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The best noise reduction software for Mac in 2026
There is no single best noise reduction app for every Mac user. For detailed repair work, iZotope RX 12 is the full toolkit. If you already edit in Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve Studio, their built-in voice isolation is the quickest fix. Audacity is free, and Adobe Podcast runs in a browser with nothing to install. To clean many voice recordings without uploading them, Somuno, iZotope Photon and Hush do the work on your Mac.
Below are 12 tools, each with what it's best for, one honest limitation and the facts as of November 2026.
Somuno is made by the author of this blog. Facts about the other products come from their official pages, checked in November 2026. Prices change often, so check them before you buy.
The 12 tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Processing | Price (as of November 2026) | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somuno | Private batch cleanup on a Mac | Local | US$19.99 one-time | First 60 s of each file |
| iZotope RX 12 | Detailed repair | Local desktop software | US$99 / 399 / 1,399, or from US$15/month | 10-day trial, no export |
| iZotope Photon | Local cleanup plus separation | Local (GPU) | US$349 (US$259 deal), or US$19/month | 14-day trial |
| Hush | Intel Macs and macOS 12 | Local | US$89.99 one-time | 21-day trial |
| Final Cut Pro | Final Cut Pro editors | In the app | US$299.99, or US$12.99/month | 30-day trial |
| DaVinci Resolve Studio | Resolve editors | In the app | US$295 (on sale at US$236) | Not in free Resolve |
| Audacity | Steady noise, for free | Local | Free | Fully free |
| Adobe Podcast | Nothing to install | Cloud | Free; Premium via Firefly Pro, US$19.99/month | Yes, with limits |
| Descript | Editing by transcript | Needs internet | From US$16/month (annual) | Yes, with limits |
| Accentize dxRevive | Dialogue restoration plugin | Local | US$99 / US$299 | 7-day trial |
| Antinode Clear | Low-cost plugin | In your host app | US$69 (US$49 offer) | Limited trial |
| Waves Clarity Vx | Real-time DAW plugin | In your host app | US$199 list, often on sale | No |
How we chose
Every tool here runs on a Mac or in a browser, cleans recorded files and is on sale today. Discontinued products such as Goyo and Accentize VoiceGate are left out.
We didn't run blind listening tests, so the numbers are for navigation, not a ranking by sound. We compare what can be checked: where processing happens, platforms, price model, limits, video handling and batch workflow.
The picks
1. Somuno
Best for private batch cleanup on a Mac
Somuno is a Mac app that removes background noise and room reverb from voices in audio and video files. Its AI speech-enhancement model runs on your Mac's GPU, so recordings are never uploaded and no account is needed. The same model repairs clipping, missing high frequencies, codec artifacts and dropouts, which helps with phone, Zoom and old recordings. Whole folders go into a queue, and each result is saved next to its original. For MP4, MOV and M4V videos it replaces only the soundtrack and copies the picture without re-encoding.
The limits: it needs Apple silicon, it isn't a plugin or real-time, and its only amount control is a Strength slider. It's made for speech, so background music gets removed or distorted. Somuno is about to launch; the before-and-after samples are online now.
Platform: Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later · Price (as of November 2026): US$19.99 one-time on the website, for up to 3 Macs; an in-app purchase in the Mac App Store version · Processing: local · Free option: free version that enhances the first 60 seconds of each file
Here is Somuno's output on a podcast voice under steady noise, with default settings and matched loudness. This is Somuno's result only; we haven't run this clip through the other tools.
Podcast with background noise
A podcast voice buried in steady background noise.
OriginalEnhanced
Original
Enhanced by Somuno
2. iZotope RX 12
Best for detailed audio repair and post-production
RX is the suite audio post engineers reach for: a standalone editor with spectral editing, plus plugins for DAWs and editors such as Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Voice De-noise is in every edition. Dialogue Isolate, which iZotope says can “salvage recordings buried under noise and reverb”, starts with Standard, as does the Batch Processor. Spectral Recovery, which restores lost high frequencies, is Advanced only.
The catch is cost and complexity: the dialogue tools start at US$399, and the trial can't export. For video, iZotope's documentation describes importing the audio track only. See Somuno vs iZotope RX.
Platform: Mac (Intel and Apple silicon) and Windows · Price (as of November 2026): Elements US$99, Standard US$399, Advanced US$1,399 one-time; or US$15/month with Elements, US$25/month with Standard · Processing: local desktop software; iZotope describes no cloud step · Free option: 10-day trial with export disabled
3. iZotope Photon
Best for local cleanup with speaker and stem separation
Photon is new and separate from RX: a standalone app and ARA2 plugin whose 12 AI models “all run locally on your GPU”, iZotope says. Its speech models handle noise, echo, levels and mic tone, and Voice Separator splits up to 6 voices into stems. It opens audio and video files, including MP4, MOV and MXF, and can export video with the original video stream kept.
