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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Voice Memos & Sound Recorder vs Voice recorder

Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 4.6★ · Free + IAP 45
Winner Voice recorder
Voice recorder 4.6★ · Free + IAP 60

For basic voice recording, App B (Voice recorder) is a better choice due to its generally reliable recording and fewer complaints about forced subscriptions, despite its intrusive ads.

Full reviews: Voice Memos & Sound Recorder · Voice recorder

App B (Voice recorder) offers reliable basic recording functionality, though it is heavily criticized for intrusive full-screen ads. App A (Voice Memos & Sound Recorder) struggles with user frustration over a sudden shift to subscription-only recording and issues with saving and transcribing recordings.

Head to head

Features (Transcription, Organization) edge: Voice Memos & Sound RecorderR31R45R48R40
Voice Memos & Sound Recorder App A offers transcription, which some users find useful for journaling and converting spoken words to text R31R45. However, transcription often has issues, such as not working R48, requiring language selection every time R40, or stopping after a certain number of minutes . Users also appreciate the ability to organize memos into folders .
Voice recorder App B is primarily a voice recorder, with users praising its clear audio . Some users desire advanced features like auto-tune or backing tracks for music , or the ability to rewind/fast-forward during playback . There is no mention of transcription features in App B's reviews.
Ease of Use edge: Voice recorderR3R11R7R14
Voice Memos & Sound Recorder App A is described as easy to use by some R3R11, allowing immediate recording R11. However, others find it confusing, especially regarding saving recordings R7R14R16R32 and navigating screens . Pop-up surveys and review requests are also a source of frustration R2R3.
Voice recorder App B is generally considered easy to use, with a big record button and simple interface . Users appreciate its straightforward functionality for recording and finding recordings .
Reliability (Recording & Saving) tieR7R14R16R32
Voice Memos & Sound Recorder App A has significant reliability issues. Users report losing entire recordings due to not saving correctly R7R14R16R32 or the app failing to record even with an active subscription R10. Some recordings stop prematurely .
Voice recorder App B generally records well , with good sound quality . However, some users report recordings randomly stopping or files being deleted if not properly exiting the app . One user noted poor quality for low-humming sounds .
Price/Value & Monetization tieR4R18R28R30
Voice Memos & Sound Recorder App A has a strong negative sentiment regarding its pricing model. Many users are frustrated by a sudden shift from free to subscription-only R4R18R28R30. The subscription is $9.99/month, which many consider too expensive for the functionality offered R4R42. There are complaints about being forced to subscribe before trying features and issues with subscriptions not being recognized R10.
Voice recorder App B is free with in-app purchases, but users are overwhelmed by frequent, intrusive full-screen ads R53R56. Some ads are deceptive, claiming viruses or leading to adult content R60. Despite paying for a 'Pro' version, some users still report seeing ads . Users also complain about the app being a subscription for a simple recording app .
Performance (Battery, Stability) edge: Voice Memos & Sound RecorderR10R2R62R84
Voice Memos & Sound Recorder App A has limited mentions of performance issues, though one user reported the app not working at all R10 and another mentioned interruptions during recording from surveys R2.
Voice recorder App B is frequently criticized for significant battery drain R62R84R99R107 and causing phones to overheat R107. Users also report glitches and the app randomly stopping recordings .
Pick Voice Memos & Sound Recorder if

You need transcription features and are willing to pay a monthly subscription, provided you can navigate its saving quirks and potential reliability issues R31.

Pick Voice recorder if

You need a straightforward voice recorder for basic tasks and can tolerate frequent, intrusive ads, some of which are inappropriate or deceptive R53R56.

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative recent reviews, skewing the perception compared to their high lifetime ratings. For App A, many negative reviews stem from the shift to a paid subscription model. For App B, the primary complaint is the overwhelming number of ads, some of which are malicious.

