# Voice Memos vs Voice recorder

The clearest difference is ads: Voice Memos at none against Voice recorder's shown. Voice Memos also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (1.1M vs 26K). Voice recorder's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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 26K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Voice Memos's written reviews are positive against 69% of Voice recorder's.

Voice Memos ships an update every 5 months, Voice recorder every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## 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 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-recorder-voz/id1336782987/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 26K |
| Positive reviews | **79.8% of reviews** | 68.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| 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-voz/id1336782987)

Easily record high-quality audio, including voice, music, lectures, and meetings. Save recordings to your device's internal storage for playback anytime. Share your audio files through various social networking channels.

**Highlights:** HD Audio recorder, High quality voice recording, Record songs, lectures, speeches, Supported file formats: mp3, ogg, Play, pause, stop audio files, Send / Share your recording, Record in the background

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clear and high-quality recordings
- 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
- 💡 Useful for various applications (music, meetings, interviews, etc.)
- 🎁 Free app with no major limitations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with saving/retrieving recordings
- 🔍 Navigation and file management could be more intuitive
- 💸 Aggressive ads and prompts to rate the app
- 🔒 Concerns about data security and privacy

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings sometimes stop unexpectedly
- Difficulty finding and accessing saved files
- Compatibility issues with certain devices or OS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to append to existing recordings
- Implement a trash/recovery feature for deleted files
- Improve editing functionality and precision
- Add Bluetooth connectivity and background recording options


## 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 no in-app purchases.

### 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 26K 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 every 2 months. Most recently, Voice Memos was updated on November 11, 2026 and Voice recorder on November 10, 2026.

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