It works much like Somuno – local, Apple silicon, video in and out – with more separation features at a higher price. It needs internet for its Model Manager, and its page doesn't mention batch processing.
Platform: Mac with Apple silicon (macOS 14 or later) and Windows · Price (as of November 2026): US$349 one-time, shown at US$259 in a limited-time deal; or US$19/month or US$119/year; also included in Boris FX's CrumplePop bundle · Processing: local, on the GPU · Free option: 14-day trial with no file or export limits
4. Hush
Best for on-device cleanup on Intel Macs and older macOS
Hush is a one-developer Mac app that removes broadband noise, reverb (with a dry-mix dial) and sudden sounds like barking dogs. It “runs locally on your Mac”, takes whole batches, and its App Store privacy label reads “Data Not Collected”. Unlike Somuno and Photon, it runs on macOS 12 and Intel Macs.
The Mac App Store version is 1.2.1, from October 2023, and Hush doesn't say which formats it opens or whether it takes video. See Somuno vs Hush.
Platform: Mac, macOS 12 or later, Intel or Apple silicon · Price (as of November 2026): US$89.99 one-time on the US Mac App Store · Processing: local · Free option: 21-day trial; no free version
5. Final Cut Pro Voice Isolation
Best if you already edit video in Final Cut Pro
Voice Isolation is a checkbox and Amount slider in Final Cut Pro's Audio inspector that “prioritizes human voices over other parts of the audio signal”, next to Noise Removal and Hum Removal. If you cut video there, it's the quickest fix: no export, no round trip.
It works per clip, not as a batch tool, and Apple warns that using it on several components playing at once “may result in garbled audio”. Apple doesn't claim reverb removal. See Somuno vs Final Cut Pro.
Platform: Mac (and Final Cut Pro for iPad) · Price (as of November 2026): US$299.99 one-time, or in Apple Creator Studio at US$12.99/month or US$129/year · Processing: in the app; Apple describes no cloud step · Free option: 30-day free trial of Apple Creator Studio
6. DaVinci Resolve Studio Voice Isolation
Best for Resolve editors who want a one-time license
Voice Isolation in DaVinci Resolve “uses DaVinci Neural Engine AI” to bring voices forward over background sound, inside the editor. It's a Studio feature: free Resolve doesn't have it, though it includes Dialogue Leveler.
Resolve 21 needs macOS 15 and Apple silicon, and it's a big editor to buy just for cleanup.
Platform: Mac with Apple silicon (macOS 15 or later), Windows, Linux, iPad · Price (as of November 2026): Studio US$295 one-time, shown at US$236 in a sale · Processing: on your computer; Blackmagic describes no cloud step · Free option: free DaVinci Resolve, without Voice Isolation
7. Audacity
Best free option for steady noise
Audacity is the free, open-source audio editor. Its Noise Reduction effect learns a “noise profile” from a stretch of pure noise, which works on steady sounds like “hiss, hum, and air conditioning”. Its manual says it won't remove one-off sounds such as a door slam and struggles with traffic or crowds. Reverb isn't covered in its documentation.
Audacity 4.0 doesn't include the Macro Manager yet, so batch processing needs Audacity 3.x. See Somuno vs Audacity.
Platform: Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux · Price (as of November 2026): free, open source · Processing: local · Free option: fully free
8. Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech
Best free option with nothing to install
Enhance Speech is Adobe's web tool to “remove noise and echo from voice recordings”, in any modern browser, phones included. The free plan takes files of up to 30 minutes and 500 MB, 1 hour a day, audio only, one at a time, with no strength control.
Every file is uploaded to Adobe, and since August 30, 2026, the Premium features – video, bulk upload, longer files – come only with Adobe Firefly Pro. See Somuno vs Adobe Podcast and our Adobe Podcast alternatives.
Platform: web browser, desktop or mobile · Price (as of November 2026): free; Premium features through Adobe Firefly Pro at US$19.99/month · Processing: cloud · Free option: yes, 30 minutes and 500 MB per file, 1 hour a day, audio only
9. Descript Studio Sound
Best if you edit podcasts and videos by transcript
Studio Sound is an effect in Descript, the editor where you cut audio and video by editing the transcript. Descript says it reduces “background noise, echo, and other distractions”, with an Intensity slider. Video files go straight in.
