Microphones are offered in various types. One of the most easy-to-connect mics is the USB microphone. This microphone comes in either condenser, dynamic, or ribbon. It’s just simply called a USB microphone because it has a USB terminal that can be easily connected to your computer or laptop.
Today, we are going to share with you the best cheap USB microphones under $100.
A lot of DJs and recording artists, even studio managers know that even at a $100 price point, they can get great USB mics. Trusted by experts and professional artists these 10 products are just great in their own ways.
After we review each product, we prepare a short buying guide for you. This section includes your considerations and some time to pick the right mic from you. Keep reading and you may find the perfect budget-friendly USB mic from our list.
Contents
10 Best USB Microphones Under $100 in 2024
- Fifine K669 USB
- Samson Go Mic
- Blue Snowflake USB Microphone
- Blue Snowball iCE
- Samson Meteor Mic USB
- Audio-Technica ATR2100
- CAD Audio U37
- Blue Snowball USB Microphone
- Audio-Technica ATR2500
- Samson C01U PRO
Also Great | Editor's Choice | Budget Pick |
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Fifine K669 USB
Your computer’s perfect partner, Fifine K669, is ideal for recording vocals, podcasts, Skype calls, game streaming, and more.
It comes with a cardioid pickup pattern, which gives the mic the capability to record better sounds, devoid of the most common background noise. It’s compatible with both Windows PC and Mac through a plug-and-play USB connection.
This PC mic has a volume control knob (up, down and mute) to make easy control over the output volume of your sound. Made with metal, making it a sturdy and durable USB mic with an adjustable tripod desk stand.
Since it comes with a 6-feet USB cable, surely you have more freedom to go around and find the perfect spot for your recordings.
- Perfect for voiceover
- Podcast and even voice chat
- Super cheap USB mic
- Yet sturdy and has a solid feel
- Easy to set up and connect to Mac or Windows PC
- Tripod included is a bit flimsy
- Pickups noise while adjusting and holding the mic
- Audio quality is comparable to a high-quality phone call
Samson Go Mic
A compact and portable studio mic, Samson Go Mic Portable USB has a lot of great features, affordably priced. It has a high-quality built-in digital converter and USB interface, making it a great professional tool for recording and podcasting.
With the built-in headphone output, you can have zero-latency monitoring and playback of your recordings.
Has a unique fold-up design, it’s extremely portable — perfect for mobile and laptop recording. Furthermore, it has a selectable dual-pickup pattern — cardioid and omnidirectional — so it’s great for vocals, conferences, and a wide variety of applications.
Compatible with most Mac and Windows PC, as well as iOS and Android devices. For iOS devices, you need to have the Apple Lightning to USB camera adapter, while connecting to Android requires a host OTG adapter.
- Durable and definitely has some weight
- Cheap
- But delivers crisp sounds
- Versatile with -10dB pad
- Perfect for most settings
- The plastic hinge of the holder may easily break
- Mic suddenly stops after a few months of using
- May have static issues
- Sometimes failed to be recognized by the computer
Blue Snowflake USB Microphone
Designed for great desktop mounting and storing, Blue Snowflake USB is perfect for applications like podcast, voice recognition, narration, internet telephony and more.
This mic folds into a single compact case, which also houses the USB cable, for more convenient storage and transport. When you use it, simply unfold it and the case that doubles as a desktop stand or a laptop clip, which make it more convenient.
With plug and play feature, you can easily connect it to a Mac or Windows PC. And, since there is no need for any driver installation, with your favorite recording software on your computer, you can start recording right away after you plug it in. Compact, affordable and portable USB mic, Snowflake really rocks!
- Has a unique design with saturated warmth sound quality
- Perfect for speech
- Podcast and voiceover
- Classy with clip mount for your laptop or PC monitor
- Really heavy and awkward to perch
- Especially on your laptop screen
- Sound quality may not be satisfactory to other musicians
Blue Snowball iCE
Get high-quality audio whether on your Skype calls, FaceTime, or recordings for YouTube with Blue Snowball Ice. It’s a custom condenser capsule that offers crystal-clear audio, be it creating, recording or communicating.
