Kazam vs ScreenRec (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kazam grades higher than ScreenRec: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kazam grades higher on value for money and the free plan. ScreenRec grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ScreenRec
Desktop screen recorder and screenshot tool with instant share links
Which one is for you
Pick Kazam if
- Fits if you run Ubuntu and want a plain recorder that saves WebM
- Works for people who want open-source software under the GPL
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or a Mac, since no build is listed
- Not for you if you need MP4 output: files are VP8/WebM and users ask how to convert them
- Too light for tutorials that need editing, annotation or webcam overlays
- Watch out: the page says fixes cover Ubuntu 12.04 only, and the newest questions listed date from 2023
Pick ScreenRec if
- Fits if your team records on a mix of Windows, Mac and Linux computers
- Works for sending private video links to customers or teammates, at $4.99 a month for business use
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want it free at work, as Free Forever is for personal use only
- Tight if you share a lot: Free allows 10 instant share links a month and Pro 50, and Free also stops at 720p and 50 recordings
- Pricey if you need shared seats, unlimited share links or 4K, as all three start with Premium at $49 a month billed annually
- Not for you if you need a video editor, a phone app or a browser version; the listing shows none of them
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAKazamGood | 2.4GPAScreenRecFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the GNU GPL v3, with no paid plan. A program anyone can download and run. | BPro is $4.99 a month billed annually ($59.90), landing inside this category's cheapest quarter against a $10 middle, and it allows business use on 3 computers with 50 GB and 1080p60. Shared seats mean Premium at $49. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole program is free, with no cap, watermark or account. | CFree Forever has no watermark and no length limit once you sign in. The caps are the problem: personal use only, 720p, 2 GB of storage, 50 recordings, 100 screenshots and 10 instant share links a month. |
| Features | CRecords the screen to video, with optional audio. It does that job fully, but it is a small one: no editing, and output is WebM only. | CIt covers record and share: webcam, mic and system audio, annotated screenshots, links ready on stop, offline capture, password-protected videos, viewer analytics and metered dictation. There's no video editor in the listing at all, and 4K waits for Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Installs from the Ubuntu Universe repository or a PPA, and the page assumes a PulseAudio setup. | BNo store rating on record, and nothing to set up: install it, record, and the link is on your clipboard when you stop. Without an account, recording stops at 5 minutes. |
| Platforms and integrations | DLinux only, and the page talks about Ubuntu. No Windows, Mac, web or phone version and no integrations. | CComputers only, though all three of them: Windows, Mac and Linux. No phone app, no browser version, and the listing shows no integrations with anything else. |
| Best for | a bare-bones screen recorder on Ubuntu | instant share links on Windows, Mac and Linux |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Kazam and ScreenRec. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kazam has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ScreenRec starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.3.
ScreenRec scores higher, and starts $4.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than Kazam for less, and 8 score higher than ScreenRec for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kazam is open source, according to its own site.
- ScreenRec also covers transcription, dictation and screenshots.
At a glance
| Kazam | ScreenRec | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.90); $8.32 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the GNU GPL v3; no paid plans. | Free Forever, for personal use only: 2 GB of cloud storage, up to 720p, no watermark, 50 recordings, 100 screenshots and 10 instant share links a month, and 5 dictation minutes. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Kazam Team | TeddySoft OOD |
| Price read from | launchpad.net | screenrec.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kazam
- The project page describes Ubuntu and PulseAudio setups; no Windows or Mac build is listed.
- The page says fixes are provided only for Ubuntu 12.04 and older releases are unsupported; the newest questions listed date from 2023.
- Output is described as VP8/WebM; a Launchpad question asks how to convert its movie files to MP4.
ScreenRec
- The Free Forever plan is for personal use only; business, client or other professional use needs a paid plan.
- Free accounts are capped at 720p, 50 recordings, 100 screenshots and 10 instant share links a month.
- Pro covers a single user; shared seats start with Premium, which includes 5.
- Only Windows, Mac and Linux desktop apps are offered, and recording without an account stops at 5 minutes.
Key features
Kazam
- Screen capture to video
- Records the contents of the screen into a video file that any player supporting VP8/WebM can open.
- Audio from PulseAudio devices
- Optionally records sound from any input device that PulseAudio supports and shows.
- Distro packaging
- Available from the Ubuntu Universe repository, with stable and unstable PPAs offered for newer releases.
- Python source on Launchpad
- The code is Python, kept in a Bazaar branch on Launchpad under the GNU GPL v3, with bugs and questions tracked there.
ScreenRec
- Screen, webcam and audio recording
- Records the whole screen or a selected area together with the microphone, computer audio and a webcam overlay. Signed-in users have no length limit and no watermark.
- Annotated screenshots
- Captures a region of the screen and adds shapes, arrows and comments, then copies the image to the clipboard or saves it to the cloud account.
- Instant share links
- Recordings upload while they are being made, so a private link is ready when recording stops. Automatic uploads are capped at 10 a month on Free and 50 on Pro.
- Offline recording and MP4 export
- Without a connection a capture is saved as a local file and uploaded once the computer is back online. Recordings can also be exported as MP4.
- Access control and viewer analytics
- A viewer can be asked for a password or access can be limited to named users, and analytics show who watched a video and for how long.
- Voice dictation and AI credits
- Dictation turns speech into text, with 5, 180 or 1,200 minutes a month by plan. Monthly AI credits pay for transcripts, captions and generated titles and summaries.
Plans
Kazam
Free$0
The whole program, licensed under the GNU GPL v3.
ScreenRec
Free Forever$0
Personal use only: 1 user on 1 computer, 2 GB of cloud storage, up to 720p, 50 recordings and 100 screenshots a month, and 5 dictation minutes.
Pro$4.99
per month, billed annually ($59.90); $8.32 billed monthly
Business use for 1 user on 3 computers: 50 GB of storage, 1080p at 60 FPS, unlimited recordings and screenshots, pause and resume, and 180 dictation minutes.
Premium$49
per month, billed annually ($587.95); $81.66 billed monthly
5 user seats with centralized billing, 200 GB of storage, 4K recording, unlimited instant share links, 1,200 dictation minutes and priority support.
Ways to pay less
Kazam
No public discounts listed.
ScreenRec
- Annual discount
Save 40% with annual billing
The pricing page shows a 40% saving when paying annually: Pro is $59.90 a year against $8.32 a month, and Premium $587.95 a year against $81.66 a month.
- Education
Free Pro plan for education
The pricing page invites educators to apply for the Pro plan free of charge, or for 50% off a team plan, through an application form.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kazam or ScreenRec?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kazam is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.99 a month for ScreenRec. Kazam is free, and ScreenRec starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.90); $8.32 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Kazam or ScreenRec?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Kazam and ScreenRec have a free plan.
Which platforms do Kazam and ScreenRec run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only ScreenRec lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a Linux app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.