Best of · Screen Recording

The best screen recording software in 2026

Eight screen recorders worth a look, from a free open-source program to a one-time purchase for the Mac. Each pick says who it suits, what it costs and where it stops.

Updated Oct 9, 2026 · 8 tools · How we pick

Recording a screen is the easy part; every tool here can do it. What separates them is what happens next. Some are built to send a quick video by link and move on. Some add zooms, layouts and captions so that a demo looks finished. Others are full editors or recording studios in which screen capture is one feature among many.

Three questions sort the eight. Which computer do you use? All eight run on a Mac, but only ScreenPal, Loom, OBS Studio, Tella and Descript list a Windows app, only OBS Studio lists Linux, and Screen Studio and CleanShot X are Mac only. Do you need a free plan? OBS Studio is free with no paid edition, ScreenPal, Loom, Descript and Riverside have a free plan, Tella has a 7-day trial, and Screen Studio and CleanShot X are paid from the start. And would you rather subscribe or buy once? CleanShot X is the only one sold as a one-time license.

The order below runs from the tool that fits the most people to the ones that fit a narrower job very well. Prices are the vendors' own, read on the date shown on each tool's page.

The shortlist

1ScreenPalBest for most people on a budgetFree plan · from $4/mo
2LoomBest for team video messagesFree plan · from $18/mo
3OBS StudioBest free pick for Windows, Mac and LinuxFree
4TellaBest for polished demos and tutorialsFree trial · from $13/mo
5DescriptBest for editing by transcriptFree plan · from $16/mo
6CleanShot XBest one-time purchase for Mac usersFrom $35 one-time
7Screen StudioBest for automatic zooms on a MacFrom $9/mo
8RiversideBest for recording remote guestsFree plan · from $9.99/mo

01
ScreenPal
Best for most people on a budgetScreen recorder, video editor and video hosting in one low-cost suite
ScreenPal records the screen, the webcam or both, edits the result and hosts it for sharing. It runs in a browser, on Windows and Mac, on iPhone and Android and as a browser extension. The free plan allows unlimited recordings of up to 15 minutes each with no watermark, basic editing and 10 hosted videos. Solo Deluxe, at $4 a month paid annually, lifts the limits on recording time and hosting and adds the full video editor and AI captions.
Worth knowing: Listed prices are for annual payment, and monthly billing costs more. Text-based editing and the AI video generator need Solo Max at $10 a month, and Team Business needs at least 3 users.
Price
Free plan; paid plans from $4 per month, paid annually (Solo Deluxe)
Runs on
Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension
ScreenPal pricing and details screenpal.com
02
Loom
Best for team video messagesScreen and camera recorder for shareable video messages
Loom is made for the short walkthrough you send instead of scheduling a call: record the screen, the camera or both, then share a link that viewers can answer with comments, emoji reactions and tasks. It has a Windows app as well as iOS and Android apps, and it records from a Chrome extension too. The free Starter plan includes transcripts in more than 50 languages, and Business is $18 per user a month billed monthly.
Worth knowing: Starter stops at 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings and 720p. Auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal need Business + AI at $24 per user a month.
Price
Free plan; paid plans from $18 per user / month, billed monthly
Runs on
macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Loom pricing and details loom.com
03
OBS Studio
Best free pick for Windows, Mac and LinuxFree, open-source software for video recording and live streaming
OBS Studio is free and open source, with no paid edition, and it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. You build scenes from display and window captures, webcams, images and text, then record to a local file or stream live. Each audio source can take filters such as noise suppression, a replay buffer saves recent footage with a hotkey, and a virtual camera sends a scene to apps such as Zoom or Discord. Plugins and scripts extend it further.
Worth knowing: It stops at recording: no editing afterwards and no hosting or share links are listed. There is no mobile or browser version, Game Capture is Windows only, and help comes from forums and Discord, not a support desk.
Price
Free
Runs on
Windows, macOS, Linux
OBS Studio pricing and details obsproject.com
04
Tella
Best for polished demos and tutorialsScreen recorder with a built-in editor, layouts and 4K export
Tella pairs the recorder with an editor, so a demo can look finished without a separate video tool. Screen and camera are captured as separate tracks, which lets you change the layout, resize the camera or hide either source after recording, then add zooms and backgrounds and cut mistakes by deleting them from the transcript. It records in the browser or in Mac and Windows apps and exports in up to 4K. Pro is $13 per user a month billed yearly.
Worth knowing: There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial, recording, editing and export need a subscription. Paying monthly doubles Pro to $26, and there is no mobile app.
Price
$13 per user / month, billed yearly ($26 billed monthly)
Runs on
Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension
Tella pricing and details tella.com
05
Descript
Best for editing by transcriptAudio and video editor that works by editing the transcript
Descript is an audio and video editor in which you cut a recording by editing its transcript: delete or rearrange words and the same change is made to the video. You can record your screen inside it, then use AI tools such as Studio Sound noise removal and filler-word removal to clean up the result. It runs on the web, Mac and Windows and has a free plan. Hobbyist is $16 per person a month billed annually.
Worth knowing: Every plan is metered: Free allows 60 media minutes a month and exports at 720p with a watermark, and Hobbyist allows 10 media hours and 400 AI credits a month. There are no mobile apps.
Price
Free plan; paid plans from $16 per person / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
Runs on
Web, macOS, Windows
Descript pricing and details descript.com
06
CleanShot X
Best one-time purchase for Mac usersMac screenshot and screen recording app with a one-time license
CleanShot X is the only tool here you can buy once: the Basic license is $35 and keeps working indefinitely, with a year of updates included. It handles screenshots as well as recordings, with scrolling capture, annotation and text recognition, and records to MP4 or GIF with a camera overlay and on-screen keystrokes and clicks. A built-in editor adds zooms and refines cursor movement, and captures can be shared by link through CleanShot Cloud.
Worth knowing: It is macOS only and has no free trial, though purchases carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. Updates after the first year cost $19 a year, and Basic includes 1 GB of cloud storage.
Price
$35 one-time payment, including one year of updates
Runs on
macOS
CleanShot X pricing and details cleanshot.com
07
Screen Studio
Best for automatic zooms on a MacMac screen recorder with automatic zooms and cursor smoothing
Screen Studio automates the polish that usually takes a video editor: zooms are added as you record and follow the cursor, cursor movement is smoothed, and the recording sits on a framed background. It can also record an iPhone or iPad and show the footage inside a device mockup, which suits developers demonstrating apps. Exports go up to 4K at 60 fps, or you can publish a shareable link. It is $9 a month billed yearly.
Worth knowing: It is macOS only and subscription only, and paying monthly costs $29, more than three times the yearly rate. The site does not mention a free trial, and fees are non-refundable.
Price
$9 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
Runs on
macOS
Screen Studio pricing and details screen.studio
08
Riverside
Best for recording remote guestsRemote recording studio for podcasts and video interviews
Riverside is a recording studio for interviews and podcasts in which screen capture is one part. Each participant is recorded locally on their own device in up to 4K video, giving a separate track per person, and the Mac app records a shared screen locally as its own track. The result can be edited by transcript and cut into clips with AI. The Free plan covers 2 hours of multi-track recording, and Pro is $24 a month billed annually.
Worth knowing: The Free plan tops out at 720p with a Riverside watermark, and Pro caps separate-track downloads at 15 hours a month. The desktop app is listed for Mac only.
Price
Free plan; paid plans from $9.99 per month for Mobile Plus; web plans from $24 per month, billed annually
Runs on
Web, macOS, iOS, Android
Riverside pricing and details riverside.com

