Krisp vs Zoom noise cancellation

Last updated October 2026

If you spend any part of your workday on calls, you have probably dealt with barking dogs, keyboard clatter, construction noise, or someone unmuted in a coffee shop. Noise cancellation software exists to solve this, and two of the most common options are Krisp, a standalone AI noise cancellation app, and Zoom's built-in noise suppression feature.

Both use machine learning to filter out background noise in real time. Both are free or included with tools you already pay for. But they solve the problem in very different ways, and the right choice depends on how you work, not just how well each one filters sound.

The core difference is scope. Zoom's noise suppression is baked into the Zoom client and only operates during Zoom calls. Krisp sits at the operating system level, creating a virtual microphone and speaker that filter audio for every application on your computer. That means Krisp works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack huddles, Discord, and any other app that uses your microphone or speakers. Zoom's feature works in Zoom and nowhere else.

This distinction matters more than most comparison pages acknowledge. If Zoom is the only calling platform you use, built-in suppression might be all you need. But if your week includes a mix of platforms, Krisp covers everything with a single setup.

Krisp

How it works

Krisp is a dedicated noise cancellation application built by a company whose entire product is audio intelligence. It installs on macOS or Windows and creates virtual audio devices. You select "Krisp Microphone" and "Krisp Speaker" in any app, and all audio flowing through those devices gets processed by Krisp's AI models before it reaches the other end of the call or your ears.

The noise cancellation itself handles a wide range of sounds. It filters out background voices, mechanical noise, pets, street noise, and the echo that plagues rooms without acoustic treatment. What sets Krisp apart from platform-specific solutions is that this filtering works bidirectionally. It can clean up noise from your side before it reaches others, and it can reduce noise from other participants coming through your speakers. So if someone on the other end of the call is in a loud environment, Krisp can help on your receiving end too.

Meeting productivity features

Over the past couple of years, Krisp has expanded well beyond noise cancellation into broader meeting productivity. The current product includes real-time transcription, automatic meeting notes with AI-generated summaries, and call recording. These features ship with the paid plans and position Krisp as a meeting assistant rather than a single-purpose audio filter.

Pricing

Krisp offers a free trial that provides seven days of unlimited access. After that, paid plans start at $8 per month on the Core plan (billed annually, or $16 month-to-month), which includes unlimited noise cancellation along with transcription, recording, and AI-powered meeting notes. The Advanced plan runs $15 per month billed annually ($30 month-to-month) and adds more controls, integrations, and administrative features. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Trade-offs

The main trade-off with Krisp is that it is another piece of software to install, configure, and keep updated. It uses some CPU for its AI processing, though the resource usage has improved considerably over successive versions. On modern hardware, most people will not notice it. You also need to remember to select Krisp's virtual devices in each application, though once set, those selections persist.

Zoom's built-in noise suppression

How it works

Zoom includes noise suppression as a native feature in its desktop and mobile clients. It ships with every Zoom plan, including the free tier, and requires no additional installation. You turn it on in Settings > Audio, where you can choose between Low, Medium, High, and Auto suppression levels.

Suppression levels

The technology works well for common background sounds. It handles typing, fan noise, paper rustling, and moderate ambient noise reliably. The Auto setting adapts to your environment and is what Zoom recommends for most users. Higher suppression levels filter more aggressively but can sometimes clip speech or make voices sound slightly processed, particularly in environments with continuous loud noise.

Zoom's implementation has the advantage of zero setup friction. It is already there, already configured by default (Auto is the default setting), and requires no changes to your audio device selection. For organizations that standardize on Zoom, this means every employee gets noise suppression without IT deploying additional software.

Limitations

The limitation is that Zoom's noise suppression only processes audio within the Zoom application. If you switch to Google Meet for a call with an external client, join a Slack huddle, or record audio in any other app, Zoom's noise suppression is not involved. Each platform has its own suppression (or none at all), and the quality and behavior vary. There is no way to apply Zoom's noise processing to other applications.

Zoom's suppression also only filters your outgoing audio. It does not process incoming audio from other participants. If someone else on the call is in a noisy environment, their audio quality depends on whatever noise suppression they have running on their end.

Comparison table

How to choose

If you only use Zoom for calls, start with how many calling platforms you use. If every call you take happens in Zoom and you do not anticipate that changing, the built-in suppression is the simpler choice. It costs nothing extra, it requires no configuration, and it handles typical office and home background noise well. Adding Krisp in this scenario gives you better incoming audio filtering and potentially stronger suppression in loud environments, but for many people the built-in option is sufficient.

If your work involves multiple platforms, the calculus shifts. Using Zoom's suppression for Zoom calls, hoping Google Meet's built-in filtering is adequate, and having nothing for Slack huddles creates an inconsistent experience. Krisp provides uniform noise cancellation across everything, which is its primary value proposition. You configure it once, and every app benefits.

