The video age is here, this video era will never end because of its popularity to the people. There are several screen capture tool in the internet. To capture the video some screen capture software is available, but you must select the best software to capture your favorite movie, music or any other type of videos from your window and desktop.
Since the invention of computer and its software, many people developed their own softwares for different purposes. Desktop publishing, artistic drawing, presentation design are some good examples for it. The popularity of softwares used in video-capturing is not an exception too. We can find a few tools to use in order to record video on screen these days.
It is best screen capture tool video. Some people would like to capture their video with screenshot. Maybe, you’ve found software or Apps to help you capturing video screenshots, not only this approach can take a lot of time, but also it always miss some important details in the video.
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.
What Is a Good Screen Recorder?
There are two important points to consider when looking for the best free screen recorder in 2022.
1. File Format & Compression
A file format is a particular way of organizing the data within the file. There are many video file formats and some screen recording tools support more than one. However, most of the time, it goes down to MP4 vs. WMV.
MP4 or WMV for screen capture?
The WMV format is a product of Microsoft. Back in the day, it was created to allow professional videos to be recorded in high quality, e.g. on DVD, Bluray. The biggest issue here is that Mac users often have trouble viewing WMV files.
MP4, on the other hand, helps you produce video files that can be opened on any platform. And, when it comes to video quality, MP4 is actually better than WMV.
So,MP4 is more suitable for publishing your screen captures on the web and sharing them with others. The best free video capture software allows you to save your videos in MP4.
2. Video Hosting & Uploading
When looking for a screen capture software, you’d probably look at the recording features like — recording time, ability to record the computer audio, and so on.
But what happens after you record your screencast?
Most of the time, video files are very big and can’t be attached to emails. This means that, to share a video, you have to upload it somewhere in the cloud. In other words, you need video hosting.
This is a book-worthy topic but here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Hosting on YouTube. Some screen recorders allow you to post your videos on YouTube. That’s great when you want to share your videos publicly but not recommended if the screencast contains sensitive information.
- Proprietary video hosting. Some screen recorders like Screenrec, Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder and Screencast-O-Matic come with video hosting. When storing your videos on these platforms, it would be wise to research if the platform is free and what level of security it offers.
- Cloud Recording. If there is no Cloud Recording option, you will have to wait for the video to upload until you can share it. The best free screen capture tools come with this option.
1. OBS Studio
OBS or Open Broadcaster Software is a free screen video recorder that offers both recording and streaming in high definition, with no limits on the length of your videos.
The desktop software allows you to choose the part of the screen you want to capture, but it also gives an option to record the entire screen.
Customizable hotkeys help control the recording, and an audio mixer allows you to produce videos with smoothly recorded sound.
Apart from the intuitive screencasting features, OBS is equipped with live-streaming capabilities that you won’t find in the default screen recorders of major operating systems.
You can stream live on YouTube Gaming and Twitch, save projects, and convert your footage in FLV format.
All of this makes OBS one of the best free screen recording software options to try in 2021.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Linux, Mac, Windows
Best for: Professional live streaming to Mixer, YouTube or Twitch
2. Apowersoft Unlimited
This is a suite of software applications that includes screen recorders for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.
It allows you to wirelessly cast an Android device or iPhone to your PC’s screen and use the desktop recorder to capture your PC audio, mobile device, microphone, and computer’s webcam simultaneously.
The desktop screen recorder offers multiple recording modes, including full screen, custom area, and more, and it also lets users annotate on the recording in real-time. You can apply callouts, lines, text, and more without needing to pause.
With the help of its intuitive, mobile-specific apps, you just have to set your computer and smartphone under the same WiFi network and begin casting.
Mac and Windows users can directly use the desktop screen recorder to record all kinds of on-screen activities.
Price: $59.95 per year
Supported OS: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac
Best for: Demonstrating how to use software that has both a desktop and a mobile version
3. Screencast-O-Matic
Screencast-O-Matic is an online screen recorder and video editor that supports both webcam and screen recordings.
