Screen recording is a standard tool for visually aiding instructions and tutorials. Mobile devices have particularly gained popularity in recent years due to the convenience of having information and instructions at one’s fingertips versus lugging around books and study guides.
Screen recording is a standard tool for visually aiding instructions and tutorials. Mobile devices have particularly gained popularity in recent years due to the convenience of having information and instructions at one’s fingertips versus lugging around books and study guides.
In this post, we will introduce you to the best screen recording tools out there.
Why Use a Screen Recorder in the 21st Century
Focus More Carefully On Specifics
Because even a minor hiccup can have far-reaching consequences, many businesses put a premium on ensuring everything runs smoothly. In order to ensure that fewer errors are missed, screen recorders provide a powerful method of capturing and sharing information.
Finish Up Late Assignments
When you return to the office after being gone for a few days, the last thing you want to do is read through a mountain of emails until you find something of interest. Even the act of checking email has been shown to raise blood pressure and stress levels. More of the discussion can be captured by using a screen recorder than by taking notes by hand.
Curb Your Meeting Habits
According to studies, businesses lose billions of dollars annually due to inefficient meetings that take up too much time and energy. To counteract this, virtual conferencing has become the norm, and it shows no signs of going away anytime soon, as 70% of employees now work remotely at least once per week.
Maintain a Performance Evaluation System
Any competent manager knows that there is always room for development in the workplace. This does not necessitate constantly checking to see if a team member is on social media like Facebook. What it does entail, however, is figuring out how to keep tabs on daily operations and evaluate the success or failure of individual employees in performing various tasks.
Assist in Keeping Project Managers Organized
It’s normal to get bored after an hour or so in a meeting. The majority of employees (90%), according to one survey, admit to daydreaming during meetings, while an additional 73% say they multitask. But staying on task during a lengthy meeting is only half the battle for project managers and team leaders. Sometimes the time spent recapping the meeting’s key points and laying out next steps takes more time than the meeting itself. If you would like to learn how to screen record, check here.
Best Screen Recording Tools You Can Use
DVDVideoSoft’s Free Screen Video Recorder
Best for recording Skype video calls
OS: Windows XP SP3 / 7 / 8 / 10 / 11
Size: 34.68 MB
This free screen recorder from a developer which is known for supplying free conversion software to a number of corporations is a full-featured yet lightweight screen recorder. In order to use it for Skype meetings and online conference calls, the program can record Skype conversations without any limitations and that makes it very useful. In addition, it is possible to isolate different Windows applications and capture them as discrete elements within the system. There is also a simple and user-friendly image editor included in this program which is very useful for creating a polished appearance to images.
Pros
- Provides a convenient feature for taking screenshots
- Video and screen recording modes that are available for you
- Skype conversations can be recorded using this software
- Instructions are provided on the site in an easy to follow step-by-step manner
- It is available in ten different languages
- The output formats that can be output include MP4, BMP, TGA, JPEG, PNG, and GIF
Cons
- Using only a microphone for sound recording
- If you are interrupted by too many ads, your work may suffer
- It does not come with a built-in media player or a coherent interface
- During the download process, unwanted software may be installed
- When disconnection occurs, users are not notified of the event
Free Cam
Ideal for making WMV screen captures
OS: Microsoft Windows 7/8/10/11 (32- and 64-bit)
Size: 22.1 MB
Known as a free screen recorder with an audio/video editor built in, Free Cam is a very simple and lightweight free screen recorder. There is an attractive and intuitive interface that allows you to record both the entire screen and a portion of the screen – you can adjust the size of the area on your screen that you want to capture. It is important to note that even though this software is free, it does not place a watermark on it and it is ad-free as well. Furthermore, it does not have any time limitations – you can record videos that last for as long as you want.
Pros
- There is no watermark, time limit, or advertisement on this video
- An entire screen, an area of the screen, or a single window.
- Creates computer sounds and voiceovers
- Resolved high-quality
- Videos can be saved as WMV (720p) or uploaded directly to YouTube
- Video fragments can be easily deleted
- Noise reduction
- Sound effects to choose from
Cons
- Only saves WMV recordings
- Video not recorded
ShareX
Best for PC users who need to share screen captures online
OS: Windows 7 & above
Size: 7.15 MB
ShareX is an open-source screen recorder that boasts almost as many advanced features as some paid screen recorders that are paid for and that have ads. Despite the fact that ShareX is mainly designed for developers and power users, an average customer might get lost in all the sophisticated tools and editors that the software offers.
Pros
- Record full screen, window, monitor, region, or freehand
- Navigation made easier and faster with hotkeys
- Share URLs with many services
- Videos, music, or photos can be imported
- Color effects and custom watermarks
- Tools for productivity and export
- Free of ads
Cons
- Game recordings with low quality
- User-unfriendly
- Video not captured
- Large file uploads fail
- ‘No editing’
CamStudio
Best free screen recorder for creating AVI video files
OS: Windows XP & above
CamStudio is a good option for users who only need to edit their videos once in a while or occasionally and who don’t do it very often. This lightweight and open-source screen recording software generates videos in the AVI format, which can then be converted to the SWF format at a later time. Some people find the compactness of it appealing, while others argue that it needs further development and more extensive technical support. As a result of the tool’s limited editing capabilities, it is highly likely that you will need to make use of supplementary video editing software.
