15 Best Screen Recording Software Options for 2023

There are so many best screen recording software. It can be hard to determine which one will work best for your role. There may also be requirements from your employer for what kind of software you can use based on security settings, price, billing, etc.

We’ve compiled a list below of the 15 best screen recording software according to the most commonly mentioned software in search engine results.

We researched and tested all of these screen recording options to determine the pros and cons of each. This is not a one-app-fits-all approach, as there are different strengths for each screen recording software and different priorities for users.

Best Screen Recording Software for 2023

Yes, we’re a little biased, but Zight (formerly CloudApp) really is a game changer. If you’re looking for a simple way to capture and embed screen recordings, screenshots, GIFs, and annotated screenshots, Zight (formerly CloudApp) is the best option. With the ability to share your recordings instantly by sending the link copied to your clipboard, it is the fastest and easiest way to share screen recordings with others and improve productivity. Collaboration with your team, both remotely and in the office, has never been easier.

When used with a team, users can view and add to shared collections of saved screen recordings, annotated screenshots, and more. There is also SOC2 integration, the option to password protect and add expiry dates to shared links, screen record with or without a webcam, add call-to-action buttons, utilize templates, and more.

How much does Zight (formerly CloudApp)’s screen recording software cost?

Zight (formerly CloudApp) has a free plan that gives you the  opportunity to use the screen recording software. If you decide to upgrade, plans for individuals start at $9.95 per month, comparable to many other screen recording software options.

What really sets Zight (formerly CloudApp) apart from other screen recording companies is the enterprise level plan pricing. It is, by far, the most affordable and high-quality screen recording tool on the market. With the low price and the peace-of-mind that the SOC2 integration brings, companies can securely use Zight (formerly CloudApp)’s screen recording software to communicate internally and externally with easily shareable links.

Pros of Zight (formerly CloudApp):

• Compatible with Mac, Windows, Chrome, and iOS
• Creates screen recording, screenshots, GIF creation, and annotations in the same software
• Free to inexpensive monthly premium plans
• Instant uploads
• Automatic share link generation
• Video transcription available
• Analytics provided
• Easy and intuitive to use
• Extensive enterprise features including SOC2 integration, custom branding, SSO & more
• Integrations with Zendesk, Slack, Zapier, Asana, Google Suite, and more

Cons of Zight (formerly CloudApp):

• Monthly subscription instead of one-time licensing fee

ShareX is a popular screen recording tool for Windows users that has been around for over 13 years. It takes pride on being free, open source, and lightweight. But because of the .NET technology they use, their platform is limited to Windows.

ShareX allows users to save videos into a few different file formats or even upload directly to many websites including Twitter, Google Photos, ImageShack, Flickr, Imgur, and more. Users can even set custom watermarks and color effects on screen recordings. ShareX’s screen recording software can also detect text in screenshots, which users can then copy and paste.

For more technology-savvy users such as developers, this tool works well. However, it leans heavily on keyboard shortcuts and dropdown-type menus. The learning curve is steeper than for most other screen recording tools.

Pros of ShareX:

• Free
• Open source
• Lightweight
• Offers screen recording, screenshot, and GIF making abilities

Cons of ShareX:

• Not available on Mac, Linux, or iOS
• No webcam recording option
• Full screen screenshots of games do not work
• UX/UI not as user-friendly as most other screen recording software

Ezvid was one of the first screen recording software made available to the public back in 2011. It’s geared toward content creators who want to easily edit and upload their content to YouTube without learning complex software. Ezvid is lightweight, powerful, and offers both screen recording and editing software for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.

It’s completely free to use. This makes it a great option for YouTubers. Keep in mind, though, that the screen recordings are limited to a maximum duration of 45 minutes. The UI is user-friendly and can be learned in minutes. Like Zight (formerly CloudApp), Ezvid allows users to record screens and webcams simultaneously. In addition, it supports live annotations and drawing on the screen.

The Ezvid editing suite easily allows users to cut, crop, and trim videos efficiently. A narration option and access to a selection of popular music tracks can help users make their videos more interesting. A text-to-speech feature makes videos more accessible to those hard-of-hearing or want to watch videos with their volume off.

Like ShareX, Ezvid does not allow for full screen gameplay screen recording. There are workarounds for this, but it is an inconvenience for gamers. Recordings also cannot be saved locally onto a computer or external drive, only uploaded directly to YouTube. This may not be an issue for YouTube content creators, but could be a potential issue for anyone needing to save videos elsewhere.

