- What Loom Starter includes
- Loom Starter vs Loom Business
- The catch: the limits work together
- How to get the most out of Loom Starter
- Try Business before deciding
- Who Loom Starter suits
- Starter for a small team
- Keep your videos short on purpose
- What free Loom viewers can do
- Recording meetings on Starter
- Frequently asked questions
Yes, Loom is free. Loom's Starter plan lets you record and share videos for free, but each person can only keep up to 25 videos and each screen recording is limited to 5 minutes.
Loom is the quick screen recording tool lots of business owners use to explain a task, give feedback or walk a client through a proposal. Starter covers that kind of short video well. It's the 5-minute and 25-video limits that decide how long you'll stay on it.
What Loom Starter includes
Loom's plans page lists these on Starter:
- Up to 25 videos per person.
- 5 minutes per video recording.
- Unlimited meeting length for meeting recordings, which Loom marks as new.
- Up to 50 members in a workspace.
- Video quality up to 720p.
- Screen and camera bubble recording.
- Transcriptions in 50+ languages, closed captions, comments and emoji reactions.
- Unlimited screenshots and video privacy controls.
Loom Starter vs Loom Business
| Feature | Starter (free) | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Videos per person | Up to 25 | Unlimited |
| Recording length | 5 minutes | Unlimited |
| Video quality | Up to 720p | Up to 4K |
| Members | Up to 50 | Unlimited |
| Upload and download videos | Not included | Included |
| Remove Loom branding | No | Yes |
| Editing | Not listed | Basic waveform editing |
The catch: the limits work together
Each limit on its own sounds fine. Together they shape how you use Loom. Five minutes is enough for a quick update but tight for a full walkthrough. And 25 videos per person fills up fast if you send a few a day.
The other one people don't expect is downloads. Loom lists uploading and downloading videos as a Business feature, so on Starter your videos live in Loom. If you want a copy for your course, your website or your own files, that's something to sort out before you rely on it.
How to get the most out of Loom Starter
- Sign up at loom.com and install the desktop app or Chrome extension.
- Plan each video before you hit record so it fits in 5 minutes.
- Use the camera bubble so people see you, not just your screen.
- Share the link and let viewers comment or react.
- Delete old videos you no longer need, so you stay under 25.
Try Business before deciding
Loom's FAQ says you can try the Business + AI plan free for 14 days. That's a good way to see whether longer recordings, downloads and AI features such as auto meeting recap emails and filler word removal make a difference to your work. Put the end date in your diary so you can decide in time.
Who Loom Starter suits
It suits freelancers, consultants and small teams who send short updates instead of long emails. Quick bug reports, feedback on a design, a two-minute hello to a new client: that's where Starter shines.
It's a weaker fit for training videos, course content or anything longer than five minutes, and for anyone who wants to keep copies of their videos. If you need longer recordings, my guide to choosing screen recording software for tutorials covers other tools. Mac users can also record without any extra app, as my guide on how to screen record on a Mac shows.
Starter for a small team
Because Starter allows up to 50 members, a small team can all use it for free. Remember the 25-video limit applies per person, so each team member gets their own allowance. Agree a simple habit, like deleting a video once the task it explains is done, and the free plan stays usable.
Keep your videos short on purpose
Here's a tip that works on any plan. Short videos get watched. A five-minute cap pushes you to get to the point, and most client updates are better at two minutes than ten. Write three bullet points before you record, cover each one, and stop. You'll find the Starter limit far less of a problem.
What free Loom viewers can do
The people you send videos to get a good experience on Starter too. Loom lists emoji reactions, video comments, transcriptions, closed captions and watch later on the free plan, plus video privacy controls so you decide who can see each one. Starter also connects with Slack, Gmail, Jira, Confluence, GitHub and Upwork, and lets you embed videos in tools like Notion and FigJam.
That means a client doesn't need anything special to watch and reply. They open the link, watch, and leave a comment on the exact moment they want to talk about. For feedback on a design or a website, that saves a lot of back and forth.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Recording meetings on Starter
Loom now lists unlimited meeting length on Starter as a new feature, which is separate from the 5-minute cap on screen recordings. If you mostly want notes and recordings from calls, check how that works in your account before you assume the 5-minute rule applies. For screen recordings, the 5-minute limit still stands, so plan short videos and keep a running list of what you've recorded so it's easy to delete old ones.
A last tip: Loom's Starter plan includes unlimited screenshots, so for a quick point that doesn't need a voice, a screenshot saves one of your 25 video slots.
My verdict: Loom is free and Starter is ideal for short, quick video messages. Keep each one under five minutes, tidy up old videos to stay under 25, and try the 14-day Business trial if you need longer recordings or downloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Loom free to use?
Yes. Loom's Starter plan is free and includes up to 25 videos per person and 5 minutes per video recording.
How long can a free Loom video be?
On Starter, each screen recording is limited to 5 minutes. Business removes the limit.
How many videos can I keep on Loom free?
Starter allows up to 25 videos per person. Business includes unlimited videos.
Can I download Loom videos on the free plan?
Loom lists uploading and downloading videos as a Business feature, not a Starter one.
Is there a Loom free trial?
Yes. Loom says you can try the Business + AI plan free for 14 days.
Does Loom Starter include transcripts?
Yes. Loom lists transcriptions in 50+ languages and closed captions on the free Starter plan.
How many people can use Loom Starter?
Starter allows up to 50 members, and each person gets their own allowance of up to 25 videos.
