There are now so many reasons why you might want to record a video screen capture of your desktop or even your smartphone or tablet display. There are clear business reasons for doing so, not least for adding to presentations due to the increased support for video file files in Power Point. Alternatively, you may want to put together a video for training or education purposes, which may require adding images, video, or website content from multiple sources and is easier to capture and record to video.
Sep 20, 2018 - 1Free Screen Recorders Apps for Mac. QuickTime Player. Mac users know that Quick Time Player is the default video player on Mac. Icecream Screen Recorder. Screen Recorder Robot Lite. Recordit: Instant Screencasts. Apowersoft Screen Recorder. Aug 31, 2018 - Luckily, we are able to gather some of the best free Mac screen. Other screen recorders, this free video capture software for Mac doesn't add.
Alternatively, you might be a consumer looking to put together a video for a YouTube channel, especially if considering a career as a YouTuber. Alternatively you may simply be an online gamer looking to share your adventures directly with friends or family.
There are many different reasons why you might need a capture your display, so here we'll look at the best screen recorders on the market. Some of these are paid-for, others are free, and others a hybrid where you are allowed so much recording time before you need to upgrade.
- Check out our list of the best free screen recorders.
- Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to [email protected] with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.
1. Camtasia
TechSmith Camtasia
Packed with video editing features
Options overload for many users
Camtasia (Windows, macOS) has been in the screen recording game longer than most, and offers more features than most too – as well as capturing what's on screen with aplomb, this fully fledged video editing solution can also add plenty of extras and edits on top too.
Whatever you want to record, from games to PowerPoints, Camtasia can take it all in its stride – with or without audio, with or without a webcam feed, and so on. Annotations, extra media files, transitions, titles and more can then all be dropped in with your footage.
Despite all its features, the software never feels too complex, thanks to an intuitive timeline interface. On the downside, it is expensive at $249 (£240), but you can test it out for 30 days for free. For something cheaper and simpler, try SnagIt from the same developer studio.
- Want to try Camtasia? Get hold of your free trial here
2. OBS Studio
Handles multiple audio and video files well
Not that easy to pick up from scratch
People who don't want to pay for their screen recorder tools tend to flock to OBS Studio (Windows, macOS), and with good reason: it lets you effortlessly blend different sources and audio tracks together, packing in features you'd usually have to spend heavily to get.
Built with gamers in mind, live streaming options feature prominently, but you can just as easily save your recordings to disk. On top of that you get advanced features like noise reduction (for your voiceovers) and the ability to set transitions between your scenes.
All of this is overkill if you just want to record a quick clip – and to the complete beginner, OBS Studio perhaps isn't the best of the options listed here – but you get a pile of fine screen recording and live streaming features for free, and that's difficult to argue with.
- Think OBS Studio is the recorder for you? It's a free download
3. Icecream Screen Recorder
Swift and simple screen recording engine
Sparse interface isn't always intuitive
Not everyone wants the hefty feature sets of the likes of Camtasia or OBS Studio, and Icecream Screen Recorder (Windows, macOS) is a more compact and friendly alternative. Fire it up, click the record button, select the part of the screen to record, and you're off.
Choosing your recording area and saving your footage couldn't really be any easier, though it's not the most precise tool we've ever come across. The program lets you draw on your footage, add a webcam feed, zoom while recording, and choose your final video quality.
Upgrade to the Pro version of the software ($29.95/£19.95), and you can break through the five-minute time limit, as well as select from more output formats, convert between formats, add watermarks, and schedule screen recordings – features which can all come in handy.
- Ready to give Icecream Screen Recorder a go? Here's the download
4. TinyTake
Couldn't be easier to get going
No advanced source selection tools
Continuing the theme of smaller, simpler screen recorders, we present TinyTake (Windows, macOS). It has all the features you're likely to need, none of the fluff you don't, and is particularly good when it comes to sharing captured videos and photos with other people.
As for the main capturing process itself, once you've created an account (which isn't optional), you can be recording your computer screen in a couple of clicks. Drag out the area you want to record, click the start button, and TinyTake effortlessly handles the rest.
And that really is all there is to it – if you want to add annotations, or record anything longer than five minutes, you'll need to upgrade to the paid-for version of TinyTake ($29.95 or about £22 a year). For simple screen recording and easy sharing to places like YouTube, though, it's ideal.
- Tempted by TinyTake? Head here to download the software
5. ScreenFlow
Comes with a fully featured video editor
Not quite as advanced as some other options
Apple macOS actually comes with some screen recording tools built in – more on that in a moment – but ScreenFlow (macOS) is a serious upgrade on what Apple's desktop software can do on its own, plus it adds a pile of handy features and extra video editing tools.
For example, you can crop, pan, and zoom around different parts of your video recording, as well as add annotations and callouts on top of the footage you've captured. It's a fully featured and intuitive video editor as well as a comprehensive tool for screen recording.
As for the actual capturing bit, it couldn't be any easier to use: pick your video source(s), pick your audio source(s), and away you go. Footage from your webcam can be easily added into your main video, and the whole process is slick and streamlined throughout. It'll set you back $129 (about £94) but a free trial is available.
- Want to put ScreenFlow through its paces? Click here
6. Screencastify
Works right inside your browser
Limited in terms of capture options
If you don't want to install extra software on your computer (well, apart from a browser extension), Screencastify (Chrome) is one of the best options. To use the extension without a watermark and for more than 10 minutes at a time, a premium upgrade ($24 or about £17 a year) is required.
Just because the program is an add-on for your browser doesn't mean you're restricted to recording browser windows, although you can do that if you want. Screencastify is able to record in full-screen mode as well, and supports audio from your system or a microphone.
