Ross Winn

The iPhone audio is actually pretty decent for a phone, but if you are regularly recording interviews, YouTube videos or podcasts, you’ll definitely want to invest in an external iPhone microphone. You can also use these mics on-camera, or for recording music, meetings, and more.

One tip: turn on Airplane Mode while recording or you will likely experience cellular feedback or distortion.

We are going to focus on the best iPhone mics in 2026 that use the lightning port as that is what Apple has used for the most recent iPhone and are likely to continue using, but you’ll also find a few that use the headphone jack.

Our top iPhone mic for most people: Shure MV88

If you are looking for a lavalier mic that plugs into the headphone jack (or Lightning-to-headphone adapter), check out the first 3 recommendations in our best lavalier mics post.

If you want wireless options, check out the wireless lav mics here.

If you are looking for something to use with the Apple camera connection adapter, take a look at the best USB microphones post.

Quick Overview: Best External Microphones For iPhone and iOS

IMAGE	PRODUCT
	Best Lightning Connector Shure MV88 Provides superior audio quality and clarity Apple MFi certified compatible with all iOS devices 5 DSP preset modes	VIEW ON AMAZON →
	Zoom iQ6 X/Y Adjustable microphone angles from 90 to 120 degrees Able to be used both on phones with cases and without The same condenser microphones as the world-famous H4n	VIEW ON AMAZON →
	Rode SC6-L Comes with two smartLav+ mics Gives you the ability to record interviews Record separate tracks for each mic	VIEW ON AMAZON →
	Best Headphone Jack Rode VideoMic Me Compact TRRS cardioid microphone designed for iOS devices High-quality directional microphone 3.5mm headphone output	VIEW ON AMAZON →
	For Older iPhones Rode IXY-L Record stereo audio at 24-bit, 96 kHz Matched pair of 1/2" Cardioid condenser capsules Metal casing for Enhanced durability	VIEW ON AMAZON →

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📢 Update: Audio-Technica replaced the ATR2100 with the ATR2100x-USB. It’s essentially the same mic but with USB-C and higher quality analog/digital conversion.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB is a great entry-level podcast microphone that will give you professional-quality sound.

The best feature about this microphone (besides the sound quality) is that it has both USB and XLR outputs so you can plug directly into your computer (via USB) or plug into a mixer (via XLR).

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