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10 Best Audio Recording Apps For iPhone

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Best Audio Recording App For iPhone

Inspiration doesn’t have a pause button! It can come when and where you least expect and you better be ready, or else you’ll have to depend on your memory – something that readily fails even the best among us.

Luckily, you don’t have to haul your laptop everywhere you go just because you don’t want to miss out on any inspiring thoughts or interviews. You can record audio on the go using your iPhone.

And to help you choose the best audio recording app for iPhone, this guide will list some of the most reliable options available on the App Store.

#1 Anchor App

#1 Anchor App

The Anchor app is not only a free audio recording app for iPhone, it is also a comprehensive recording studio that fits into your hand!

The app is one of the easiest ways to create outstanding podcasts and publish them all for free.

With the Anchor app, you can record, edit, produce, and monetize your podcasts using your iPhone.

You can also host and distribute your podcasts to multiple listening platforms and grow your audience and show.

The episode builder feature allows you to visualize and arrange different audio segments just the way you want them.

And the feature is intuitive, making it easy to use with a couple of screen taps.

The app comes with a rich library of built-in audio that lets you add sound effects, transitions, and background tracks to your recordings.

You can also record remotely with up to four co-hosts or guests, regardless of where they are on the planet.

With this app, podcasters don’t have to worry about the number of episodes they can host for free because it allows the hosting of unlimited episodes.

If you already have existing podcasts, you can import them into the all-in-one platform and use its detailed analytics dashboard to track the metrics.

Features

  • Recordings are in compressed format only.
  • Offers 100% free podcasting hosting.
  • Allows users to add music and effects to audio recordings
  • Mix and publish your podcasts directly to the web.
  • Easily distributes recordings to major listening platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify (see also ‘YouTube Music Vs Spotify‘) (see also ‘YouTube Music Vs Spotify‘).

➡️ Anchor Podcast Review

#2 Auphonic Recorder

#2 Auphonic Recorder

If you like the automated audio enhancement features available with Auphonic, then you’ll love the Auphonic Recorder.

But just in case you’ve never heard of Auphonic before, it is an automatic audio post-production web service for podcasts, screencasts, broadcasters, movies, radio shows, and more.

The Auphonic Recorder app is the software’s companion tool that allows users to record excellent-quality audio on their iPhones.

The app offers the option to record both compressed and uncompressed audio, depending on what works best for you.

You can also link your recordings on the app with the Auphonic web service to use the post-production tools. The app has a simple editor that shows your recording in a waveform.

This allows you to easily edit chapter markers, share audio files with other iOS apps, or export and process recordings using the Auphonic web service.

Auphonic Recorder is a free audio recording app but can only run on iPhones with iOS 9.0 or later.

Features

  • Records in PCM audio (uncompressed) or AAC format.
  • Integrates seamlessly with Auphonic web service to encode, tag, post-process, and publish podcasts, music recordings, and interviews on the go.
  • Background recording capability while using other apps on your iPhone.
  • Filters out disturbing frequencies when linked with Auphonic web service.
  • Automatically publish your audio recordings using SoundCloud, YouTube, Libsyn, Podlove Publisher, and many other platforms.

#3 ShurePlus MOTIV App

#3 ShurePlus MOTIV App

The ShurePlus MOTIV app lets you record high-quality digital audio as a standalone tool. But it can also work with a wide selection of microphones from the Shure MOTIV family.

In addition to recording impressive quality audio, the app also has audio editing capabilities.

You can use the split or trim options to tweak your recordings as you want. It is also equipped with adjustable fade editing tools that let you add fades to your digital recordings.

The app comes with high-resolution metering, giving users clear visual patterns and making it easier to organize the digital recording.

When you are done with recording, the app lets you quickly share your audio files using iTunes, Dropbox, AirDrop, email, and text.

Features

  • Built-in app mic combined with uncompressed audio for high-quality recordings.
  • Allows you to save recordings in compressed formats.
  •  Supports sharing of audio files via several platforms.
  • Offers support for MOTIV mics that lets you record directly to your iPhone.

#4 Awesome Voice Recorder

#4 Awesome Voice Recorder

Ranked the number one business app in over 30 countries across the globe and number 5 business app in more than 80 countries, the Awesome Voice Recorder deserves a spot on this list of the best audio recording app for iPhone.

Just about anyone with an iPhone can create high-quality recordings with this easy-to-use app.

Although it is fast and easy to use, the app produces high-quality recordings in various audio formats, including mp3, WAV, M4A.

You can also choose to record in different audio quality options, such as 11,025KHz, 22,050KHz, 44,100KHz, and 48,000KHz.

The Awesome Voice Recorder can continue recording in the background while you use other apps on your device. You can even record covertly using the app.

While you can record for an unlimited amount of time, the app will automatically stop when it detects low battery or when your storage space is running low.

One of the most remarkable features of the app is the resume recording function that automatically pauses your recording when you receive phone calls for up to three minutes before resuming recording.

Plus, you can play your recordings in a continuous loop, slow it down or speed it up as you choose.

The app also comes with editing tools that let you cut, trim, and save your recording in several audio formats.

You can also create a new audio file by combining several recordings by setting the play sequence on multiple files.

There are tons of file sharing and management options with this free audio recording app for iPhone.

The long list includes iTunes, SoundCloud, AirDrop, Dropbox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive, Wi-Fi, email, and more.

Features

  • Records both compressed and uncompressed audio.
  • Sound visualization feature lets you quickly and easily identify different voice sections.
  • Allows you to add several tags to a single audio file to quickly play the recording at the selected tag.
  • Offers a wide range of file sharing and management options.
  • Noise reduction feature filters out background sounds.