This mic is a USB 2.0 device, hence, it’s compatible with most laptops and computers having USB 3.0 and backward.
Since it’s plug and play, you can easily connect it to your Mac or PC without the need of any driver or software installation. Guaranteed clear audio response in the frequency between 40Hz and 18kHz and is Skype certified. So, since Windows trust it, maybe it’s time for you to trust Snowball, as well.
- It decent build along with its great sound quality
- Lightweight with a retro feel in the design
- Has a very useful noise cancellation capacity
- Reduced versatility with only one audio setting
- Built could have been better with quality materials
Samson Meteor Mic USB
Samson Meteor Mic USB is a large, 25 mm diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone that’s perfect for recording music on your computer and even smartphones.
It has USB connectivity, which can either be connected directly to your computer or through Apple’s Lightning USB camera adapter to your iPad. It has a flat frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz with a recording resolution of 16-bit, 44.1/48kHz.
Meteor mic is made of a chrome-plated body with a fold-back leg design. The legs can be adjusted to an optimal position to have a perfect recording setting for vocals, instruments, or speech. With a 1/8-inch headphone jack, you’ll be able to have zero-latency monitoring of your recordings.
- Portable and stylish with USB connectivity
- Entry-level choice
- But with great audio quality
- Has real-time monitoring with mute control
- No gain control or analog output
- May encounter some problems when recording
- Design is quite a turn-off for some users
Audio-Technica ATR2100
Used for both live and studio recordings, the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB is an affordable mic you can truly rely on. Made from the trusted brand Audio-Technica, this cardioid handheld microphone is ready to take on the increasing demand in vocals or instrument recordings.
It has two outputs — USB Out for digital recordings to computer and XLR output for PAs and sound systems for live performances.
Equipped with a built-in headphone jack, it allows you to monitor the output in a real-time manner without delay. It comes with an A-D converter for smooth and high-fidelity recordings.
Since this is a cardioid mic, you know it’s reliable in eliminating sounds from side to rear — so only the natural sound is being recorded.
- Has both USB and XLR output
- Has built-in headphone jack for real-time monitoring
- Designed with low-mass diaphragm cardioid mic for great frequency response
- Should be near the mic for better sound quality output
- Picks up even the keyboard (computer) sounds
- Volume of the headphone monitoring is not loud enough
CAD Audio U37
A cardioid pickup pattern microphone is capable of recording rich and natural sound of the source by eliminating the background noise from the side to the rear part.
This is what CAD Audio U37 USB does best. With large diaphragm, this condenser mic has extended frequency response, which is perfect for singing, speech and recording instruments.
The good thing about the U37 is that it has added two switches — 10dB overload-protection switch and the bass reduction switch. The former allows recordings even at high-frequency and loud sources, while the latter is perfect in eliminating background noise.
It can be connected via USB, so you can record studio-quality recordings through your favorite recording software in your computer.
- With LED indicator for better visual feedback
- Excellent built and construction for its price
- Easier connectivity and plug-and-play options
- The monitoring feature is not available
- It’s highly sensitive to plosive sounds
- Recordings may have some latency
Blue Snowball USB Microphone
Embraces Blue’s popular circuit and two-capsule design, Blue Snowball USB helps you record professional studio-quality performance, be it vocals or instruments.
Equipped with a USB connection, you can easily plug and play to either Mac or PC without any driver installation required. It comes with three switchable polar pattern modes — cardioid mode, cardioid mode with -10dB pad, and omnidirectional mode.
Cardioid mode, that delivers rich, full-bodied sound, since the noise from the background is easily eliminated by this polar pattern. The cardioid mode with -10 dB PAD works almost the same as the first, but with -10 dB attenuation to capture high-fidelity recordings.
Lastly, the omnidirectional mode picks up every signal around — best if you’re in live recordings or band performance.
