Behringer UMC22 vs Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen

What published reviews say about each, where the two differ, and who each one suits.

Summed up from 16 published reviews

Behringer

UMC22

An inexpensive, compact starter interface for solo voice or instrument recording, limited by one microphone input, basic controls, and Windows driver quirks.

Best for: Beginners recording one voice or instrument on a tight budget
Skip it if: You need multiple inputs, native Windows ASIO, or ultra-low noise

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the Behringer UMC22

Focusrite

Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen

A compact, beginner-friendly interface with clean preamps, low latency, and strong bundled software for basic recording.

Best for: Solo guitarists and singer-songwriters needing clean, portable mono recording
Skip it if: You need multiple inputs, MIDI, loopback, or hardware monitor controls

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen

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Specs side by side

Spec	Behringer UMC22	Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen
Best for	Music	Podcasts, Music
Max gain	–	56 dB
USB-C	No	Yes
Mic inputs	1	1
Type	Audio interface	Audio interface
Phantom power	Yes	Yes
Guitar input	Yes	Yes
Loopback	No	No
Built-in effects	No	No
MIDI	No	No

Rows where the two differ come first.

Where only one fits

use: Scarlett Solo 3rd GenPodcasts
must-haves: Scarlett Solo 3rd GenUSB-C

What reviewers like, and what they don't

Behringer UMC22

Affordable entry-level pricing with strong value 1 2 3 4
Compact, bus-powered design suits small spaces 1 2 3 5
Usable Midas preamp for solo voice and instrument recording 2 3 4 6
Simple setup, especially on macOS 1 2 3 4
Solid build and practical direct monitoring 2 3 5 7
Windows requires ASIO4ALL, adding setup and reliability issues 1 3 6 7
Only one microphone can be recorded at a time 2 4 6
Noise floor may expose hiss in quiet recordings 1 6
Shared volume control and limited gain complicate monitoring 3 4 6

Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen

Clean, transparent recordings with strong preamps and subtle Air voicing 1 3 4 5
Compact, bus-powered, rugged design suits portable home recording 1 3 4 5
Low latency and flexible direct monitoring support an easy workflow 1 3 4 5
Generous DAW, plugin, and virtual-instrument bundle adds immediate production value 1 2 5 6
Only one mic and one instrument input leave little room to expand 1 4 7
Missing MIDI and loopback limits controller and streaming flexibility 7 8
Monitoring lacks dedicated level and mute controls 2 6

Sources

We don't test products ourselves. This page sums up 16 published reviews, read on October 21, 2026; each point above links to the reviews that make it.