Best Digital Voice Recorders

Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder

Top-tier recorder with different recording modes for all settings.

Normal, focus, and wide-stereo modes. Built-in USB connection top cuts down on cables. Includes MicroSD slot. Up to 1 hour of recording. Uses a quick charge.

Some reviewers have had problems with the memory and functionality after several months.

Best Bang for the Buck

Dictopro Digital Voice Activated Recorder

Digital Voice Activated Recorder Check Price Great Sound Bottom Line

Crystal-clear voice recording and playback are big draws for this handheld digital recorder.

Records sound well. Good-quality playback. User-friendly with simple controls. Housed in a sturdy metal casing.

Battery-save feature switches off the recorder too quickly for some. A few-second lag between hitting “record” button and it actually recording.

Sony ICD-BX140 4GB Digital Voice Recorder

ICD-BX240 4GB Digital Voice Recorder Check Price Great for Beginners Bottom Line

This voice recorder includes earphones for a great deal.

Easy to use. Batteries last a long time. Clear audio recordings with good mic pickup. Voice-operated recording feature works well.

Cannot transfer audio files from the recorder to a computer, as it has no USB port.

EVISTR 16GB Digital Voice Recorder

32GB Digital Voice Recorder Check Price Simple yet Solid Bottom Line

Small recorder perfect for newbies and pros alike.

Can carry up to 16GB worth of audio. The microphone can dampen any other noises. Has voice activation to save recording time.

The display is rather small and can be hard to read.

Olympus VN-541PC Voice Recorder

VN-541PC Voice Recorder Check Price Best for Beginners Bottom Line

Olympus gives you a simple and reliable plastic digital voice recorder that's easy to use.

Record presentations, interviews, and your own ideas with this model's simple design. There are preset scene settings for optimal sound quality. A great starter recorder for students and people who are just getting the hang of theirs.

The plastic exterior isn't as resilient as some may like.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews

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Table of Contents

Buying guide for best digital voice recorders

Written by Jennifer Blair

Updated November 2023

When you need to take notes for school or work, a digital voice recorder can make the task much easier. With a good voice recorder, you don’t have to worry about missing a single word, and you can rest assured that you have all the information you need to stay on top of your project.

But that means choosing the right digital voice recorder from a variety of sizes, recording capacities, and other features to find the option that will work best for your projects. With so many models on the market, finding the right one can seem like mission impossible.

If you’re ready to buy a digital voice recorder, you’ll find our top recommendations in the product list above. For general advice on shopping for a digital voice recorder, keep reading.

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Digital voice recorders outperform smartphone recording apps in most situations, so it’s a good idea to invest in a recorder if you often need to capture audio.

Digital voice recorder uses

A digital voice recorder is a small handheld device that converts speech and other sounds into digital files. These files can then be transferred to other electronic devices such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone for storage. You can also edit the digital files, which can help you organize your information.

We think about a digital voice recorder’s physical size when evaluating it. Optimum portable voice recorders tend to weigh between 1.5 and 3 ounces and measure less than 4 inches long.

A key consideration when we research digital voice recorders is sound quality. We note each recorder’s sample rate to inform our recommendations for different consumer needs.

During our research, we note what types of audio files each digital voice recorder supports. We do this because all file types are not compatible across all systems and devices.

When we research digital voice recorders, we take into account each model’s recording capacity. Depending on sound quality, the built-in memory of a digital recorder can store between 800 and 4,000 hours. Some recorders can hold memory cards for even more storage.

Battery life is a key consideration in our research of digital voice recorders. We find out how long the batteries last in the best voice recorders, and we look for special options like charging cables.

We look for digital voice recorders that offer fast startup speeds and one-touch recording. These features help you start recording as soon as you need it.

When we research digital voice recorders, we want to know what kinds of features are available at different price points. Budget digital voice recorders tend to have short battery lives and hold around 2 GB. Pricier digital voice recorders tend to have greater memory and longer battery lives.

We make note of each digital voice recorder’s screen to find models that are user-friendly and easy to see.

We want to know what editing options are available from each digital voice recorder. Some recorders cannot transfer files to a computer, which means they can’t be edited.

We make note of any special features a digital voice recorder offers, such as voice activation or the ability to record 3D sound.