Pros of Ezvid:

• Free
• Video editing suite included
• Easy and intuitive to use
• Easily upload to YouTube

Cons of Ezvid:

• Not available on Mac, Linux, or iOS
• Video recordings capped at 45 minutes
• Videos cannot be saved locally
• No screenshot or GIF creation ability

TinyTake’s screen recording software is a user-friendly tool that works on both Mac and Windows. The intuitive UI helps users record, edit, and publish videos reliably. They offer a free version of the software that is fairly limited. It can only support up to 5 minutes per video recording. In order to get the most out of TinyTake, users must upgrade to their other plans that start at $29.95 per year.

The TinyTake Jumbo plan runs at $99.95 per year. It includes the ability to record videos up to 60 minutes long, integrate with YouTube, make video annotations, and store up to 1 TB. Most of these features are not included in the less expensive Standard and Plus plans.

For this review, we’ll be focusing on the Jumbo plan and its features. TinyTake offers the ability to make screen recordings and save them directly to their cloud-based gallery. Users can also create custom hotkeys and shortcuts to use the tool faster and more effectively. Basic screen recording editing tools such as annotations, blurring, and drawing are also available. TinyTake lacks advanced editing tools, though most users are using this software because of its simplicity.

Pros of TinyTake:

• Cloud-based storage and file viewer
• Easy-to-use UI

Cons of TinyTake:

• Expensive premium plan
• Limited editing features

OBS Studio is one of the best screen recording software available. It is a powerful tool that provides everything needed for content creators to live-stream from their device while playing video games or anything else. Most streamers on YouTube and Twitch rely on OBS Studio to record their screens.

This  open-source screen recording software is completely free to use and is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Though OBS Studio is full of great features needed for professional streamers, gamers, and content creators, it is pretty complex. Therefore, there is a steep learning curve before users can master the software.

Streaming and recording gameplay is made much easier for gamers with the use of OBS Studio’s features including customizable hot-keys to start recording, retroactive recording of the past few minutes of gameplay, clip making, customized watermarks, custom stream frames, webcam frames, and seamless overlays and transitions on stream.

In order to effectively use OBS Studio for screen recording, it is best for users to have a dual-monitor setup. Streaming, editing, and recording with OBS Studio requires learning how to use the professional editing tools offered. The time it takes to master this software is probably worth it to professional streamers, but may not be the best option for other users.

Pros of OBS Studio:

• Free screen recording software
• Highly customizable features for content creators and streamers
• Professional-level streaming and recording capabilities

Cons of OBS Studio:

• Not user-friendly for beginners

Windows users may find Free Cam by iSpring to be an appealing option for screen recording software. It is especially useful for users who need to create webinars, presentations, or video lessons. Though there aren’t many features, Free Cam offers what is needed to make a streamlined, simple, but high-quality video recording.

Free Cam is available for Windows 7, 8, and 10. Though we are focusing on the free version, there is an option to upgrade to a Cam Pro version that offers more advanced features and functionality to create even higher-quality screen recordings. The Cam Pro version is $227 per year, which is on the more expensive side for screen recording software.

With Free Cam, users can record with a quality of 760p and export videos either as WMV or upload them directly to YouTube. There is also the ability to select an area to record on the screen. Users can also record system audio and/or their own voice, trim and crop videos. Moreover, they can use a noise reduction feature to help drown out distracting noises in the background. Free Cam even offers fade-in and fade-out effects for videos.

Though Free Cam may not have the highest-quality of recording available, there isn’t a time limit for video recording. Users can record without a watermark. These two features are rare among free screen recording software. The software is easy-to-use and completely free. This makes it a great option for those who don’t require advanced or customizable features.

Pros of Free Cam:

• Completely free
• Customizable audio features including noise reduction

Cons of Free Cam:

• Limit of 760p resolution
• Webcam recording feature not available
• Only available on Windows

Camtasia is an excellent screen recording software option for users who need the ability to create, edit, and export professional-quality videos easily in one place. The high-quality features mean that the price is steeper than other screen recording software, costing $299.99 per user per year.

This screen recording software can be used on both Mac and Windows devices. It is compatible with Windows 10 and macOS 10.14 and later. In addition to being able to record videos on iOS devices by connecting them to a computer, Camtasia also offers custom effects to add some flair to screen recordings. It also accepts a wide variety of file formats including MP4, AVI, WMV, WAV, and WMA, just to name a few.

Camtasia allows users to choose to either record the whole screen, select just a section of the screen, or even record specific windows. After users are finished with their screen recording, the editing suite allows edits such as trimming, adding audio, making annotations, and more. There are also presets and templates available to streamline the video editing process and make it easier for users.

One unique feature of this screen recording software is the ability to create and add quizzes to screen recordings to make interactive videos. This feature is ideal for video courses and online lectures. After a video is finalized, users can export videos into a variety of file formats or upload to YouTube, Vimeo, Screencast, or even a custom website.

