17 of The Best Free Screen Recorder Software

Imagine capturing every aha-moment, every digital brushstroke, every pulse-racing level-up—your screen becomes a stage, and screen recording software is the spotlight. It’s the silent witness to your virtual triumphs, whether you’re piecing together a blockbuster tutorial or streaming epic gameplay.

In the pixel-rich realm of your monitor, this software isn’t just a tool; it’s your digital chronicle, bringing to life tutorials, software demos, and oh-so-relatable tech fails. Here’s the 411 on turning moments into memories or instructions into insights.

This read is your no-nonsense handbook to navigating the vast seas of screencasting applications, from the simplicity of OBS Studio to the precision of Camtasia, and the nifty features tucked in the likes of QuickTime Player.

You’ll come away with the lowdown on picking the primo tool that harmonizes with your groove—be it for crafting that killer how-to or saving your skins in League of Legends. Let’s light up the stage—one screen capture at a time.

Best Free Screen Recorder Software To Check Out

Vmaker

Vmaker is a professional screen recorder that lets you record your screen, webcam, voice, and computer audio seamlessly. It has no watermark and allows you to record unlimited videos for free.

Currently, it can be downloaded in three formats – as a Windows application, as a Mac application, and as a Chrome browser extension.

Features:

• On-screen annotations
• Unlimited cloud storage
• AI powered virtual backgrounds (screen + webcam mode)
• Editing options such as trimming, rotating, flipping, and resizing
• Customizable recording options (record just a tab, window, or your entire screen)
• Customizable brand colors and logos
• Advanced security controls
• 24×7 customer support
• Instant sharing options (direct upload to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Filmora scrn

Filmora scrn is a professional screen recorder with built-in video editing tools. It allows you to record the entire screen or a specific area with system audio, microphone or the webcam simultaneously. So you can record your gameplay, webinar, streaming media, Skype calls, demo, tutorial and usability test videos with ease.

You can also add Markers to the important point during recording, so you can edit the recorded video with more convenience. Such as you just killed the Boss or made a mistake during a webinar, you can add Markers to remind you in editing. The recorded video will be imported into the Video Editor Tool directly and you can trim, cut, or delete the unwanted parts.

What’s more, you can add captions, overlays, bulbs, texts, blurring, and cursor effects to your recorded video footage. You can also detach the recorded audio from video or record a new voiceover during editing. You can change the speed of the video and add fade-in and fade-out effects to your footage with a drag.

The main features include:

1. Capture video, system audio, webcam, and mic at the same time
2. Record high paced games at up to 120 fps
3. Add Markers to important points during recording
4. Auto-save the recorded videos
5. On-screen annotations, overlays, texts, blur, and cursor effects
6. Detach audio and record voice narration during editing and reduce the noise
7. Adding quick fade in and fade out transition effects to videos
8. Share videos to Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch directly

FlexClip Screen Recorder

FlexClip screen recorder is without a doubt one of the easiest screen capture tools available on the market today. The peculiarity of FlexClip lies in the fact that it does not require installation and registration of software.

Developed by PearlMountain Limited, it has integrated a video editor into the tool to cut recordings, add text effects, overlays, dynamic elements, music or adjust background colors or upload your own logo to the video.

Features:
User-friendly and intuitive interface
Record your entire screen, Chrome tab, or just an app
Audio recording along with video recording
Records your webcam and screen simultaneously
A built-in video editor to trim recording, add animations and stickers to your video
The paid version can upload files to Google Drive, Dropbox, and YouTube

Ezvid Video Maker

A couple of clicks can let you create a high-resolution recording of your screen with this Windows screen recorder. You can also have on-screen annotations and recording of a specific part of the screen, and you can add meta-info to your recording.

As far as a free screen recorder for Windows can go, this is easily among the best screen recorder software out there.

Features:

• Create a slideshow with the captures
• Auto-saves the video
• Audio recording and voice synthesis
• Direct upload to YouTube
• Webcam recording
• On-screen annotations

Atomi ActivePresenter

This can very well be the best free screen recorder at the moment. It is very powerful, and the “record my screen” function works with incredible simplicity, as well as superb quality. The free version is somewhat lacking in advanced features, but as a minimalistic recorder, it is amazing.

Features include:

• Decorating screencasts with shadows and colour effects
• No time limits or watermarks
• Adding transition effects to the videos
• Editing options such as cutting and cropping, blur, video overlays and volume adjustments
• Exporting to FLV, AVI, MP4, WMV, WebM and MKV

Screenpresso

Screenpresso is an easy creator of HD screen recordings. As one of the best premium record screen software available, it comes with a lot of functionality. It has advanced management features that let you manage your recordings easily, and you can capture either the whole screen, or parts of it.

