my sources
These sources are useful to weigh up the differences and why this is an important point to consider when recording.
Benefits of an audio interface
An audio interface is smaller because of this it can be more ideal for a limited size studio.
Some have a built in pre amp and can use USB this can be useful for some musicians as having a large amount of XLR cables can be expensive for a beginner and can higher the barrier to entry.
An audio interface is portable and can be used for high quality recordings anywhere.
The drawbacks of a audio interface
Less versatile than a mixer due to the capabilities of live mixing and use for other types of live broadcasts like live streams and podcasts.
The benefits of an audio mixer
A mixer often has many more channels than a audio interface making things like drums potentially easier to record.
A mixer has live mixing capabilities and has easier to adjust sound levels.
A mixer has more applications like podcasts, live streams and live music.
The drawbacks of an audio mixer
An audio interface is XLR cable only therefore it is more expensive to use.
A mixer will be much larger than an interface requiring sometimes an allocated space for the mixer to go this can make things like a home studio harder to create for beginners.
A mixer has for the most part a lack of portability as a small mixer is much more changing to transport and can sometimes need to be changed in some countries because of the way mains power works.