Pros of Camtasia:

• Professional, easy-to-use software
• Extensive editing features included
• Customizable features to make interactive videos

Cons of Camtasia:

• Expensive upfront cost

Movavi’s screen recording software is an option that many users choose to record webinars, tutorials, meetings, and lectures. Users have the ability to record from their screen, webcams, or a mix of both. The software also includes a feature to record split screens, making it useful for recording separate streams at the same time. The editing tools are sufficient for most users, including professors and business professionals. One group that may not find much value with the platform, however, is gamers, as gameplay cannot be recorded using Movavi.

Unlike many other screen recording software, you can record the videos, edit and share them in 4k using Movavi. This software also allows users to schedule recordings, highlight keystrokes and cursor movement. You can draw or highlight information on videos to make them more engaging.

This screen recording software is available on both Mac and Windows. Movavi offers a 7-day free trial that offers basic editing tools but includes a watermark on output videos. After a free trial, users have the option of purchasing a premium version license for either a year (starting at $44.95) or for a lifetime (starting at $64.95). If users need access to more advanced editing software, they can purchase a lifetime Video Suite license for $84.95. The Video Suite offers tools such as animations, special effects, clips, animated titles, and more.

Pros of Movavi Screen Recorder:

• Easy-to-use
• Simple UI

Cons of Movavi Screen Recorder:

• Free trial limited to 7 days
• Advanced editing tools only available with most expensive plan

FlashBack is known for being intuitive, easy-to-use, and offering a variety of features that make it a great option on Windows to record instructional guides, how-to videos, tutorials, and more. It is only compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10. You can export screen recordings as either MP4, AVI, GIF, and other formats. Users can also easily share videos to YouTube after recording and editing with FlashBack.

One unique feature that sets FlashBack apart is the ability to record multiple displays at once. Users can also record their webcam and microphone simultaneously and capture their desktop screen in several ways. FlashBack also has an automatic recording feature that can be customized to record videos in a schedule.

Once a video is recorded, users can immediately use the editing suite to put on the finishing touches. Some of the features include custom watermarks, transitions, highlights, blurring, zooming in and out, and more. FlashBack users can also add music or audio within the software.

FlashBack’s free version, FlashBack Express, offers the ability to screen capture, add webcam footage to screen recordings, add audio commentary while recording, and easily share to YouTube or download files locally. FlashBack Pro, the paid software, costs $49 per PC for a lifetime license. This includes access to all features, no watermarks, free tech support, and a 30 day refund.

Pros of FlashBack:

• Ability to capture multiple monitors at once
• Scheduled recording
• Intuitive editing tools

Cons of FlashBack:

• Only available on Windows
• Screen recordings have a watermark on the free version

Loom’s screen recording software is meant to help teams communicate more effectively and improve productivity through video. Whether you need to communicate with clients or teammates, Loom can be a good option for screen recording.

Loom is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Their free version includes basic features and users can record up to 5 minutes per video, up to 25 videos total. Once you meet the limit, upgrade to the business version for $8 per month. This unlocks unlimited video recording and access to 4K quality. Like Zight (formerly CloudApp), Loom also generates a link for users to share their screen recordings automatically.

Loom also offers customized branding options, CTA buttons, video trimming capabilities, and security settings to keep screen recordings password protected. With the ability to access Loom on both iOS and Android, users can collaborate on-the-go, even when they don’t have access to their computer.

Pros of Loom:

• Ease of use
• Sharing links generated automatically
• CTA and custom branding

Cons of Loom:

• Limited integration with CRMs
• High price of enterprise-level licenses compared to similar software

Screencast-O-Matic’s Deluxe plan starts at $1.65 per month, a unique price point for users that need more features than free software offers, but do not want to pay the typical cost for screen recording software. For $4 per month, users can even access the Premier version. Their screen recording software is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Chromebook.

With the free version, users can record up to 15 minutes per video. Note, however, that the free version includes a watermark on all screen recordings. Users can also choose to include webcam footage and save the videos as GIF, AVI, MP4, or FLV files. One limiting feature is that screenshots can only be saved as PNG files. This may not be an issue most of the time, but when a JPG is needed, it could become a pain point.

Users of Screencast-O-Matic can utilize the variety of editing features including green screen filters, overlays, recording audio, adding music, annotating, blurring, speech-to-text, and more. The speech-to-text feature can be especially useful for teachers who want to record lessons and have captions available for students who prefer/need to read along.

Once screen recordings are edited and finished, users can either upload them to Screencast-O-Matic or share to a variety of other sites including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MS Teams, Google Drive, Google Classroom, or email.

