The best audio interface under $300 is going to be a perfect solution for those either just starting out, building a home recording studio, or others who want to record higher-end audio resolution at a very affordable price. Considering many interfaces out there can go for thousands of dollars at a time, this will be a good starting point for many that will last you years down the road. Home recording studios, streamers, podcasters and other forms of audio recording in this category have found the right place.
Finding the best under $300 audio interface
- How many inputs do you need? First and foremost when I shop for audio interfaces, I keep in mind the amount of microphones or instrument lines I’ll need handy. If you’re a solo musician, podcast or streamer and only need to record yourself, we still recommend buying an audio interface with two mic inputs to be safe. The most common (especially at this budget of $300 or less) inputs are mic\line combo inputs and there are typically at least two in interfaces. If you’re perhaps recording a band that has drums, guitars or other instruments at the same time, look into more, but typically those start to hike up the price. You’ll see audio interface models say either ‘2×2’ or ‘4i4’ which indicates the amount of inputs and outputs it has. Keep in mind the models we list tend to gravitate towards the lesser ins or outs, but all interfaces have options with more in case you need it. It’ll just cost some extra money.
- What is your connection to your computer? USB, Thunderbolt, and FireWire are the most common. This will of course depend on your type of computer, but in this budget for under $300, only USB is available.
- Pay attention to audio resolution – A lot of people bicker and debate about this side of the recording game and rightfully so; if I was buying a new interface, I’d want to make sure my audio interface has the best recording quality possible, especially if I’m going to be investing hundreds of dollars into the gear.
- Make sure it is at least 24-bit depth. 16-bit used to be the norm but we don’t go lower than 24 anymore in this day and age. All are covered here.
- The higher the audio resolution the better. This is that ‘kHz’ you’ll see after the bit-depth is listed. We don’t recommend going lower than lower than 96 kHz, but nowadays there are many audio interfaces in this range that go to 192 kHz, so aim for that! You’ll be set for a very long time.
- Read into what the preamps and converters are made of – This budget-range won’t get too fancy, but as you get deeper into audio interfaces, the actual way in which audio is processed is what determines pricing and the ‘quality’ of an audio interface. You’ll have to read more about their actual converters and preamps and what the material is, what type of circuitry, etc. It gets a little wordy but when you become more advanced with audio recording and how it’s processed from your mic/instruments to your computer, it’ll be worth learning some of the nuances. If you are indeed just recording some home audio with podcasts or music, you will be fine finding an interface from our under $300 list.
- Some other common features we prioritize in interfaces – We like separate volumes and outputs for headphones and studio monitors in order to switch back and forth between listening to our speakers or headphones separately. Gain control for each channel is a must. Software bundles included aren’t too big of a deal. And that’s about all we’ll list here for the $300 or less interfaces (for now).
- Listen to recording demos and samples! There’s nothing like just finding an audio interface that merely ‘reads’ like it’s good — anybody can use superlatives and adjectives to make their products sound ‘cool’. Especially when it comes to actual ‘audio’, the internet isn’t always the best source to purchase. So we either recommend going into your local Guitar Center or other musical equipment stores to actually use a unit. Or perhaps search around on other music equipment blog sites, like Reddit or here.
The best audio interfaces under $300 dollars
Solid State Logic SSL2
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 192 kHz
- Inputs: Two (2) microphone/instrument combo ins
- Outputs: Two (2) 1/4″ (L/R), One (1) headphones (1/4″)
- Connection: USB-C 2.0
- Preamps: Two (2)
- Software included: Pro Tools First, Bomb Factory Plugins, Hybrid Keys, Komplete Start
- Read our Solid State Logic SSL2 review for more info
We had to list this first as the best audio interface under $300 for quite a few reasons — but most importantly, we just purchased this ourselves when we heard it announced at NAMM 2020. Why were we so attracted to it? Most importantly to be honest, the sound. SSL is typically a ‘higher-end’ brand when it comes to audio equipment, in particular their consoles. The reason is due to the converters and actual material and make of their preamps. They spend a lot more time and money on these which allows them to up that price and stay in that ‘professional’ realm, but to our surprise this year they started entering the home studio interface game and we couldn’t be happier.
They were able to mix in those higher-end circuitry and conversion technology into a little bad boy that we can fit in our studio for $300 or less. The audio resolution by itself speaks volumes, and tops over most models in here. Not to mention a nice software package in case you need some sounds or trials of a few major DAW. The Solid State Logic SSL2 takes the cake for us as best audio interface for under $300, but only if you’re fine with a few microphone\instrument ins and don’t need any more.
Audient iD4
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 96 kHz
- Inputs: One (1) microphone/instrument combo
- Outputs: Two (2) 1/4″ (monitors), Two (2) headphone (one 1/4″, and one 1/8″)
- Connection: USB-B 2.0
- Preamps: One (1) mic, One (1) instrument
- Software included: Arc Creative Hub (plugins, samples, software)
Here’s a close second to win the award of best audio interface for $300 or less. Audient is a reputable brand among music gear heads and the iD4 is a huge recommendation by many for a budget-friendly and simple interface to work with in a home studio, either for music or streaming and podcasting. The one downfall some will iterate at first is the lack of two mic ins, so if you’re recording a podcast with two speakers or a song needing two mic sources you’ll be out of luck. However, if you’re just recording yourself and can switch out the mic and instrument, this is the best fit out there.
