Show, don't tell. It's simple enough advice, and screen recording software makes it easier to follow.
Screen capture apps record what's happening on your screen, including the movement of your cursor, so you can deliver instructions, describe problems, or share knowledge. Writing out descriptions of such things takes significantly longer than just showing someone your screen, but you're usually not standing next to the person or people who need to see your screen. Video capture apps solve that problem.
This year, I evaluated and tested nearly 50 screen recording apps, and here I'll present the seven best.
The 7 best video capture apps
Loom for quickly recording and sharing on the desktop
Camtasia for advanced video editing
OBS Studio for advanced recording tools and live streaming
Movavi Screen Recorder for screen capture when you're away from your desk
ScreenPal for affordable editing features
Descript for automatic transcription
Screen Studio for Mac users
What makes the best screen recorder for PC or Mac?
How we evaluate and test apps
Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
The best screen capture software makes it really easy to show how things work—or, if you're filing a support ticket, how they don't work. But different people are going to be looking for different things. In my research, I tested several dozen apps, ranging from minimalistic three-button windows to complex apps overflowing with tools. The options are priced from free all the way up to several hundreds of dollars. Each of my picks for best screen recorder app offers a unique feature, but they all meet some basic criteria:
The ability to record your whole screen, one window/app, or a specific area
The option to superimpose a webcam feed over the screen capture
Simultaneous microphone and system audio recording
Built-in video sharing and/or convenient exporting tools
An intuitive, friendly user interface
Affordable pricing plans that match the value
Of course, the process doesn't end with the screen recording. The quality of the final product can make or break user engagement, so I also considered the post-capture editing features.
One thing to note: It's possible that an app you already use has screen recording built in. Many video conferencing, communication, and productivity tools have added screen recording to their feature sets (like Dropbox Capture and Vimeo Record), so it's worth checking if you can get the capabilities you need from a tool that's already in your stack.
Plus, iPhones and Androids both have a built-in screen recording feature. If you're just looking to record your phone screen, that may be all you need.
To record your screen on iPhone:
Add screen recording to your Control Center by navigating to Settings > Control Center and clicking the green + next to Screen Recording.
When you're ready to record, swipe down from the top of your screen to open Control Center, tap the Record icon, then wait for the three-second countdown.
Stop the recording by swiping down and tapping the Record button again (it'll be red now), or by tapping the red recording status bar in the top-left corner of your screen.
To record your screen on an Android:
Swipe down from the top of your device's screen, and tap the Screen record option.
Choose your recording area, opt to record audio and screen touches (or not), and tap Start.
When finished, swipe down from the top again, and tap the Screen recorder notification to end the recording.
That's it! Your recording is automatically saved to your Photos app on either device.
The best screen recording software at a glance
Best for | Standout feature | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
Quickly recording and sharing on desktop | Super easy to use and works across devices | Free for 25 videos of up to 5 minutes | |
Advanced video editing | Robust editing features | N/A | |
Advanced recording tools and live streaming | Live streaming and advanced recording tools | Completely free | |
Screen capture when you're away from your desk | Scheduled captures | N/A | |
Affordable editing features | Tons of editing options | Free for unlimited recordings up to 15 minutes each | |
Automatic transcription | Advanced transcription and AI editing features | Free for up to 1 hour of recording and transcription per month | |
Screen recording on a Mac | Reusable presets | N/A |
Best screen recording software for quickly recording and sharing on desktop
Loom (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, Chrome)
Loom pros:
Super easy to use and works across devices
Generous free plan
Loom cons:
The mobile apps aren't perfect
If you want to quickly record something and share a link, give Loom a chance. Loom isn't overly complicated when it's time to record: you can choose whether you want to record just your screen, your screen with webcam video, or just your webcam. Once you finish, your video will be uploaded to Loom. You can do some basic editing in the browser, if you want, or you can copy the link to share the video. It's all very quick, which makes it, overall, the best screen recorder.
With the free version of Loom, you can store up to 25 videos of up to five minutes each. It's limited, sure, but great for quickly showing something to a collaborator, coworker, and/or archenemy. And you can always download your videos and store them somewhere else if you're getting close to that 25 video threshold.
The company recently wrapped a beta on AI features, including automatic transcription, auto-generated titles, summaries, and chapters, auto-suggested tasks and next steps for viewers, and removing filler words and silence. The transcription aspect is the most helpful—some folks are using it to create SOPs based on screen recordings.
Still, Loom will get the job done without a lot of fuss for most users.
Loom pricing: Free for 25 videos of up to five minutes. Business plans start at $12.50/month/user with unlimited videos and recording length.
Dropbox Capture is a solid Loom alternative, so be sure to check it out if you're already paying for Dropbox and need an app for recording your screen.
