Guides / Choosing a Mac audio recorder
Can you record audio on a Mac for free?
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
Yes. A microphone can be recorded for free with nothing installed: QuickTime Player saves 24-bit AIFF-C at its Maximum setting and Voice Memos offers Lossless. Internal audio is free too, at a cost in setup: OBS Studio writes a video file, and the BlackHole driver needs an install, a restart and a Multi-Output Device. AirCheck ($39 once) skips all of that: one button, no driver, speakers stay on, no length limit, WAV or MP3 out, 14-day refund.
What can you record for free with nothing installed?
Any input. Tested on macOS 26.4.1 on 3 Sept 2026, both routes work as Apple documents them:
- QuickTime Player: File > New Audio Recording. Arrow menu: choose the microphone and the quality (High = 44.1 kHz AAC, Maximum = 44.1 kHz uncompressed Linear PCM 24-bit AIFF-C). Record, stop, save.
- Voice Memos: click Record, click Done. Voice Memos > Settings > Audio Quality: Compressed or Lossless. Works with the built-in mic, a supported headset or an external mic.
That covers a voice note, an in-room lecture, an interview across a table, and an instrument or turntable that reaches the Mac through an audio interface. The interface counts as a microphone to these apps; you cannot choose a specific channel pair, but a two-input interface presents its pair by default.
What this does not cover is anything the Mac itself plays. The microphone menu never lists system output. The screenshot toolbar (Cmd-Shift-5) has the same list. So the free, no-install answer is complete for inputs and empty for internal audio; the built-in recorder page goes through both apps in more detail.
What is a free way to record internal audio on a Mac?
Two, and they trade money for different things.
OBS Studio. Free and open source, macOS 12.0 or newer. On macOS 13 or newer, OBS 30 and later provide a macOS Audio Capture source that captures all desktop audio or one application, with no driver. Setup is one source. The trade: OBS writes a video container. You then extract the audio, which is one more step and one more tool. The OBS page has the exact settings.
BlackHole plus QuickTime or Audacity. BlackHole is a virtual loopback driver, GPL v3, optional donation. Following the vendor's README and Audacity's guide:
- Close all audio apps, install the BlackHole package, restart when prompted.
- Open Audio MIDI Setup, click the plus button, Create Multi-Output Device, tick your speakers and BlackHole.
- Set that Multi-Output Device as the system output.
- In QuickTime or Audacity, choose BlackHole as the input and record.
The trade is those steps, a restart, and one trap: skip step 2 and your speakers are silent while BlackHole is the output. Audacity's own guide still names Soundflower and warns it does not work on Apple silicon, so read it as BlackHole.
What does the free internal-audio route really cost you?
Nothing in money and something in each of these:
- A restart before the first BlackHole take, per the vendor's install steps.
- Volume control. With a Multi-Output Device selected as output, the macOS volume keys no longer control the speakers in the usual way; you set levels per device in Audio MIDI Setup. The Multi-Output page explains the workaround.
- Maintenance. A driver lives in Audio MIDI Setup and can vanish after a macOS update until reinstalled.
- A conversion step with OBS, since the recording is a video container.
- Everything or nothing. BlackHole captures the whole output including notification sounds; Audacity's guide warns you to turn them off. OBS can pick one app.
None of that is a reason not to use the free route for an occasional take. It is the reason people who record system audio every week pay $29 to $69 for a recorder that needs no driver. Disk space is the same either way: 24-bit 48 kHz stereo uses 16.5 MB per minute, MP3 320 kbps 2.4 MB, measured on 45 real recordings.
When is it worth paying instead?
Pay when one of these is true:
- You record what the Mac plays more than occasionally and want the speakers on, no restart, no Audio MIDI Setup. Piezo ($29, one app), AirCheck ($39, all system audio or an interface pair), Audio Hijack ($69, per app or all, mixable, demands a session built from blocks).
- You need a specific interface channel pair, such as inputs 3-4 of an 8-input Scarlett 8i6. AirCheck and Audio Hijack select it; QuickTime cannot.
- The take is long and unattended and a stalled device must not end the file. AirCheck restarts capture into the same file after 5 seconds without audio.
- You need a mic mixed with app audio in one file. Only Audio Hijack does that in this set.
Do not pay when the source is a microphone, when you need the screen anyway (OBS), or when the source is DRM-protected, since Apple TV+ and some Apple Music playback may capture silent under ScreenCaptureKit with any of these tools. Free versus paid puts the same decision in one table.
