1. Bandicam
Bandicam suits people who record games or tutorials on a Windows PC and would rather pay once than subscribe. It records up to 4K, draws on screen while recording and transcribes speech into subtitles. The catch is the free version: each recording stops at 5 minutes, and edited exports carry a watermark.
Best for: Gamers and tutorial makers who would rather pay once. Prices, facts and sources
2. ScreenPal
ScreenPal suits people who record short lessons or walkthroughs and share them by link. The free plan adds no watermark and includes drawing while recording and basic editing. The catch: free recordings stop at 15 minutes and leave out computer sound, which needs a paid plan from $48 a year.
Best for: Teachers and teams who share short how-to videos by link. Prices, facts and sources
3. OBS Studio
OBS Studio suits people who want a free recorder with no watermark and no paid tier, on any of the three desktop systems. Scenes can combine screen captures, webcams and other sources, and desktop audio and microphone are recorded by default. The catch is everything after recording: OBS points to separate video editors, and it lists no link sharing or automatic captions of its own.
Best for: People who want a free recorder with full control over sources and quality. Prices, facts and sources
4. Snagit
Snagit suits people who capture screenshots and short how-to videos and want to mark up the screen as they record. It records webcam, microphone and system audio, trims clips, and shares by link or through Screencast. The catch: there is no free version beyond a 15-day trial, and it runs only on Windows and macOS.
Best for: People who mix screenshots and short screen videos for guides and feedback. Prices, facts and sources
5. Camtasia
Camtasia suits people who make tutorials and training videos and want recording, a multitrack editor and captions in one place. It records screen, webcam, microphone and system audio at up to 4K. The catch is price: the cheap Starter plan watermarks Camtasia Editor exports, so clean editing starts at €182.49 a year, and there is no Linux version.
Best for: People who record tutorials and training videos and edit them in the same app. Prices, facts and sources
6. Loom
Loom suits teams that record quick walkthroughs and share them by link, with transcripts and captions on every plan. The desktop app records screen, camera, microphone and system audio at up to 4K. The catch is the free plan's 5-minute, 25-video cap, a 30 fps recording target, and no Linux app.
Best for: Teams that send short recorded walkthroughs instead of meetings. Prices, facts and sources
7. ShareX
ShareX suits Windows users who want a free recorder that uploads a clip and hands back a link. It is open source, has no ads and adds no paid tier. The catch: the recorder takes one audio source at a time, there is no published webcam overlay or caption tool, and there is no Mac or Linux version.
Best for: Windows users who want quick, free recordings they can upload and share. Prices, facts and sources
8. Microsoft Clipchamp
Clipchamp suits people who want to record the screen and webcam and then edit in the same timeline, with trim, split and AI subtitles. The free plan has no watermark and exports in 1080p. The catches: recordings stop at 30 minutes, and personal accounts capture sound only when recording a browser tab.
Best for: People who record and edit short videos in one place. Prices, facts and sources
9. Snipping Tool
Snipping Tool suits Windows 11 users who want a quick screen recording at no cost. It records PC audio and a microphone. For trimming, captions or other editing, Microsoft sends you to Clipchamp.
Best for: Windows 11 users who need a quick recording at no cost. Prices, facts and sources