#5 Lexis Audio Editor

#5 Lexis Audio Editor

If you prefer a simple app for recording audio on your iPhone, the Lexis Audio Editor might be the right tool pick.

But its seemingly simple appearance can be deceiving, as the app is capable of producing amazing sounding audios.

For starters, you can record both compressed and uncompressed audio using the app. It also allows you to save your recordings in various audio formats, including mp3, WAV, M4A, WMA, FLAC, and more.

As the name suggests, Lexis Audio Editor lets you edit your audio files easily. You can perform basic functions such as copying, cutting, pasting, trimming, and deleting portions of your recordings.

The app also comes with editing features that let you add silence, fade-in, and fade out to your recordings.

Thanks to its 10 band equalizer, noise reduction, and normalizing capabilities, the free iPhone app can create high-quality recordings.

You have the option to create new recordings from scratch, import a recording into an existing audio file, and record directly into an existing file.

In addition to all of these, the app also allows you to change the tempo, speed, and pitch of your recordings during playback.

Lexis Audio Editor lets you import files from iTunes and iCloud as well as export from these platforms.

Features

  • Records both compressed and uncompressed audio.
  • Multiple file sharing and importing options.
  • Plenty of easy-to-use editing features.
  • Allows you to save recordings in various audio file formats.

#6 Hokusai Audio Editor

#6 Hokusai Audio Editor

Those who want the best audio recording app for iPhone with full-editing capabilities may as well head to the App Store and download the free Hokusai Audio Editor app.

Unlike many other audio recording apps for iPhone, this one offers multitrack capabilities.

That means you can work on many tracks side by side and mix them just the way you like to produce the perfect recording.

The powerful and intuitive app features a streamlined interface that presents a clearer view of multiple tracks. It allows you to export files in mp4 or wave format, depending on your preferences.

Editing your recording is easy as using the pinch and swipe gestures to zoom and out to tweak the details.

But instead of the basic trim tool available with many other audio recording apps, Hokusai offers powerful yet simple-to-use editing tools for cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting parts of your recording.

It also comes with a full undo/redo feature, so you don’t have to worry about making mistakes during editing, regardless of whether you have closed the project you are working on.

The app also features a suite of useful filters and special effects that let you add fade in, fade out, reverse time, basic synthesis, and normalize volume levels.

Features

  • Can record both uncompressed and compressed audio
  • You can upload files from the app to several cloud services or transfer them to your computer.
  • Layer multiple audio files side-by-side using the multitrack editor
  • Robust selection of editing tools with a rich collection of filters and special effects.
  • Live scrubbing feature lets you hear sound adjustments in real-time.
  • Pitch-bending, time-stretching, noise, gating, resonance, grain synthesis, and tons of other tools and effects are available with an in-app upgrade.

#7 AudioShare

#7 AudioShare

AudioShare is not just an audio recording app; it is also one of the best sound file managers anyone can wish for, especially those who have music-making apps on their iPhone.

Recording can be done directly in the app, and if you prefer, you can also record from inter-app audio, microphone, or other external audio interfaces.

AudioShare shines when it comes to sharing your recordings. You can easily transfer audio from your iPhone to your computer or import your track from another music-making app into the AudioShare library.

After that, sharing it on SoundCloud and other platforms is a breeze.

Features

  • Records and plays audio in a variety of sample rates and bit files.
  • Directly records from external input.
  • Impressive audio file management capabilities
  • Built-in Dropbox client
  • Share audio files via SoundCloud, email, Dropbox, Wi-Fi, and more

#8 Voice Memos

This is a default app on iPhone that’s simple to use for quick voice recording.

#9 GarageBand

This is a multi-track recording app by Apple that’s much more powerful than Voice Memos. You can record, edit, and mix multiple tracks. It’s perfect for recording more complex pieces like podcasts or music.

#10 Ferrite Recording Studio

This is a popular app for podcasters. It has multi-track recording and powerful editing tools.

#11 Rode Reporter App

This app is designed specifically for field interviews. It allows you to record in a variety of formats and has some nice features like automatic gain control.

Related Articles:

➡️ Best Podcast Recording Software
➡️ How To Record A Podcast On iPhone

Should You Use Compressed or Uncompressed Audio?

Should You Use Compressed or Uncompressed Audio?

Before we wrap up this quick guide, it is important to mention that recording uncompressed audio offers the highest sound quality, making it easier to have crystal-clear recordings.

However, that would mean you have to deal with larger files on your device.

On the flip side, recoding compressed audio creates significantly smaller files and is usually the preferred option for many people who record several hours of content at a stretch.  

Here’s the thing, though; there is really no need to split hairs about compressed or uncompressed audio because most listeners can’t tell the difference.

As long as you deliver great content and know how to keep your audience interested, the size and nuanced quality of the audio are secondary.

Related:

Best Microphone For iPhone

Conclusion

Choosing the best audio recording app for iPhone comes down to personal preference and exactly what you want to achieve.

However, we highly recommend the Anchor App if you are looking for a free app to help you create the most amazing podcasts.

But if you want remarkable multitrack capabilities, Hokusai’s app is your best bet.

Regardless of which option you pick, they all have something to offer, and can make a recording on the go a lot more convenient and fun!

Brett Robinson

Head of content and marketing over at Wired Clip HQ. I'm an Audio enthusiast and have been interested in anything from microphones to speakers. I am the lead guitarist for a small band and my main passion is editing our tracks.

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