HushMic suppresses microphone noise in real time on Linux using a system-wide virtual microphone with PipeWire.
Open source
24 alternativesNoiseTorch
NoiseTorch suppresses microphone noise in real time on Linux with PulseAudio or PipeWire.
About NoiseTorch
NoiseTorch-ng is a Linux application for PulseAudio or PipeWire that creates a virtual microphone to suppress background noise in real time using RNNoise. It is intended to work with any conferencing or VOIP application: you select the filtered virtual microphone as your input, so sounds such as mechanical keyboards, computer fans or trains are reduced. Output filtering works the same way, routing chosen applications to a "Filtered Headphones" device.
Setup is described as a two-click process: select the microphone to denoise and click Load, then Unload when finished. Once loaded, the virtual microphone keeps working until it is explicitly unloaded, so the window can be closed and the NoiseTorch-ng process is no longer required. Installation is manual: download the latest release from GitHub, unpack the tgz into your home directory, and grant permissions with setcap. A Voice Activation Threshold setting, up to 95%, controls how strictly the microphone sends sound only when voice is detected, and changes require reloading the application. The project states that a suspected security breach of its update server and code repository prompted a community audit that found no malicious code, and that updates are now retrieved from the project's releases page. NoiseTorch-ng may introduce a small amount of latency.
Key features
- Creates a virtual "Filtered Microphone" that suppresses noise with RNNoise
- Works with any conferencing or VOIP app via the filtered microphone
- Output filtering routes selected applications to a "Filtered Headphones" device
- Load and Unload controls add or remove the virtual device
- Voice Activation Threshold up to 95%; changes require reloading
- Single small, statically linked, self-contained binary
Best for: Linux users on PulseAudio or PipeWire who want to reduce microphone and output background noise in any conferencing or VOIP application.
Good for
- Supports both PulseAudio and PipeWire on Linux
- The virtual microphone works across applications rather than being tied to one app
- Distributed as a single small, statically linked, self-contained binary
Watch out for
- Installation is manual: unpack the tgz into the home directory and grant permissions with setcap
- Limited to Linux systems running PulseAudio or PipeWire
- May introduce a small amount of latency
NoiseTorch at a glance
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Linux Apps
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
NoiseTorch alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
AudioSource forwards Android microphone audio to PulseAudio through ADB for use as a USB microphone.
Open source
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NoiseTorch FAQ
Does NoiseTorch-ng need to keep running after it is loaded?
No. Once loaded, the virtual microphone continues working until you explicitly unload it, so you can close the window and the process is not required anymore.
How is NoiseTorch-ng installed?
Download the latest release from GitHub, unpack the tgz file into your home directory, and give the binary the required permissions with setcap, which requires sudo.
What does the Voice Activation Threshold setting do?
It controls how strictly the microphone is allowed to send sound only when voice is detected, up to a maximum of 95%. At 0% noise is still dampened but the microphone is not deactivated. Changes require reloading NoiseTorch-ng.
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