What Microscope to Buy in 2024

Microscope Categories

Mobile Microscopes: Inexpensive, low magnification, and for on-the-go applications. Either fits over your smartphone camera or you look through the eyepiece directly (some do both).

Digital Microscopes: Inexpensive, easy to use, and give low to medium magnification. These project to a screen. They either connect to your computer with USB, to a TV with HDMI, or have a built in screen.

Compound Microscopes: Probably what you picture when you think of the word 'microscope'. These are more expensive but give high magnifications. They also require more involved sample preparation. 

Stereo Microscopes: Very similar use case to the digital microscopes, but you are now looking through eyepieces and get 3D vision under the microscope. These work best for work where you have to physically do something under a microscope such as soldering or watch making.

Buying Tips

• Higher magnification is not better: You need to match your magnification to the sample you are looking at. Using high magnification to look at a low magnification sample is like watching a movie on a big screen TV when your nose is touching the TV.
• More expensive is not better: The best microscope results come from matching the microscope illumination technique/type of microscope to the sample that you are trying to image. A $10,000 microscope that uses the wrong illumination technique for your sample will create worse results than a $100 microscope that is matched to your sample.
• Don't get hung up on specific brands: Many of the most common consumer microscope brands are white-labeling their microscopes from manufacturers that are all located on the same street in Shenzhen, China. Amscope, Swift, Euromax, and us at Micro Safari, are all examples of this. That's not to say that imported microscopes are bad. Nearly 100% of consumer-grade microscopes come from China and their quality is quite good these days.
• Beware of brands that inflate their magnification numbers: You can trust the numbers that Amscope or Swift give. Don't trust random brand name Amazon microscopes that cost $20 and give "1000x" magnification. These numbers are either misleading or are straight up lies. Unfortunately, sellers are incentivized to bump up their magnification numbers because some consumers assume that more magnification = better.

Mobile Microscopes

Mobile microscopes are SUPER convenient, cheap, and work surprisingly well. Even with access to all of the rest of the microscopes we have, I still find myself using mobile microscopes just as much as the more expensive ones. They make great gifts for kids but can also be used professionally.

I’ve got to do some expectation setting here, you aren’t going to be looking at bacteria or getting 1000x magnification with a $20 mobile microscope, but for most everyday samples, you really don’t need those capabilities. 

#1 Carson Microbrite - $19

I've tested about 25 different mobile microscopes and the Carson Microbrite was far ahead of the pack. It's under $20, and the visual clarity and widefield optics are unmatched. When compared against knock off mobile microscopes that have the same form and functions, the Carson Microbrite's image quality is obviously superior. 

Key Features:

• 60x - 120x magnification with adjustable zoom
• AA battery powered
• Reflected light LED
• Look through it directly or attach to your phone camera with included clip

Pros:

• Incredible image quality. Comparable image quality to $100 price range full size compound microscope
• Large view field
• No smartphone required.
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Length and weight make it difficult to use with your phone

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Carson Optical
• Micro Safari

 #2 Generic Mobile Microscope - $10

We've been including this mobile microscope with our Micro Safari Terra kit for years now and it is my second favorite mobile microscope of all time. It has an unassuming and plausibly cheap look, but don't let that fool you, it is the most convenient and functional mobile microscope we've found, even 4 years later.

Why no brand name? You can find this design being sold by an unlimited number of Aliexpress vendors, amazon, and our website, with a wide range of build qualities. We've found a supplier that consistently delivers lenses without smudges and long lasting batteries.

Key Features:

• Spring loaded clamp holds onto your phone and turns on the LED at the same time.
• Built in reflected light LED
• 30x ish magnification

Pros:

• 72hrs of continuous use battery life
• The right amount of magnification for a mobile microscope
• Uses the camera's built in autofocus
• Short form factor stays in place on your phone and is easy to handle
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Smarphone/iPad required
• LED causes glare on some samples
• Inconsistent build quality depending on where it is purchased from

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Micro Safari 
• Aliexpress

#3 iPhone 15 Pro Macro Mode - $999

We had Micro Safari Terra customers let us know that their iPhone 13 Pro, and later Pro models of iPhone have a built in macro mode that is almost as magnified as the mobile microscope. Sure enough, we tested Terra with just a bare iPhone 15 Pro and the results were shockingly good. I used to carry a mobile microscope in my backpack, but I don't need to anymore.