The preamp inside is a pristine Class A and they do however include a JFET instrument input on top of it all for a cleaner, brighter source for instruments, such as guitars. Overall the Audient iD4 is a beautiful sounding budget-friendly interface just under $300 to look at with nicer converters and preamp than many out there in this price-range.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 192 kHz
- Inputs: Two (2) microphone/instrument combo (XLR/1/4″/Hi-Z)
- Outputs: Two (2) 1/4″ TRS, One (1) headphones
- Connection: USB-C 2.0
- Preamps: Two (2)
- Software included: Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First, Focusrite Plug-in Collective, Softtube Time and Tone, Splice 3-month subscription, XLN Additctive Keys
Go into any audio interface guide, on any website, or search for an interface on any eCommerce retail store and you’re going to see this thing come up, time and time again. We’re not listing it just because of that — many love this for a reason! Others like to debate and criticize it because that’s just what humans do — pick a part something that is popular and have a differing opinion than the masses. But hey, our job here is to be impartial and give you choices for the best audio interface for an under $300 budget.
And the Scarlett 2i2 is famous due to the sound quality (check the numbers on resolution), overall stability, jam-packed software package, and of course, how it sounds. If you want the safest bet and want to make sure you have an audio interface that has proven itself time and time again, grab the Scarlet 2i2 and don’t look back!
MOTU M2 2×2
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 192 kHz
- Inputs: Two (2) combo XLR/1/4″ (mic/instrument)
- Outputs: Two 1/4″ TRS, One (1) RCA, One (1) 1/4″ (headphone)
- Connection: USB-C 2.0
- Preamps: Two (2)
- Software included: MOTU Performer Lite, Ableton Live Lite, 100+ Virtual Instruments, 6GB+ Loops and Sounds
Here’s another solid interface under $300 to keep in mind by the mighty MOTU brand, and here we have a few different features that may attract you as opposed to our previous three picks. The M2 is great with an LCD screen for on-board monitoring meters and something called ‘loopback’ (a feature useful for streaming or podcasting which allows you to blend your signals (either mic or instrument) with your computer’s output to record it all at once).
They use some nice ESS Sabre32 DAC technology for great audio capturing and conversion (gives us up to 120 dB of dynamic range), as well as super low-latency recording as low as 2.5 ms. On top of that some decent sounds with 6GB+ of loops and samples in case you want to add some sounds to your toolbox. In our opinion the Motu M2 is a great audio interface under $300 to look into as we near the half-way mark of our guide today.
Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 192 kHz
- Inputs: Two (2) combo mic/instrument, Two (2) 1/4″, MIDI I/O
- Outputs: Two (2) stereo, Two (2) 1/4″, One (1) 1/4″
- Connection: USB-B 2.0
- Preamps: Two (2) MIDAS
- Software included: Tracktion DAW and 150 instrument/effect plug-ins
Behringer sometimes gets a bad rap but we’re big fans of theirs especially when it comes to finding some effective budget-friendly music equipment. The UMC204HD is a highly rated audio interface under $300 bucks for a few reasons — standouts include MIDI in/out (haven’t seen that yet in the other interfaces, although it isn’t a must because you can simply stick those straight into your computer instead), RCA if you have any additional gear you’d like to plug in to the interface (such as DJ gear), switchable input pads line-level signals, zero latency recording, and something called their “Real MIDAS” technology.
This tech is essentially their creation of preamps, but they describe it as “having clear sound with plenty of headroom” – of course, listen to samples for your own conclusion. The Behringer Euphoria is a decent audio interface under three-hundred dollars if you needed some extra outs and like the sound of this one.
Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2
- Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 192 kHz
- Inputs: Two (2) XLR/1/4″ mic/instrument combo
- Outputs: Two (2) 1/4″ TRS, One (1) 1/4″ headphones
- Connection: USB-B 2.0
- Preamps: Two (2)
- Software included: Ableton Live 10 Lite, Maschine Essentials, Komplete Start
Oh, Native Instruments, how torn we are at times to recommend your gear to our readers. We say this only because it pertains to a more subjective audience — you’re buying their gear not just for the “audio interface”, but for what else they can provide when to sounds and software. A lot of their gear is focused on providing the musician a “whole experience” and streamlined workflow that’s geared only towards the compatibility of their own equipment and software. This interface here is somewhere in the middle — you can get away with buying it just for the interface, but you’d really be getting your bang for your buck if you want the bundle as well.
The Komplete Audio 2 has all of the necessary features we’ve listed as essential in an interface — multiple ins, outs, great resolution and phantom power. This one however also gives us to more software, sounds and effects that we can count — Ableton Live Lite, Komplete Start (production suite), Maschine Essentials (gigs upon gigs of sounds), and some extra effects plug-ins, too.