- Rugged design and solid construction
- Has frequency response from 40Hz to 18kHz
- Can capture sonic details in your recordings
- Doesn’t sound professional and picks up some noise
- Output levels are low — need to speak up to get better recordings
- Not explicit on the direction of the polar patterns one, two and three
Audio-Technica ATR2500
Onboard are features from Audio-Technica ATR2100, you know it’s great for podcasting, studio recording, field recording, voiceover and more. It comes with an AD converter with 16-bit, 44.1/48 kHz sampling rate for better frequency response.
Since it has a built-in headphone jack, you can automatically monitor your output without delay.
What’s found in this model that is found in the ATR2100 are the easy-to-use controls for mic volume in front of the mic. This large-diaphragm side-address condenser provides everyone the opportunity to record podcasts, vocals, and voiceover without any hassle.
Since it’s a cardioid mic, you know it’s efficient in reducing unwanted from the sides to the rear.
- Delivers clean and clear voice recordings
- Easy to use and very convenient
- With nice zero-latency input monitoring
- Not that great for recording instruments
- It lacks some bass at the bottom end
- Can only record up to 48kHz
Samson C01U PRO
The world’s first USB studio microphone, Samson C01U Pro US, offers a lot that you might think. It’s a high-quality USB condenser that should be a piece of gear in your home studio.
This is a super-cardioid mic with a 19 mm large shock-mounted diaphragm, so you can capture both low and high-frequency recording with equal articulation.
The headphone output, like most mics in this list, allows for real-time zero-latency monitoring of your record. It features improved signal-to-noise and adds a Peak LED indicator to keep up with the computer-based recordings.
Plug and play to your Mac or PC through USB, it’s also compatible with iPads and iPhone with a Lightning USB camera adapter from Apple.
- With universal compatibility with other audio software and music equipment
- Affordable
- Yet you have everything in one kit
- Plug and play with fast installation and setup
- May not fit existing clamps and mounts
- At some point
- Pickup is so sensitive
- Software is no longer supported
Buying Guide in Choosing a Good USB Mic
Whatever your budget is, there are a lot of USB mics that fit your budget. But, the question would be, is it the right one for your need?
Well, even if you’re a casual YouTuber or make random videos or podcasts to upload online, you still need to have a decent mic. So, for whatever purpose you have to buy a cheap USB mic, the following tips should be of use to you:
Headphone out with controls
For most applications, the headphone output is important for output monitoring. But, it’s also more convenient with easy-to-use controls for volume control and mute. This makes it easier to adjust volume controls or mute sound during your output monitoring.
Diaphragm
The diaphragm is like the eardrum in the human ear. A larger diaphragm doesn’t always mean better, but this means more mass – doesn’t respond immediately to dynamic changes. Large-diaphragm gives warm and full vocals while small-diaphragm produces brighter and livelier overall sound.
Microphone controls
You need to check for additional features aside from the aspects mentioned above. Check the pad control, monitor mix, low-cut filter, and EQ modes.
In this list, most products have Pad control to prevent overload and distortion. Additionally, the low-cut filter helps eliminate rumble and stage noise.
Computer compatibility
While most USB mics are compatible with almost all computers and laptops, ensure that you check the specifications. Some mics require the latest OS onboard, while others have minimum RAM requirements, as so on. Ensure that you can use the mic that you buy for your computer or smartphone.
Perhaps, there are still some questions in your head on which is better — USB or XLR. This YouTube video contains explanations and comparisons between these two. At least, you’ll be learning some useful information from recording artists, before jumping into buying the cheapest one on the list.
EDITOR’s CHOICE
Just a disclaimer, we aren’t biased with Samson products. It’s just that, our bets are the Samson Go Mic Portable USB and the Samson Meteor Mic USB. Not only are they really cheap, but they also support mobile recordings — which most modern artists are exploring nowadays.
But, the ultimate best cheap USB microphone under $100 is the Samson Go Mic Portable USB. It’s compact and has a very intelligent design. Hands-up to how you can easily store, transport, and use this USB mic without the need for clips, mounts, or other accessories.