Pros of Screencast-O-Matic:

• Affordable premium plans
• Extensive sharing options
• Comprehensive editing features

Cons of Screencast-O-Matic:

• Limited file saving options
• No OCR (optical character recognition) for screenshots

Apowersoft free online screen recorder has a simple UI that makes it easy for users to create how-to videos or software tutorials. This is one of the few screen recorders that is a web-based tool. Users simply have to go to their website, follow a few simple steps, and record their screen quickly and easily.

Even though the software is free, they offer unlimited free video recordings. As an added bonus, users don’t have to download software onto their computers to make screen recordings. Apowersoft includes a lot of great features including webcam recording, real-time screencast edits, annotations, callouts, and more to help make videos more engaging.

After you are done recording, save the videos as MP4, WMV, AVI, FLV, MPEG, VOB, ASF, and GIF files. Or, if users prefer, they can be uploaded directly to a number of sites including Dropbox, Google Drive, Vimeo, and YouTube. They can also be saved to the Apowersoft website.

Pros of Apowersoft Screen Recorder:

• Web-based software
• Free unlimited recording without watermarks
• Live annotations

Cons of Apowersoft Screen Recorder:

• Fewer features for Mac devices

Icecream Screen Recorder is available for Windows, Mac, and Android for a variety of purposes including video tutorials, how-to videos, live streams, video game recording, webinars, and more. It is intuitive and easy to use for beginners.

The free version of Icecream Screen Recorder is pretty limited, with a record time limit of 5 minutes and a only output video format- WEBM. The Pro version has a reasonable one-time fee of $29.95. You can use it on up to two Windows computers. Users can also convert recorded videos, remove the default watermark or create a custom one, schedule screen recording, use for commercial use, and more.

Pro users can make their videos more captivating with features that allow them to record audio, annotate videos, add logos, and more. Once the screen recording is done, users can then save videos as either AVI, MP4, MOV, or WEBM. They can also copy screen recordings and screenshots directly to the clipboard to share instantly on Skype.

Pros of Icecream Screen Recorder:

• Affordable lifetime license
• Available on Windows, Mac, and Android

Cons of Icecream Screen Recorder:

• Not as aesthetically pleasing as other screen recording software
• Limited free plan

ActivePresenter’s screen recording software is targeted towards users involved in eLearning content creation. In addition to screen recording, they also offer software guides, audio and video editing, eLearning games, software simulation, and quiz building.

The free version is unique in that all of the same features come to the Standard or Pro versions, with watermarks. One caveat is that the free edition is practically a free trial for the average user, non-profit organizations or educational institutions.

All versions include video editing, smart capture video recording, annotations, themes and templates, cloud text-to-speech, report and tracking in LMS, advanced audio/video effects, ability to export to PDF, HTML, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and more.

The Standard edition is $199 per license. You can use it for commercial purposes as well as export most things without a watermark. The Pro edition is $399 per license and includes everything listed above but with absolutely no watermarks on any exports. An educational discount is available at $199 for a Pro license for students, teachers/staff, educational institutions, and non-profit institutions.

Pros of ActivePresenter:

• No limitations on free version except watermarks
• Highly customizable for eLearning content
• Easy-to-use

Cons of ActivePresenter:

• Expensive

Snagit by TechSmith offers a powerful screen recording software great for creating how-to guides, tutorials, and more. It’s available for download on both Windows and Mac. Users can do a free trial of Snagit for 15 days to see if it is a good fit. During this trial, they will get access to the fully-functional software. The software has a one-time fee of $62.49 that allows you to use on up to two computers for a single user.

Snagit offers a wide range of features including all-in-one capture, panoramic scrolling capture, annotations, screen capture text extraction, webcam recording, GIF creation, stamps, templates, favorites, automatic share link creation, and more. There are also some smart features available such as a tool to help users quickly document steps, replace text, and simplify screen recordings.

Pros of Snagit:

• Intuitive, easy-to-use software
• Great for creating guides and how-to tutorials
• One-time licensing fee

Cons of Snagit:

• Cannot record gameplay
• Limited free trial

Honorable Mention: Zappy

Zappy is a new product of Zapier that they developed to help improve communication within their company, especially since they have a large, fully remote team that works in many different time zones. For the time being, their screen recording software is available only on macOS and is free for all paid Zapier users. As this product is still in the early access phase, we have included it on this list as an honorable mention. When their product is more fully accessible and there are more users to report, we will update our review.

Pros of Zappy:

• Free for all paid Zapier users
• Targeted towards remote workers

Cons of Zappy:

• Only available on macOS
• In early access phase

Hopefully, at least one of these software options will work for you and your needs. There are some impressively affordable and powerful screen recording software in this list to discover. Almost all of them have a free trial available so you can try out all 15 if necessary to figure out which one is the best option for you!