ScreenPal vs OBS Studio
Two of the top three screen recorders, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- ScreenPal has 74 points and OBS Studio 69, 5 apart on our screen recording software rules.
- ScreenPal earns more on editing and sharing; OBS Studio earns more on price and licence.
- First-year price: ScreenPal $48/yr, OBS Studio $0.
- Only ScreenPal meets: draw while recording, built-in editor, share by link and automatic captions.
- Only OBS Studio meets: 60 frames a second, free without watermark or time limit and open source.
OBS Studio69/100 #3 of 9
Best for: People who want a free recorder with full control over sources and quality.
Points by group
| Group | ScreenPal | OBS Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Capture of 30 | 24 | 24 |
| Editing and sharing of 25 | 25 | 0 |
| Systems of 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Price and licence of 30 | 10 | 30 |
| Total | 74 | 69 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | ScreenPal | OBS Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Webcam overlay (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| System sound and microphone (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| 4K recording (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| 60 frames a second (6) | Not published 0 | Yes 6 |
| Draw while recording (6) | Yes 6 | Not published 0 |
| Built-in editor (8) | Yes 8 | No 0 |
| Share by link (8) | Yes 8 | Not published 0 |
| Automatic captions (9) | Yes 9 | Not published 0 |
| Desktop systems (15) | Windows, macOS, Linux 15 | Windows, macOS, Linux 15 |
| Free without watermark or time limit (12) | No 0 | Yes 12 |
| First-year price (10) | $48/yr 10 | $0 10 |
| Open source (8) | No 0 | Yes 8 |
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.
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.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score screen recorders.