Key Features:

• Macro mode of an iPhone Pro 
• Comparable to a 30x lens

Pros:

• Takes advantage of the iPhone's built in camera stabilization, autofocus, and low light capabilities
• If you already own an iPhone 13 Pro or later you have a microscope in your pocket already 
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Have to hold it with your hand, can't set the lens down on the object
• $$$$

Digital Microscopes

Digital microscopes are inexpensive, convenient, and highly effective for low magnification, reflected light samples. Ideal samples include: fabrics, electronics, coins, insects, etc. 

Although any microscope can be turned digital with a camera, natively digital microscopes have a few commonalities:

• You view the image on a screen of some sort, whether that's a screen on the microscope, an HDMI connection to a TV, or a USB connection to your computer. There are no eyepieces to look through.
• Digital microscopes do not necessarily have to be designed for low magnification applications, but this is the trend that we see. 95% of digital microscopes on Amazon are low magnification and use reflected light illumination.

Digital microscopes are also the category that we are seeing the most improvement in year to year. Digital microscopes have been piggybacking off the advancements in image processors, camera sensors, and other digital technologies. We get about 1 new company per month offering to send us their 'coin microscope' for review. Although most are indistinguishable from each other, there are a few that stand out.

Please note that the magnification numbers provided by the manufacturers are generally made up because they are measuring the 'apparent magnification'. This is very different from true optical magnification. I made a whole video on this called The USB Microscope Lie.

#1 Andonstar AD246S-M - $180

We've been using Andonstar's digital microscopes for years now, and the AD246S-M dethroned our previous Andonstar favorite (ADSM302) both by being $50 cheaper, having better image quality, a bigger screen, AND a way higher magnification option by swapping in a different objective. 

We use Andonstar's microscopes in our line of Micro Safari Museum Exhibits because of their reliability, strong physical build quality, and good image quality. We've had an ADSM302 running for 5 YEARS STRAIGHT inside our Micro Safari Exhibit located at CuriOdyssey in San Mateo, CA.

 Key Features:

• Swappable 'objectives' for more magnification
• "18x - 2040x" (apparent magnification, mostly meaningless)
• USB or HDMI
• 4k video recording
• Adjustable Gooseneck LED illumination
• Includes control remote

Pros:

• Massive screen
• Exceptional image quality
• Large, sturdy stand
• Buttery smooth focus knob
• Highest magnification of any digital microscope we've tested
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Bulky
• The unit we purchased for testing had a couple of dead pixels on the image sensor. This is the first time we've seen this in any Andonstar product so I will give them a pass that this was a fluke
• Hard to remember part number

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Andonstar's Website

#2 Andonstar AD203 - $90

We were deciding between recommending the Andonstar AD203 or the Matata Studio M2B since they are at the same price point and neck and neck with overall user experience. We decided to recommend both because the AD203 is a better on the go digital microscope, and the M2B is a better stationary microscope.

 Key Features:

• Screen on the microscope
• "Built-in 4-inch LCD screen:28X, 3 times digital magnification:84X; Full screen of 30 inch computer:200X" This is actually a real, trustworthy magnification claim
• Adjustable Magnification
• Internal rechargeable batteries
• Optional record to micro SD card

Pros:

• Folds up to protect screen in transport
• Ergonomic on-the-go grip
• Battery powered
• Optional stand
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Stand feels like it wasn't made for this microscope
• No USB or HDMI output
• Can be difficult to turn the focus knob when not on stand

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Micro Safari 
• Andonstar's Website

#3 Pluggable USB Microscope - $40

The pluggable USB Microscope is our pick for best low-cost digital microscope. It is a few years old now, but is still is somehow ahead of the pack. To be clear here - there are better digital microscopes out there. But in terms of bang for the buck, the Pluggable is the best pick.

Key Features:

• USB 2.0 connection
• "60x - 250x" (Don't trust this number)
• Focus knob
• Gooseneck with suction cup stand
• Variable Magnification (changes based on how close you have the microscope to your sample)

Pros:

• Great framerate
• Low cost
• Pretty good image quality for the price
• No software required - just plug into your computer and your computer thinks its a webcam
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Gooseneck is not particularly sturdy and microscope is hard to keep still
• Difficult to focus

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Pluggable's website

#4 Matata Studio M2B - $90

The Matata Studio M2B is our pick for a good middle of the road digital microscope. This microscope is easy to use and is a great option for kids or hobbyists. 