How to choose

Start with your computer

All eight run on a Mac. Screen Studio and CleanShot X run only there, and neither vendor plans a Windows version in the near future. ScreenPal, Loom, OBS Studio, Tella and Descript have Windows apps, and OBS Studio is the only one that lists Linux. ScreenPal, Tella, Descript and Riverside also work in a browser, and ScreenPal, Loom and Tella have browser extensions. For recording on a phone, ScreenPal, Loom and Riverside have iOS and Android apps; OBS Studio, Tella and Descript have no mobile app.

Decide how much editing you want

OBS Studio records and mixes live, and its feature list has no editing afterwards. ScreenPal has basic editing on its free plan and its full editor from Solo Deluxe. Loom keeps editing basic: trim, stitch clips together and add text, arrows and backgrounds. CleanShot X has a built-in editor for zooms, cursor movement and backgrounds, and Screen Studio adds zooms and cursor smoothing automatically as you record. Tella, Descript and Riverside let you edit through the transcript, deleting words to cut the video. Descript adds AI tools on top, including Studio Sound, AI voices and Eye Contact.

Check how you would pay

OBS Studio is free, with no paid edition. ScreenPal, Loom, Descript and Riverside have free plans, each with limits: 15-minute recordings and 10 hosted videos on ScreenPal, 25 videos and 5-minute screen recordings on Loom, 60 media minutes a month on Descript, and 720p with a watermark on Riverside. Tella has a 7-day trial and no free plan. Screen Studio and CleanShot X are paid from the start: CleanShot X Basic is a one-time $35, and Screen Studio is $9 a month billed yearly or $29 billed monthly.

Think about how viewers will watch

If videos go out by link, look at what the hosting includes. Loom shows who watched and lets viewers comment, with engagement insights on paid plans. Tella shares by link or embed with viewer tracking, and its paid plans have no storage or bandwidth limits. CleanShot Cloud links can be password protected, with 1 GB of storage on Basic. Screen Studio's shareable links play at 1080p and cover videos up to 30 minutes. OBS Studio records to a local file, and its listing shows no hosting or share links.

Common questions

Which screen recorders are free?

OBS Studio is free and open source, with no paid edition. ScreenPal, Loom, Descript and Riverside have free plans: ScreenPal allows 15-minute recordings and 10 hosted videos, Loom 25 videos per person with 5-minute screen recordings at 720p, Descript 60 media minutes a month with watermarked 720p export, and Riverside 720p with a watermark. Tella has a 7-day free trial, and Screen Studio and CleanShot X have no free plan.

Which screen recorders work on Windows?

ScreenPal, Loom, OBS Studio, Tella and Descript have Windows apps. Riverside runs in a browser, but its desktop app is listed for Mac only. Screen Studio and CleanShot X are macOS only.

Can I buy a screen recorder once instead of subscribing?

CleanShot X is the only one here with a one-time license: Basic is $35 with a year of updates, and renewing updates afterwards is optional at $19 a year. Screen Studio no longer sells one-time licenses, OBS Studio is free, and the other five are sold as subscriptions.

Which screen recorders export in 4K?

Tella exports in up to 4K on its Pro plan, and Screen Studio exports MP4 at up to 4K and 60 fps. Descript exports 4K from the Creator plan, and Riverside records up to 4K video on Pro. Loom's free Starter plan records at 720p, with HD recording on Business.

What is the cheapest paid screen recorder?

CleanShot X Basic is a one-time $35 and is Mac only. Among subscriptions, ScreenPal Solo Deluxe has the lowest listed price at $4 a month paid annually, on Windows and Mac. Screen Studio is $9 a month billed yearly, Tella Pro $13 per user a month billed yearly, Descript Hobbyist $16 per person a month billed annually and Loom Business $18 per user a month billed monthly.

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