A screen recorder is a computer application designed to capture the screen as a video or animated GIF. You may need one, if you are a programmer, or you see certain issues in your system and want to demonstrate them. There are many advantages of using a screen recording software, that’s why such software is in high demand today.
A lot of people find screen recording software quite useful. When making a YouTube video, for example, you can use this feature to record your computer screen and narrate the whole process in real time. It’s not difficult to use and comes in handy at various times. So, which one should you get if you’d like to know more about best free screen recording tools? Well, I’ve put together a nice list of some of the most interesting picks on the market.
When you have a free screen recording tool, you can capture anything on your screen exactly as it appears, and share it instantly. Whether you’re creating a product tutorial for your website, a video for a client, or recording software bugs for the technical team, you need to be able to quickly record and edit on-screen activity. Thankfully, there are plenty of free (and paid) tools that enable fast and easy screen recording – often with extra options like editing, too.
We are here with the most popular and useful Screen Recording Software that will definitely support your need for recording any software or program running on your computer. A screen recorder, as the name suggests, is a tool that helps in recording whatever appears on your computer screen.
What is Screen Recording Software?
YouTube creators, tech supporters, teachers, or other creators of video tutorials have a constant need to record their screens for various reasons.
A screen recording software can record your entire mobile or desktop screen or a part of it. This recording includes everything, including your taps and cursor movements. Some screen recording software allows users to record their audio and add annotations to their videos.
AZ Screen Recorder: Android Screen Recording Software
Need to grab a quick screen recording from your mobile device? Count on AZ Screen Recorder to get the job done. This Android screen recording application lets you record HD videos in whatever format you need.
Set the video resolution, frame rate, orientation, and bit rate from your recording options. You can even pause your recording and resume when you’re ready without starting over or having to stitch together 2 separate recordings (which you can do in the software, too).
Record internal sound or external sound—whatever you need. AZ Screen Recorder even lets you livestream your screen to platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.
AZ Screen Recorder comes with an optional pro version, but you won’t need it. It adds a nifty countdown timer and ad-removal, but you can get by without it.
Best of all—AZ Screen Recorder is easy to use. While the functionality might seem overwhelming at first, the software makes it easy for you to get up and running in no time. When it comes to screen recording on Android devices, there’s no better application.
ScreenFlow
If you’ve been searching for a Mac screen recorder with audio capabilities, then you’d love ScreenFlow.
Its range of features includes the options to record your Mac at retina resolution, group video components and settings, and add background audio to the recorded footage.
You’d also love the “Styles” and “Templates” tools that come as part of the software.
Styles lets you save visual/audio settings for certain elements like drop shadows or color filters for a recorded segment.
Templates, on the other hand, lets users arrange, insert and configure groups of annotations in advance, such as text placeholders and outro segments.
Those who subscribe to the Super Pak version of ScreenFlow (a more expensive plan) also get access to over 500,000 pieces of unique images and audio clips to use in all of their videos.
So if you’re looking to make the most of your screen recordings, ScreenFlow is unlikely to disappoint.
Price: $129
Supported OS: Mac, iOS
Best for: Making high-quality retina videos
Screencastify
Screencastify is another screen recording application that works via Google Chrome.
Whether you’re a seasoned or a novice video creator, you’ll find that Screencastify offers all of the important options.
You can use it to capture your webcam, entire screen or tab only, as well as narrate to your microphone.
It also presents you with annotation tools that help keep your viewers focus on what’s critical. Click highlighting, drawing pen tool, and mouse spotlight are all included.
And once you’re recorded the screen, Screencastify will do the heavy lifting for you by autosaving the video to your Google Drive.
Like many of the best screen recording software options, Screencastify gives you the option to upload to YouTube, as well as export the recording as an animated GIF, MP3, or MP4.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
Best for: Recording software demos and creating solution videos
Bandicam
Bandicam is a robust screen recording application that supports screen and gameplay capturing.
It utilizes a high compression ratio without compromising video quality. Bandicam makes it possible to capture 4K ultra-high-definition videos at 120 frames per second.
Another noteworthy feature is Bandicam’s device recording capability. By getting a separate capture card, you can record videos from IPTV, HDTV, APPLE TV, smartphone, PlayStation and Xbox.
In addition, Bandicam lets users capture screenshots in JPEG, PNG and BMP formats.
Essentially, you can use Bandicam to record just about anything, including your entire computer screen, Excel spreadsheets, web browser, Powerpoint presentations, and more.
Its free version places a watermark on the videos, so you need to become a paid user to utilize its full potential.
Price: Free or $39.99
Supported OS: Windows
Best for: Balancing the depth of video recordings
Ezvid
A perfect screen recording tool for making quick video clips and sharing them on YouTube
OS: Windows
Ezvid is free screen recording software that claims to be the world’s tool, and that may not be too far from the truth. Ezvid’s clarity is enhanced by the product’s speed: specifically designed to save users’ time, it will help you produce and upload videos directly to YouTube in a matter of minutes. And that’s why this tool enjoys notoriety among gamers and movie fans who are interested in making YouTube videos frequently and as quickly as possible.
