Best Budget USB Microphone for YouTube

Last Updated: 

February 2, 2025

As any good YouTube content creator knows, recording high-quality audio begins with having the proper microphone. USB microphones stand out as an excellent piece of equipment for any YouTube creator. They make a recording on the go smooth, not to mention they are compatible with a wide array of device types and systems.

Today, you can find numerous USB mic types available on the market to record quality audio for your videos. Thus, which one will work best for your needs and budget? Take a look at our recommendations for the best USB budget microphones for YouTube.

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1. Fifine Condenser K669B

Fifine Condenser K669B is a great low-budget USB microphone compared to most options you will find in the market today that are accessible for a high price. K669B serves as an excellent mic to offer high-quality audio input.

This USB mic features an elegant design, offering it a professional look on a low budget. The build quality is extremely satisfying too, and the mic’s body is elegant and sleek. The mic has a little bit of weight, and it is made out of metal to offer it a more sturdy and durable property.

It’s worth mentioning that the K669B features a cardioid polar pattern to record audio. That only indicates the mic only records the sounds coming from the mic’s front side, making it simple to use as you sit at a place and put the mic to your face. It will ignore the background noise that comes from the mic’s side.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: USB condenser microphone
  • Polar pattern: cardioid
  • Frequency response: 50Hz to 20kHz
  • Max SPL: 130db
  • Weight: 400 grams

Reasons to Buy

  • Adjustable ring and shock amount
  • Durable body
  • Clear and audio input
  • Volume and control buttons

Reasons to Avoid

  • The stand is not stable
  • The built-in cable is not made of good quality

2. Razer Seiren Mini USB Streaming Microphone

This tiny, simple USB mic does not provide a lot of features, which enables you to concentrate on what is most important. Its sound quality is not something you would ever typically find in a studio, but most Zoom professors, podcasters, and Twitch streamers must find this to sound perfectly well.

The Razer Seiren Mini USB Streaming Microphone is subtle and sleek at the same time, along with a pill-shaped chassis hiding the cord flush with the mic’s back. The mic itself is lightweight as well and could fit in the palm of your hand. However, it does not feel fragile or subtle by any means. Because it is compact and small, it can effortlessly live on your desk without getting in the way, not to mention you can bring it with you on the go. How awesome is that?

Specifications

  • Microphone type: USB condenser microphone
  • Polar pattern: super-cardioid pattern
  • Frequency response: 48kHz
  • Max SPL: 100dB
  • Weight: 0.95 pounds

Reasons to Buy

  • Affordable and good for the budget
  • Simple to use
  • The quality audio signal is suitable for streaming and vocals

Reasons to Avoid

  • Mic stand’s height or angle is not perfect for alignment with the mouth
  • No headphone jack or onboard controls

3. RØDE NT-USB Mini

The RØDE NT-USB Mini s a studio-quality USB mic for recording. It features a side-address, which makes its positioning as you record a lot more versatile. Its frequency range is full-spectrum is 20 to 20,000Hz. The company has designed the NT-USB with a stereo headphone jack, which has no latency. That means what you hear is what’s being recorded.

The best part here is that the RØDE NT-USB Mini is compatible with all types of electric devices. How awesome is that? That includes Apple and Windows products and even your iPad.

As far as the features go, the RØDE NT-USB Mini brings an excellent CV to bear. It features a directional cardioid pickup pattern optimized to lessen room sound, an in-built pop filter, smooth frequency response, and an integrated 360-degree swing mount along with a removable magnet stand.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: USB condenser microphone
  • Polar pattern: cardioid
  • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
  • Max SPL: 143dB
  • Weight: 585 grams

Reasons to Buy

  • It is compatible with iPad, Apple, and Windows
  • It’s extremely versatile
  • Headphone input has zero latency
  • High-quality and full-frequency sound

Reasons to Avoid

  • It does not have a compressor or mixer
  • It’s extremely sensitive to any sound

4. HyperX SoloCast

The SoloCast is less bulky and smaller than HyperX’s Quadcast, standing at only five inches tall. You will love the design of this affordable USB mic. It has a simple and small design, and a good indicator on the front of it enables you to know what angle it must be positioned for correct use. The USB-C support suggests setup is practically one step, as the device is ready to use after you plug it in.

The HyperX SoloCast is made to a more reasonable entry point to HyperX’s ecosystem of audio devices. Nonetheless, its sleek design and sharp audio quality have had us debating whether or not to make it a mic of choice moving forward.

Still, this mic achieves what it’s intended to do. It is a compact mic that provides audio and hardware quality, befitting the price and not much else. Minor problems like the finicky mute button are simple to ignore. That’s an excellent budget-friendly alternative to more expensive compact mics. 

Specifications

  • Microphone type: condenser
  • Polar pattern: cardioid
  • Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Max SPL: 74db
  • Weight: 261 grams 

Reasons to Buy

  • It sounds nearly the same to QuadCast Mic
  • It’s relatively affordable 

Reasons to Avoid

  • It has the limited feature set

5. Blue Microphones Yeti Nano

The Blue Yeti Nano features remarkable quality for music, podcasting, and streaming. With its 24-bit/48kHz recording capabilities, a fairly portable build, and two pickup patterns, this condenser mic could do more for an affordable price. If you are looking for a budget recording setup or simply a decent sound quality on your video calls and streams, this is perfect for you.

