Today there are 176 different screen recording software. We spent 50 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to record your screen.
What is the Best Screen Recording Software?
- Loom — best of the best
- CyberLink Screen Recorder — best for gamers
- CleanShot — best for macOS
- Camtasia — best for online courses
- OBS Studio — best for multi-camera rigs
- Movavi Screen Recorder — best for remote screen captures
- Riverside — best for broadcasters
1. Loom
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: Starts at $18/month
Loom is the quickest, leanest, and best screen recorder there is. We think it’s the best of the best because of how much value it offers, even on the free plan.
The Best Part:
Amazing free plan. Loom delivers an incredible screen recording experience on the free plan, with great recording quality. A+.
The Worst Part:
Limited time on free plan. You can only record videos up to five minutes long on the free plan, which can be a pain for longer videos.
Get it if you want the best screen recorder for regular users.
I recommend you get started with the free plan.
(free plan)
Best For
Loom is best for everyday users who need to record and share videos without even thinking about it.
Top Features
Instant video sharing. Within a click or two, you’ll have recorded your screen and will have a link to share with anyone… with nothing to upload.
Director’s chair. Choose if you want to capture your screen, webcam, or both at the same time, for more personal screenshot videos.
Quick editing. Once you’re done recording, you can trim and edit out bits of your video, right before sharing.
Take action. You can add call-to-action buttons to your videos, in order to help viewers take the next step in your funnel.
Direct integration. You can hook Loom up with Gmail, Slack, Calendly, Salesforce, and other tools, for an extra bump in productivity.
Annual subscriptions provide a 17% discount.
Try Loom today with a free plan.
You can get started with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Our Verdict — Best For Gamers
Price: $34.99
CyberLink Screen Recorder is an all-in-one recording, streaming, and editing solution that works wonders for gamers. We think it’s the best for gamers because of how complete of a solution it is.
The Best Part:
The one-stop-shop feel. Record your screen, edit your videos, and stream all your prowess… under one roof.
The Worst Part:
Windows or nothing. CyberLink Screen Recorder is a Windows-only software… No Apple for you!
Get it if you want the greatest screen recorder a gamer could ask for.
I recommend you get started with the 30-day free trial, then buy the Deluxe version for $34.99.
(30-day free trial)
Best For
CyberLink Screen Recorder is best for gamers who want a badass screen recorder without yet another subscription.
Top Features
One-time pay. Unlike most professional screen recorders out there, CyberLink doesn’t sell on a subscription model. Great news for your wallet!
Smooth recordings. All your recordings will look and feel like a million dollars, with a smooth frame rate and crisp details.
Light on the machine. Even older PCs can handle CyberLink Screen Recorder without lag, because it’s so light.
Easy mix. Record your webcam and audio on top of your screen, which is perfect for gamers, or for creating good ole’ tutorials, vlogs, or presentations.
Stream it away. Stream your games to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and up to two custom servers — all at once.
Try CyberLink Screen Recorder today with a free 30-day trial.
3. CleanShot
Our Verdict — Best For macOS
Price: Starts at $29/month
CleanShot enables mac users to create and share the best screenshots they could ever ask for. We think it’s the best for macOS because of how smooth it is.
The Best Part:
A better workflow. Take screenshots, annotate, edit, combine, share them with a link, drag-and-drop your screenshots and screen recordings into other apps… Everything to save your time.
The Worst Part:
Might be too much. People who just want a tool for a few screenshots might find that CleanShot is a bit of an overkill.
Get it if you want the best screenshot tool for your macOS device.
I recommend you get started with the Cloud Basic with a one-time payment.
(30-day money back guarantee)
Best For
CleanShot is best for macOS users who want a premium screenshot tool.
Top Features
More than it seems. The Scrolling Capture feature lets you take screenshots of stuff that doesn’t fit your screen, all at once.
Cloud storage. Up your screenshots to the cloud so you can retrieve them from any other device — with 1GB included in the lifetime plan!
More than screenshots. Capture screenshots, videos, and even create GIFs to create the right type of content, every time.
Text extraction. Take a screenshot of a text, and CleanShot lets you extract the text, copy, and paste… from a simple screenshot.
Screenshot to link. Have your screenshots uploaded to the cloud, and have an automatic shareable link, like magic.
Annual subscriptions provide a 15% discount.
You can get started with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Our Top Three Picks
Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:
- Loom — best of the best
- CyberLink Screen Recorder — best for gamers
- CleanShot — best for macOS
Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
Loom | Free plan | Starts at $18/mo |
CyberLink Screen Recorder | Free trial | $34.99 |
CleanShot | None | Starts at $29/mo |
Camtasia | Free trial | Starts at $134.91/yr |
OBS Studio | None | Free |
Movavi Screen Recorder | Free trial | Starts at $19.95/mo |
Riverside | Free plan | Starts at $15/mo |
Here are the top 50 screen recording tools we considered in this review:
- Loom
- CyberLink Screen Recorder
- CleanShot
- Camtasia
- OBS Studio
- Movavi Screen Recorder
- Riverside
- Screen Studio
- Bandicam
- Snagit
- Adobe Captivate
- ScreenFlow
- Apowersoft Screen Recorder
- Screencast-O-Matic
- FlashBack Express
- TinyTake
- ShareX
- Icecream Screen Recorder
- Final Cut Pro
- HitPaw Screen Recorder
- Vmaker
- iSpring Suite
- Wondershare DemoCreator
- ActivePresenter
- Filmora Screen Recorder
- NVIDIA ShadowPlay
- AMD Radeon ReLive
- Gamecaster
- FBX Game Recorder
- XSplit Broadcaster
- Elgato Game Capture HD
- ZD Soft Screen Recorder
- MSI Afterburner
- Action! by Mirillis
- Fraps
- Xbox Game Bar
- QuickTime Player
- Ezvid
- ScreenRec
- Jing
- Kap
- Monosnap
- VLC Media Player
- SimpleScreenRecorder
- Peek
- Vidyard
- CloudApp
- Droplr
- Panopto
- Soapbox by Wistia
Which recorder is best for screen recording?
For general usage, Loom is the best option. Cyberlink Screen Recorder does a great job for gamers, and Cleanshot is a great macOS solution. For the techy ones, OBS Studio is the best one.
Is OBS a good screen recorder?
It depends on the user. It can be a bit on the heavy side, and it may take some time to figure out. If you’re really averse to technology, I’d stay away from OBS Studio.
What is the best screen recording app for free?
Loom and OBS Studio are the best free screen recording apps.
What do users love about screen recording software?
- Having a screen recorder app that lets you record your entire screen with just your mouse and the record button
- Having mobile device for having screen video recordings on their phones
- Most of them have really intuitive interfaces
- Having browser extensions, no need to install new software
- Advanced features like audio editing, video editing, drawing tool, and more
- How some unlimited screen capture software allow you to record and host unlimited videos
- High-quality recordings with crisp video and audio capture
- Advanced video editing features for more professional looking videos
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best screen recording software to try this year:
- Loom — best of the best
- CyberLink Screen Recorder — best for gamers
- CleanShot — best for macOS
- Camtasia — best for online courses
- OBS Studio — best for multi-camera rigs
- Movavi Screen Recorder — best for remote screen captures
- Riverside — best for broadcasters
