needed, and let it work in real time. I also appreciate the solo noise feature, which lets you hear exactly what’s being removed. This helps me avoid accidentally removing parts of the voice I want to keep.

Also, a version 2 has been released, so it’s worth checking out the latest update.

• Deep Learning Algorithm for Speech Isolation

This plugin uses a neural network trained on real-world audio to automatically pick out dialogue from background noise. You don’t have to show it what noise sounds like or set up side chains. It listens and figures it out by itself, which saves me a lot of time when editing podcasts, interviews, or recordings with uncontrolled backgrounds.

• Frequency Band Sensitivity Controls

While the plugin handles most of the work automatically, you can still manually adjust three frequency bands: low shelf, mid peak, and high shelf. This lets you control how strong the noise reduction is in different parts of the sound.

If there’s a low-end rumble or high-frequency hiss that’s tough to remove, I can focus on just those areas without changing the whole signal. It strikes a good balance between automatic processing and manual control.

• Maximum Attenuation Limiter

Sometimes you don’t want to remove all the background noise. For example, if you’re working on a documentary, you might want to keep some room tone for a natural feel. The adjustable attenuation control lets you decide how much noise to reduce, so you can keep the ambience without making the dialogue sound too processed. I recommend this if you want your audio to sound clean but still natural.

• Solo Noise Monitoring & Spectrum Analyzer

Being able to remove noise solo is a game-changer for quality control. You can listen to exactly what’s being taken out and make sure it’s not grabbing any voice content by mistake. The built-in spectrum analyzer shows both the input signal and the noise it removes, providing a visual reference that helps you make smarter decisions without guessing.

6. Hush Audio Hush Pro (Mac Only)

Hush Pro stands out for its machine-learning engine that understands the difference between speech and unwanted noise. Instead of searching for noise profiles or adjusting threshold sliders, you load your audio and Hush Pro identifies voice, reverb, and noise.

I appreciate how Hush Pro handles location recordings that would take hours to clean. Traffic rumble, room reflections, wind hits, and other chaos from field recording are separated cleanly without making the voice sound hollow or robotic.

Main features:

• Two Processing Modes for Different Workflows

Hush Mix gives you three faders for dialogue, reverb, and noise. You can rebalance these elements in real time and preview changes before rendering. It’s ideal for fast cleanup and keeping everything on one track.

• Adaptive Processing Without Noise Profiles

The plugin analyzes your recording automatically and adapts its processing on the fly. You don’t need to capture a noise print or set up side-chain triggers. Quiet sections stay untouched while noisy parts get cleaned up dynamically. This approach preserves the natural character of the voice and avoids the pumping or gating artifacts found in older tools.

• Real-Time Preview and Apple Silicon Optimization

Although Hush Pro is an AudioSuite plugin, you get smooth real-time preview with click-free looping. Changes feel instant because it is built for Apple Silicon Macs and uses the Neural Engine for processing.

The ML model runs deeper than CPU-only plugins, which is why the separation quality feels more refined. Note that it is Mac-only and requires Pro Tools.

• Minimal Artifacts with Natural Results

I’ve pushed Hush Pro on messy recordings, outdoor interviews, and traffic-heavy scenes, and it consistently delivers clean results without that underwater or overly processed sound.

The voice keeps its presence and tone instead of sounding squashed by a noise gate. That is rare with aggressive noise reduction.

Hush Split takes the same audio and renders it to three separate tracks. This gives you more control because you can treat each element individually, pull room tone for fills, or rebuild ambience from scratch. I use Split mode when I need precision or want to keep my edits non-destructive.

Freebies

1. Chaos Audio Eclipse

Eclipse is a free noise reduction plugin that delivers great results and keeps your workflow simple.

You get three simple controls, and that’s it. No intimidating menus, no complex routing, just pure noise suppression that works. When you’re tracking guitars late at night or cleaning up a vocal take with annoying room hum, Eclipse handles it without drama.

Eclipse is compatible with macOS and Windows in AU, VST3, and AAX formats. It performs well on vocals, DI guitar tracks, synth pads, and podcast recordings. As long as there is steady background noise such as hiss, hum, or computer fan buzz, Eclipse can effectively reduce it.

What you get:

• Threshold, Decay & Reduction Controls

Eclipse gives you just the controls you need. Threshold sets when noise reduction starts. Decay controls how quickly the suppression fades after the signal goes above the threshold, so your audio stays smooth and natural.

Reduction sets the amount of noise reduction applied when the signal falls below the threshold. At maximum, Eclipse functions as a full gate, silencing all audio below the threshold. For a more natural sound, moderate reduction is recommended.

• Lightweight & CPU-Friendly

Eclipse is lightweight, making it suitable for use on laptops or in sessions with multiple plugins.

• Transparent Noise Suppression for Multiple Sources

Eclipse maintains the natural quality of your audio when used appropriately. It is effective on a range of sources, including vocals and guitar DIs, and excels at reducing constant noise such as electrical hum or ambient room tone.

While Eclipse may not address every noise issue, it is highly effective for steady, predictable background noise and preserves the natural character of your audio.

2. Bertom Denoiser

Bertom Audio offers their denoiser in two versions: Denoiser Classic, which is free, and Denoiser Pro, which is paid. The Classic version covers all the basics for noise cleanup at no cost. It works on Windows, Mac, and even Linux, which is unusual for free plugins.