While the application doesn’t let you record in HD, it does have options to record in 800×600, 640×480 and other standard definitions, which makes it ideal for recording and uploading quick videos.
It also assists users in zooming, drawing, and adding overlays on the video files.
Plus, you can share the recording to YouTube without having to download any desktop app.
Screencast-O-Matic also has additional features including options for editing computer audio and synchronization of recording with video footage.
Keep in mind that most of the editing features are offered in the paid version of the app. However, you can use the free version to upload content to YouTube.
Price: Free or $1.50 per month
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS
Best for: Making quick tutorials to share with friends, customers or online communities
4. AceThinker
AceThinker is a web-based laptop screen recorder that is easy to set up and use.
You can use it to record a specific screen portion or the whole screen, create real-time edits for an attention-worthy recording, and capture audio from your mic and computer simultaneously.
The software lets you convert and save your recordings in all renowned video formats, including MP4, MOV and API.
And you can also use AceThinker to directly upload your recordings to Dropbox, Google Drive, or YouTube.
All of these features are available in the free version of the app, but you can also install the PRO version to gain access to additional capabilities.
A standout feature of the PRO version is that it lets you create scheduled tasks for screen recordings.
If you want to record an ongoing live stream in the afternoon, but you don’t have the internet at work, you can install this screen capture tool on your home computer, create a schedule and let it record the screen automatically.
Price: Free or $39.95
Supported OS: Mac, Windows
Best for: Recording soccer matches, stock trends, etc.
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. Filmora Scrn
Filmora Scrn lets you capture gameplay, webcam, computer screen and audio simultaneously without placing any limits on the duration of the video.
It gives you the option to record in 15-120 frames per second. Higher FPS is ideal for recording gameplay with loads of action.
The software also lets you add annotations like text to improve the viewing experience for your audience. Also, you can modify the size, color and shape of your cursor to make it look unique.
With Filmora Scrn, you don’t need a separate video editing tool because the screen recording software itself boasts a wide range of editing tools to help refine your video recordings.
It can import from over 50 file formats, and you also get the option to export your recordings in multiple formats as per your requirement.
Price: Free or $29.99
Supported OS: Windows, Mac
Best for: Recording screen from two devices simultaneously
9. Camtasia
TechSmith’s Camtasia makes it simple to capture and make professional-looking videos on your PC.
You can record both audio and video from a desktop or iOS device, and also capture your webcam to infuse a personal element to your recording.
Its built-in video editing tool is where Camtasia shines. A good selection of stock images along with click-and-drag effects is offered in the sidebar of the tool. Users can create outro and intro segments by dropping them into their recordings in a matter of seconds.
You can also insert zoom out, zoom in, and pan animations into your footage, and use transitions between slides and scenes to enhance the flow of your videos.
The screen recording software also lets you import or record PowerPoint pages directly into its environment. Grab attention in your presentations by adding eye-catching recordings, titles, and more.
Price: Free or $249
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS
Best for: Adding a professional touch to captured videos
10. ShareX
This open-source screen recording software is ideal for capturing videos.
It doesn’t place watermarks or duration limits on your recordings, and you also get the option to save your file as a GIF instead of a video.
The video file sharing features are ShareX’s biggest advantage, because it’s easy to upload recordings directly to YouTube and other platforms.
Enhancing screenshots you capture with this tool doesn’t require much effort either. A built-in photo editor lets you freely customize still photos in any way you want.
Not only is it a brilliant screenshot and screen capture tool, but it can also capture and reveal text via OCR, record a whole scrolling webpage, and even record your screen according to a schedule.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Linux, Windows
Best for: Recording screens of Linux devices
11. Loom (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, Chrome)
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 for PC.
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.
Having said that, Loom isn’t perfect. The desktop app works well, but we found the mobile apps limited in confusing ways. The Android version, for example, requires users to enter their Google password in order to log in instead of using the built-in Android support for Google accounts, which is odd. The iPhone and iPad apps can’t combine video with screencasting.
