Best Screen Recording for Windows

A good computer or laptop is not complete without a trusty screen recorder. A screen recorder is an application that can record what you on your screen. It allows editing, presentation, and sharing of content created from the Windows computer.

If you are a gamer and want to make video games walkthroughs or tutorials, then you probably want to keep track of your gameplay. This boils down to recording your screen.

When you are doing some video tutorials and demonstration, it is good to have some screen recording for windows 10 that could help you out. Screen recording for windows 10 makes it really easy for you to showcase your work, the steps that you have taken, the issues and challenges that you have encountered during the project. The screen recording is a must-have if you want to capture what is happening on your computer screen and want to share with others.

Windows screen recorder is one of the best for recording your screen activity. The introduction of windows 10 has created huge demand for screen recording software. ScreenRecorder is such a wonderful software that can record videos on your window PC and laptop.

The Best Screen Recorder: What to Consider?

While different screen recording software prioritizes an assortment of features, it is advisable to establish a baseline of arriving at the best choice at all times. Of course, most users will go for free programs even when they do not bring enough and worthwhile features to the table. Therefore, here are the most important factors to consider when picking the best screen recorder for Windows 10 and other versions.

  • Lets you record the entire screen, an application window or a user-specified region
  • has feature Offers the option to record webcam footage separately or in PiP mode
  • has feature Lets you capture audio from both the microphone and system sounds
  • has feature Offers built-in video exporting and sharing options
  • has feature Has high levels of user-friendliness
  • has feature Lets you edit and annotate videos accordingly
  • has feature Supports common video/audio file saving formats

Zappy

The best screen video recorder for remote teams

OS: Mac

Zappy is software produced by Zapier, a company that provides workflows to automate the use of web applications together, specifically to improve communication and productivity within the company. It allows employees to create screencasts, screenshots, and GIFs easily, upload files to the cloud, and share them with their colleagues by embedding links to G-Suite tools, Slack, and other services. The software doesn’t have a video editor, but it lets you place colorful text, arrows, or drawings, so you can communicate with your peers visually. 

Zappy screen recorder

Pros

  • Makes screencasts, screenshots, and GIFs quickly
  • Allows you to make annotations quickly
  • Enables you to add audios and a selfie view
  • Free cloud hosting with a paid Zapier account

Cons

  • No animations and effects
  • Only available on macOS
  • In the early access phase
  • Uploading captures to the cloud is a paid feature

Price: Free for paid Zapier users

ActivePresenter

ActivePresenter by Atomi Systems is an all-in-one screen recorder and video editor. It is most loved by YouTubers, video producers, educators, and trainers who look for video demos, how-to videos, and step-by-step tutorials. ActivePresenter has virtually all the features and effects one may need to record screen and edit videos.

The free version of ActivePresenter is free of charge with no watermark when using free features. You can test all features of ActivePresenter without any functionality or time restrictions. After the capture phase, you’re allowed to trim, cut, split your recording, change the speed and volume, add closed captions, annotations, animations, and more. When you upgrade to the paid versions, more advanced audio and video editing features are available to create impressive videos and software simulations.

ActivePresenter is a perfect screen recording software for Windows 10.

Pros

Cons

  • Not allowed to schedule recordings.
  • No video cropping feature, though there is a workaround.
  • 64-bit only.

Movavi Screen Recorder (Windows, Mac)

A screenshot of Movavi, our pick for the best screen recording software for screen capture when you're away from your desk

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.

OBS Studio

screen recording software

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

 Apowersoft Unlimited

screen recording software for android

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  

 Screencast-O-Matic

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 

AceThinker

online screen recorder

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. 

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:

  1. Press WINDOWS+G to open the Game bar. If required, select the “Yes, this is a game.” check box.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
Use Game bar to record game clips and screen in Windows 10.

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.

Flashback Express allows you to record screen without having to pay.

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.

Camtasia

Developed by TechSmith, Camtasia is one of the highest-priced screen capture application at present. It has over 14 million users worldwide and might never be absent in top screen recorder rankings. As an all-in-one screen recorder and video editor, Camtasia claims to “make it easy to record your screen and create polished, professional-looking videos.”

The newest version of Camtasia, Camtasia 2018, comes with a collection of brand-new video assets such as customizable intros, outros, and lower thirds. It also includes a number of themes to maintain a consistent look and feel across a series of videos. A 30-day free trial is available with watermark added.

Camtasia is a good choice for screen capture software.

Pros

  • Record full screen, window, region, webcam, microphone, computer sound.
  • Record iOS screen for mobile demos and how-tos.
  • Feature a video editor to edit captured videos as well as imported videos.
  • Video editing features: trim, cut, split, change speed/volume, add zoom-n-pan, annotations, multimedia, animations, transitions, audio fade in/out, green screen effect, and more.
  • Free video, image, and audio assets: intros, outros, motion backgrounds, icons, music, sound effects, and more.

Cons

  • Relatively expensive in comparison with other screencasting software.
  • 64-bit only.

How Does a Screen Recorder Software Work?

The process starts with rendering the scene displayed on your screen at present which includes the applications and the content displayed. The screen recording application reads that content and transfers that to its memory. This completes the process of capturing a single image.

But, in case you need to capture multiple images of the screen, the process is repeated. Then these multiple images are compiled and converted into a video required for how-to-dos, product demos, tutorials, or learning resources.

Conclusion

Screen capture is an important feature in a lot of software and it makes the software more effective. Now, if you are a Windows user, then you will get to see many screen capture programs on the internet.

Screen Recorder for Windows 7/8/10. Best, easy video editor with no watermark – both for desktop PC and mobiles. Free download to capture all activities in your screen, record video via the webcam, streaming video from any source with high quality and no time limit, etc.

Leave a Comment