Pros
- Offers computer-generated speech for narrative purposes
- Automatic high-quality resolution (1280 x 720p HD)
- Speed control over output videos
- Sleek and modern interface
- Instantaneous upload to YouTube
- Selection of popular music tracks included
Cons
- Reviewers report extraneous noise
- Minor bugs and inconsistencies
- Fullscreen game is not available
TinyTake
A screen recorder with a native cloud-based gallery for storing and sharing videos
OS: Windows and Mac
TinyTake by MangoApps is a sophisticated free screen recorder for Windows and Mac that allows you to capture images and videos from your computer screen, add comments, and share them with others within minutes. TinyTake comes with an online cloud-based gallery where you can store all your screen captures and recorded videos.
Pros
- Bulk file sharing
- Public URL available for sharing
- Built-in online file viewer for images, videos, and documents
- Ability to create custom shortcut keys
- Video player is compatible with mobile devices
Cons
- Free version has a 5-minute limit for video recording
- Video files are saved as MP4 only
- Limited editing features
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
The best free screen recorder for capturing gameplays
OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
OBS Studio is a top open-source software for live streaming. You can create scenes composed with multiple sources: images, texts, window captures, browser windows, webcams, capture cards, and more, and then switch between them seamlessly via custom transitions. Unlike many other free competitors, OBS Studio packs a lot of features and settings. But all this can seem overkill for those who are looking for the quickest and easiest way to shoot a video.
Pros
- Allows you to set up multiple scenes and use various sources
- Includes built-in audio mixer with per-source filters
- Provides advanced configuration options
- Does not add watermarks
- Has no recording limit
- Supports multiple streaming services
Cons
- Some users find the interface quite clunky
- Learning curve is steep for non-techs
- Reported to crash quite often
- Not suited for quick screen recording
Debut Video Capture
Great video recording software for creating demonstrations and streaming video games
OS: Windows
Debut is among the best free screen recorders for Windows and allows you to make videos for almost any task. It has a slightly odd and old-fashioned interface but boasts advanced functionality. For example, you can make mouse highlighting spotlights, show keystrokes, replace the background with images, video, or color, add a logo or watermark to your video capture, and even schedule a recording.
Pros
- Can capture from a network IP camera and other devices
- Records screen, webcam, and audio
- Unlimited recording time
- Robust editing options
- A variety of output formats
- Green Screen tool
- Time-lapse video recording
Cons
- Limited editing features
- Outdated interface
- No interactive or animation features
- Reported to slow down when uploading videos
Windows 10’s built-in Game bar
You might be surprised that Windows 10 has a pre-installed Game bar for anyone who wants to capture their game clips and screenshots. Of course, this Game bar can be used to record apps only – it cannot record full screen or a specific region. This makes sense as it is designed for gaming capture. Although the Game bar is available on all Windows 10 PCs, to record game clips and screen, your computer’s video cards must meet the hardware requirements.
Recording your screen with the Game bar is easy by following these steps:
- Press WINDOWS+G to open the Game bar. If required, select the “Yes, this is a game.” check box.
- Press the Start/Stop Recording button to start and stop a recording. Use the Turn Microphone On/Off button to toggle microphone if you wish.
- After recording, trim your video or rename it in the Xbox app. Your video will be saved in the Captures folder, which by default is in your Videos folder.
Pros
- Convenient to use without installing any software.
- Toggle microphone while recording.
- Trim the beginning and end of videos after recording.
- No watermark, no time limit, ad free.
Cons
- Not allowed to record full screen, webcam, or specify a resolution to capture. The Game bar will generate a screencast at the resolution of the size of the target app.
- No “pause” function for recording.
- Limited video editing features.
Flashback Express
Flashback Express is a at no cost app that can record screen, webcam, and sounds. It neither sets time limit on recording nor stamps watermark on the output videos. If you are running this software on a multi-monitor system, you can either record screens across multiple monitors or limit capturing to a single monitor. You can also make use of scheduled recordings to start and stop recording at scheduled times or when a specified application is launched.
Flashback Express is a free version of a paid application, Flashback Pro. While the two versions share the same recording features, the free version doesn’t include any video editing features, annotations, or effects. Regarding sharing, users can save videos as MP4, AVI, or WMV and directly upload videos to YouTube. Only paid users are entitled to save videos as Flash, QuickTime, GIF, or standalone EXE and set password protection for videos.
Pros
- Record full screen, window, region, webcam, microphone, computer sound.
- Record multiple monitors.
- Scheduled recordings.
- Cursor highlighting.
- Publish videos directly to YouTube.
- No watermark, no time limit, ad free.
Cons
- Not allowed to record webcam alone.
- Limited video output formats: MP4, AVI, WMV.
- No built-in video editor.
What is a Good Screen Recorder?
Screen recorders can be desktop or mobile apps, or they can be browser-based. They might offer HD recording capabilities; however, uploading HD videos takes a lot of time to upload.
Here are some must-have features in any good screen recording software:
- Allows annotations in the recorded video
- Includes built-in export options
- Should be easy-to-use
- Allows users to record video from external sources
- Allows screen recording of full screen, single window, or a particular area
- Allows audio recording from system and microphone
Conclusion
Screen casting is the art of recording your screen to share. A free screen recorder can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. Screen recording software like Camtasia and Captivate are premium solutions for recording screens. They tend to be expensive with a learning curve. Free screen recording tools include a lot of good options for users on a budget or with basic needs.
If you have a creative idea or want to explain something to someone then you should use screen recording tools. It is easy to capture the desktop screen with a free screen recorder. Nowadays, it is the best way to view how a program works or how it doesn’t work. Screen recording is also used for telling a story in many cases but there are few more uses of screen recording which I will discuss shortly.