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 $8/month with unlimited uploads.
Dropbox recently launched the beta of Dropbox Capture, which uploads videos directly to your Dropbox folder. It’s a great Loom alternative, so be sure to check it out if you’re already paying for Dropbox and need an app for recording your screen.
12. Screencast-O-Matic (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, Chrome)
Screencast-O-Matic isn’t, on the surface, that unique in the crowded field of screen recording apps. Where it excels, though, is offering a great experience on every platform.
The mobile apps, in particular, worked better and offered more features than the alternatives we tested. They work without logging in, for example, and generally offer more features. The iPhone and iPad versions allow you to record your screen, then overlay a separate recording of your face onto that recording. You can edit videos right on your mobile device, instead of waiting until you get to your computer. If you’re looking for Loom alternatives for mobile, start here.
The desktop app also works just how you’d expect, allowing you to record an area of your screen and optionally add a webcam with your face. There are some simple editing tools in the paid version, and even the free version allows you to crop and add music before uploading.
Videos can be saved to your device, no cloud necessary, or you can upload to Screencast-O-Matic, Google Drive, or even YouTube in the free version—Dropbox and Vimeo are added to the paid version. It’s nice to have that choice after recording and to have some editing tools that aren’t overwhelming.
Screencast-O-Matic pricing: Free for capturing videos with basic trimming. Paid plans start at $1.65/month and offer editing, captions using speech-to-text, and a green screen filter.
Prefer Chrome extensions to desktop apps? Check out Screencastify, which is similar to Loom and Screencast-O-Matic but runs entirely in Chrome.
13. Camtasia (Windows, Mac)
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 that struggles with its editing tools. Creating surprisingly professional intro and outro segments and dropping them into our test video took a matter of seconds. Our 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 we 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.
Note: if you don’t need editing but like the look of Camtasia, Snagit comes from the same company, only offers screen recording, and starts at $49.
Camtasia pricing: $300 for a lifetime business license.
14. OBS Studio (Windows, Mac, Linux)
OBS is 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.
We created three studios during our test (shown above): one for just the primary display and webcam, another for the secondary display and webcam, and a third for both displays and the webcam. 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
15. Movavi Screen Recorder (Windows, Mac)
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: $52.95 for a one-computer lifetime license. There’s a free version, but it adds a large hideous watermark to the center of every video, so it’s really only useful for getting a feel for the software.
16. Zappy (Mac)
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. Zappy is perfect for this. This app is triggered using a keyboard shortcut, or using the menu bar icon. Select which portion of the screen you want to record, hit the video camera button, then hit stop when you’re done. You can record a voiceover using your microphone, if you want.
If you’re a paid Zapier user, the recording will be uploaded to the cloud and a link copied to your clipboard. If not, you can grab the video file locally and share it however you like. You won’t find a lot in the way of settings, and there’s no editing capability, but you can add arrows, boxes, basic text, and obfuscation while you’re recording (or after the fact for a screenshot). It’s just a fast way to share something.
Cards on the table: this is our app. We built Zappy for internal use, basically because we couldn’t find a tool that worked quite the way we wanted. We thought people might find it useful, so we released it to the public.
Zappy pricing: Free for local recordings and screenshots. Paid Zapier accounts can automatically upload all recordings to the cloud. Zapier subscriptions start at $19.99/month.
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 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.
Conclusion
Screen capture tools are used to record the activity on computer screen. Most of the capture tools online can be downloaded for free, however some may have free trial periods and monthly/yearly subscriptions. Additionally, these tools may be offered as standalone applications or browser plugins for others. If you are looking for an online screen capture tool then it depends on the type you need to record.
Essentially, a screencast is the activity of creating a recording by using file capturing and editing software. The process or activity itself is sometimes referred to as screencasting because of its likeness to filming with a camera.