The best USB microphones
Sound like you're in the room, not down a drainpipe: plug-in mics for gaming, streaming, podcasts and work calls.
A laptop's built-in microphone hears everything: the keyboard, the fan, the echo off the walls. A proper mic on the desk, close to the mouth, does more for a video call, a stream or a podcast than any new webcam.
The main choice is condenser or dynamic. Condenser mics are sensitive and catch plenty of detail, which suits a quiet room. Dynamic mics mostly hear what's right in front of them, so they cope better with a busy house or a clacky keyboard. A headphone socket on the mic lets them hear themselves as they talk, which makes getting the level right much easier.
What matters
- Condenser for quiet rooms, dynamic for noisy ones.
- A headphone socket, to hear yourself as you record.
- Controls on the mic: mute and gain without opening an app.
- Room to grow: an XLR socket, or a thread for a boom arm.
#1 of 5
Best overall
FIFINE AmpliGame AM8 USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone
£30–£50 Price range
A mic that grows with the hobby: USB-C into a PC today, and an XLR socket for a mixer or audio interface if it gets serious. Being a dynamic mic, it mostly hears the voice in front of it rather than the keyboard or the telly in the next room.
What owners say: Owners say it makes their voice sound clear and professional, is easy to set up on a PC, and feels solid and premium for the money.
Heads up: Dynamic mics like the speaker close, so keep it just in front of the mouth and turn the gain up rather than leaning back.
A closer look: Plug headphones into the socket on the front and they'll hear their own voice as they talk, the easiest way to set the gain before going live. It works over USB with PC, Mac and PS5 (not Xbox), and screws onto a boom arm when the desk gets crowded.
- USB-C and XLR outputs
- Dynamic, cardioid pickup
- Headphone jack with its own volume
- Gain knob and tap-to-mute
- RGB lighting, 3 modes
Best for: Gaming and a first podcast
- Type
- Dynamic
- Connection
- USB-C and XLR
- Recording resolution
- 16-bit/48kHz
- Headphone jack
- Yes
- Mute button
- Yes
- Gain control
- Knob on the mic
#2 of 5
Best compact
HyperX SoloCast 2 USB Condenser Microphone
£49.99 RRP
Everything is tucked inside: a foam pop filter to soften hard 'p' sounds and an internal shock mount against desk knocks, so it sits neatly on a gaming desk. It records at 24-bit/96kHz, the highest resolution here.
What owners say: Owners say it sounds excellent, even professional, picks up their voice clearly over game noise, and works the moment it's plugged in.
A closer look: The red light means it's live and goes out when muted, so a glance tells them whether the squad can hear. Gain and the sound filters are set in HyperX's free NGENUITY app on a PC; there's no headphone socket on the mic itself.
- 24-bit/96kHz recording
- Built-in pop filter
- Internal shock mount
- Tap-to-mute with LED
- Fits 3/8in and 5/8in mic arms
Best for: A tidy gaming desk
- Type
- Condenser
- Connection
- USB-C
- Recording resolution
- 24-bit/96kHz
- Headphone jack
- No
- Mute button
- Yes
- Gain control
- In HyperX's app
#3 of 5
Best premium
Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone
£139.00 RRP
Auto Level Mode adjusts the volume in real time, so a shout in a boss fight and a mumble in the lobby come out at much the same level. Shure's dynamic mics have pedigree: engineer Bruce Swedien said he recorded most of Michael Jackson's big hits on a Shure SM7.
What owners say: Owners love the full, warm sound, find it works straight out of the box, and rate the sturdy build.
A closer look: Shure's free MOTIV Mix app balances game sound against their own voice in the headphones and can record too. It connects by USB-C to PCs and Macs, and to most Android and Apple phones and tablets.
- Auto Level Mode
- Real-time Denoiser
- Digital Popper Stopper
- Tap-to-mute
- 3.5mm headphone output
Best for: Streamers in noisy rooms
- Type
- Dynamic
- Connection
- USB-C
- Recording resolution
- 24-bit/48kHz
- Headphone jack
- Yes
- Mute button
- Yes
- Gain control
- Automatic (Auto Level)
#4 of 5
Best for podcasts
Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone with Table Stand
£75–£100 Price range
Every control is on the mic: gain, mute, headphone volume and a mix dial that balances their voice against the computer's sound, so there's no software to learn. Sennheiser began in 1945 as Labor W, a lab set up by Fritz Sennheiser and seven fellow engineers in a village near Hanover.
What owners say: Owners praise the sound, especially how well it handles popping 'p' sounds, and find the controls on the mic easy to use.
A closer look: The light ring round the gain dial glows green when all's well, yellow when the voice is too loud and red when muted, which makes setting the level easy. It works with Mac, Windows, iPad and Android.
- Gain, mix and headphone volume dials
- Mute button with LED ring
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Metal body, tilting table stand
- USB-C, no drivers needed
Best for: Podcasts and voice-overs
- Type
- Condenser
- Connection
- USB-C
- Recording resolution
- 24-bit/48kHz
- Headphone jack
- Yes
- Mute button
- Yes
- Gain control
- Knob on the mic
#5 of 5
Best budget
TONOR TC30 USB Condenser Microphone Kit
£20–£30 Price range
The whole kit comes in one box, with a tripod, shock mount, pop filter and a 2m cable, for a lot less than the rest. With no buttons at all it's a simple first mic for work calls, voice-overs or a first go at a podcast.
What owners say: Owners say it makes a big difference to how they sound on calls and podcasts, and that it's plug and play within a minute.
Heads up: There's no mute, gain knob or headphone jack, so set the input level in the computer's sound settings before the first call.
A closer look: It works with Windows, Mac, Linux and PS4, and with an iPad through an adapter, but not with phones or Xbox. The mic and shock mount unscrew from the tripod to go on a boom arm (5/8in thread; a 3/8in arm needs an adapter).
- Tripod, shock mount and pop filter
- Plug and play, no drivers
- 2m USB-C cable
- Cardioid condenser
- Fits 5/8in boom arms
Best for: Work calls on a budget
- Type
- Condenser
- Connection
- USB-C
- Recording resolution
- 16-bit/48kHz
- Headphone jack
- No
- Mute button
- No
- Gain control
- Computer settings only
How they compare
| Feature | #1FIFINE AM8 | #2HyperX SoloCast 2 | #3Shure MV6 | #4Sennheiser Profile | #5TONOR TC30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best compact | Best premium | Best for podcasts | Best budget | |
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 |
| Price | £30–£50 Price range | £49.99 RRP | £139.00 RRP | £75–£100 Price range | £20–£30 Price range |
| Type | Dynamic | Condenser | Dynamic | Condenser | Condenser |
| Connection | USB-C and XLR | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Recording resolution | 16-bit/48kHz | 24-bit/96kHz | 24-bit/48kHz | 24-bit/48kHz | 16-bit/48kHz |
| Headphone jack | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mute button | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Gain control | Knob on the mic | In HyperX's app | Automatic (Auto Level) | Knob on the mic | Computer settings only |
| Best for | Gaming and a first podcast | A tidy gaming desk | Streamers in noisy rooms | Podcasts and voice-overs | Work calls on a budget |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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