- What should you look for in screen recording software?
- Screen recording software compared
- The best screen recording software for business
- 1. Loom
- 2. Camtasia
- 3. Snagit
- 4. OBS Studio
- 5. ScreenPal
- 6. Descript
- 7. Zight
- 8. Vidyard
- 9. Clipchamp
- How to choose the right screen recording software
- Frequently asked questions
The best screen recording software depends on what you're making. Loom, Zight and Vidyard suit quick video messages, Camtasia and ScreenPal suit polished tutorials, Snagit suits short clips and screenshots, OBS Studio suits live streams and advanced setups, Descript suits recordings you want to edit like a document, and Clipchamp suits simple recordings on Windows.
A two-minute screen recording can replace a long email, a confusing set of instructions or a meeting that didn't need to happen. I use them to show clients where something is, to walk a team through a process and to answer the same question once instead of ten times.
The tools below are well known and widely used. Some are built for fast, shareable messages and others for training videos you'll edit with care. I've focused on what each one is known for, so treat this as a shortlist and record the same short walkthrough in two of them before you decide.
What should you look for in screen recording software?
- Speed to share. For quick messages, a shareable link the moment you stop recording matters more than editing features.
- Camera and microphone. Check you can show your face in a bubble and pick the right microphone.
- Editing. Trimming, cutting mistakes and adding captions turn a rough recording into something you can reuse.
- Captions and transcripts. They help viewers who watch on mute and make your videos searchable.
- Where videos live. Some tools host your library in the cloud, others save files to your computer.
- Team features. Shared folders, comments and viewer insights help when a whole team records.
Screen recording software compared
| Tool | Best for | Stand-out feature |
|---|---|---|
| Loom | Quick async video messages | Instant shareable links |
| Camtasia | Polished tutorials and courses | Full editing timeline |
| Snagit | Short clips and screenshots | Capture plus quick markup |
| OBS Studio | Live streams and advanced setups | Scenes and sources, open source |
| ScreenPal | Education and training videos | Recorder plus simple editor |
| Descript | Recordings you want to edit fast | Edit video by editing the transcript |
| Zight | Teams sharing quick visuals | GIFs, screenshots and video in one |
| Vidyard | Sales teams | Personal video for prospects |
| Clipchamp | Windows users | Recorder inside a simple video editor |
Plans and features change often, so check each vendor's current plans before you commit.
The best screen recording software for business
1. Loom
Loom made the short, shareable screen recording a normal part of work. You record your screen and camera, stop, and get a link you can paste into an email, chat or project tool. Viewers can watch in the browser and leave comments or reactions.
Who it suits: anyone who wants to replace long emails and quick meetings with short video messages.
What stands out: speed. You can go from idea to shared video in under a minute.
Watch out for: it's built for quick messages rather than heavy editing, so pair it with an editor if you're making a full course.
2. Camtasia
Camtasia from TechSmith is a long-standing screen recorder and video editor for tutorials, training and course content. It includes a timeline editor, annotations, transitions, cursor effects and captions.
Who it suits: trainers, course creators and marketers who want polished, edited tutorial videos.
What stands out: control. You can zoom in on clicks, add callouts and tidy every second of the recording.
Watch out for: there's more to learn than with a quick-message tool, so set aside time for your first few videos.
3. Snagit
Snagit, also from TechSmith, is best known for screenshots but records short screen videos too. You can mark up captures with arrows, text and highlights, and turn a series of screenshots into a simple how-to.
Who it suits: people who mostly need screenshots and the occasional short clip to explain something.
What stands out: the markup tools. Annotated screenshots are often clearer than a video.
Watch out for: its video editing is basic, so longer recordings are better handled elsewhere.
4. OBS Studio
OBS Studio is open source software for recording and live streaming. You build scenes from sources such as your screen, camera, images and audio, and switch between them while you record or stream.
Who it suits: creators who live stream, record webinars or want full control over their recording setup.
What stands out: flexibility. Scenes, overlays and multiple sources give you a studio-style setup on one computer.
Watch out for: it doesn't host or share videos for you, and the settings take some getting used to.
5. ScreenPal
ScreenPal, formerly known as Screencast-O-Matic, combines a screen recorder with a simple video editor and hosting. It's especially popular in education and training.
Who it suits: teachers, trainers and small teams who want recording, light editing and sharing in one place.
What stands out: the balance. It's simple enough for beginners but has enough editing to tidy a lesson.
Watch out for: check where your videos are hosted and how sharing works if you're putting them on a public site.
6. Descript
Descript records your screen and camera, then transcribes the recording so you can edit the video by editing the text. Delete a sentence in the transcript and it's cut from the video.
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Who it suits: marketers and creators who want to tidy recordings quickly and reuse them as clips.
What stands out: transcript editing. Removing filler words and mistakes is much faster than scrubbing a timeline.
Watch out for: it does a lot, so if you only need quick messages, a lighter tool will feel simpler.
7. Zight
Zight, formerly CloudApp, lets you capture screen recordings, GIFs and annotated screenshots and share them with a link. It's often used by support, product and sales teams.
Who it suits: teams that share a lot of quick visuals to explain bugs, answers and ideas.
What stands out: variety. Video, GIF and screenshot capture all live in one app with one library.
Watch out for: check that it fits the apps your team already uses before you move everyone across.
8. Vidyard
Vidyard focuses on video for sales and marketing teams. You can record personal screen and camera videos for prospects, share them in emails and see who has watched.
Who it suits: sales teams and business owners who send a lot of prospecting and follow-up emails.
What stands out: the sales focus, including viewer notifications and links with sales tools.
Watch out for: if you're not using video for sales, the sales features may be more than you need.
9. Clipchamp
Clipchamp is Microsoft's video editor and is included with Windows. It has a built-in screen and camera recorder alongside templates, captions and simple editing.
Who it suits: Windows users who want to record and edit a short video without installing extra software.
What stands out: convenience. Recording and editing happen in the same simple editor.
Watch out for: it's designed for straightforward videos, so complex tutorials may need a dedicated tool.
How to choose the right screen recording software
Start with the job. If most of your recordings are quick answers to clients or your team, choose a tool that gives you a link straight away, such as Loom, Zight or Vidyard. If you're making training or course content you'll reuse for years, it's worth an editor such as Camtasia or Descript.
Don't forget your computer's built-in options. Mac and Windows both have simple screen recording built in, which is fine for the odd recording. Once you're recording every week, a dedicated tool pays you back in the minutes it saves on sharing and editing.
For a deeper look at tutorials, read my guide on how to choose screen recording software for tutorials. If you're turning recordings into social clips, see my roundup of video editing apps for Reels and TikTok, and Loom's marketing strategy is a good read on how one of these tools grew.
Building a tool in this space? Here's how tools get considered for my roundups.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best screen recording software?
It depends on the job. Loom suits quick video messages, Camtasia suits polished tutorials, OBS Studio suits live streaming and Descript suits recordings you want to edit quickly from a transcript.
What's the easiest way to record my screen?
A quick-message tool such as Loom is usually the easiest, because you get a shareable link the moment you stop. Your computer's built-in recorder also works for the odd recording.
Can I record my screen and webcam at the same time?
Yes. Most of the tools here, including Loom, Camtasia, ScreenPal and Descript, can record your screen with your camera in a small bubble.
Is screen recording useful for marketing?
Yes. Short walkthroughs, product demos, personal sales videos and tutorials all start as screen recordings, and they can be cut into clips for social media.
