You probably know that you can record sound on your iPhone or iPad, but what about when you want to get more serious about recording?
If you’re looking for the best apps for sound recording, we’ve got you covered. We’ve done the research and tested some of the best apps out there, so you don’t have to! Read on below for our top picks.

Table of Contents
Best Apps For Sound Recording
Voice recorders have so many uses these days. From conducting a journalism interview with a source across the globe to documenting a college lecture so that you don’t miss any important notes, it’s easier than ever to press “record” and get every word of that important interaction.
Prior to now, you needed a computer and expensive software to get the job done (or a separate gadget that needed batteries!) With smartphones giving us computing power in the palm of our hands, it just makes sense that we use them for this important task – by downloading one of the many low-cost or free voice recorder apps on the marketplace today.
These apps make voice recordings completely limitless, with so many people using them to increase productivity, get quality work done, and save a great deal of time.
There is a myriad of voice recording apps for Android. Some are basic, while others offer full features of a digital audio workstation (DAW). In this guide, we’re going to look at 10 of the best recorder apps for Android.
Here are the 10 best voice recorder apps for Android
Rev Voice Recorder
Rev’s recorder app is a simple but full-featured audio recording, dictation, and transcription app.
What we like about it
Syncs with cloud services
Shares files via email and social media
Records crystal clear audio
Ability to transcribe audio
Continues recording even in sleep mode
What’s lacking
External storage to a cloud account
Rev’s app is built according to user feedback, so you can expect really nice features. What’s more, we guarantee that it’ll always be free. Should you need immediate 99% accurate transcription, you can send your recording to us and pay only $1.50/audio minute.
Price: Free
The verdict: The Rev Voice Recorder hits all the high points of a simple app but adds in the functionality you’d need to take your audio to full speech-to-text functionality. It’s ideal for anyone who wants unlimited free recording, sharing, and cloud sync. With the option to have human transcription tools at any time, it becomes a full-service note-taking service for journalists, marketers, students, and more.
Android’s Stock Audio Recorder
Your android device already has a fully functional recording app. Access the app, press the red button, speak, and voila! You can immediately store your ideas for later recovery.
What we like about it
Records high-quality MP3
Multiple audio formats
One-tap sharing via email and social media
Allows background recording
What’s lacking
Has limited customization features
This Android-default app is free. Interface-wise, it may vary between brands but are essentially the same at the core.
Price: Free
The verdict. What can be better than free? If you’re going to stick with a record-only app (with no need for transcription), this will probably fit the bill. It gets bonus points for being a native app for the Android system, so you don’t have to worry about updates or compatibility issues. Those hoping for an easy transcription option should be prepared to take a few extra steps with a third-party service to get the job done.
Easy Voice Recorder
Designed for easy accessibility and one-tap recording, this app is perfect for recording jams, music, acapella, or more serious stuff like meetings, interviews, or lectures.
What we like about it
Multiple high-quality audio format recording
Shares via an app or email
Android wear support
Starts recording from the icon
What’s lacking
Most useful features are available only on the paid version
The app is up for grabs in both free and premium versions.
Price: Free with in-app purchases
The verdict. Easy Voice Recorder is a fan fave for simplified, one-tap recordings. You’ll have to pay more for any of the more versatile perks. Those looking for a quick “click to transcribe” option should look elsewhere.
Smart Voice Recorder
Storage space is at a premium, and this is where this app shines. Smart Voice records and compresses the output audio into a smaller file size, saving precious data storage space in your device.
What we like about it
Live audio spectrum analyzer
Lock feature that prevents the device from turning off
One-touch sharing
Outputs recording in multiple high-quality formats
What’s lacking
Doesn’t do call recording
This app records and compresses the audio data and comes for free on Google Play.
Price: Free
The verdict. As long as you are recording external audio and not calls, this app checks many boxes. The most valuable feature is its compression option, giving you a way to keep storage space clear and easily share long audio files. The free price makes it appealing, as well, as long as you know what format you need to export to an external service for transcribing.
ASR Voice Recorder
This app offers way more than what stock recorders can do and records in a variety of formats, including lossless.
What we like about it
Has the ability to record in a lossless and high-fidelity format
Provides widget support
Has a playback speed control
Instantly share content to social media or email
What’s lacking
The free version is loaded with annoying ads
ASR is available for free. However, if you’re into additional features, you can gain access by signing up for a premium version.
Price: Free
The verdict. Many of the more notable features, such as lossless recording and playback speed control, come at the cost of numerous ad interruptions. A premium experience is probably where it’s at, but expect to do more work for transcribing with this app that’s geared toward audiophiles – not note-takers.
RecForge II
Who says recorders are just for boring lecture stuff? RecForge II lets you experience audio editing software right at the palm of your hand!
