MotionShineShort answer: for your own voice, use Voice Memos (quick) or QuickTime Player (you pick the microphone and the quality). Both are Apple apps and come with the Mac. For sound that comes from another app, such as a browser or a call, you need an app like Audio Hijack or Piezo. For editing and multitrack, use Audacity, GarageBand or REAPER.
Facts about Apple's apps come from Apple's own pages. Facts about the other apps come from each maker's own page. All of it was checked on 26 October 2026. Where a page did not say, this post writes "not found" and does not guess.
Which audio recorder fits which job?
Most "best audio recorder" lists rank apps against each other. The better question is the job, because the jobs need different tools. This table is the quickest way to pick.
| Your job | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A quick voice note or idea | Voice Memos | One click to record, free, built in |
| A voice file where you choose the microphone and quality | QuickTime Player | Apple's page lists a microphone menu and two quality levels |
| Sound from a website, a call or another app | Audio Hijack or Piezo | Both list recording audio from applications, not only microphones |
| Edit, cut and clean up a recording | Audacity | Its download page is for a full audio editor |
| Music, many tracks, instruments | GarageBand or REAPER | Both are made for multitrack work |
| Voice and screen together, to show something | A screen recorder | The sound goes with the picture, see the last section |
The comparison table
| App | Price (maker's page) | Free version or trial | Runs on | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice Memos | Part of macOS, no price shown on Apple's guide | Built in | Apple's guide has a page for each macOS from Mojave 10.14 to macOS 27 | Quick voice notes |
| QuickTime Player | Part of macOS, no price shown | Built in | Part of macOS | Voice with a chosen microphone and quality |
| GarageBand | Not found on the Apple page | Not found | macOS Monterey or later, per Apple | Music, voice and instruments |
| Audacity | Not found on the download page | Not found | Tested on macOS 14 and 15, may work from 10.11, per its page | Editing and cleaning audio |
| Audio Hijack | $69 | Free download works as a trial, see below | macOS 14.4 to 27 | App audio, mics, calls |
| Piezo | $29 | Free download, limits not stated on its page | macOS 14.4 to 27 | Quick, simple app audio capture |
| REAPER | $60 discounted, $225 commercial | 60 day full evaluation | macOS not detailed on the home page | Multitrack recording and mixing |
Prices are in US dollars as shown on each maker's page. Taxes may be added at checkout.
Voice Memos: the quickest free option
Apple's Voice Memos guide says you start with one click: click Record at the bottom left of the window. The guide also lists topics for editing a recording, viewing a transcription, organising recordings and seeing them on all your Apple devices. The guide I read is for macOS 27, with older versions listed in a menu.
Keep Voice Memos if you record notes, lectures, meetings or ideas and want them in one list with no setup. It is the one to try first. For the full steps, read how to record your voice on a Mac.
QuickTime Player: more control, still free
Apple's page says to choose File, then New Audio Recording, open the input menu to pick a microphone, then choose a quality. High is 44100 Hz AAC audio. Maximum is 44100 Hz uncompressed Linear PCM 24-bit AIFF-C audio, which Apple says takes up much more storage. To pause, Option-click Start Recording.
Keep QuickTime if you have more than one microphone, or you want the uncompressed file to edit later. It records the microphone only. QuickTime on its own does not capture sound from other apps. QuickTime screen recording with audio explains why.
GarageBand: free to look at, built for music
Apple's GarageBand page describes a music creation app. It records guitar, bass and microphone vocals through connected inputs, and software instruments from a USB keyboard. You can record several takes of a section. It lists up to 255 audio tracks and says it needs macOS Monterey or later. The page does not show a price, and it says you download it from the App Store with an Apple Account.
Keep GarageBand if you make songs, record an instrument or want a podcast with several tracks. Skip it if you only want to record one voice: it is more app than that job needs.
Audacity: the free editor most people mean
The Audacity download page lists version 4.0.1 and says it is tested on macOS 14 and 15 and may work on any release from 10.11 El Capitan on. It shows no price and no licence terms on that page, so check the site before you rely on it being free. Two notes from the page matter. Audacity needs fast, uninterrupted access to a drive, and the page warns that network storage, consumer external hard drives and USB thumb drives may be unreliable. It also says the Apple Silicon build has no plugin support.
Keep Audacity if you want to cut, join and clean a recording and you do not need a polished app. Skip it if you only need to press Record and be done. The built-in apps are simpler.
