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Best Hidden Voice Recorders for 2021
When shopping for a hidden voice recorder, there are many different factors to consider. The most basic feature you’ll want is a good microphone that makes high quality recordings. Once that basic requirement is met, you’ll need to consider battery life, data storage, ease of use, size of overall device, and whether or not the recorder is disguised.
Microphone quality: You will want a high quality microphone that makes crisp and clear voice recordings. If you can’t clearly hear what has been said, the recording could be a complete waste of time and money.
Battery life: How long will be able to record before the device needs to be recharged? A bigger battery will make for a larger and heavier recorder, but it will also make it more likely for you to catch what you need when it’s time to record.
Voice Activation: “voice activated” or “noise activated” devices will start recording once they detect sounds loud enough to trigger a recording and stop recording when some period of time has gone by where no sound is detected. This can help save storage space on the device, and prevents you from wasting time listening through hours of silence on recordings where nothing eventful happens. Many times this can save battery life as well.
Storage Size: Digital recordings take up space on the device’s flash drive. More data storage space means more recording time before you need to download your files to a computer, or delete files directly from the device.
Ease of Use: You may need to record a conversation in a moment’s notice, so you won’t want a device that’s difficult to use. The best voice recorders are simple to use when either making a recording or listening to the recordings you’ve already made.
Size of Device: Generally, smaller devices are more convenient to use, especially if you are making a covert recording. However, smaller devices have less room for batteries, so that is a tradeoff to consider.
Disguise: Is the covert audio recorder disguised as an everyday device such as a pen, usb drive, or power bank? A disguised recorder is a great choice because it can be used out in the open without drawing attention or suspicion. Other recorders have no disguise and simply have a very small size, allowing them to be conveniently kept in a pocket, purse, or bag.
Best Hidden Voice Recorder
16 Hour Voice Activated Recorder Pen
$ 129.99
$ 159.99
Records high quality sound for 16 hours Voice activation gets all your conversations The clip slides up/down to start recording Picks up your voice from up to 45 feet away Listen, recharge by connecting to a computer Works on Mac… read more
16 Hour Voice Activated Recorder
This voice recording pen is an overwhelming favorite because it has so many positive features. First, let’s talk about the fact that it looks like something from a James Bond film. This is the kind thing people think of when they think of how a spy would record a conversation. It’s perfectly disguised as a professional pen - even writes!
Beyond that, it’s simply a great device overall. It takes crisp, clean recordings and can pick up voices from up to 45 feet away. The battery lasts for 16 hours which is long enough to use all day and then charge overnight. It has 1 GB of built-in storage, allowing it to hold between 17-71 hours worth of audio files, depending on the audio quality you choose to record at.
This device comes with a controller and earphones that allow you to listen back to recordings straight from the pen. An included USB cable is used to charge the device and lets you save and listen to your MP3 recordings from your Mac or PC.
Hidden Voice Recorder with Best Battery Life
Power Bank Voice Activated Recorder
$ 149.99
$ 179.99
A voice recorder inside a working power bank Records when it hears sound, up to 50 feet away 150 days of standby power, 14 days continuous Saves 576 hours of audio Has a magnet to attach to metal surfaces Listen… read more
Powerbank Voice Activated Recorder
Powerbanks are used to recharge smartphones or other gadgets with built-in batteries that are becoming more and more popular. That makes it a perfect place for a hidden audio recorder, because the whole device is essentially one big battery!
The battery on the power bank recorder is large enough to record for 14 days straight! It also has a voice-activated standby mode for saving power, and in this mode it can hold a charge for up to 150 days.
Now all this battery life wouldn’t be very useful if the power bank didn’t also have lots of storage for saving the audio files. That’s why the power bank has 16GB of built-in storage. That’s enough for 576 hours of audio, or 24 days straight.
Best Budget Hidden Audio Recorder
USB Flash Drive Audio Recorder
This is a great pick for people who want to record conversions, but they’re working with a tight budget. USB flash drives are incredibly common, so it’s a recorder that can hide in plain sight. It is super easy to use, you simply flip the switch on the side of the USB drive and it starts a new recording. Flip the switch to the off position when you are finished recording to turn the device off. It’s that simple.
The USB Flash Drive Audio Recorder has 10 hours of battery life and can store up to 48 hours of audio. If battery life or microphone quality are your top priorities, consider one of the other options on this list. But you do have to spend over twice as much to get a higher quality recorder, making this the top choice for customers looking to spend less.
Best Device for Recording Phone Calls
Phone Call Recorder Earbud
$ 19.99
$ 24.99
• Used to record your phone calls • Works on all cell phones or landlines • Both sides of the call are recorded • Great sound quality for easy listening • Requires an audio recorder Description Uses In The Box… read more
Micro Stick Voice Activated Audio Recorder
$ 149.99
$ 199.99
• The same size as a regular paperclip • Records when it hears sound up to 50 feet away • 12-hour rechargeable battery is built-in battery • An extended battery that lasts 5 days is included • Leave it out, put… read more
This pick is actually 2 devices: The Phone Call Recorder Earbud and the Micro Stick Voice Activated Audio Recorder.
If you’re one of the many customers who want to use their device to record phone calls, the best pick for you is the phone call earbud and the micro stick recorder.
The Phone Call Recorder Earbud is actually a microphone, instead of playing sound it records sound. Put the earbud in your ear, and when you take a phone call it will hear everything you say and everything the caller says through the phone receiver.
You’ll need an audio recorder to plug the earbud into, and we strongly recommend the Micro Stick Recorder. The Micro Stick is super small, has great battery life, and fantastic audio quality. It has a built-in speaker and playback buttons, making it the easiest recorder to use if you want to hear recordings straight from the device.
Best Hidden Audio Recorder (Alternative Choice)
Pro USB Flash Drive Audio Recorder
Making a buyer’s guide can often be difficult when consumers have lots of great choices, and that’s why we needed to include this last device as an “alternative choice”. This is really a favorite product of ours that just doesn’t have the “cool factor” of the voice recording pen. However, it’s just as good at recording conversations, and some buyers may prefer the super small form factor of the USB Drive to the pen.
The Pro USB recorder looks just like a regular flash drive, no one will know it has an audio recorder built in. It has a battery that can record for 24 hours straight, or last up to 25 days in standby mode with voice activation turned on. The microphone on this device is very high quality. In a quiet environment, it can pick up a normal conversational voice up to 35 feet away.
Just plug the drive into a USB port to charge the battery and download your recordings. You can listen to the audio files by opening the recordings in iTunes or Windows Media Player on Mac or PC.
Summary
Each recorder has a little something different to offer. Try to find the one that best fits your specific purpose. If more than one seems good to you, buy the one that looks the coolest! These are spy gadgets after all. If you’ve read this buyers guide and you’re still not sure which device is right for you, please give us a call or start a live chat.