What we like about it
Records band rehearsals perfectly
Has an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) toggle switch
Supports a wide variety of audio formats
Runs in the background
What’s lacking
Might not work on older versions of Android (below 4.0)
Download this app for free on the Play Store.
Price: Free
The verdict. As long as your Android is running the latest operating system, you should be good to go with this free app geared toward musicians. It’s ideal for performances and creative pursuits, however, and lacks some of the integrations that would make it a one-touch tool for transcription.
Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder
A fully functional recorder that is free on the Play Store, this app records everything and compresses it in a widely compatible MP3 format. Hi-Q MP3 also comes with widget support.
What we like about it
Microphone selection functionality (if you have an external mic)
Syncs to cloud services
Supports Wi-Fi transfer
Gain can be manually controlled
What’s lacking
Does not support phone call recording
Hi-Q is downloadable for free but has in-app purchases and ads.
Price: Free or paid at $3.49/month
The verdict. The external mic feature and Wi-Fi transfer give this app some appeal. Like other free apps, you’ll be lacking some of the more robust features. Upgrading to all the goodies will cost you, however. Those who prefer a one-time purchase instead of monthly subscription billing should consider another option.
Voice Recorder – Audio Editor
There are a lot of great things to be said about this voice recorder. It’s got great audio clarity, you can edit your content, and its overall user interface is intuitive.
What we like about it
Superb sound record quality.
You can choose the recording quality so you can optimize the capacity.
You can record in background mode.
It’s easy to manage your recording files.
You can share your recordings easily through email, SMS, Dropbox, etc.
What’s lacking
It only has one language available. (The English language.)
Price: Free
The verdict: English language speakers will admire the free features loaded into this recording app, which include quality controls and a background mode. With no quick way to access transcription, however, it’s similar to others on the list that excel in front-end recording alone.
Cogi – Notes & Voice Recorder
Cogi immediately backs up your recording the second you hit the record button. In addition, it syncs everything to its own cloud server and lets you record even in the middle of a call.
What we like about it
Saves everything in the cloud, freeing up valuable storage space
Unlimited recording duration
Record both lines on a phone call
Records in a high-quality audio format
What’s lacking
Doesn’t work on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and below
Free and premium versions are available on the Play Store.
Price: Free or paid starting at $4.95/month
The verdict: Those nervous that they won’t capture recordings or need extra backup space will love the cloud settings that come with this app. Unfortunately, the monthly fee is priced higher than some, and those with older phones are shut out of this solution completely.
Call Recorder
Call Recorder allows you to set it up as an automatic phone call recorder and activates once it detects a phone call coming in.
What we like about it
Has password security for privacy
Shares and syncs with cloud services
Shares via email or SMS
Has the ability to record both parties in the phone conversation
Organizes call records
Has whitelisting and blacklisting number options
What’s lacking
Doesn’t work on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and below
Experience the free version by downloading it on the Play Store.
Price: Free
The verdict. As far as call recorders go, this one takes the lead over some on the list. The security features are useful, too. However, with limited functionality for older phones and no easy way to order transcription, it still might not work for those who want a more streamlined note-taking workflow.
What’s Next?
Voice recording is just one of the many conveniences an Android phone has. While it may not gift you with studio-quality audio — despite still producing exceptional quality recordings — it does reward you with the ability to record sounds, no matter the time and place. Productivity apps such as voice recorders will always have their special place on smartphones, especially for busy individuals who want to harness the power of recording on a limited budget.
And because there’s a ton of them out there, it pays to know which among them fits your needs perfectly.
voice recording app
This updated list of the 5 best audio recording apps for Android is back after popular demand.
A lot of our clients have asked us to suggest the best voice or audio recording apps for Google’s popular Android OS.
With Apple’s walled garden approach and bizarre decisions lately, more people are migrating to Android than ever before.
Not surprisingly, these stats show that Android is now on 87% of the smartphones around the world as per the last study done in 2019-2020.
Expect that to increase even further in 2021.
Best Pre-Installed Voice Recorder Apps
Any half-decent smartphone or tablet today comes with pre-loaded audio recording apps and built-in high quality microphones.
In fact most modern smartphones now come with two microphones.
That’s often more than good enough to record interviews, speeches, meetings, lectures or even podcasts if you’re just starting out.
In some cases, these audio recording apps are even good enough to record music at concerts.
If you’re an iPhone user, please take a look at our article for the 5 Best Voice Recording Apps for iPhone.
Much like the Voice Memos app that comes pre-installed on iOS for iPhones and iPads, Android has pre-installed audio recording apps on its devices too.
You will see the same basic voice-recorder app from manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, Sony, HTC etc. with slight variations.
Samsung Voice Recorder
samsung audio recording apps for android
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Features:
Comes pre-loaded and absolutely free on Samsung’s Android devices.