It requires an internet connection, use is metered by media hours and AI credits, and there's no dedicated batch mode. See Somuno vs Descript.
Platform: Mac (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel), Windows, web · Price (as of November 2026): Hobbyist US$16/month billed annually or US$24 monthly · Processing: needs an internet connection · Free option: 1 media hour a month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p exports with a watermark
10. Accentize dxRevive
Best for restoring damaged dialogue in a plugin
dxRevive is a VST3, AU and AAX plugin for dialogue restoration. Besides noise and reverb, Accentize says it restores missing frequencies, removes codec artifacts from Skype or Zoom recordings and recovers clipped audio, with “100% local processing”. It works in Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Premiere, Final Cut and DaVinci Resolve.
It needs a host app, Accentize warns of higher CPU use, and the Pro version requires iLok.
Platform: Mac (native on Apple silicon) and Windows, as a plugin · Price (as of November 2026): dxRevive US$99, dxRevive Pro US$299; no subscription is offered on the page · Processing: local · Free option: 7-day trial
11. Antinode Clear
Best for low-cost control of voice, ambience and reverb
Antinode Clear is the plugin formerly called Supertone Clear, which replaced Goyo. Antinode Audio took it over on September 14, 2026. Three knobs – voice, ambience and voice reverb – work in real time in AU, VST, VST3 and AAX hosts.
It supports only 44.1, 48 and 96 kHz, the trial outputs noise every 60 seconds, and with a new owner its long-term support is still to be seen.
Platform: Mac (macOS 10.13 or later, native on Apple silicon) and Windows, as a plugin · Price (as of November 2026): US$69 one-time, shown at US$49 in a limited-time offer · Processing: inside your host app; Antinode doesn't say more · Free option: trial that outputs noise every 60 seconds
12. Waves Clarity Vx
Best for real-time noise removal in a DAW
Clarity Vx is a neural-network plugin for noise such as “air conditioner, room rumble, rain, traffic, airplane flyovers, background talking”. It runs in real time, with a low-CPU ECO network, and is part of the Waves Essential subscription.
It removes noise, not reverb – that's a separate plugin – and Final Cut Pro isn't among its listed hosts.
Platform: Mac (Intel or Apple silicon) and Windows, as a plugin · Price (as of November 2026): list price on the official site US$199, shown at US$34.99 in a sale; or Waves Essential at US$14.99/month · Processing: inside your host app; Waves doesn't say more · Free option: no free version
How to choose
- Recordings must stay private: use a tool that processes on your Mac – Somuno, Photon, Hush, RX or a plugin. See our list of offline voice enhancers.
- You edit in Final Cut Pro or Resolve Studio: start with the built-in feature, and reach for another tool when it isn't enough.
- You need surgical control: iZotope RX.
- You have an Intel Mac: Hush, RX, Audacity, Final Cut Pro or a web tool. Somuno, Photon and Resolve 21 need Apple silicon.
- You have a folder of files: Somuno and Hush take batches, and RX Standard has a Batch Processor. See batch noise reduction.
- Echo is the problem: not every tool claims to remove reverb. See tools that remove echo and reverb.
How to test tools on your own recording
Take one minute of a recording with the problem you care about and run it through each tool's free version or trial with default settings. Match the loudness before you compare, because a louder version always seems better. Listen on headphones: are the pauses clean or pumping, and do S, T and F stay crisp? If a result sounds over-processed, turn its amount control down.
Better recordings need less cleanup: get closer to the microphone, soften the room and keep lossless files. Our guides to removing background noise on a Mac and cleaning up the audio in a video go step by step.
Questions
What is the best free noise reduction software for Mac?
For steady hiss and hum, Audacity is free and works offline. Adobe Podcast's free plan handles harder noise but uploads your file, with a 30-minute limit per file. Somuno's free version enhances the first 60 seconds of each file on your Mac.
Does a Mac have built-in noise reduction?
Not system-wide for files. Final Cut Pro has Voice Isolation and Noise Removal, and iMovie for Mac has a “Reduce background noise” checkbox with a slider.
Which of these tools keep recordings on my Mac?
Somuno, iZotope Photon, Hush and Accentize dxRevive say so explicitly. RX, Audacity, Final Cut Pro, Resolve and the plugins are desktop software. Adobe Podcast uploads files, and Descript's Studio Sound needs an internet connection.
Does Somuno sound better than iZotope RX or Adobe Podcast?
We haven't run listening tests of other products, so we can't say. Results depend on the recording, so run the same file through both and compare at matched loudness.