Bertom VST uses a time-domain method instead of complex FFT processing, so your audio sounds more natural. You also don’t have to capture a noise profile like with older plugins. Just load the plugin, adjust a few knobs, and your audio is clean in seconds.

I use this plugin often for cleaning up guitar DI tracks, vocals with room noise, and synths that picked up hum from my interface. It’s now one of the first noise-removal VSTs I install on any new system.

• Zero-Latency Processing

This feature is great if you’re recording live or working in real time. Bertom Denoiser adds no latency, so you can monitor while recording with no delay. I’ve used it for live streams and podcasts where latency would have been a problem. Most noise reduction plugins make you render offline or deal with delay, but this one doesn’t.

• 5-Band EQ with Custom Noise Shaping

The plugin includes a 5-band EQ, so you can choose which frequencies get noise reduction. This gives you much more control than basic threshold-based denoisers.

If most of your noise is in the high end, you can target it without touching the low mids where your vocal tone is. I found this especially helpful on acoustic guitar tracks, where finger noise and string buzz are in certain frequency ranges.

• Simple Interface for Quick Results

The interface is simple and easy to use. There aren’t too many controls or confusing options, just a threshold slider, a reduction amount, and the EQ bands. When I’m working quickly and need to clean up audio fast, I don’t want to waste time learning a complex interface. Bertom lets you focus on your music.

3. ToneLib Noise Reducer

Finding a free noise reduction plugin that actually works can seem impossible, but ToneLib Noise Reducer proved me wrong.

It combines two separate units in one rack. You get the Studio Rack Unit for broader noise reduction, and the EasyGate Unit, modeled after guitar pedals. Both tackle unwanted noise, but in different ways, giving you flexibility depending on what you’re cleaning up.

I mostly use the automatic mode. You simply set the threshold slider, and the plugin takes care of the rest. It listens to your input and lowers noise when things get quiet. This feature saves me a lot of time when cleaning up guitar tracks or demos.

Things you will get:

• Two-Unit Noise Reduction System

With this free plugin, you get both a Studio Rack Unit and an EasyGate Unit working together. EasyGate is great for guitar hum or amp noise because it works like a pedal gate. The Rack Unit is better for cleaning up different instruments. Having both in one plugin lets you solve most basic noise issues without needing anything else.

• Automatic Mode with Simple Controls

This is the feature I use most. The automatic threshold control listens to your signal and decides when to reduce noise. You don’t have to deal with complex editing or detailed controls. Just set the threshold, adjust sensitivity if needed, and you’re finished.

It’s perfect if you want to work quickly or avoid complicated settings.

• ADSR Envelope Shaping

The ADSR envelope controls let you decide how the noise reduction starts and stops. I change the attack and release times to avoid a choppy or unnatural sound. This helps keep the natural sound of instruments and room ambience while still lowering noise between phrases.

• Cross-Platform Support & Low CPU Usage

ToneLib offers this plugin as a 64-bit VST, VST3, and AU for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It also works as a standalone app. The plugin uses very little CPU power.

How Noise Reduction Plugins Work

Noise reduction plugins analyze your audio to find and remove unwanted sounds like hum, hiss, or background noise. They use digital signal processing to separate the clean audio from the noise, though each plugin may use a different method.

Common Techniques Used in Noise Reduction

Most noise reduction plugins I’ve tried use a few main methods to clean up audio.

Spectral noise reduction is the most common method. It learns what your noise sounds like from a sample, then removes those frequencies from your recording. You usually capture a noise profile from a quiet section, and the plugin uses that as a reference.

Broadband noise reduction handles steady background sounds across all frequencies. It works well for things like air conditioning hum, computer fan noise, or a steady hiss from a preamp. The plugin reduces noise across the whole spectrum instead of focusing on certain bands.

AI-powered noise reduction is becoming more common. These plugins use machine learning to tell the difference between voices, instruments, and noise. Since they are trained on many recordings, they can often decide what to keep or remove without needing a noise profile.

Digital Signal Processing Basics

When you use a noise reduction plugin, it splits your audio into small parts to analyze it.

The plugin uses Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to change your audio from a time-based waveform to a frequency spectrum. This helps it find which frequencies are your actual sound and which are just noise.

You’ll usually see controls like threshold and reduction amount. Threshold tells the plugin how loud something must be before it’s considered signal rather than noise. The reduction amount controls how aggressively the plugin removes sounds it identifies as unwanted.

Attack and release settings control how fast the plugin reacts to changes. Faster settings catch noise quickly but can sound unnatural. Slower settings are smoother but might let some noise through during quiet parts.

Avoiding Audio Artifacts

My biggest challenge with noise reduction is making the audio sound natural while still removing enough noise.

If you over-process, you can get artifacts that sound worse than the original noise, like watery or metallic sounds. I always start with gentle settings and only increase the reduction until the noise is less noticeable, not gone completely.

It’s important to keep transients when working with drums, guitar picks, or vocal consonants. Strong noise reduction can dull these sharp sounds. Most good plugins let you protect transients or high frequencies from too much processing.

I suggest using real-time monitoring when you adjust settings. Many plugins let you hear only what’s being removed, so you can tell if you’re cutting into your real signal instead of just the noise.

Plugin Nerds

Hello, I’m Viliam, I started this audio plugin focused blog to keep you updated on the latest trends, news and everything plugin related. I’ll put the most emphasis on the topics covering best VST, AU and AAX plugins. If you find some great plugin suggestions for us to include on our site, feel free to let me know, so I can take a look!