Playback and editing capabilities to help you trim recordings.
Speech to text feature to convert your voice recordings into text.
Interview recording mode uses both top and bottom microphones of your device.
Save your recordings to SD card.
Reject incoming calls while recording.
Background recording by pressing the home button.
No ads the last time we checked.
This pre-loaded app surprisingly takes care of all the basic recording needs.
Furthermore, you can save your recordings on an SD card to avoid using your phone’s internal storage.
In addition to that, you can save the recordings to Google Drive, Dropbox, add them to Notes or Todoist, copy them to Slack, or share them on other apps like WhatsApp.
Best Audio Recording Apps on Google Play Store
A lot of these voice-recording apps are free to use with super basic features that will get the job done.
For more features however, you will have to buy their premium or “pro” versions.
- ASR Voice Recorder
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Free to use (with ads).
Works on:
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
ASR Voice Recorder app for android
This is an easy-to-use, competent and free voice recorder app.
One of the reasons this app made the top of our list is because, out of the box, it offers recording into popular formats like MP3, FLAC, WAV, OGG, and M4A.
Pro version offers cloud upload integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Yandex Disk, FTP, WebDav, Auto Email etc.
Free version allows you to record via Bluetooth microphones.
- Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Free to use. Pro version costs $3.89 or £2.99
Works on:
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
hi q mp3 audio recording app for android
One of the more powerful audio recording apps out there.
This also records into MP3.
MP3 recordings are a must-have for any audio recording app, mainly because of their compatibility with virtually everything.
As a transcription service provider, our clients have had the least amount of difficulties with MP3.
Mainly because they’re quick to upload, without compromising too much on sound quality.
This audio recording app can upload your recorded MP3s automatically to Dropbox.
Widget support comes as standard, along with the ability to choose which mic on your device you want to use.
It also offers Wi-Fi transfer, gain control, and more.
- RecForge II – Audio Recorder
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Free to use. Pro version costs $4.42 or £3.39.
Works on:
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
recforge sound recording app for android, record audio for transcription
RecForge II is a worthy successor to the original RecForge as a versatile audio recording app with powerful editing capabilities, which also includes:
Cloud integration
Multiple formats
Adjustable quality levels
Playback speed adjustments
Manual and automatic gain control
Furthermore, it records in mono or stereo, lets you skip silences, start recording at a scheduled time, convert to several file formats, and export to a variety of cloud storage services.
The app also allows you to extract audio from videos.
It can be used for interviews, recording keynotes/panels at events, and also recording music.
The app consistently produces great recordings, especially if you plug in an external microphone.
Pro version gives you more granular control over editing.
- Easy Voice Recorder
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Free to use. Pro version costs $3.99 or £3.49
Works on:
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
The free version offers recordings in PCM, MP4 & AMR.
In the old post, this app was number 1, but has dropped to no. 4 on the updated list because it doesn’t include MP3 recordings in the free version.
Pro version offers MP3 & AAC recordings which can be automatically uploaded to Google Drive or Dropbox.
You can add a widget to your home-screen that acts as a one-tap record button.
And it packs all these features in an easy-to-use interface.
easy voice and audio recording apps for Android
Pro version also allows you to record in stereo using a Bluetooth microphone.
- Evernote
DOWNLOAD FROM GOOGLE PLAY
Works on:
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
PC
evernote audio recording app
Evernote is really useful for taking notes and syncing them across devices.
Many don’t know this, but Evernote allows you to take audio notes.
You can do this by opening a note and tapping on the microphone icon.
It’s not as prolific as the other audio recording apps listed in this article, and nowhere near as advanced.
But you can make short recordings up to 25 MB note on the free plan.
And with a premium account that goes up to 200 MB per note.
Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to edit or send your recordings.
Which is a shame, especially if you need to transcribe your notes.
Importance of Good Quality Audio Recording Apps
Whether you’re recording an interview for research, journalism, podcasting, Youtube or anything else, it helps if you take care of recording quality.
Especially if you’re going to be transcribing your interviews afterwards, audio quality is paramount.
Audio quality directly affects transcription accuracy along with how much time and money you’ll be spending.
And if you’re a doctoral candidate, the outcome of your research thesis could depend on the quality of your recordings.
The following post may help if you’re working from home:
How to Record an Interview From Home in 2020
The audio recording apps featured in this article allow you to tweak, trim, edit and manage the quality of your recordings.
Do you need specialized equipment to record audio?
Not really.
Gone are the days of handheld digital recorders.
If your aim is to record a face to face interview or a phone interview, any decent, modern smartphone, tablet or smart watch will do.
In addition, if you want to record podcasts on a budget, even then a smartphone with an external microphone and audio recording apps is adequate.
Conclusion
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