Features of Screenpresso:

– Capture and record for commercial use, even in the free edition
– Record your webcam and audio as well
– Export videos in MP4, OGG, WebM and WMV
– Edit, label and sort your screen captures
– Share your captures to various services such as Evernote, Google Drive, Facebook, Twitter etc.
– simple user manual generator
– android capture
– text recognition (ocr)
– color picker
– portable mode (no installation required)

Bandicam Screen Recorder

Another very popular screen recorder, Bandicam lets you capture the whole screen or just a part of it. Streaming videos and recording flash games is done with ease, and there are even modes for you to choose from, such as device recording mode or gaming mode, which will let you nail the recordings without much hassle.

Features:

• Videos are saved in either MP4 or AVI
• Real-time voice recording
• Adding watermarks, and overlaying your webcam
• Live drawing as you record
• Adding animations or mouse clicks
• Hardware acceleration is available (if supported)

IceCream Screen Recorder

Whether you want to record specific parts of your screen, or the entire screen, IceCream Screen Recorder can do that for you. Record video calls, gameplay videos, shoot webinars, everything is possible using its dead simple user interface.

As far as features go, you get:

• Audio recording with the video
• Save videos in MP4, WebM or MKV
• Record your webcam as well
• Draw or annotate on your screen, while recording
• Hotkey configuration
• Save screenshots in PNG or JPG
• Have a project history to easily access previous recordings

Open Broadcaster Software

The OBS Project is one of the best, if not the best screen recorder for gameplay. If you’re a gamer, this software is easily the best possible option for you. Unlike FRAPS, which sets some pretty bad limitations, OBS is completely free to use and doesn’t have any restrictions.

You can record and stream in HD, and streaming is available on Twitch or YouTube Gaming. Projects can be also saved or encoded in FLV so you can come back to them later.

OBS comes with a serious advantage over other screen recorders. Most of them usually record if the game is in windowed mode, but OBS records directly from your graphics card, meaning it can capture full-screen games as well.

There are also customizable hotkeys, and the software utilizes multiple-core CPUs if available. Setting it up as you want it can be a bit tricky, but once you’ve got it done, it is very powerful.

Flashback Express

The OBS Project is great for gamers, but if your primary use is tutorials or demonstrations, Flashback Express is a completely different beast. You can record a selected area of your screen, or the whole screen, or the webcam.

Once you’re done, you get a very simple editor with the basic functionality, and you can export your final video on your PC, or an FTP server, or upload it to YouTube.

Even though these are functions that most screen recorders will offer, Flashback Express also has some advanced features. You can have the recorder blur out passwords on your screen, or replace your wallpaper with a plain one, highlight your pointer so it’s easier to follow etc. These are all welcome features when you’re recording tutorials or webinars.

There are no limits on the length, and you can break long recordings into smaller files, which can be helpful in avoiding huge files. The recordings aren’t watermarked, which is incredible.

Xsplit Broadcaster

This is another gamer-focused option, but it does come with a few restrictions if you want to avoid watermarks. There are two flavours to it, Gamecaster and Broadcaster.

They are quite similar, but Gamecaster is more suited to gamers, where Broadcaster is more for general use. You get three tiers, free, personal and premium. The free one has a watermark if you record at more than 60 fps, or at a resolution higher than 720p.

Compared to OBS, this is a serious drawback, but the interface can more than make up for it if you want to publish a YouTube video at a regular resolution.

The free recorder can capture from your screen, or your video card, or webcam, and there’s a game-detect feature that lets you output results either as a video file, or stream them live via Twitch, YouTube Live or Facebook Live when you’re gaming.

DVD VideoSoft’s Free Screen Video Recorder

This is a software that lets you capture absolutely anything that happens on your monitor. This can range from menus and objects to multiple windows and activities. There is an instruction page which will let you figure out how to use the software, and afterwards it’s pretty straightforward.

Features:

• 100% free
• Free of adware and spyware
• Saves in a variety of formats

CamStudio

If you want to create an AVI video that shows the video and audio activities on your screen, you can use CamStudio. It is free and open source, and it can also convert those AVI videos into SWFs. The software is easy to use, and CamStudio’s website claims that you can learn it in a couple of minutes. The file sizes of the resulting videos are smaller, yet the quality is great.

Features:

• 100% free
• Included help files
• Picture-in-picture recording with webcam
• Adding screen captions to the video

iSpring Free Cam

Dead simple, and with a built-in editor, this would be the best way to describe iSpring Free Cam. The intuitive interface lets you create screencasts that look professional, yet are easy to create. Even though the software is free, there are no signs of any ads or watermarks.