Digital voice recorder benefits

Digital voice recorder features

Size

Digital voice recorders are usually designed to be lightweight and compact, so they’re easy to carry with you on the go. In most cases, they’re slim and light enough to stash in your pocket, making them highly portable for business meetings, college lectures, and travel.

For the most portable digital voice recorder, choose a model that has the following traits.

Sound quality

For the best possible audio quality, choose a digital voice recorder that features strong built-in microphones and, if desired, jacks for attaching an external microphone and/or headphones. Some models offer triple microphones that allow you to record 3D sound.

To ascertain sound quality, consider the voice recorder’s sample rate, which measures the number of samples per second that a continuous signal must produce to create a digital signal in kilohertz (kHz). For general playback, a recorder with a sampling rate between 44kHz and 48kHz is usually sufficient. If you plan to use the recordings for podcasts, audiobooks, or other types of broadcast media, you may want a higher sampling rate of up to 96kHz.

"For improved sound quality, connect an external microphone to your recorder. External mics are often better at picking up sounds than built-in ones."

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Supported audio files

When you’re choosing a digital voice recorder, pay attention to what audio files the device supports. Not all files are compatible with all devices. If you have an iPhone, for example, you want to be sure that you’ll be able to upload the digital recorder’s files to your smartphone.

Nearly all digital voice recorders support MP3 files, which are compatible with most devices. However, some other common files supported by digital voice recorders include the following.

Recording capacity

Most digital voice recorders have built-in flash memory that allows you to store your audio files. For most users, a device with 2GB to 4GB of memory is sufficient because it can hold between approximately 800 and 4,000 hours of recordings, based on sound quality. If you need additional space, consider a recorder with 8GB memory.

Some digital recorders also feature a slot for a memory card, so you can increase the memory to suit your needs.

"The lower the sampling rate of a digital file, the lower its sound quality – but the less storage space it takes up on a digital voice recorder. In some cases, you may want to compromise quality to free up storage space. "

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Battery life

Some digital voice recorders have batteries that can run for up to 48 hours. For most users, that type of battery life isn’t necessary. Look for a model that can run for at least three to four hours on its batteries.

Startup speed

You want your digital voice recorder to be ready to go whenever you need to record, so look for a model that starts up quickly. That means it should power up within a few seconds of turning it on and feature one-touch recording to prevent you from missing anything important.

"Digital voice recorders that provide their own editing functions are particularly helpful for students and transcriptionists because you can bookmark key spots in the audio. "

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Editing ability

All of the files created by a digital voice recorder can be edited. However, in most cases, you’ll need to transfer them to a computer or other device and edit them once they’re already recorded.

Some higher-end recorders allow for editing on the device itself. Some features may include the ability to bookmark certain portions of the file or search for keywords so you can easily retrieve certain segments of the files.

USB port

In order to easily transfer the audio files from your digital voice recorder to another device, it’s important to choose a model with a USB port. This allows you to connect the devices via a USB cord and quickly transfer the files.

Digital voice recorder prices

Digital recorders vary in price based on recording capacity, battery life, and other features, but you can typically expect to spend between $20 and $200.

Tips

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Consider where you’re going to use your device to help identify the best model for your needs. Any recorder usually works in a quieter setting like a lecture hall, but you’ll want a higher-quality model if you’re recording in a noisy coffee shop.

FAQ

Q. What features can help improve the sound quality of a digital voice recorder?
A.
For the clearest audio, look for a digital voice recorder with a noise-canceling microphone. It will keep the recorder from picking up ambient noises that might distort the audio if you’re recording in a busy room.

Q. What audio file formats are best for a digital voice recorder?
A.
WAV files provide the highest audio quality, but they’re not compressed, so they take up a great deal of space on a digital voice recorder. MP3 and WMA files don’t take up as much storage space. While their sound quality isn’t quite as good as WAV, it’s sufficient for most uses. Keep in mind that WMA files don’t play automatically on Mac devices, so you’ll need to download a WMA player app for your device.

Q. What type of batteries do digital voice recorders require?
A.
Most use traditional AAA batteries. However, some models use rechargeable AAA batteries that you can charge through your computer via a USB cord.