The right replacement depends on what you're recording. For quick walkthroughs a colleague watches once, a simple screen recorder is enough. For polished videos you'll publish, pick an editor with recording built in, and for product tours prospects click through, choose an interactive demo tool. Test each with one real walkthrough.
Ask three teams what they record and you'll get three answers: a support lead explaining a fix, a marketer making a launch video, a salesperson showing the product to a prospect. Arcade now leads with AI video for marketing teams, turning an idea into a launch video, tutorial or social clip. If that's drifted from what you need, the nine tools below, in no particular order, cover the other jobs.
What do you record most?
Quick walkthroughs and messages
Loom, ScreenPal and CleanShot are about capturing your screen and sharing it fast. The first works on Mac and PC, the second covers video and images for everyday visual messages, and the third is a Mac app for screenshots and recordings with annotation and cloud uploads.
Polished videos you'll edit
Descript lets you edit video and audio by editing the transcript, which makes cutting mistakes much faster. Tella pairs native screen recording with AI editing, so a tutorial can go from recording to export without a separate editor.
Product tours and how-to guides
Supademo builds interactive product demos with AI for sales, onboarding and training, so viewers click through rather than watch. Guidde captures step-by-step videos and documents for training teams and internal processes.
Lessons and sales calls
Screencastify is aimed at teachers and students recording lessons and assignments. Claap records sales calls and meetings, fills your CRM and coaches reps, so it's a better fit if most of your recordings are customer conversations rather than screen walkthroughs.
Nine recording tools at a glance
| Tool | Built for | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Claap | Sales call recording | Sales teams recording customer calls |
| CleanShot | Mac capture app | Screenshots and short clips on a Mac |
| Descript | Text-based video editor | Editing recordings by editing the transcript |
| Guidde | How-to guide maker | Training guides and process documentation |
| Loom | Screen recorder | Quick recorded messages to colleagues |
| Screencastify | Education screen recorder | Classroom lessons and assignments |
| ScreenPal | Capture and share | Everyday screen videos and images |
| Supademo | Interactive demo builder | Clickable product tours for prospects |
| Tella | Recorder with AI editing | Polished screen videos without a separate editor |
The nine, A to Z
Alphabetical and in no particular order. Every line reflects what the vendor says about its own tool.
Claap
Best for: Sales teams who want calls and meetings recorded, with or without a bot, plus CRM updates, rep coaching and deal forecasts, per the vendor; a free plan is named.
CleanShot
Best for: Mac users wanting a screenshot and screen recording app with built-in annotation, scrolling capture and cloud uploads, as the vendor describes it.
Descript
Best for: Creators and teams who'd rather edit video and audio by editing text, recording, transcribing and publishing from one tool; the vendor names a free plan.
Guidde
Best for: Teams turning know-how into step-by-step videos and documents quickly, which the vendor pitches as capturing knowledge and training teams.
Loom
Best for: Anyone needing a simple screen recorder for Mac and PC, with editing and video storage included, according to the vendor.
Screencastify
Best for: Teachers and students recording, editing and sharing videos for lessons, how-tos, assignments, training and assessments, as the vendor describes it.
ScreenPal
Best for: People capturing, creating and sharing videos and images for everyday visual communication, with AI help, per the vendor; a free plan is named.
Supademo
Best for: Sales, onboarding and training teams creating interactive product demos with AI across the customer journey, per the vendor.
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Tella
Best for: People recording screen, camera, microphone and system audio together, then editing with AI before sharing or exporting, according to the vendor.
Making, sharing and seeing who watched
Recording tools look alike in screenshots. The differences show up in three places, and they're worth checking with your own content before you move a library of walkthroughs across.
- Making: whether you record from a browser extension, a desktop app or both, and which sources it captures: screen, camera, microphone and system audio
- Editing: whether trimming, captions and AI clean-up happen in the same tool or need exporting elsewhere
- Sharing: a link, an embed on your help centre or website, or a file export, and who can view without an account
- Viewer insight: who watched, where they stopped and, for interactive demos, which steps they clicked
Viewer insight matters most for sales and marketing, where knowing a prospect watched the whole demo is useful. For internal walkthroughs it matters far less than speed. For broader lists, see my guide to screen recording software and my list of screen recorders for Mac.
Advice by team
Support and operations teams should favour speed: the tool you'll reach for without thinking, with a link you can paste into a ticket in seconds. Marketing teams publishing videos should favour editing, because a clean final cut matters more than how quickly it was recorded. Sales teams showing a product to prospects get the most from interactive demos and from knowing who watched.
If you're a teacher or trainer, look for tools built around lessons and assignments, where sharing with a class is simple. And if you're a small team that does a bit of everything, don't buy three tools; pick the one that covers your most common job and live with its limits elsewhere.
Record the same walkthrough three times
- Choose one real task you explain often, such as setting up an account or fixing a common problem.
- Shortlist one tool from each group above that matches who will watch the result.
- Record the same walkthrough in each, with the same script and the same screen.
- Share each recording with a colleague and ask which one they'd rather receive.
- Keep the tool that took the least editing and got the clearest answer, then move your most used recordings first.
Do you make screen recording or interactive demo software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a screen recording and an interactive demo?
A screen recording is a video viewers watch from start to finish. An interactive demo lets viewers click through the steps themselves, which suits product tours and onboarding.
Do I need a desktop app or will a browser extension do?
A browser extension is fine for web apps and quick messages. Desktop apps are better for recording other software, system audio or high-quality video.
Can I edit a recording by editing the transcript?
Some editors let you delete words from the transcript and remove the matching video. It's a fast way to cut mistakes and pauses.
How do I move my existing recordings?
Download the ones still in use, upload them to the new tool, and update every link in your help centre, emails and documents.
Are recordings with customers allowed?
Recording rules vary by country and often need everyone's consent. Check with your regulator and tell participants before you record.
