The Best USB and Bluetooth Microphones in 2023

If you regularly find yourself having meetings or job interviews online, you may have noticed the sound quality from other people on the call isn’t great. Don’t worry, they’re probably thinking the same thing about you.

That’s because the inbuilt microphones on most laptops, tablets, and phones tend to be quite low-quality, and not good at separating your voice from background noise. This makes it harder for other people to hear what you’re saying, resulting in confusing conversations and poor-quality recordings.

Repeating yourself and asking others to do the same is tiring and frustrating, but there are solutions. A good external USB or Bluetooth microphone will improve voice quality and reduce echo and background noise, making for better work calls, video chats, and podcast audio.

USB and Bluetooth microphones are available in a range of prices and capabilities, so I’ve pulled together my favorites based on quality, cost, features, and portability. While spending more money usually means higher quality and extra features, there are still some budget models worth buying.

What to Consider When Choosing a USB or Bluetooth Microphone

Cardioid vs. Bidirectional vs. Omnidirectional vs. Stereo

There are four ways microphones capture sound, also known as their pickup pattern. 

Cardioid mics are designed to capture sound in front of the microphone and ignore anything coming in from elsewhere. This type of mic is ideal for use while you’re live-streaming a video game, for example, or when you’re recording somewhere with a lot of background noise.

Bidirectional mics capture the sound in front of and behind the microphone, but not from the sides. This sort of microphone is perfect for conducting a one-on-one interview.

Omnidirectional mics pick up sound in a 360° pattern, meaning they capture sound around the mic equally in every direction. If you’re on a conference call with several people in the same room, an omnidirectional mic will make sure everyone is heard.

Stereo mics have two in-built microphones and pick up sound in the same way our own ears do (from the left and right). This gives sound more complexity, making it the best option for recording music.

Higher-end mics often have multiple pickup patterns so you can choose how you’d like to capture sound. Other mics are explicitly designed for one purpose. Think about how you will use your mic before you buy, to ensure it will suit your audio needs.

Does It Have a Mute Button?

If you’re using your mic on conference calls, quick-access mute and volume controls are very useful. When your dog starts to bark or baby starts crying in the middle of a Zoom meeting, you’ll want to mute yourself as quickly as possible.

Look for a mic with dedicated controls so you can easily adjust the volume or mute your mic when the need arises. It’s much faster than scrambling for the volume control on your laptop or phone.

Is It Compatible With Your Devices?

What devices do you plan on using your mic with? Many professional-grade microphones use a circular XLR connector, but these won’t plug directly into your phone or laptop.

You’ll likely need an adapter if you choose a mic that isn’t USB or Bluetooth-compatible, and as you might have guessed, we’re really not fans of having too many adapters. As a result, all the mics I’ve suggested below use either USB or Bluetooth.

There are microphones built specifically for smartphones, or you can choose a Bluetooth version. Wireless microphones like these rarely have the same sound quality as corded versions, but on the upside, you can pair them with any Bluetooth-compatible device without worrying whether you have the right cable.

Best USB Microphone for Most People: Blue Yeti

My top USB microphone pick at the moment is the Blue Yeti. It’s been a popular model for over a decade, combing a stylish design with multiple pickup pattern selection (cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional, and stereo) and easy-access volume and mute controls. 

The zero-latency headphone jack is ideal for monitoring your audio levels in real-time, and you can even pick your favorite color and shade from the half-dozen combinations available.

Setup is straightforward, requiring little more than plugging the cable into an available USB-A socket and waiting a few seconds for the drivers to install. You can easily adjust the mic to whatever angle you prefer simply by pivoting it on the integrated desk stand.

It’s super-sensitive, with clean, crisp, professional-sounding audio whether you’re recording voice or vocals. That sensitivity does make it prone to picking up vibrations, however, so you may end up investing in a shock mount or boom arm depending on your recording environment.

If you do need to do it, switching mounts is as easy as unscrewing the knobs on each side, removing the mic from the desk stand, and screwing the knobs back into the new mount.