Consider the noise environment too. Zoom's Auto and Medium settings do well with typical work-from-home sounds like keyboards, fans, and household appliances. In louder or more unpredictable environments, such as co-working spaces, coffee shops, or apartments near busy streets, Krisp's dedicated processing tends to handle a wider range of noise types more effectively. Krisp also addresses the problem of noisy participants on the other end of your calls, which Zoom's suppression does not touch.

For teams and organizations, the decision often comes down to what you are already paying for and how much complexity you want to manage. Zoom's suppression is included and requires no deployment. Krisp requires licenses, installation, and device configuration across your team. Whether the cross-platform coverage and incoming audio filtering justify that overhead depends on your team's communication stack.

If you are evaluating Krisp specifically for its noise cancellation (rather than the meeting assistant features), be aware that the free trial lasts seven days. After that, noise cancellation requires a paid plan. The Core plan at $8 per month on an annual subscription is reasonable for individual use, but compare it against what you get for free with Zoom's built-in feature and decide whether the cross-platform and incoming audio capabilities close the gap.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Zoom's noise cancellation work outside of Zoom?

No. Zoom's noise suppression is built into the Zoom client and only processes audio during Zoom meetings and calls. It does not affect audio in other applications like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or any other software on your computer. If you need noise cancellation across multiple platforms, you need a standalone tool like Krisp that operates at the system level.

Can I use Krisp and Zoom's noise suppression at the same time?

You can, but it is generally not recommended. Running both means your audio gets processed twice, which can introduce artifacts, make your voice sound overly compressed, or cause unexpected clipping. If you use Krisp, it is better to set Zoom's noise suppression to Low or turn it off entirely, and let Krisp handle the filtering.

Is Krisp free?

Krisp offers a seven-day free trial with full access to all features. After the trial, noise cancellation and other features require a paid subscription. The Core plan starts at $8 per month when billed annually, or $16 on a month-to-month basis. There is no permanent free tier with limited minutes, though older references on the web may mention one from previous pricing structures.

Does Krisp work with phone calls?

Krisp works with any application on your computer that uses your microphone or speakers. If you take phone calls through a desktop app like a VoIP client or softphone, Krisp will filter that audio. It does not work with your phone's native cellular calls unless you are routing audio through a computer-based application.

How much CPU does Krisp use?

Krisp runs AI models locally on your machine to process audio in real time, so it does use some CPU. On modern hardware from the last few years, the impact is usually minimal and not noticeable during normal use. Older machines or systems already under heavy load may see some effect. Krisp has optimized its processing over multiple updates and supports hardware acceleration on many systems.

Does Zoom's noise suppression affect voice quality?

On the Auto and Low settings, Zoom's noise suppression generally preserves voice quality well. On the High setting, the more aggressive filtering can sometimes clip the edges of speech, make voices sound slightly robotic, or suppress quieter speech along with the noise. Most users find that the Auto setting strikes a good balance for typical environments.

Can Krisp remove echo?

Yes. Krisp includes echo cancellation that reduces room echo and reverb from your audio. This is useful if you are in a room with hard surfaces and no acoustic treatment. Zoom also has echo cancellation built in, but it operates independently from noise suppression.

Does Krisp work on Linux?

As of October 2026, Krisp supports macOS and Windows. There is no native Linux client. Zoom's noise suppression, by contrast, is available on the Linux version of the Zoom client, which gives Linux users a built-in option without third-party tools.

What happens if Krisp is not running during a call?

If Krisp is not running or crashes during a call, audio falls back to your default system microphone and speakers. Your call will continue, but without noise filtering. There is no interruption to the call itself, just a return to unprocessed audio.

Can Zoom's noise suppression filter out voices in the background?

To a degree. Zoom's suppression is designed to reduce steady-state noise like fans and typing, but it can also reduce background voices. However, because the system needs to distinguish your voice from other voices, results vary. Krisp tends to handle background voice suppression more effectively because its models are specifically trained on a wider variety of voice-versus-noise scenarios.

Is Krisp worth paying for if I only use Zoom?

For most people who only use Zoom, the built-in noise suppression is adequate and there is little reason to pay for Krisp solely for noise cancellation. Krisp becomes more compelling if you need incoming audio filtering (cleaning up noise from other participants), work in unusually loud environments where Zoom's suppression struggles, or want the additional meeting assistant features like transcription and AI notes. If none of those apply, the free built-in option is the practical choice.

Does Krisp store or transmit my audio?

Krisp processes audio locally on your device. The audio data does not leave your computer or pass through Krisp's servers. This is a meaningful distinction for users with privacy or compliance requirements, since all filtering happens on-device rather than in the cloud.