 Note: the in-person on-screen image quality seems to be much better than the record quality.

Key Features:

• Screen on the microscope
• They claim it to be "40X-1000x" (Definitely don't trust this number)
• Adjustable Magnification
• Internal rechargeable batteries
• optional HDMI output
• Optional record to micro SD card

Pros:

• Clean, compact form factor
• The screen and built in batteries make this SUPER convenient
• Fairly solid stand
• Nice big focus knob
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• When using the HDMI to a TV, you can definitely see the low image quality when compared to a more expensive digital microscope
• Small built in screen (can be seen as a pro or con, it also is compact and doesn't take up much space)
• Good but not great image quality

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Matata Studio's Website

Compound Microscopes

Compound microscopes are what you likely picture in your head when you think the word "microscope". You'll need a compound microscope if you are looking at biological samples such as blood, pollen, sperm, bacteria, pond water organisms, etc.

Compound microscopes gives the highest true optical magnification and carefully control the illumination on the sample to achieve the highest resolution. Once you start using high magnifications, many practical problems come up that compound microscopes solve. For example, moving a sample microscopic distances with just your hands becomes nearly impossible, which a mechanical stage fixes. Second example, the higher the magnification, the thinner the plane of focus becomes, so you need an precision stage that is perfectly perpendicular to the microscope objective.

Compound microscopes range in price from $40 to $1,000,000, with more features added at every price point along the way. We are going to focus on talking about which models I recommend for most consumers.

#1 Swift SW200DL - $90

The SW200-DL packs a punch when it comes to optical image quality and features for its price. It is the least expensive compound microscope that I recommend. Do not purchase a compound microscope for less than $90. At lower than $90 you are better off getting a digital or mobile microscope.

I recommend this microscope for older kids, educational use, or even for adults and professionals that don't need tons of features.

If this microscope looks familiar to you, you'd be right. It is in fact the exact same microscope we include in our Horizons Lite Kit and our Sperm Observation Kit. We purchase this microscope from the same original overseas manufacturer that Swift does and include it in our kits.

 Key Features:

• 40x - 1000x Magnification (4x, 10x, and 40x objectives)
• 10x and 25x eyepieces included
• Fine & coarse focus knobs
• Transmitted and reflected light illumination
• Battery operated

Pros:

• Sturdy metal frame and great build quality keep your samples in focus
• Transmitted and reflected light sources let you use this microscope with a wider array of samples
• Highly portable from the good carry handle and battery operation
• Good image quality
• Micro Safari Aqua Compatible

Cons:

• No mechanical stage - makes the highest magnification objective very hard to use but not impossible.
• No condenser lens - not ideal for high contrast samples such as stained plant sections. 
• Monocular view - not as comfortable to look through as binocular, but if you use an eyepiece camera this is solved for.

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Equivalent from Us (comes from the same original equipment manufacturer. Just doesn't have the Swift sticker on it)

#2 Swift SW380T -  $400

On the surface, it would seem like this microscope's price is a big jump from the Amscope B120C whilst seemingly only adding a trinocular port. However, the part that is not obvious, and is frankly hard to convey, is the optical build quality and overall user experience of this microscope. I can use this microscope for pretty much as long as I want without becoming uncomfortable or dizzy. The same can't be said about the B120C. I think it is subtle alignment of the optical components or higher quality optics.

In any case, this microscope is an absolute delight and could I go back and change what my first microscope was, I'd change it to this one. 

If this microscope looks familiar to you, you'd be right. It is in fact the exact same base microscope we use in our Horizons Kit and in the MS-305T. In both cases however, we've tricked out the microscope, adding reflected light illumination, darkfield, polarized light, and rhineberg illumination. 

Note: without a reflected light illuminator, you can only image thin sliced biological samples. That's why you don't see the ballpoint pen, dollar bill, or Micro Safari Terra samples here. We also sell the same base microscope (we call it the MS-305T) that is from the same original equipment manufacturer that Swift purchases from. On our version, we include a reflected light illuminator and a filter kit that includes darkfield, polarized light, rhineberg, and more.

