Krisp vs SteelSeries Sonar: meetings corner against the gamer corner
A 48–47 card, the closest fight I've scored. One corner dresses for the office, the other for the loadout screen, and the honest verdict depends on which room your microphone lives in.
- R1 · Suppression quality109
- R2 · Price910
- R3 · Platforms & apps109
- R4 · Extras910
- R5 · Meeting-day fit109
The short answer
For work calls on a Mac or a Windows laptop, Krisp shades it: it runs on both systems, cleans your voice and the other side's, and comes with a meeting note-taker. For Discord and game chat on Windows, SteelSeries Sonar wins and costs nothing: it's a free part of SteelSeries GG, doesn't care which headset or mic you own, and its ClearCast AI noise cancellation can clean your teammates' incoming chat as well as your own microphone. Krisp has no permanent $0 tier any more: the trial runs 7 days without a card, and on 9 Oct 2026 Core then cost $8 per user per month on an annual plan, or $16 paid monthly.
Skip Sonar entirely if you're on a Mac: it lists Windows 10 (RS5+) and nothing else. Skip Krisp if a free mixer already covers your evenings and you never sit in a work meeting.
Krisp
The house benchmark: two-way noise cancellation on the device, in front of any call app, Windows and macOS. No free plan: a 7-day free trial, then $8/month annual.
SteelSeries Sonar
The audio suite inside SteelSeries GG: per-app mixer, EQ, and ClearCast AI noise cancellation on your mic and incoming teammates. Free (part of steelseries gg), works with any headset and any mic — no steelseries hardware required — Windows 10 (RS5+) only.
| Red corner | Blue corner | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 7-day trial (no card), then Core at $8/user/mo on annual billing or $16 monthly | Free download inside SteelSeries GG; no paid tier shown |
| Platforms | macOS 14+, Windows 10/11 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (RS5+) only |
| Hardware needed | None beyond your own mic and headset | None: "any headset, any mic" |
| Your mic cleaned | Yes, through Krisp Microphone | Yes, ClearCast AI in Sonar's Microphone section |
| Incoming audio cleaned | Yes, through Krisp Speaker | Yes, ClearCast on the Chat channel |
| Strength control | Not documented as a slider | Minimal / Medium / Maximum, separately for mic and chat |
| Runs on | Your device, locally | Your CPU, not the GPU |
| Extras | Note-taker, transcription, recording, AI notes | Per-app mixer (Game, Chat, Media, Aux, Mic), parametric EQ, Streamer Mode |
| Tape checked against both vendors' own pages. | ||
The closest card on the site
Neither corner embarrasses itself anywhere. Sonar's ClearCast is real suppression, its price can't be beaten, and cleaning up teammates' incoming chat is a real comfort on game nights. The champion counters on documented cleanup strength, the fact that it exists on macOS, and the plain truth that it looks like something you can run on a work laptop without explaining yourself. Five rounds, one point in it.
The card
Rounds are scored boxing-style: 10 to the round's winner, 9 to the loser, 8 for a dominant round, 10–10 when I genuinely can't split them. Totals are arithmetic, and so is the decision.
| Round | Krisp | SteelSeries Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| R1 · Suppression quality | 10 | 9 |
| Referee’s note: ClearCast is real, but on documented capability the specialist edges it, especially in rough rooms. Krisp names background voices and echo as targets; SteelSeries describes ClearCast as cutting noise on your mic and your teammates' chat. | ||
| R2 · Price | 9 | 10 |
| Referee’s note: Unlimited and free against $8 a month after a 7-day trial is a clear round for the gamer corner, the same margin I gave NVIDIA Broadcast on price. This round was already scored on today's Krisp terms, so the end of Krisp's old free allowance changes nothing on the card. | ||
| R3 · Platforms & apps | 10 | 9 |
| Referee’s note: macOS exists in the red corner's world. Sonar is Windows-only and speaks fluent game-chat. | ||
| R4 · Extras | 9 | 10 |
| Referee’s note: Sonar's per-app mixer and parametric EQ are genuinely useful furniture. Krisp's extras are meeting notes you may not want. | ||
| R5 · Meeting-day fit | 10 | 9 |
| Referee’s note: Krisp presents like work software; Sonar presents like a loadout screen. Your calendar decides which one is a costume. | ||
| Totals | 48 | 47 |
- After R110–9 Krisp +1
- After R219–19 level
- After R329–28 Krisp +1
- After R438–38 level
- After R548–47 Krisp +1
Outside the card: four things the rounds don't capture
These notes are deliberately unscored. They change who should buy which, not the arithmetic above.