Best screen recording software for advanced video editing
Camtasia (Windows, Mac)
Camtasia pros:
Simple, easy-to-use capture
Robust editing features
Camtasia cons:
High upfront cost
The Camtasia video capture interface is straightforward and no-nonsense. You choose your capture area, whether or not to include webcam and microphone inputs, and click Record.
Its built-in video editor is a different story. There's an exhaustive list of editing options that manage not to feel overwhelming. Click-and-drag effects and a decent selection of stock media are located along the left-hand side of the app, with detailed properties and customizations appearing on the right-hand side whenever you select an element from the timeline.
Camtasia provides outstanding tutorial videos for anyone who struggles with its editing tools. Creating surprisingly professional intro and outro segments and dropping them into my test video took a matter of seconds. My only hiccup was with the interactivity features, which allow you to add quizzes or clickable buttons to your project. Configuring these elements was easy enough, but previewing the video and exporting the final product was noticeably more complicated after adding interactivity.
This is also the only app I tested with a closed captions tool that loops audio while you add the text. A four-second segment plays until you're done typing, and then you can press Tab, and it plays the next loop.
My one complaint about Camtasia is the pricing structure. There's no monthly option, and the free trial only gives you seven days to try out the software, so it's a bigger upfront investment than most. That said, if you know you like the interface, the cost is lower over time than most.
Note: if you don't need editing but like the look of Camtasia, Capture (formerly Jing) comes from the same company, only offers screen recording, and it's free to download and use.
Camtasia pricing: From $179.88/year
Best screen recording software for advanced recording tools and live streaming
OBS Studio (Windows, Mac, Linux)
OBS pros:
Live streaming and advanced recording tools
It's totally free
OBS cons:
Can be difficult for beginners
OBS is a screen record app that's mostly built with live streaming in mind—if you've ever watched someone play games on Twitch, for example, they were probably using OBS. But you can also use it to record videos (it's by far the most robust tool for doing so), and it's free, so it's a great choice if you're looking for Camtasia alternatives.
Most of the apps in this list let you record using a webcam and your display. OBS Studio can go much, much beyond that. It's a complete tool for broadcasting, meaning you can add as many displays and cameras as your computer can handle. You can also create customizable "studios," preset audio and video configurations that you can cycle through during a recording.
Sizing and positioning elements within each studio is a simple click-and-drag affair, and cycling through them during a recording session is controlled with a hotkey.
With enough preparation, these audio and video presets eliminate the need to fuss with any settings while streaming live video via OBS's robust integrations. There are 80 platforms in the live streaming menu, ranging from big-name sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, to obscure streaming platforms like Pandora TV. Opening the Settings menu and pasting your stream key into the text box is all it takes to set up the one-click Start Streaming button on the main dashboard. Changes you make to a studio, such as sound mixing or webcam placement, are broadcast live—make sure you're ready.
OBS Studio pricing: Free
Best screen recording software for screen capture when you're away from your desk
Movavi Screen Recorder (Windows, Mac)
Movavi Screen Recorder pros:
It's easy to set up scheduled captures
Movavi Screen Recorder cons:
In-depth editing requires a separate Movavi app
Slow to load
Movavi Screen Recorder is a great mid-level screen recorder for PC, a nice OBS alternative, complete with a built-in editor that gets the job done. But there is one feature it does exceptionally well: scheduled captures.
This tool lets you record webinars or live streams while you're away from your desk. You'll find this feature in the preferences, under Scheduler. You can set a time limit for the next recording, or you could specify a time for a recording to begin and end. You can even set it up so your computer shuts down or goes to sleep after the capture is finished.
It's convenient and unambiguous, further improved by Movavi's above-average resolution settings. If you need to record an inconveniently-timed webinar to share with others, you'll want it to look good.
Movavi pricing: From $19.95/month for an individual personal license or $75.95/year for a business license.
Best screen recorder for affordable editing features
ScreenPal (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome)
ScreenPal pros:
Tons of editing options
Super affordable upgrade
ScreenPal cons:
Recording system audio requires upgrade
If you need a screen recorder that won't break the bank, ScreenPal (formerly known as Screencast-O-Matic) is one of the most affordable—yet feature-packed—options I tested. The free plan includes unlimited screen and webcam recordings (up to 15 minutes each) with no watermark. Even if you need to upgrade—to record system audio or add automated captions, for example—paid plans start at just $3/month.
Despite that affordability, ScreenPal is a capable choice. The app features an easy-to-use recording interface and a ton of options for editing your video. More than the standard trimming most apps offer, ScreenPal lets you record separate narration, add overlays and transitions, hide the webcam, cursor, or drawings, insert pauses or separate video files, and add manual captions—all without leaving the app. Tools with that many editing features can easily become overwhelming, but ScreenPal's straightforward menus make it a breeze to pick up.
