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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

Voice Recorder & Audio Editor

30
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

This app is not worth paying for due to numerous critical bugs, including lost recordings and non-functional editing features, despite some users finding the free recording function useful.

Free + in-app purchases seen up to $32.99 4.7★ lifetime (450,625) since 2013

Voice Recorder & Audio Editor offers basic recording functionality for free, which some users find easy to use and helpful R8R15R16. However, the app is plagued by severe bugs, such as recordings disappearing, inability to save trimmed audio, and frequent crashes, making both the free and paid versions unreliable R1R3R7R11. Many users also report inappropriate ads and issues with paid features like transcription.

Free vs paid

The free version allows basic voice recording, which some users find easy to use and effective for capturing thoughts or music R8R15R16. It also offers features like pausing and restarting recordings R56 and good sound quality R4R15R19. Some users even report getting transcripts for free R21. However, the free version is heavily criticized for intrusive and often pornographic ads R6R30R41. The paid version, which can cost up to $32.99, is intended to remove ads and unlock features like transcription and advanced editing R20R58. However, many users report that paid features, such as transcription and saving trimmed audio, do not work R3R11R31R32. There are also complaints about automatic charges after free trials and difficulty canceling subscriptions R1R43R59.

Value complaints

  • Users are automatically charged for subscriptions after free trials, and then recordings disappear or features do not work.R1R3R43
  • Paid features like transcription are buggy or do not work at all, even after purchasing.R3R32R58R60
  • The app displays intrusive and inappropriate ads, even for users who have purchased the app, with an expensive monthly subscription ($4.99/month or $60/year) required to remove them.R6R20R30R41
  • Basic editing functions, such as trimming and saving audio, are often paywalled or simply do not work, with the save button being grayed out.R11R22R31R41
  • Users report difficulty canceling subscriptions or getting refunds.R43R59
  • The app, which was once free, has become monetized, leading to complaints about greed and loss of prior recordings for free users.R10R40

Where it delivers

  • The app is easy to use for basic recording and saving, even for non-tech-savvy individuals.R8R13R15R16
  • It offers good sound quality for recordings.R4R15R19R48
  • Users appreciate the ability to pause and restart recordings, unlike some default voice memo apps.R48R56
  • Some users find the app useful for professional and personal life, with some even getting free transcripts.R16R21R53R67
  • The app allows exporting recordings to various formats and saving to files or cloud services without paywalls for basic functions.R94R353
Worth paying if

The paid version is not worth it, as many core paid features are reported to be broken or unreliable R3R11R31R32.

Skip / stay free if

You need reliable recording and editing, as the app frequently loses recordings and fails to save edits R1R3R7R11. You are sensitive to inappropriate ads, as the free version displays pornographic content R6R30R41. You expect functional transcription or AI features, as these are often buggy or ineffective even in paid versions R3R32R58R60.

Evidence note: Recent reviews are heavily skewed negative, highlighting critical bugs and monetization issues, which contrasts with the high lifetime rating. Many positive reviews are older or focus solely on basic recording without addressing paid features or recent bugs.