ClearCast, in detail
SteelSeries' own guide describes ClearCast AI Noise Cancellation as a toggle in Sonar's Microphone section with three intensities: Minimal, Medium and Maximum. The Chat channel gets its own ClearCast toggle and its own intensity, which is how Sonar "will filter out incoming noise from your teammates." The guide also says the feature runs on the CPU and leaves the GPU alone, which matters if your graphics card is already flat out rendering the game. That guide dates from November 2022, and the current Sonar page still sells the same idea, promising AI noise cancellation that quiets your team without anyone having to ask.
Hardware freedom
Both corners are hardware-agnostic now. Sonar's page leads with "any headset, any mic," and ClearCast no longer needs a SteelSeries headset. Krisp has never cared what you plug in; it sits in front of whatever microphone and headphones your system already sees. If you bought a SteelSeries headset hoping it unlocked something, it doesn't. Both tools treat every brand the same.
Meeting AI extras
Krisp has become a meeting assistant with noise cancellation inside it. Core includes an unlimited note-taker that records without a bot joining the call, plus transcription, AI notes and action items, and an hour a day of accent conversion. If you never sit in work meetings, all of that is weight you're paying to carry. If you do, it's the reason the $8 isn't only a noise bill.
System toll and plumbing
Both create virtual devices. Sonar adds outputs for Game, Chat, Media and Aux plus a microphone, named like "SteelSeries Sonar - Chat" and "SteelSeries Sonar - Microphone." Krisp adds Krisp Microphone and Krisp Speaker. Don't stack them: Krisp's help centre says Krisp can't take a virtual microphone as its input, so Sonar's mic can't feed Krisp. Pick one cleaner per app. I haven't measured CPU load for either and won't print a number I haven't measured.
Flip the card by calendar
Meetings pay your bills: take the red corner. The 7-day trial covers a full working week of stand-ups, and the full review prices what comes after. Evenings on Discord with any headset: take the blue corner and pay nobody, though check the built-ins bout first, because Discord's own noise suppression runs a Krisp model inside Discord and may already be enough. Windows gamers who also work from home are the true split-decision audience: run Sonar for the evening, spend Krisp's 7-day trial on the day job, and let the week decide.
Edge cases
- Mac users: there is no Sonar for macOS, so this bout is a walkover. Your free alternative is the system's own Mic Modes in apps that support them, such as FaceTime, or Discord's built-in Krisp option on Apple silicon with macOS 12 or later.
- Streamers: Sonar's Streamer Mode adds a separate stream mix. Krisp's devices are mono, so keep stereo game audio and music on Sonar's side of the desk.
- Work laptops you don't control: IT may block a gaming suite before it blocks a meeting tool. Check before you plan around either.
Ringside questions
- Is SteelSeries Sonar good enough for work meetings?
- Often, yes. ClearCast genuinely cuts fans and housemates, and you can set it from Minimal to Maximum. The trades are that it's Windows-only, the GG suite comes along with it, and a mixer built for games carries more furniture than a meetings person needs.
- Does Sonar need SteelSeries hardware?
- No. SteelSeries says any headset and any mic will do, and ClearCast supports every headset. It needs Windows 10 (RS5) or newer, and that's the only real requirement.
- Does Sonar's ClearCast clean the other people on the call?
- Yes. SteelSeries' guide gives the Chat channel its own ClearCast toggle and intensity, so teammates' incoming chat can be cleaned as well as your microphone. Krisp does the same job for incoming audio through Krisp Speaker.
- Does Krisp cost nothing, like Sonar?
- No. Krisp has no permanent $0 tier: the 7-day trial opens the premium features without a card, and after it access stops until you buy Core, which on 9 Oct 2026 cost $8 per user per month on an annual plan or $16 paid monthly. Sonar is a free download with no paid tier shown.
- Can I run Krisp and Sonar together?
- Not in a chain. Krisp can't take a virtual microphone as its input, so Sonar's mic can't feed it. You can keep both installed and choose per app: Sonar's devices in your game and Discord, Krisp Microphone in Zoom or Teams.