Audio Hijack: for sound that comes from other apps
Rogue Amoeba's page says Audio Hijack records audio from any website, any application and all system audio at once, plus microphones, mixers and other input devices, including VoIP calls like Zoom and FaceTime. It saves MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV, ALAC and FLAC. Version 4.6.0 supports macOS 14.4 through macOS 27. Rogue Amoeba's purchase page lists a single user licence at $69.
The free download is also the trial. Rogue Amoeba's support pages say that after 10 minutes of audio capture, noise is added to all audio passing through the app, that noise cannot be removed from a recording, and that quitting and relaunching restarts the trial. So test with short clips, and do not use the trial for an important long recording.
Keep Audio Hijack if you record calls, interviews, streams or app sound often. Skip it if you only record your own voice. That is a lot of price for a job Voice Memos does free. For the how-to without extra software, see how to record audio from your computer on Mac and how to record computer audio on Mac without a plugin.
Piezo: the simpler, cheaper app recorder
Rogue Amoeba's Piezo page says it records audio from applications, including browsers like Safari and Chrome, VoIP apps, streaming music services and video players, and from inputs such as microphones and headsets. It can save separate channels for podcasts. It supports macOS 14.4 to 27, and its licence is $29 on the purchase page. Its page does not name file formats or say what the free trial limits are, so both are "not found" here.
Keep Piezo if you want to capture one app's sound with as little setup as possible. Skip it if you want mixing, effects or several sources at once. Audio Hijack is the bigger tool from the same maker.
REAPER: serious multitrack at a modest price
REAPER's home page calls it a full-featured app for recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering multitrack audio and MIDI. Its purchase page lists a discounted licence at $60 and a commercial licence at $225, and a 60 day evaluation with full functionality. The discounted licence is for individuals using it personally, individuals or businesses earning up to $20,000 a year from it, and educational or non-profit users. The home page does not detail macOS versions.
Keep REAPER if you want a real audio workstation and will learn it. Skip it if you want a one-click recorder.
Not a pure audio recorder: where MotionShine fits
This is by the maker of this site, and it is the honest end of the list. MotionShine is a free Mac screen recorder. It records your microphone and Mac sound inside a screen recording. Its editor has a voice over lane next to text, picture and music lanes, and it makes captions on your Mac. The free version exports up to 720p at 30 fps with no watermark and no time limit, and Pro unlocks 1080p, 1440p, 4K and 60 fps.
It is not for you if you want an audio file only. It makes screen videos, not podcasts, music or voice notes. For those, pick from the list above. It fits when the sound goes with something on your screen, such as a demo or a lesson.
Free browser tools for the small jobs
If you do not want to install anything, the free voice recorder on this site (by the maker of MotionShine) records from your microphone in the browser. Its page says you can pause, keep every take, trim the silence at the start and end in one click, and save MP3, M4A or WAV. It has an optional noise clean up that downloads a 34 MB model once. Nothing is uploaded. If your file is the wrong format, the AIFF to MP3 converter and the audio cutter also run in the browser. To check the microphone first, use the mic test.
FAQ
What is the best free audio recorder for Mac?
Voice Memos for quick notes, and QuickTime Player when you want to choose the microphone and quality. Both come with macOS. For editing a recording, Audacity is the free editor most people reach for, but check its page for price terms.
Can a Mac record audio from a website or a call?
Not with Voice Memos or QuickTime alone. Apps like Audio Hijack and Piezo list recording audio from browsers and VoIP apps. There are also methods that need no plugin: see the post linked above.
Which audio recorder is best for podcasts?
For two or more voices on separate tracks, a multitrack app: GarageBand, REAPER or Audacity. Piezo says it can save separate channels for podcasts. For a single voice, Voice Memos or QuickTime is enough to start.
Is Audio Hijack free?
The download is free but it works as a trial. Rogue Amoeba's support pages say noise is added after 10 minutes of capture, and a licence removes the limit. The licence is $69 on its purchase page.
What format should I record in?
QuickTime offers High (AAC) and Maximum (uncompressed AIFF-C). Choose Maximum if you will edit later and have the space. Choose High for a note you will only play back. That last part is general advice, not Apple's.
Can I record audio and my screen together?
Yes. A screen recorder with a microphone option does it in one pass. How to screen record on Mac with audio lists each option.