Frequently asked

Is App A (Voice Memos & Sound Recorder) free to use?
No, App A is no longer free; users report it now requires a $9.99/month subscription to record after a very limited free trial or initial uses R4R30R42R50.
Does App B (Voice recorder) have a lot of ads?
Yes, App B is heavily criticized for having frequent, intrusive full-screen ads, some of which are deceptive or lead to inappropriate content R53R56R60R72.
Do these apps drain battery quickly?
App B is frequently reported by users to cause significant battery drain and phone overheating, with some experiencing a full battery depletion in as little as 2 hours for a 90-minute recording R62R84R99R107. App A has no widespread reports of battery drain.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 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. [R31] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 5/5 · US Great for Journaling: I spend a lot of time writing things down so I can better remember them later, and sometimes that takes up a large part of my day. I used to write by hand, but that easily became a mess as I journaled more and more. I switched to typing and it is a lot better, but still not exactly what I was looking for. I have been playing with the app and it already is great. I use the tra
  2. [R45] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 4/5 · US Lists: As the new year approaches, I want to begin a habit of having a grocery list when I shop. I love that with this app I can dictate my list and transcribe it. Then I copy it onto the Notes tab and format it into a list. I gave this app a rating of 4 stars out of 5 because of the extra steps of copying and formatting it on the Notes tab. I am able to format it on the Transcribe tab but it doe
  3. [R48] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Problems: Transcribe is not working
  4. [R40] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Have to select English from a list of hundreds every time I try to transcribe!: That is absolutely ridiculous. I really should just cancel. My subscription. Never come back. That is crazy. Who the heck thought that would ever be a good idea every single time?
  5. [R3] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 3/5 · US Recorder: This is an easy app to use. Only complaint is the infernal pop up to enroll drove me crazy.
  6. [R11] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 5/5 · US As promised: Recorder does what is says, no messing around like other similar space apps! Can open and be recording immediately which for myself is the whole point of having the app.
  7. [R7] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Not Worth The Money: The sound is really good, but it’s easy to lose entire recordings because you changed the name of the recording before clicking save first. I clicked to edit the title then clicked save and the recording deleted. It’s not reliable, you will likely lose a receding at some point.
  8. [R14] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 4/5 · US Great app but…: Great app but first couple of tests resulted in loosing the recording because it doesn’t automatically start recording when opened and if not saved it will be lost forever. Took a couple of times to get the sequence right.
  9. [R16] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Won’t save: I’ve attempted three recordings in the past two days, none of them have saved. I’ve clicked save in the upper right hand corner after stopping the recording. Saving shouldn’t be a ten step process.
  10. [R32] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Does not save: If you’re creating a voice memo it will not save unless you click the save button! I accidentally cleared the app and it deleted everything I had recorded bc I didn’t press save before clearing. It should have an auto feature where when you reopen the app it asks if you want to keep working or something. Everything is just gone now
  11. [R4] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 2/5 · US Why make it subscription only????: I used to use this app all the time to record book readings for my friends and all of a sudden I can’t record anything without a subscription??? Not worth the 10 dollars a month I’ll find something else
  12. [R18] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US I don't like it: Ok first of all the like you do payment and don't want to pay for an app like bro second of all it doesn't let me record something bro if I could I would give it a 0 star I should've known better....., ireri
  13. [R28] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US No longer free.: It used to be free. When I opened it today, I was presented with pricing and unable to use it without paying. I chose not to use it.
  14. [R30] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Not a free app: There is nothing anywhere in the description of this app that says you have to pay to use it. Just FYI, they give you only 3 free uses then you have to pay to use it. No thanks.
  15. [R10] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Unreliable: My subscription is active until 2025. I used the app several days ago. Tonight when I needed to use it, it would not record. So I had to use another app. This is not the first time the app has not worked and I had to switch. If you need 100% dependability, this is not the app to use, especially for the money.
  16. [R2] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 5/5 · US Praise & Suggestion: I started using this for work - recorded a positive affirmation for myself. Now I am using it to read a daily devotional as part of a group. One of the members learns better when he can listen as opposed to read, so I am recording each day and then sharing it with him. Couple of Suggestions or Spots to Tweak - The app has started popping up a survey question *while* I am
  17. [R62] Voice recorder 3/5 · US Everything is good except battery: I’ve been using it to record a class voice, after class ending I saw my phone battery is about 13% !! I know iPhone batteries are bad but not like that!
  18. [R84] Voice recorder 1/5 · US Battery Drain: 1 hour recording used 40% of my battery
  19. [R42] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US Not able to record unless I commit to paying $9.99/month.: Not able to record unless I commit to paying $9.99/month. There are very good options available that have voice transcription are not this expensive.
  20. [R50] Voice Memos & Sound Recorder 1/5 · US This is a pay to use app.: It lets you record once. Asks for subscription after that.
  21. [R53] Voice recorder 3/5 · US Rich with Ad’s: Simple product work as expected but has ads popping up in full screen. I’m okay with them on a part of the screen just not full screen. Some of the Ads are also clickbait as if something was detected wrong with your phone.
  22. [R56] Voice recorder 3/5 · US Intrusive ads getting worse: I get this is ad supported but there are more full screen timed ads than those annoying games like Homescapes! It’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to use.
  23. [R60] Voice recorder 1/5 · US The ads ugh: This app is fine for what it’s for, but the ad for the porn site is really bad. I’ll be deleting this app and reporting it to the App Store due to the presence of children in your porn site ad.
  24. [R72] Voice recorder 1/5 · US Scam BEWARE!!: I created a recording and it asked me to check my security settings. I tapped “not now” and it opened a website that said I have 42 viruses. BEWARE!!
  25. [R99] Voice recorder 2/5 · US Drains battery: Records well, but drains battery super fast, as in 90 min recording will completely drain battery from a full charge. Similar app on android could run at least a day and half before getting low battery level.
  26. [R107] Voice recorder 1/5 · US Phone super hot when using this app: This app uses too much battery power to the point my phone is super hot when use this app. The battery runs down to 0% in 2 hours, not a good app. None of other apps turn my phone hot.

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store