The Yeti Nano is a USB desktop mic with two polar patterns, omnidirectional and cardioid. It allows you to talk it instead of directly into the top. It also picks up sound from the mic’s side. You can pick between the pickup patterns on the housing or through the Blue Sherpa software.

Further, the mic features a headphone monitoring dial, but there’s no sign that conveys your volume level. Still, you can easily change the headphone volume in the app, or you can mute the app by simply pressing the headphone dial on the mic. You also get two ports: a micro USB for connecting to your computer and a 3.5mm headphone jack for live monitoring.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: condenser
  • Polar pattern: directional, omnidirectional, and cardioid
  • Frequency response: 15Hz-22kHz
  • Max SPL: 120db
  • Weight: 630 grams 

Reasons to Buy

  • Great portability features
  • High-quality audio quality
  • The inclusion of Blue Sherpa software is highly appreciated

Reasons to Avoid

  • You need an adapter if you want to use it on a Mac computer
  • It only provides two polar patterns

6. Samson Go Mic

A portable and compact studio mic, the Samson Go Mic has many features, reasonably priced. It has a quality built-in digital converter and USB interface, which make it a good professional tool for podcasting and recording. You can also have zero-latency monitoring and playback of the recordings with its built-in headphone output.

With its unique fold-up construction, the Samson Go Mic is extremely portable, which makes it ideal for laptop and mobile recording. On top of that, it features a selectable dual-pickup pattern (omnidirectional and cardioid), so it is good for conferences, vocals, and a broad spectrum of uses.

It’s worth mentioning that it’s compatible with most Windows and Mac PC, Android, and iOS devices. However, for iOS devices, you should have the Apple Lighting to USB camera adapter. If you want to connect it on Android, you should have an OTG adapter.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: condenser
  • Polar pattern: multipattern
  • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
  • Max SPL: 130db
  • Weight: 515 grams 

Reasons to Buy

  • Ideal for most settings
  • Smooth and simple plug and play
  • Works with iPad
  • Excellent sound

Reasons to Avoid

  • It steals audio output from a laptop
  • Too big for other people

7. Blue Yeti USB Microphone

Blue Yeti USB Mic is a well-designed USB dynamic microphone with a combination of reasonable price, performance, and quality. It’s simple to use, delivers a top-notch crisp sound, and supports real-time monitoring with its built-in volume knob.

It can switch between four polar patterns, directional, omnidirectional, and cardioid, which make it the best USB YouTube microphone ideal for multi-people or single recording. Keep in mind that Blue Yeti comes with a sturdy, built-in stand that enables you to rotate the microphone back and forth. Nonetheless, you can effortlessly remove the mic if you like to record with the floating mic stand as an alternative.

Also, it has buttons on the mic, allowing you to mute yourself, change volume levels, and pick which side of the mic is recording. You could even plug your headphones straight into it, right to where you will plug the USB cord to connect it to the laptop before recording.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: condenser
  • Polar pattern: directional, omnidirectional, and cardioid
  • Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
  • Max SPL: 110db
  • Weight: 1kilograms  

Reasons to Buy

  • Clear and precise sound
  • Many colors to choose from
  • Many record patterns selection
  • Tri-capsule array improves recording capabilities

Reasons to Avoid

  • Computers should have 64MB of RAM

8. Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic

Blue’s Snowball is considered a classic-looking USB mic for YouTube recording. It features studio-quality sounds apart from its timeless and elegant design. The USB mic comes with a -10cB pad that removes any distortion or noise from your recording.

In addition, the Snowball package comes with a USB cable and desktop stand. That means you have everything to start recording your YouTube videos. Finally, the dual capsule design guarantees you have a choice between cardioid and omnidirectional elements of your recording. If you only like affordability and versatility, you cannot go wrong with Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic.

Since it is plug-and-play, you can effortlessly connect it to your PC or Mac without the need for any software or driver installation. You can also expect a clear audio response and is Skype certified.

Specifications

  • Microphone type: condenser
  • Polar pattern: cardioid
  • Frequency response: 40Hz to 18kHz
  • Max SPL: 102dB
  • Weight: 460 grams 

Reasons to Buy

  • It has a helpful noise cancellation capacity
  • Lightweight with a classic feel in the design
  • Decent build together with its good sound quality

Reasons to Avoid

  • The build could have been a lot better with quality materials
  • Lowered versatility with one audio setting

How do I Get Good Audio on YouTube Videos?

YouTube is an excellent way for promoting yourself, a product or service, a cause, or just for old fun. Good audio for YouTube is vital for your viewers’ enjoyment. If you really want to clear video and good audio for your content, then recording good audio must be your priority.

Whether you are recording on-camera audio or using voice-over mics to go along with your YouTube videos, you should have an awesome mic by your side that can provide clear and crisp results so your viewers can easily understand what you are saying in your video.

Final Verdict

There you have it! We recommend the Blue Yeti Nano microphone for all your YouTubing recording needs.

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