This is a top-quality USB microphone that’s impressed me for years, and is easy to recommend for most general voice recording and streaming needs. When my nephew recently requested a high-end mic for his birthday appropriate for Discord chats and YouTube recording, this is the exact model I bought him.

The only real downside of the Blue Yeti is its size: it’s definitely designed to mostly stay on your desk rather than being used for recording on the go. If you need something smaller (and cheaper), take a look at the Blue Yeti Nano: it’s not as robust and the audio quality isn’t quite as high, but it’s much easier to drop in your bag.

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Best Budget USB Microphone: Fifine K669

Looking for a budget option? Fifine’s K669 USB microphone is anywhere from half to a quarter of the price of most top mic brands, yet does a surprisingly good job. If you’re just after a good cheap mic and don’t need high-end features, this is the one to go for.

It has a cardioid pickup pattern, designed to pull in sound only from in front of the microphone. This makes it better for recording yourself in noisy environments, and in other single-person recording situations where all of the sound you care about is coming from one direction.

The mic has a metal exterior and integrated six-foot USB cable, and there’s a small tripod stand in the box to hold and adjust the angle of the mic. You can also use it with a boom arm, or any other tripod or mount with a 5/8″ screw.

The volume knob on the front doubles as a mute button, so you can quickly block all incoming sound when you need to. As with most cardioid microphones, you’ll get best results when placing it close to your mouth: around six inches seems to be the sweet spot.

Audio quality is good for the price, making this the ideal option if you’re on a budget or don’t want to break the bank paying for a microphone. Available in a range of colors, it’s also a good way of seeing if an external mic is for you before investing in a more expensive model.

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Best Portable USB Microphone: Samson Go

The Samson Go is a portable USB condenser microphone designed for recording on-the-go. This fold-up mic has dual pickup patterns (cardioid and omnidirectional) and a built-in headphone amplifier and socket, yet remains small enough to fit in your pocket or day bag.

Weighing just 3.5 ounces and coming with a soft pouch to protect from knocks and scrapes, it’s ideal for anyone who likes to travel light but needs better audio than they’ll get from the inbuilt mic in their phone or laptop.

The Go’s desk stand doubles as a clip that you can attach to the top of most laptop screens, making it easy to use for video calls or any other situation where you’re sitting in front of your computer. A zero-latency headphone jack lets you monitor recording levels and audio quality in real time, but there’s no volume control or mute button.

Given that it’s likely to be kept in a day bag and moved around from place to place, the inclusion of a hard travel case is very welcome. Even so, as with anything designed or used for travel, I’d have preferred a metal exterior over cheap-feeling plastic for a bit of extra durability.

It’s very reasonably priced, so like my budget pick above, it’s a good option if you’re looking to test out a low-cost microphone before making a larger investment. It’s worth spending the extra few dollars on the bundle with a wind screen, to cut down on noise when recording outside.

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Best USB Microphone For Podcasting: RØDE NT-USB Mini

RØDE is renowned for its high-quality podcasting microphones, and the NT-USB Mini is no exception. It’s a compact, high-quality option designed for recording directly to a computer or tablet via the USB C output.

This cardioid mic has extra features like an internal pop filter to minimize plosives (words that start with a t, k, or p sound), helping you sound more professional in podcasts, interviews, and Zoom calls, and a desk stand with a magnetic base that helps it stay firmly attached to metal surfaces.

As with other cardioid mics, you’ll get the best results with the microphone positioned roughly 4-6″ from your mouth. To that end, you can also remove the mic from the desk stand entirely, and mount it on a studio arm or different type of stand as needed.

RØDE sells high-quality versions of both, but the microphone uses a standard 3/8″ screw if you want to use mounts from a different manufacturer.

There’s an inbuilt studio-grade headphone amplifier, and a volume control dial to control the headphone output level. It can be switched between zero-latency and standard audio mode just by pressing the dial. There’s no mute button, however, which seems a surprising omission.