Features include:

• Voice-over and computer sounds recording
• No limits, no ads and no watermarks
• High resolution recording
• Ability to save as WMV or upload to YouTube directly
• Remove background noise
• Delete unwanted fragments with ease
• Variety of audio effects

ShareX

Another open-source tool, ShareX has as many, if not more, features as some of the paid screen recorders. It’s target audience is power users and developers, which unfortunately means that a regular Joe can easily get lost in the sea of editors and advanced options.

Features:

• Custom watermarks and effects
• Importing existing media
• Supports plenty of URL sharing services
• Uses hotkeys for faster navigation
• Records either windowed or full screen

MadCap Mimic

MadCap Mimic is great if you want to create interactive simulations and videos. There are three recording modes, and quite a few single-sourcing features, among which you’ll find condition tags and custom frames. There is a 30-day trial, after which you’ll have to opt for a $428 lifetime licence, or a $144 yearly one, if you decide you like it.

Features:

• Creating video which has interactive content
• Outputs in WebM, MP4 and PDF
• A variety of video effects and visuals
• Multi-language support team
• Free product upgrades (paid version only)

Screencast-O-Matic

With the competitive pricing, as well as a simplified, but free version, Screencast-O-Matic is meant to go head to head with free screen recorders for single users. For multiple users, however, there are site licences for either 10 computers ($9/month), or 1000 computers ($250/month).

If you want Pro Hosting, you can choose from $10, $29 or $99 per month. There is, fortunately, a 30-day trial for you to test the software first.

Features:

• Computer speech for narratives
• Publishing to Google Drive, Dropbox and Vimeo Pro
• Screenshot tool
• Site licences for multiple computers
• Embedding the recorder on a website (Pro Hosting, paid)

FAQ on screen recorder software

What is screen recording software and how does it work?

It’s this nifty program that lets you capture whatever’s happening on your screen, kind of like a camcorder for your desktop. You hit ‘record’, and it starts archiving your screen activity. Handy for when you’re whipping up tutorials or saving clips of your gameplay.

Can I record audio with my screen recordings?

Absolutely, you can! Most screen recorder software comes with the option to record your system’s audio or even add voice commentary using a microphone. It’s a game changer for tutorials or webinars, where explaining as you go is super helpful.

What formats do screen recording software typically save videos in?

Look, your average screen recorder is versatile. It’ll probably let you save videos in popular formats like MP4, AVI, or even MOV. MP4 is like the Swiss Army knife here; it’s compatible with most devices and platforms.

Is it possible to edit the recordings I make?

Sure thing! Many screen recording applications, think Camtasia or Adobe Captivate, double as video editors. You can trim videos, add annotations, or jazz up your recording with effects. Some might need you to grab an external video editing software though.

How do I capture just a portion of my screen?

Easy-peasy. Most screen capture tools let you drag and select the part of the screen you want to record—it’s like cropping a photo but before you take it. So you can focus on the good stuff and leave out the rest.

Will screen recording slow down my computer?

It might, especially if you’re running on an older machine. Screen recording requires some of your CPU’s attention. Lower the resolution or frame rate if you notice a lag. Some software, like OBS Studio, is optimized for smoother performance, so give that a try if speed’s a concern.

Can I record the screen on my smartphone?

For sure! Both Android and iOS have built-in screen recording capabilities nowadays. And if you’re looking for something more robust, there are apps for that. They’re pretty intuitive, so you’ll be sharing your mobile antics in no time.

Is screen recording software free?

There’s a mix out there. Open-source gems like OBS Studio won’t cost you a dime. Others offer free trials, but for the full suite of features, you’ll likely have to shell out some cash. Balance cost with needs; sometimes, the freebies pack enough punch.

Can screen recording software capture video calls?

Yes, indeed. Next time you’re on a Zoom call or presenting a webinar, you can record the whole shebang. Just check the privacy policies and all that; you want to play it cool and respect people’s privacy.

How do I share my screen recordings?

Once you’ve got your recording, sharing is straightforward. You can either upload it directly to platforms like YouTube or Vimeo or drop it into cloud storage, like Google Drive or Dropbox. Send the link to your peeps, and you’re golden!

Conclusion

You’ve just cruised through the ins and outs of screen recording software, launching into a digital dimension where every move on your monitor can be captured, spliced, and shared. It’s like holding a wand that transforms your screen into a canvas of possibilities – tutorial magic, game chronicles, or webinar wisdom.

• Creative projects? Nailed it.
• Gameplay highlights? They’re in the can.
• Software run-through? Smooth as 4K.

Wrap it up, send it off into the cloud – maybe Google Drive or Dropbox – or keep it close on your hard drive. And remember, the right tool fits like a glove: OBS Studio for the open-source enthusiasts, Camtasia for the edit wizards, and QuickTime Player for those in the Mac universe.

Let’s call it a wrap, folks. You’re now armed with the knowledge to record, refine, and revolutionize the way you share your digital world. Lights, camera, action – your screen is ready for its close-up!

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Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.

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