Pros
- Custom cursor
- There are various quality settings for the video output.
- Creates a screen-in-screen video
- Allows you to create small-sized files
Cons
- Audio falls out of sync
- Lack of interactive and animation features
- Reported to spread harmful viruses and malware
- Only outputs AVI with Flash conversion
- Incompatible with some browsers.
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
best free screen recorder for capturing gameplays
OS: Windows 10 & 11, Mac, Linux
Size: 117 MB
Live streaming software such as OBS Studio is one of the most popular open-source software available today. With the help of custom transitions, you can easily switch between multiple sources in a single scene, such as images, text, window captures, browser windows, webcams, capture cards, and more, all seamlessly switching between them when switching between different scenes. The screen recorder is an advanced one with many features and settings that make it stand out from many of its free competitors. The problem with all this is that for some, it may seem like overkill for those who are simply looking for the quickest and easiest way to record a video.
Pros
- Sets up multiple scenes and allows you to use a variety of sources to create your scenes
- Built-in audio mixer with per-source filtering
- Configuration options are provided
- Has no watermarks
- Limitless recording
- Provides multiple streaming options
Cons
- Users find the interface clunky
- Techs have a steep learning curve
- A lot of crashes reported
- Quick screen capture not possible
PassFab Screen Recorder (Windows)
Best for: High-quality screen recording, recording video games, and recording screencasts.
Price: $14.99
It is a powerful and multi-featured screen recording software that allows you to record your computer’s screen instantly, and in high definition, with PassFab for Screen Recorder. Using this tool, users can capture the whole screen or just a specific part.
Whether you are a novice or a professional, its intuitive and easy-to-use interface makes it an ideal choice for newbies and professionals alike to record anything on the screen, be it images, videos, music, lectures, and so on as well as capturing webcam images.
Features
- Screen recording in HD quality
- Recording of video games
- Recording of the screen and the webcam overlay.
- Drawing while recording in real-time.
- Recordings can be scheduled for businesses to use.
- High-resolution recordings of the screen and webcam are possible.
- The final product can be refined with the help of a built-in video editor.
- Various output formats, such as MP4, MKV, etc., are supported.
SETAPP
Best For: Screen recording and video editing applications for Mac
Price: Mac: $9.99/month, Mac and iOS: $12.49/month, Power User: $14.99/month, 7-day free trial available.
The SETAPP platform is a platform which hosts a number of screen recording applications that are exclusively designed for Macs. If you decide to subscribe to SETAPP, you can choose from more than 240 apps, some of which have the capability of recording screens, for a small, reasonable fee. You can subscribe to SETAPP by paying a small, reasonable fee.
On SETAPP, one of the best apps for this purpose is Capto, which is one of the best apps on the platform. In CAPTO, you have the opportunity to record a specific area of your screen, or the whole screen, as the case may be, with just a few clicks. It is also possible to edit your recorded screen videos with CAPTO, using the editing tools that are provided, so that you can cut, crop, and annotate them as you see fit.
Features:
- Screen recording applications for Mac.
- Support for full and partial screen recording.
- Image and video editing tools.
- A comprehensive tutorial for recording screens with voiceovers.
- Easy screenshot maker.
- On other platforms, share screen recordings.
Filmora Scrn (Windows & Mac OS)
Best for: screen recording.
Price:
There are two different plans that are available with Filmora Scrn, which are a 1 Year License ($19.99 per year per PC) and a Lifetime License ($29.99 for Lifetime per PC). You can try it for free for a limited period of time. You can return your purchase within 30 days for a full refund.
Filmora Scrn (also known as Filmora Recorder) is a powerful screen recording and editing application with a powerful set of features. There are many options for recording and editing gameplay videos, tutorials, online courses, etc. There are more than 50 file formats that you can import using this program. The software has a custom recording field, so you can select the part of the screen that you would like to record or record the whole screen.
A number of features and functionalities are available with Filmora Scrn, such as Picture In Picture, Custom Recording Field, Annotations, Tutorial Features, and export to MP4, MOV, GIF, and more. As far as its design is concerned, it is intuitive. The software is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Features:
- For Mac, Filmora Scrn records up to 60 frames per second.
- Screen and webcam can be recorded simultaneously.
- The editing suite is complete. You can edit your clips with our professional tools.
- The Effect Tools in Filmora Scrn will help you communicate ideas clearly.
VideoProc
Best for: Gameplay, streaming, Tutorial, and podcasting recording.
The video processing program VideoProc is available in 3 different editions for Windows and Mac, namely the One Year License ($29.95), the Lifetime License ($42.95), and the Family License ($57.95). A free trial version of VideoProc can be downloaded from the website and a screen recording can be done for free.
