Micstream vs AudioRelay vs WO Mic
Updated September 23, 2026 · 4 min read
First, a disclosure: we make Micstream. AudioRelay and WO Mic are older than Micstream, and each is good at what it focuses on. Everything below comes from each app's own website. If we couldn't check a detail, we left it out.
The numbers
| Feature | Micstream | AudioRelay | WO Mic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio format | 32-bit float | 16-bit integer | 16-bit integer |
| Channels | Stereo | Stereo | Mono |
| Noise cancellation | AI (DeepFilterNet), free | × | |
| Connections | USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, USB | USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Phone app | Android, iOS (Wi-Fi only) | Android | Android, iOS (Wi-Fi only) |
| Desktop | Windows 10/11, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| PC audio to phone | × | × | |
| Pricing model | Free with rewarded ads; Pro subscription | Free version; Premium upgrade | Free |
Micstream
Micstream is built for sound quality. On Windows, a driver adds a real microphone. On Linux, it's a PipeWire virtual microphone. Either way, you don't need a virtual cable or any setup in each app. The audio is 48 kHz, stereo on supported phones, and handled as 32-bit float on the PC. Over USB, the delay is often under 10 ms on high-end phones. Over Wi-Fi, the app finds your PC by itself.
It also removes background noise. The desktop client runs DeepFilterNet, an AI noise-cancellation model, on your computer. It's on by default and free, and you can switch it on or off from the phone while streaming.
The downsides: there's no macOS client yet, iPhones connect over Wi-Fi only (USB is for Android), and it doesn't send PC audio back to the phone. It's a microphone, not an audio router. The free version has ads: watching a short ad gives you streaming time. A Pro subscription removes the ads and the time limit.
AudioRelay
AudioRelay's main feature is that it works in both directions. It sends your phone's mic to the PC over Wi-Fi or USB. It also sends your PC's audio to the phone, so the phone can work as wireless headphones or a speaker. Neither of the other two can do that. It's also the only one of the three with a macOS client. It has a free version and a paid Premium upgrade.
The difference is the audio: AudioRelay uses 16-bit audio. For calls, that's perfectly fine. For recording, a 24-bit phone mic gets cut down to 16 bits before the audio reaches your PC.
WO Mic
WO Mic is the oldest of the three, and it's free. Its developer says you shouldn't have to buy extra hardware for this. It supports the most connection types: USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct on Android, plus an iOS app over Wi-Fi. The iOS app hasn't been updated since 2022. If you need Bluetooth, WO Mic is the only one that has it.
The downside is 16-bit mono audio at 48 kHz. Mono is the bigger limit: recordings have one channel, no stereo. The same 16-bit cut applies too. That's fine for voice chat, but you can hear it in recordings.
Why bit depth matters
The format affects what you hear. A 16-bit app throws away up to 8 of the 24 bits a flagship phone records before the audio reaches your PC. Floating point also changes the volume without the small rounding errors of integer math. That's often why the same phone sounds different in different mic apps.
Which one should you use?
- AudioRelay: if you also want PC audio on your phone, or your computer runs macOS.
- WO Mic: if you want free and simple, or need Bluetooth, and 16-bit mono is enough for you.
- Micstream: if sound quality matters (recording, streaming or calls) and you want background noise removed, on Windows 10/11 or Linux.
If you choose Micstream, setup takes a few minutes: see the setup guide, and the short guides for Discord and OBS. The best test is free: try it next to what you use now, on your own hardware.