Key Features:

• 40x - 2500x magnification
• Trinocular Microscope
• 'wide field' eyepieces (not technically widefield but they are much wider than the previous microscopes mentioned)
• Enhanced image quality
• Psuedo-Kohler Illumination

Pros:

• Trinocular port allows you to record with a camera while using the eyepieces simultaneously
• Eyepieces are large and very comfortable to look through
• Image quality rivals that of significantly more expensive microscopes
• Super solid build quality
• Micro Safari Aqua Compatible

Cons:

• No condenser centering screws
• No Plan Objectives (can be upgraded)

Purchase Links:

• Amazon

#3 Amscope B120C - $250

Fun fact, the B120C was my very first microscope 8 years ago! It still remains one of our top favorites. We really haven't seen any competitors come through an offer a better compound microscope for the price. 

This microscope gives most of the base features that you'll find on microscopes from this price point and up. To be clear - you still get what you pay for though. The optical image quality is not as good as what you'll find on higher price points, and the eyepieces are still quite small and somewhat difficult to look through.

I recommend this microscope to hobbyists that are interested in diving into microscopy and learning the ropes since it will be the lowest price microscope you can get that has the base features of more premium microscopes. With this microscope, you'll get a hands-on understanding of what it's actually practically like to use a microscope, their quirks, and limitations.

Note: same as with the Swift SW380T, this microscope only contains a transmitted light illuminator. The ballpoint pen and dollar bill are shown here using transmitted light so you can see what it looks like to use the incorrect illumination method for these samples.

Key Features:

• 40x - 2500x magnification (4x, 10x, 40x, 100x objectives)
• 10x and 25x eyepieces
• Binocular view
• Mechanical stage
• Condenser lens
• Oil immersion objective
• Condenser filter holder for DIY darkfield, etc
• Psuedo-Kohler Illumination
• Micro Safari Aqua Compatible

Pros:

• All the base features you'll need to learn microscopy
• Good image quality (about the same as the Swift SW200DL)
• Comes with an oil immersion lens and oil (gives the highest magnification and resolution you can get)
• Solid build quality and all-metal frame

Cons:

• Non-widefield eyepieces can make it uncomfortable to use for extended periods
• Siedentopf binocular head can move on you and its pretty annoying
• Optical alignment between the two eyepieces is sometimes off and can make you dizzy if you use for extended periods

Purchase Links:

• Amazon

Amscope T720 -  $900

At the $900 price point, if you are comfortable with gambling on buying a used premium microscope on eBay, I recommend doing that. However, for folks that don't know what to look for, the Amscope T720 is my recommendation for a step above the Swift Trinocular option. 

This was a microscope that we tested from our manufacturer to include in a future Horizons Pro Kit. We really like the experience of using this microscope and I managed to find the same model that Amscope has listed. (Amscope is not the original manufacturer, they just put their brand name on it)

You may be surprised to see that this microscope does not have as high of a magnification as the previous options. This is because it comes with only 10x eyepieces by default. The dirty secret is that 25x eyepieces don't actually let you see any more detail than 10x eyepieces, they just magnify the image more, and 10x eyepieces are far more comfortable to use because of the way the fundamental optics work. Think about it like this: the microscope objectives (more specifically their numerical aperture) are what actually increase resolution, akin to 1080p vs a 4k TV, whereas eyepieces just increase the magnification, akin to having a slightly larger TV while still watching it in 1080p. Eyepieces do not upgrade you to 4k, objectives do.

 Key Features:

• 40x - 1000x magnification
• Infinity Plan Objectives
• True Kohler Illumination (field diaphragm and other parts)
• Ultra Widefield Eyepieces

Pros:

• True Kohler Illumination & infinity focused objectives allows you to remove all background shadows and lets you upgrade to true darkfield/phase contrast/polarized light/fluorescence, etc.
• Ultra Widefield Eyepieces are incredibly comfortable to look through and give you a huge window into the microscopic view
• Infinity Plan Objectives are ultra crisp and by their nature of being infinity focused, allow you to add in-line optics/filters above the objectives
• Highest build quality thus far
• Micro Safari Aqua Compatible

Cons:

• Z-axis focus has some mechanical backlash
• I wish the LED was brighter

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Amscope's Website

Stereo Microscopes

Stereo Microscopes' best feature is that they give 3D vision under a microscope. This is especially useful if you are doing something precise with your hands under the microscope such as soldering, jewelry making, micro-carving, and much more. They also excel at inspection work since you can see the 3D structure of what you are inspecting.

