Alt Denoiser vs NoNoise Mac

Alt Denoiser is a real-time audio noise suppression plugin based on DeepFilterNet. It is free and open source, with precompiled downloads for Windows, macOS and Linux in VST3, VST2, AU, LV2 and Standalone formats. DeepFilterNet3 models are bundled, so no separate model download is needed. The plugin accepts any host sample rate and resamples automatically. Its interface has an attenuation control and input and output RMS meters. Version 1.0.2 supports mono-to-mono, stereo-to-stereo and mono-to-stereo routing, and declares 1,920 samples of latency for startup and reset FIFO prefill. Release notes mention fixes for stutter and dropouts in EqualizerAPO and DAWs at standard host buffer sizes. Linux build instructions cover Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora and Arch; building from source requires CMake 3.15 or later, Rust and a C++ compiler. The project is licensed under GPLv3 and directs questions and bug reports to GitHub Issues. macOS binaries target macOS 14.0 and later.

NoNoise Mac is a free macOS menu-bar app that reduces microphone background noise and room echo in real time. It uses DeepFilterNet3 compiled to CoreML, with audio processing on the Apple Neural Engine and Metal. Meeting, Podcast, Tutorial, and Custom modes provide suppression and voice-polish controls. Optional Broadcast Voice adds presence and de-essing, while Mouth Noise targets plosives and clicks.

The app sends cleaned microphone audio through its NoNoise Mic virtual microphone for use in apps such as Zoom, Meet, Discord, OBS, Slack, and QuickTime. Clean Incoming / Guest can denoise system audio, but requires macOS 14.4 or later. The project says audio stays on the Mac, with no telemetry or account. It supports built-in, USB, and XLR microphones via an interface, along with global hotkeys and a bundled CLI for local audio-file cleanup. NoNoise Mac requires an Apple Silicon Mac such as M1 or newer; Intel Macs are not supported. Its installer is not notarized and may require approval in macOS Privacy & Security settings.