Which Bat Detector?

Recent advances in bat detector technology mean that a lot of the advice on the internet is out of date, hence this is our up-to-date (May 2026), tried and tested, advice on how to choose the right bat detector for you. On this page we have:

It is very possible to watch bats without any equipment, especially where they emerge from roosts, or shortly after dusk along well-used bat flight paths.  However as bats echolocation is mostly beyond the range of human hearing, a bat detector is key if you want to hear bats to locate their presence, learn more about them, and be able to understand the differences between species.

Our top recommended bat detectors had not changed for a several years, however new devices with greater abilities at disruptive cheaper costs mean our 2026 recommendations are mostly brand new. (Prices from April 2025)

Summary of our advice for 2026:

Full Detailed List of recommendations:

Bat detectors use several technologies, to enable us to hear ultrasound bat calls that are above the range of our hearing. These are referred to throughout our recommendations, and you can find detailed descriptions of the technologies on this page.

For a naturalist, or interested amateur

If you want to listen to bats out in the field then the Pipistrelle family of devices developed by Phil Atkins from Wiltshire using the RaspberryPi Pico offer advanced features at a market disrupting cost. They also have upgradable software on board, which means new features may be made available at a later date.

To achieve the low cost, they use a very simple construction, hence the long term durability of these new devices is unknown, and may depend largely on use, and original build quality.

Examples of the simple construction include:

  • They do not have an in-built speaker. Instead they use a simple 3.5mm jack for connection to wired headphones or speaker.
  • An open battery pack is glued to the back of the device.
  • A tiny off/on switch
  • The microphone may not be quite as sensitive as more expensive commercial devices.

There are several options in the Pipistrelle family of devices:

  1. For mobile phone/tabletusers: The Griff 384kHz USB microphone with a free application will let you see, listen to, record, and view ultrasonic echolocation calls on a colourful, interactive spectrogram display. It can be worn as a credit card sized badge. Currently only available as a self build project (8 to £12 each when building 5). Allow an extra £2-3 for adaptor cable(s).
    Download the apps here:
  2. Best value handheld: The mini PiPistrelle is a auto-tuning Heterodyne and Time Expansion detector, The tuned frequency is announced via a synthetic voice, and LEDs provide frequency range information. It can also be used as a ultrasound mic with a mobile device (i.e. exactly like a Griff).
    It is available assembled at €65 +postage, or as a self build project (£16 each when building 5).

There are many other basic detectors available, the following are tried and tested Hetrodyne models:

  • Magenta 5 (£116) – this is a good quality, robust, Heterodyne detector.   Simple manual digital backlit tuning, inbuilt torch, and fairly loud volume.   The group has three sets of a dozen of these for loan on Bat walks, and has had superb after sales service from the manufacturer. These devices last for years!
  • The BatBox III D (£170) in various versions was the first, and the “go-to” Heterodyne bat detector for group members for many years.   Manual tuning. Still a solid choice.
  • The Elekon Batscanner (£259), is an auto tuning Heterodyne.  There is also a unique Stereo version  (£319), that when used with headphones reportedly indicates which direction a bat is coming from.

For a committed amateur or Ecologist:

If you want to automatically identify bat species, and record the echo-location calls for later desk analysis a full spectrum detector/recorder like the Echo Meter Touch 2 (£185-£345), used with a phone or tablet is a great tool.

This is a combination of a Ultrasonic microphone that plugs into your phone or tablet, and software that you install.   With this you can listen to, record and view ultrasonic echolocation calls on a colourful, interactive spectrogram.  The software can even suggest the most likely species detected.

There are two current versions of the EMT:

  • Echo Meter Touch 2 (£185) – “Good enough” for most non pros.  For most bats it is similar to the Pro, but is poorer at highest frequencies, and hence it will miss some of the quieter Lesser horseshoe calls.  The group uses these for our Big Bat Counts.
  • Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro (£345) – The industry standard, lower noise, a few more settings, and more sensitive at higher frequencies.
    • The original black Echo Meter Touch, is no longer made, but fell between the two above in price and performance.

In practice results do vary, in general:

  • The software works better on faster, more expensive devices, and the application seems more stable and reliable on iOS (iPhone) devices, than on Android (8.0+)
  • It’s important to check that your device is compatible.
  • Depending on speed of the device, there is some lag as the software analyses the sound from the microphone, hence its difficult to match echolocation with bat behaviour (feeding buzzes etc..)
  • The software can mimic Heterodyne or Time Expansion output to the speaker, but again this can be laggy or broken up sound, and is worse on slow devices.

However having said this, the combination of near real time graphs of frequency detected over time, and auto ID, of species mean that a novice with a EMT2 will usually detect more bats, than a seasoned bat worker of 30+ year experience with their trusty Heterodyne detector.  The book by John Russ, British Bat Calls, is very useful in understanding  the displayed sonograms.

So complete has been the revolution, that there are young bat ecologists starting their careers, that only talk about “hockey stick” , or “staple shaped” calls, and have never heard a bat call via a heterodyne detector.

However many ecologists use both devices in tandem:

  • An EMT with sound off, to detect bats on screen, and check peak frequencies.
  • Then a Heterodyne detector to tune to the specific frequency identified on the EMT, to enable watching of bat behaviour and hear echolocation in real time.

Passive (Static) bat Recorders:

Unlike the handheld devices above, these devices are left out for several nights, and record all the ultrasound they hear for later analysis. Static full spectrum devices like the Song Meter SM4Bat (£1020) are often deployed by professionals in the field unattended for weeks at a time.  But the cost prohibits amateur use. However over the past years a couple of low cost alternatives have become available:

PipPyg

Part of the π•pistrelle family of detectors, this can be bought assembled for €65 +postage, or self-built for £20 each (when building 5+). The PippyG is designed specifically for bat recording, and hence has far fewer configuration options than the AudioMoth making deployment much easier. Testing has shown a comparable recording performance to Audiomoth. The firmware supports the industry standard GUANO format metadata, including Timestamp (local time).

Designed as a AudioMoth “clone”, it is a similar form factor, however the microphone placement and greater depth means it cannot fit in AudioMoth cases, and different DIY cases have to be made. The OBO Bettermann 2000016 Junction Box (75x75mm), is a good base to start from.

AUDIOMOTH

The result of a partnership between Oxford and Southampton Universities has produced the AudioMoth (£80), a tiny, low cost, static ultrasound recorder.   While the AudioMoth produces more noisy recordings, and is not as sensitive as professional equipment, its low cost means it can be deployed in many different situations without worry.

The device has been trailed by the BCT over the past years as part of their British Bat Survey and the development has matured. It is a general purpose ultrasound recording device, and is very configurable. Hence it needs careful configuration to make it suitable for bat recording.

The official case does result in some loss of recording quality, and many AudioMoths are deployed in DIY cases.

Where to buy a Bat Detector?

Bat detectors are mostly sold online. A web search of “bat detector” will bring up links to the major retailers.   The Bat group has used the following suppliers over the years:

The π•pistrelle family of detectors are available fully assembled and tested from:

Apodemus