For this section, I'm just giving one set of example images since the image quality difference between the two recommended stereomicroscopes is identical. Note that in person, all of these images would have some amount of 3 dimensionality to them.

Amscope SM-1BSX-64S - $367

My biggest gripe with Amscope is that they HAVE TOO MANY OPTIONS. Just in their Stereo Microscopes section they have 1,422 SKUs. It seems that Amscope's business model is to just carry every possible variation of microscope that they can find, even when those variations serve almost no practical difference between separate SKUs. Moreover, we have had Amscope customers call US asking for help because they can't figure out the difference between some of their products that look the same but have wildly different prices. And to be fair, we couldn't figure out the differences either.

This is in stark contrast with our business model where we want to make it easy for consumers to find the right microscope, instead opting to give a 'good', 'better', 'best' option, where the difference between the options are clear and meaningful. Anyway, rant over.

Key Features:

• 3.5X - 45X Magnification
• Variable magnification zoom
• Widefield eyepieces for ease of viewing
• Barlow lens included (increases the working distance)
• Adjustable brightness ring light

Pros:

• All around solid stereomicroscope
• Great build quality
• Great image quality
• Sturdy stand
• Large working distance
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Top heavy
• Disc in base tends to fall out

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Amscope Website

Amscope SM-4TZ-144A - $633

Key Features:

• Double arm boom stand lets you slide the microscope into any position
• Trinocular port for using a microscope camera
• 3.5X - 90X magnification
• Variable magnification zoom
• Widefield eyepieces for ease of viewing
• Barlow lens included (increases the working distance)
• Adjustable brightness ring light

Pros:

• The stand that this comes on is a delight. Super sturdy, and lets you glide the microscope head to wherever you need it.
• Ultra-heavy base keeps the microscope in place
• Best stand design that we've found that lets you move the microscope around. Please don't buy a stereomicroscope on an articulating boom stand. Those jiggle really badly.
• Micro Safari Terra compatible

Cons:

• Microscope head can sometimes lose the correct tilt angle and not stay fixed. It's just a single tiny set screw that prevents the microscope head from rotating in the Y Axis
• You'll become spoiled and will not want to use any digital or other stereo microscope.

Purchase Links:

• Amazon
• Amscope Website

Best Microscopes of 2024 Awards

First Place - Carson Microbrite - $20

We were absolutely blown away by the Carson Microbrite. Its incredible image quality, ease of use, and low price set it apart from the other options. I love this microscope, and we are working with Carson to begin carrying it and including it in our kits.

• Amazon
• Carson Optical

Second Place - Swift SW200DL - $90

The Swift SW200DL isn't new to us in 2024, but we still love this scope. The bang for your buck on this microscope is amazing. The build quality, image quality, and overall experience of using this microscope are worth far more than its price.

• Amazon
• Equivalent from Us (comes from the same original equipment manufacturer. Just doesn't have the Swift sticker on it)

Third Place - Andonstar AD246S-M - $180

I have to give Andonstar some credit here - I've always wanted to see a compound microscope/digital microscope hybrid, and I think Andonstar is doing a great job of that so far. The swappable objective lenses are awesome and extend the range of what you can do with a digital microscope far beyond its competition.

• Amazon
• Andonstar's Website

Final Remarks

I really appreciate you reading this article and I hope it helps you make an informed microscope purchasing decision. I spent a solid 80 hours testing the microscopes, writing this article, taking sample photos, and more. We also purchased the microscopes to test with our own money to keep this review fair. 

The best way you can support our work is to consider our Micro Safari Horizons Kit, or its little brother, Horizons Lite, as you are looking at different microscopes. We took our favorite microscope, added our favorite accessories and in-house upgrades, give the best video setup instructions on the market, and provide everything else you need to go from microscope zero to microscope hero.

Oh also, Amazon Affiliate requires that I tell you if you buy one of the products using the Amazon Affiliate links, we will make some pocket change from it.