The extension is even smart enough to embed a feed from your webcam as well, so you've got lots of flexibility, even if you don't get quite as many bells and whistles as you do with other programs. On-screen drawings and annotations are supported in Screencastify too.
- Want to add Screencastify to your browser? You can get it here
7. AZ Screen Recorder
Support for timelapses and more
May not work at higher-res on older devices
AZ Screen Recorder (Android) is one of the top choices for Google's mobile operating system, bringing with it easy-to-use controls, plenty of recording options, and even a lightweight video editor if you want to trim down your recordings before sharing them.
Everything is handled with a little pop-up window that disappears when you start recording. You have the option to illustrate screen touches, and include microphone audio capture too, depending on what you need from your Android screen recording.
Delve into the settings and you can adjust the video recording resolution, frame rate and orientation, and even add a timelapse effect if necessary. It's got just about everything you could want from a screen recorder tool on an Android device.
- Ready to try AZ Screen Recorder? Here's the Google Play Store link
8. Record It!
Free to use
Cheap upgrade
Record it! is a screen recorder specifically for iOS devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods, and it's available as an free download from the iTunes appstore.
The app is surprisingly good for what you get. As well as recording the whole screen, it can also use the Facetime camera to record your face for reaction videos. Additionally there is a video editing option, and sharing available via AirDrop and Open In.
It's more ideally suited to iOS 12 or higher for full one-touch functionality, and the video editor comes with a small but decent range of features such as the ability to trim your video, add filters, adjust playback speed, change the background, and rotate the image.
Recordings are filed within the app for easy access, but as well as being available to save in your camera roll, there's also an easy export option for uploading to YouTube.
While the main app is free, there is a pro version available for $3.99 which allows sharing of videos more than 3 minutes long.
- Get your life in order with the best task management apps
- On a budget? Check out our guide to the best free screen recorders
OS X already offers a means of capturing screenshots with a few keyboard shortcuts, but if you want to do a little more you have to grab a third-party tool. Of the many available, Skitch is our favorite for its many annotation tools and instant-sharing options.
If you're not familiar with screenshots, read our beginner's guide.
![Free Free](https://tinytake.com/marketing/tinytake/images/capture_screen.jpg)
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Skitch
Platform: OS X, Windows, iOS, Android
Price: Free (or $10 for Pro)
Download Page
Price: Free (or $10 for Pro)
Download Page
Features
- Take screenshots of specific areas or the entire screen.
- Annotate your screenshots/images.
- Draw on your screenshots/images.
- Resize, crop, flip, and rotate screenshots/images.
- Automatic archival of your screenshots/images for later use.
- Take photos with your built-in webcam.
- Open and save images in many different formats.
- Easily share screenshots/images to Facebook and Twitter.
- Automatically upload your screenshots to the skitch.com web site or to a location of your choice (e.g. Flickr, an FTP server, etc.).
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Where It Excels
Skitch is pretty great. We take a lot of screenshots at Lifehacker, so a good screen capture tool can be invaluable to us. To others it might be less relevant, but seeing as Skitch is free it's a good app to have around even if you only share what's on your screen from time to time. If you need to show tech support a problem on your screen, or your mother where to look for a certain feature in an app, you can take a quick screenshot with Skitch, annotate if necessary, have it automatically upload that screenshot, and leave you with a URL in your clipboard. It's also really handy for designers, because you can make quick notes on images without actually making any destructive edits to that image. You can also use Skitch to mock up changes to live web sites. There are plenty of great uses for the app, and seeing as it costs you nothing it's worth having around even if it is only a semi-regular convenience.
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Where It Falls Short
Skitch initially had issues with a somewhat confusing interface due to the many tools it offered, but recent updates have mostly solved that problem. Sharing tools have improved as well. While we appreciate the changes, some users do not. Reviews on the Mac App Store criticize Skitch for becoming too bloated like it's big brother Evernote. Because Evernote owns Skitch, the it favors the notebook app over everything else. While you can export your creations, Skitch makes it easier to work with the Evernote and that can be a little annoying if you don't want to use them together.
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The Competition
Grab, the built-in Mac OS X service that captures screenshots, might be sufficient for most people. If you're looking to pair an upload service to it, you can just add the great and free Cloud App. It can automatically upload your screenshots after you taking them. You won't get to annotate, draw on, or do anything fancy to them, but you it's a quick and easy way to share everything on your screen without any features you (potentially) don't need.
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Captur (Free) isn't really a full-fledge screenshot tool but adds some extra functionality to the one built-in to Mac OS X. Instead of relying on keyboard shortcuts, you can use Captur to initiate common screenshot tasks from the menubar.
Snagit ($50) was initially only for Windows, and a Lifehacker reader favorite, but now it is available for Mac. It offers a lot of the same functionality as Skitch, yet it costs $50. Why would you pay $50 when you've got an app that does the same thing for free? I don't know.
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Read more ReadJing (Free) comes from the same people who make Snagit. It's similar, but with fewer features, and focuses on the online and social aspects of sharing your screen. One big advantage it offers is video capture. If you want images and video and don't want to pay for them, plus some pretty good online sharing options, you'll want to give Jing a look.
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LittleSnapper ($40) is a favorite among some, but I've never been able to see how anyone can justify paying $40 for a screenshot tool. To Little Snapper's advantage, it offers a very nice image management tool and integrated web site clipping option. It used to include use of the web app Ember, allowing you to upload anything you snapped or stored in LittleSnapper, but the developers sold Ember to the developers of Cloud App in early 2011. What LittleSnapper offers is, essentially, a pretty good app for organization. Why you'd want to pay $40 to better-organize your screenshots, however, is something I don't entirely understand. (And I say this having used the app for about a month.) Nonetheless, some people do and some people love it. It is a good app, and definitely more attractive. Skitch is just better at the important stuff.
Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
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