Using VideoProc, you can record videos from the screen of your computer or from a webcam on your computer and then edit those videos in any way you want. A screen recording can be done in a number of different ways, including drawing, typing, highlighting, or adding voiceovers. The recording quality, format, and other parameters can be set according to your preferences. Also, the program provides the capability of cutting, merging, rotating, etc., which is useful for editing videos.
Features:
- A screenshot of the desktop/iOS screen can be captured, a video can be recorded using the webcam, and a picture-in-picture video can be viewed.
- Green screen and chroma key effects can be applied; cropped areas can be selected to record; drawn, highlighted, and text can be added, etc.
- There are a lot of powerful video editing features available, such as cutting, merging, cropping, and rotating footages; adding effects, denoise, stabilizing shakey video footage from GoPro, iPhone, and so on.
- Convert any video, audio or DVD to any format or device, with over 420 output profiles available. High-quality focused media converter for video and audio formats.
- Thousands of video music sites are available for you to download. There are also a number of other features that it provides, such as making GIFs, adding watermarks, making MKV, creating M3U8, etc.
Movavi Screen Recorder Studio (Windows & Mac OS)
Best for: Live Streaming, presentations, digitization of VHS tapes, and screencasting.
Price: $59.95
It is possible to capture and edit videos using Movavi Studio. There is a wide variety of editing tools within the software that can be used to give videos an artistic flair. There are a number of special effects you can add, including blurs, mosaics, filters, stickers, and many more.
The software supports pan/zoom functions, image stabilization, as well as frame-by-frame editing capabilities. Aside from that, you can also optimize the videos to be viewed both on televisions as well as on smartphones, so you can put them on both devices. A video that you have created can be shared online through a variety of channels that you choose.
Features
- There is no time limit on the length of the video.
- Optimize clips for TV and smartphones using our core editing tools.
- A microphone is used to record sound from the microphone.
- Over 180 formats are supported, including AVI, MOV, MP3, MP4, MKV, AAC, and many more.
ActivePresenter
Atomi Systems’ ActivePresenter is an all-in-one screen capture and video editing tool from Atomi Systems. YouTubers, video producers, educators, and trainers are the ones who find it most useful, as they are looking for video demonstrations, how-to videos, and tutorials that walk them through each step. Almost all the options and effects you might need when recording a screen and editing a video can be found in ActivePresenter.
There is no watermark on ActivePresenter’s free version if you are using its free features, and it is free of charge. You are free to test all of the features of ActivePresenter without being restricted in terms of functionality or time. When you have captured your recording, you will be able to trim, cut, split it, change the speed and volume, add closed captions, annotations, animations, and much more after the capture process. By upgrading to the paid version of the software, you will be able to create more advanced videos and software simulations with more advanced audio and video editing features.
Pros
- Full screen, window, region, webcam, microphone, computer sound.
- You can edit captured videos and imported videos with the video editor.
- Trim, cut, split, change speed/volume, add closed captions, zoom-n-pan, annotations, multimedia, transitions, animations, and more.
- Blur, greenscreen, audio fade in/out, noise reduction, audio normalization are some advanced video editing features.
- Automated annotations for software simulations.
- No time limit, no ads.
Cons
- Recordings cannot be scheduled.
- Cropping is not supported, but there is a workaround.
- No 32-bit.
VLC
VLC is an open-source and free cross-platform video player available for a laptop for capturing screen recordings from video files. In addition to its capabilities as an integrated laptop screen recorder, VLC is also able to play most audio-visual files as well as audio VCDs, CDs, DVDs, and many other streaming protocols as well. As an alternative, if you want to add some features to a laptop screen recorder that you liked in the past, then you may want to consider VLC as an open-source product that enables you to customize the features according to your preferences.
Pros:
- The service is completely free of spyware, advertisements, or user tracking of any kind
- Every disc, file, device, stream, and webcam is supported by VLC
- Advanced controls with high customization
- VLC supports audio and video formats without codec packs
Cons:
- Unable to download music videos
- VLC glitches when playing 4K
- Hardware unsupportable
Summary
Let’s take a quick look at some of the ratings of the above mentioned screen recording software:
- On dvdvideosoft, DVDVideoSoft’s Free Screen Video Recorder has a rating of 4.2 and an upvote of 8526 votes.
- Free camp and Movavi screen recorder on the other hand has a rating of 4 on g2 and has a great review on Digitaltrends.
- ShareX has an overall rating of 4.7 with great UX and customer service according Capterra.
- CamStudio is rated 4.5 on Techrader.
- OBS hits an overall 4.5 on Techrader, SoftwareAdvice and Trustradius.
- PassFab, SetApp, Filmora Scrn, VideoProc, ActivePresenter and VLC perform well above 3.5 ratings across multiple platforms.
We recommend OBS as the overall best screen recording software. Although, you could try other recording tools for yourself and see what works for you.
In conclusion, If you love creating tutorials and training videos but hate all the editing work that comes after, a screen capture tool could be your new best friend. Whether you’re making screencasts for training purposes or just want to make some fun demo videos, imagine how much easier your life will be without hours of fiddling with video editing software and graphic images.