# Voice Memos vs Voice recorder

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Voice Memos at none against Voice recorder's 1. Voice Memos also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.1M vs 7.5K). Voice recorder's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Voice recorder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Voice Memos asks for nothing beyond the download.

Voice Memos holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Voice Memos has 1.1M ratings behind it against 7.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 80% and 79% positive.

Voice Memos ships an update every 5 months, Voice recorder monthly. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Voice Memos | Voice recorder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-memos/id1069512134/reviews)** | [4.6 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-recorder-audio-editor/id1332549224/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 7.5K |
| Positive reviews | **79.8% of reviews** | 79.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Hieu Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1255775618) |

## What reviewers say

### Voice Memos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-memos/id1069512134)

Capture, edit, and organize audio with this versatile recording tool. Easily transcribe speech to text, enhance sound quality, and share your creations across devices. Ideal for notes, ideas, and moments.

**Highlights:** Portable audio recording, Speech-to-text transcription, Audio editing tools, Vocal layer recording, iCloud sync, Noise reduction

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless recording
- 🎨 Attractive and minimalistic design
- 🔍 Useful for capturing ideas and thoughts
- 🎶 Great for musicians and singers
- 📚 Helpful for students and academics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable recording (stops unexpectedly)
- 🔇 Audio quality issues
- 🔄 Inability to edit/resume recordings
- 🗂️ Poor organization and folder management
- ⚠️ Freezing and crashing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings disappearing or not saving properly
- Phantom data usage and storage issues
- Playback issues (choppy, unresponsive)
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inability to delete or export recordings

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop playback feature
- Ability to add notes/comments to recordings
- Improved search and filtering options
- Integration with other apps (e.g., transcription)
- Selective sync option to manage storage


### Voice recorder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-recorder-audio-editor/id1332549224)

Record high-quality audio for meetings, notes, lectures, and music with no time limits. This easy-to-use app offers background recording, adjustable sample rates, and editing capabilities. Save files to internal storage or an SD card and share them easily.

**Highlights:** High-quality voice recording, Record meetings, notes, lectures, songs, Background recording, Adjustable sample rate, Edit recordings by cutting parts, Save to internal storage or SD card, Share recordings via various platforms

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 High-quality recordings
- 📤 Convenient file sharing
- 🎶 Useful for music practice
- 🗣️ Great for voice notes and memos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to find/access recordings
- 💤 Recordings stop unexpectedly
- 📢 Intrusive ads in free version
- 🔇 Volume issues with playback

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings not saving properly
- Compatibility issues with external mics
- Playback freezing or lagging

**Requested features**

- Add cloud backup/sync functionality
- Improve file management and organization
- Implement Bluetooth speaker support
- Provide more audio editing capabilities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Voice Memos free?

Voice Memos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Voice recorder free?

Voice recorder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Voice Memos or Voice recorder?

Voice Memos is rated higher. Voice Memos averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1M ratings, while Voice recorder averages 4.6 from 7.5K ratings.

### Do Voice Memos or Voice recorder have ads?

Voice recorder shows ads; Voice Memos does not.

### Which is updated more often, Voice Memos or Voice recorder?

Voice Memos ships an update every 5 months, and Voice recorder monthly. Most recently, Voice Memos was updated on November 12, 2026 and Voice recorder on November 12, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*