They say there is no free lunch and, more often than not, that’s the rule. Screen recording software, though, is a delightful exception — there are heaps of free tools out there.
To help you find the best free screen recorder, we have created a shortlist of the best free screen recorders in 2020 that are free. Ideal for communicating your ideas and feedback faster, recorder video tutorials, explainer videos, report bugs, etc.
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Screen recording software captures what is on your computer screen. You can either record in full screen or capture a specific area. Most of these apps can record your microphone (audio narration) and the best desktop recording software can also record your computer screen with audio (the system sound).
However, this is where the similarities end. Image2icon 2 4 download free. Not all such programs are HD screen recorders. Some screen recording tools can save the recording in various file formats or export it to social media websites like YouTube. Top screen recorders, though, can upload your screen captures to the cloud in real time and give you a sharing link instantly (much more effective).
So, before you set your mind on a free screen recording software, it’s best to evaluate your own recording needs. Maybe you don’t need to upload your videos to social media or maybe you don’t need to record in HD.
We took information about each of the best desktop recorders directly from their official website. In addition, we gathered insights from independent reviews published on G2Crowd and tested each tool ourselves.
List making software mac. While our picks range from desktop apps to browser plug-ins, each one meets the following basic criteria:
Screenrec | iSpring Free Cam | Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder | Screencast-O-Matic | Ezvid | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Save screencast to your hard drive | |||||
Video Hosting | |||||
Cloud Recording | |||||
Instant sharing | |||||
Sharing options | Universal sharing link. Share privately or publicly. | Upload to Youtube | Upload to Youtube, Dropbox, Vimeo or GDrive | Upload to Youtube | None. You can save the screen capture to your hard drive. |
Record computer audio and video at the same time | |||||
Record your voice | |||||
Record in full screen | |||||
Capture Screenshots | |||||
Video Library | |||||
Video Encryption | |||||
Video Analytics | |||||
Video Editing Tools | |||||
Facecam recording | |||||
Recording Time | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 15 minutes | Depends on how much free space you have |
Ads | Ad-free | Ad-free | Ad-free | Ads | Ad-free |
Video compression | MP4 (Universal) | WMV (Windows only) | MP4, WMV, AVI, FLV, MPEG, VOB, ASF and GIF | MP4, AVI, FLV | WMV (Windows only) |
Supported Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows | Windows and Mac | Windows and Mac | Windows |
Works when you’re offline |
Click. Record. Share instantly. If you’re looking for the quickest and easiest possible way to capture your computer screen and share the recording with someone else, this is it. No ads and limitations. You not only get a screen recorder for free but you also get business video hosting for free.
Pros
Cons
iSpring Free Cam made our list of the best screen recorders because it’s easy-to-use, without ads and time limitations. It only works on Windows which can potentially be an issue but, otherwise, it’s got all the chops to help you capture the full screen or a specific area of your desktop.
Pros
Cons
A nice online screen recorder with basic video editing capabilities. This free screen capture software runs in your browser (Mac or Windows) and requires an internet connection. The Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder might be a good choice if you’re looking for a one-time solution.
Pros
Cons
The free version of Screencast-O-Matic is another browser-based screen recording tool. It should work for you if you don’t need to record computer audio and you only want to make very short videos.
Pros
Cons
Ezvid is on our best screen recording software list because it has some cool features like the ability to draw while recording or synthesize human speech from text. Like iSpring Free Cam, it only works on Windows and saves screencasts in the bulky WMV format.
Pros
Cons
There are two important points to consider when looking for the best free screen recorder in 2020.
A file format is a particular way of organizing the data within the file. There are many video file formats and some screen recording tools support more than one. However, most of the time, it goes down to MP4 vs. WMV.
Desk nt 1 1 – a writing and notetaking app. The WMV format is a product of Microsoft. Back in the day, it was created to allow professional videos to be recorded in high quality, e.g. on DVD, Bluray. The biggest issue here is that Mac users often have trouble viewing WMV files.
MP4, on the other hard, helps you produce video files that can be opened on any platform. And, when it comes to video quality, MP4 is actually better than WMV.
So,MP4 is more suitable for publishing your screen captures on the web and sharing them with others. The best free video capture software allows you to save your videos in MP4.
When looking for a screen capture software, you’d probably look at the recording features like — recording time, ability to record the computer audio, and so on.
But what happens after you record your screencast?
Most of the time, video files are very big and can’t be attached to emails. This means that, to share a video, you have to upload it somewhere in the cloud. In other words, you need video hosting.
This is a book-worthy topic but here are a few things to keep in mind:
Even the best free screen recording software has advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, the recording features — what you can do with the tool, are just as important as the effectiveness — how quickly you can record your computer screen and share it with others.
So, before you set your mind on a free screen recording software, it’s best to evaluate your own recording needs. Maybe you don’t need to upload your videos to social media or maybe you don’t need to record in HD.
Based on this criteria, the top screen recording software for us is the free screen recorder by ScreenRec. The final decision is, of course, yours to make.
As the names suggest, the biggest difference is that a desktop screen recorder can capture your screen while you're offline or on a poor internet connection. An online screen recorder requires stable Internet. For this reason, an online screen recorder isn't the best option when it comes to game capture. It may be a viable option when you're recording a tutorial, though.
Screencast-O-Matic is a popular screencasting tool. Many people use it to record tutorials, training videos and other educational content. The biggest advantage of Screencast-O-Matic is, perhaps, the ability to share the recording to a number of platforms like Vimeo, YouTube and Screencast-o-Matic's own video hosting platform. One downside, however, is the fact that you have to wait for the recording to upload and, if you've been recording for, say, 1 hour, this can be a huge pain. That's why, as an alternative, we'll suggest ScreenRec. It's quick and lightweight, allows you to capture both your computer audio and microphone audio and, finally, it's got instant private sharing--your screen recordings are uploaded in real time which means that you never have to wait. You get a sharing link as soon as you press 'Stop'.
It depends on the screen capture tool you're using and your platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). With ScreenRec, for example, you have to press Alt + S to start recording your desktop. This works on all platforms.