When using OBS Studio 30 on macOS 13 (Ventura) and higher, you can use the new macOS Audio Capture Source.
OBS Knowledge Base, macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide
Free recording routes on a Mac and what each costs in setup
| What you record | Free route | Steps before first take | Restart | Speakers stay on | Output | Paid shortcut (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microphone or interface | QuickTime Player | 2 (choose input, quality) | no | yes | AAC or 24-bit AIFF-C | none needed |
| Quick voice notes | Voice Memos | 1 | no | yes | Compressed or Lossless | none needed |
| Internal audio, with screen | OBS Studio (macOS 13+) | 1 source | no | yes | video container | none needed |
| Internal audio, audio file | BlackHole + QuickTime | 4 plus install | yes | only with Multi-Output Device | AAC or AIFF-C | Piezo 29, AirCheck 39, Audio Hijack 69 |
| One app only, audio file | OBS with one application selected | 1 source | no | yes | video container | Piezo 29, Audio Hijack 69 |
| Mic plus app in one file | BlackHole + Aggregate Device + Audacity | 6 plus install | yes | only with Multi-Output Device | audio file | Audio Hijack 69 |
Step counts follow the vendor and Apple documentation linked below; they are counts of distinct actions, not timings.
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck is the right buy for the fourth row: internal audio to an audio file with no driver, no restart and the speakers on. One permission prompt (Screen & System Audio Recording), one button, 24-bit capture through ScreenCaptureKit, export to WAV 16-bit, WAV 24-bit or MP3 320 kbps, no length limit, and a watchdog that restarts a stalled capture into the same file. It also records any Core Audio input with a channel-pair picker. $39 once, $30 under Audio Hijack, macOS 14 or newer, Apple silicon and Intel, 14-day refund.
When you do not need it: You do not need it for a microphone (QuickTime and Voice Memos are free and record 24-bit or lossless) or for the screen (OBS). AirCheck records one source per take; mixing a mic with an app live is a different category of tool.
AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.
macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.
Questions people ask
What is a free way to record internal audio on a Mac?
OBS Studio on macOS 13 or newer with a macOS Audio Capture source, output as a video file; or the BlackHole driver with a Multi-Output Device, recorded in QuickTime or Audacity. Both are free; both cost setup.
How to screen record with internal audio on Mac free?
OBS Studio: add a macOS Screen Capture source on macOS 13 or newer and its audio is added to the mixer automatically. The built-in Cmd-Shift-5 recorder captures the microphone only.
Is there a built-in audio recorder on a Mac?
Yes, two: Voice Memos and QuickTime Player. Both record microphones and other Core Audio inputs, QuickTime up to 24-bit uncompressed AIFF-C. Nothing built in records the Mac's own output; for that you need OBS Studio, the BlackHole driver, or a paid recorder.
Does BlackHole mute my speakers?
If you set BlackHole itself as the output, yes. Create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup that includes both your speakers and BlackHole and select that as output instead.
Sources
- Apple: Record audio in QuickTime Player on Mac
- Apple: Create a recording in Voice Memos on Mac
- Apple: Change settings in Voice Memos on Mac (Compressed or Lossless)
- OBS Project: OBS Studio home page (free and open source, version 32.2.2, macOS 12.0 or newer)
- OBS Knowledge Base: macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide
- Existential Audio: BlackHole download page (optional donation)
- BlackHole LICENSE on GitHub (GNU GPL v3.0)
- BlackHole README on GitHub (install steps, restart required)
- Audacity Support: Recording desktop audio
- Rogue Amoeba: Piezo license key, $29 USD (checked 3 Sept 2026)
- AirCheck: product page, $39 one-off, macOS 14 or newer
- Rogue Amoeba: Audio Hijack license key, $69 USD (checked 3 Sept 2026)
Related guides
- Free vs paid Mac audio recorders: what does free actually cover?
- Does Mac have a built-in audio recorder?
- How to capture desktop audio in OBS on a Mac
- How to create a Multi-Output Device on a Mac (and keep hearing your audio)
- What is the best audio recording software for Mac in 2026?
- Audio Hijack vs Piezo vs AirCheck: which one-off Mac recorder should you buy?
- Choosing a Mac audio recorder: all guides
- Every guide, by topic