Comparison

Fieldwork Recorder vs MicButton

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Fieldwork Recorder

Features
Read full description

Record interviews and field observations. Preserve the context that makes them useful. Fieldwork Recorder is a private, local-first recorder and journal for research, interviews, and field observations. Keep audio, notes, photos, sketches, tags, time, and place together in one entry. RECORD WITH CONFIDENCE • Choose high, medium, low, or custom audio quality. • Continue recording in the background when your device allows it. • Follow live recording status and clear saving progress during long sessions. CAPTURE THE WHOLE CONTEXT • Add a title, tags, formatted notes, photos, and hand-drawn sketches. • Use the simple formatting toolbar, or write directly in Markdown if you prefer. • Save no location, start and end positions, or a complete GPS track. • Browse entries on a calendar, search by title or notes, and filter by tag. LISTEN, MAP, AND SHAPE THE STORY • Play recordings with a responsive waveform, precise seeking, playback-speed controls, and file-size details. • Follow GPS-tracked recordings on the map as the audio plays. • Trim unwanted audio, remove a selection, extract a clip, or split a recording into separate diary entries. • Keep the original recording or save the edited result as a copy. BACK UP ON YOUR TERMS • Export a single entry or your entire diary as an archive. • Optionally sync with iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, or WebDAV. • Use widgets for Quick Record, Open Last Entry, and Today's Recordings. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Fieldwork Recorder stores your diary on your device. No ads. No data selling. We do not collect or analyze your recordings, notes, photos, drawings, or location data. Your diary leaves the device only when you choose to export it or connect a cloud provider. No Fieldwork Recorder account is required.

About

MicButton

Features
Read full description

MicButton is your physical mute button for working by voice. It lets you mute or unmute your Mac’s system microphone from your Apple Watch or iPhone Action Button without leaving a ChatGPT Voice or Codex conversation. Whether you're stepping away for a quick side conversation during a video call or working alongside a voice assistant that shouldn't hear you talking to someone else, MicButton lets you mute in an instant — right from your wrist or phone. It’s a master mute switch. MicButton mutes your Mac’s system microphone itself rather than muting inside a single app — so when it’s off, nothing running on your Mac is listening: not a call, not a browser tab, not an assistant. Your mic is off because you turned it off, and you can confirm it from your wrist without walking back to your desk. FEATURES • One-tap mute/unmute from Apple Watch • iPhone Action Button and Lock Screen control support • Live mute status shown in the Dynamic Island • Mutes the Mac’s system microphone at the source, not inside a single app • Works entirely over your local network — no internet connection required, and no audio ever leaves your devices • Lightweight menu bar app that stays out of your way MicButton is built for anyone who works from a Mac and wants mute control without breaking their flow.

Screenshots

Fieldwork Recorder4 screens
MicButton2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Fieldwork Recorder at 15.1 against MicButton's 26.5. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Fieldwork Recorder versus MicButton: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFieldwork RecorderMicButton
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWerner Hertzognedrelow, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Fieldwork Recorder

No in-app purchases

None

MicButton

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fieldwork Recorder free?
Fieldwork Recorder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MicButton free?
MicButton is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fieldwork Recorder or MicButton have ads?
Neither Fieldwork Recorder nor MicButton shows ads.

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