Once you're ready to share, upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive—or upload to the ScreenPal web app for more sharing options like embedding, link sharing, email, and sharing directly to Facebook, X, Microsoft Teams, or Google Classroom.
ScreenPal pricing: Free for unlimited recordings up to 15 minutes each; upgrade to the Deluxe plan for $3/month to get unlimited recording time, system audio recording, and additional editing features.
If you're looking for something a little different, Tella is a great ScreenPal alternative. The app offers tons of editing features, including AI (in beta), with a clean interface and additional features like speaker notes.
Best screen recorder for automatic transcription and AI
Descript (Web, Mac, Windows)
Descript pros:
Top-notch automatic transcription
Useful AI editing features
User-friendly
Descript cons:
Limited free plan
Descript is known primarily for automated video and audio transcription and editing, but the company also offers a screen recording app, which, when combined with super high-quality transcription and AI, makes it a strong contender.
The desktop screen recorder, available for both Mac and Windows devices, features a delightfully simple control panel that's easy to learn and use during recording. Every screen recording with audio is automatically transcribed—and the transcription is top-tier.
Post-recording, you can use the transcript to automatically add captions (in a huge variety of styles) and make tons of edits, like changing the background color, adding transitions, and even overlaying additional media. Perhaps my favorite feature is the ability to cut and trim the video by simply deleting words or sentences from the transcript.
You can also let Descript's AI assistant, Underlord, edit for you. Found at the top of the right-hand menu, Underlord can remove filler words, shorten word gaps, add time-stamped chapters, create clips or highlight reels, among plenty of other options.
You can do even more when you connect Descript with Zapier so it works with your entire tech stack. Learn more about how to automate Descript with Zapier, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Create Descript transcripts from Google Drive files
Descript pricing: Free for up to 1 hour of recording and transcription per month, plus 5 uses of the basic AI suite; upgrade to the Hobbyist plan for $12/person/month for up to 10 hours of recording and transcription and 20 uses/month of basic AI.
Best screen recording software for Mac
Screen Studio (Mac)
Screen Studio pros:
Incredibly user-friendly
Tons of customization and editing options
Options to save preset settings for reuse
Screen Studio cons:
Limited built-in sharing
No monthly or annual pricing
Screen Studio is the app I was most excited about after testing this year. It's a great overall option for Mac users with all the standard recording area controls and input support you expect, plus a simple, incredibly usable and modern interface.
Recording your screen is super straightforward, but Screen Studio shines when it comes to post-production. You get really granular control over the background, movement of your cursor and zoom, and webcam overlay. From within the same app, you can add a background, change or add cursor effects, alter the size, shape, and positioning of your webcam overlay, and even zoom in on the area around your cursor. In fact, the app will automatically zoom in and move smoothly across the screen to follow your mouse.
One of my favorite features: after you finish editing, you can save those settings as a named preset to reuse on future videos. So if you're recording a bunch of product demos or tutorials, for example, you can ensure they all have the same look and feel in practically no time at all.
Here's my one caveat: Screen Studio doesn't offer a free plan, and currently, the only pricing option available is to buy a lifetime license. It's a higher upfront price, but costs even out with most other paid screen recording software pretty quickly. You can also try out the full Screen Studio app for free and just upgrade when you're ready to export your video.
Screen Studio pricing: $89 one-time payment for the Standard license for 1 Mac device.
Sometimes you just want to quickly make a recording and send it to someone, without having to edit anything or mess around with a bunch of settings. If that's you, Zappy is an ultra-simple and totally free alternative for Mac users.
Screen recording software FAQ
Here are some questions lots of people have about screen recording apps and how to choose the right one.
Why use screen recording software?
There are a ton of different reasons why you might need to record your screen. You might want to show someone how to do something, describe an issue, or share knowledge with coworkers—all of which can be done through a screen recording.
What's the best free screen recording tool?
It depends on what you want to record your screen for. For something simple, like just sharing what's on your desktop, Loom, Zappy, and ScreenPal are great options. For live streaming, OBS is a reliable choice.
Are there any free screen recorders that don't leave a watermark?
OBS, Zappy, and ScreenPal are free to use and don't include a watermark in your video recordings.
Finding the best screen recording software
The best screen recording app is the one that saves you the most time and produces the most worthwhile content for your audience. Make sure you know your target audience and use case before selecting an app. All the video recording software options we've listed are either free or come with trial versions, so give your top contenders a whirl, and see which you like best.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in February 2019 by Ryan Farley and has also had contributions from Justin Pot. The most recent update was in September 2024.