Frequently asked

Does Voice Recorder & Audio Editor cost money?
The app is free to download and offers basic recording, but it includes in-app purchases ranging from $2.99 to $32.99, and some users report being automatically charged for subscriptions after free trials R1R10R43.
Are recordings safe in Voice Recorder & Audio Editor?
Many users report that recordings frequently disappear or are deleted, especially important long recordings, with no way to recover them and unresponsive customer support R1R3R7R24.
Does the editing feature work in Voice Recorder & Audio Editor?
No, many users report that the trim and save editing functions do not work, with the save button often grayed out after making edits R11R31R41R49.
Are there ads in Voice Recorder & Audio Editor?
Yes, the app contains numerous intrusive ads, including pornographic content, which some users find unacceptable and disruptive to playback R6R20R30R41.
Does the transcription feature work?
The transcription feature is frequently reported as buggy or non-functional, even for paid subscribers, with the app crashing or returning generic error messages R3R32R58R60.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] 1/5 · US Beware of your recording automatically disappearing!!: I am extremely disappointed in this product. I first had a 5 day free trial and then was automatically charged for a monthly subscription. I would not have minded that except that a very important 3 hour recording was automatically deleted. I send two emails to customer support and never heard back. I’d give them a zero rating if I could.
  2. [R3] 1/5 · US Support needed: I upgraded to include transcription. One of my files (EPPP) has 8 folders in it. Each folder had multiple recordings. Three recordings in one of the folders have been transcribed. ALL of the recordings and transcriptions in this file have been deleted. I have other, multiple files with multiple recordings none of which have been deleted. I’m not sure what has happened but am nee
  3. [R43] 1/5 · US Being charged $9.99 a month! Doesn’t work: Have asked Apple Pay and this app three times to unsubscribe. Does not work. Could somebody please call me and sort this out and refund me?
  4. [R32] 1/5 · US AI is a farce: I got this to help with taking minutes of board meetings. When I asked for a summary, it gave me a message that “Sorry, I can’t do that. It sounds like you were talking about finances and volunteers” seriously? In fact those topics were touched upon, but only peripherally, with no numbers or anything negative. But even so, WTH! Have cancelled my trial subscription.
  5. [R58] 1/5 · US Transcription doesn’t work even if you pay for the Pro version! Junk: I’m on an iphone11. I’ve been using the free version of the recorder just to record voice memos. But now I have a voice file (MP3 high quality) I’ve already recorded using the app that I need to transcribe. So I paid the $5 for the Pro version which according to Tap Media will give you the transcription feature. I don’t need to
  6. [R60] 1/5 · US Error transcribe: Unknown product identified error when trying to transcribe
  7. [R6] 1/5 · US Contains XXX ads: USES TEMU X-RATED ADS. PARENTS BEWARE
  8. [R20] 3/5 · US okay, buggy: first of all i purchased this app a while ago and use it from time to time. even though it was purchased i see outside ads and ads that say to get rid of the add i just need to pay $4.99 a month. you get other apps too for that price but i didn’t buy and dont want the other apps, so its $60/year to get rid of the ads for one recording app. also, several times i’ve made a recording
  9. [R30] 2/5 · US Great app, but...: It does everything I need, but I can't use it in front of my students due to the porn ads that appear on the app. if there's a way to make them disappear, I haven't found it. I know you need money - let us pay for it, don't sell your souls to porn.
  10. [R41] 1/5 · US What a trash audio recording product: First. I’m tired of seeing nudity on an app that essentially shows up on my phone with their ads. It’s disgusting and I have no idea how they are able to stay as a default app. Second, you can’t even trim audio? They have all the settings to do it, make your trims and then it grays out save. This is dumb.
  11. [R11] 3/5 · US Editing issues: Recording function is pretty good but it doesn’t all to edit and save. Some bug they need to fix
  12. [R22] 1/5 · US Mehhh 👎: If you would like to do anything else special ha ha you’ll have to pay four dollars every time this is a waste of time just keep the Voice Memos app. I was trying to do an overlapping thing like it said it could do, but no, it just lied all advertisement.
  13. [R31] 1/5 · US Can’t edit: No ability to save audio once trimmed
  14. [R59] 1/5 · US Can’t cancel: I’ve tried canceling the app and there’s no option to do so. I’ve emailed support as well and nothing.
  15. [R10] 1/5 · US No longer free: Well, I loved this recorder. But as usual, this App was purchased and is no longer free thanks to greed by the developer. The original web had apps always free. Things were exchanged by everyone. Now greed has invaded the web and Apps. Not much is free anymore. So this App has also been monetized. Frankly, not worth the money
  16. [R40] 1/5 · US Unhappy: Voice Recorder was once free and all the recordings that I had a lot because now you are charging money, you are not a loving me to find a used the prior recordings. Not good.
  17. [R8] 5/5 · US This app is pretty dang helpful I’m glad I picked it: I am a musician and I need to save recordings to prepare others. So I can set my phone down and record set. This app is very easy to use even though I am bad with tech. I give five star because it is easy to send and just very handy whether I want to listen send or whatever else I do. Have a nice day.
  18. [R13] 4/5 · US Simplicity: At 94, Information overload. Is…..
  19. [R15] 5/5 · US Back to Basics: Very easy to use, and figure out. Hit record, hit save, and label just like back in the day! I love it. Not too complicated. Fits my needs for taping thirty minute talks, sometimes even longer convention notes. Sound is great. Highly recommend.
  20. [R16] 5/5 · US Extremely valuable tool: Voice Recorder has become a very valuable part of my day. Help me keep my thoughts together and on point with my business. I highly recommend that you download it and most importantly use it.
  21. [R4] 5/5 · US Sound: Great
  22. [R19] 5/5 · US The clarity of this recording app: I have enjoyed the excellence and accuracy of this app
  23. [R48] 5/5 · US Awesome Voice Recording! 🎙️: You can CHOOSE how to do awesome voice recording 🎙️and it isn’t even staticy, AT ALL! And you can ALSO hear 👂🏾 the voice recording when your IPhone 📲 OR IPad is turned off! And you can pause the voice recording OR play it! And you can ALSO change your voice with AI! 🤖 (Artificial Intelligence) And the voice recording ACTUALLY sounds PRETTY good! 😊 👍 😁 😉 Awesome Voice R
  24. [R56] 5/5 · US Super Awesome: Unlike voice notes in iOS, with this you can pause and restart. Love it….
  25. [R21] 5/5 · US Amazing: I have recorded hundreds of hours of audio on this app. The quality is always amazing. I can get transcripts made if I need to and it has saved me probably a couple of months worth of typing so it’s a great app and it’s completely free. I almost never leave app reviews because apps usually suck or they want you to pay money for their premium service but just the base version of this app h
  26. [R53] 5/5 · US My Personal Assistant: This little app does so many things!! I can’t even believe the quality of the recordings! You can transcribe, use the AI assist to ask things about the recording (probably will even translate), phone call recording even!! I really love this app! Thanks for making it free too!! Option to upgrade of course.
  27. [R67] 5/5 · US Durable: This app is the definition of a pioneer I been using it since 2017 at less. The AI upgrade for transposing is amazing too
  28. [R94] 5/5 · US No strings attached: This is perfect and great for a free app, sure there’s a small ad banner at the top but you can export directly to many formats including wav and save directly to files, cloud, share…other free recorders I’ve tried have paywalls around the most basic needs of a recording app, but not this one.
  29. [R353] 3/5 · GB Great but the longest list of companies it sells data to that I’ve ever seen: This app is great and does what it says on the tin with no fuss. The interface is decent and being able to easily export files is nice. I have to say though, looking through the cookies options, that this company sells on data to the longest list of 3rd party organisations that I think I’ve ever seen. I was unticking box
  30. [R7] 3/5 · US Lost Recordings: Many times I have sent a recording to someone only for it to be a recording from the previous week. Now, today’s recording has just disappeared. Frustrating.
  31. [R24] 1/5 · US Recordings Not Saving: This is the second time I recorded an important meeting and it’s not loading. No recording can be found. What is going on?
  32. [R49] 1/5 · US Can’t trim audio: When I go to trim my audio down the option to save is greyed out.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store