Loom vs OBS Studio
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Loom
Screen and camera recorder for shareable video messages
OBS Studio
Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming
Where they differ
- Loom starts at $18 per user / month, billed monthly. OBS Studio is free.
- Only Loom lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Loom lists a browser extension.
- Only OBS Studio lists a Linux app.
- OBS Studio is open source, according to its own site.
- Loom also covers transcription, video editing and screenshots.
- OBS Studio also covers noise cancellation.
At a glance
| Loom | OBS Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $18 per user / month, billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | Starter plan: up to 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings, 720p quality, unlimited meeting length, transcriptions in 50+ languages and up to 50 members. | Free and open source under the GNU GPL v2, with no paid edition. The project is funded by sponsors and by donations through Open Collective and Patreon. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Business + AI; the workspace drops to the free Starter plan afterwards | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Atlassian | OBS Project |
| Price read from | loom.com | obsproject.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Loom
- Teams sharing quick recorded walkthroughs instead of scheduling a call
- Jira and Confluence users who want video tied into Atlassian tools
- Occasional recorders who can work within 25 short videos on the free plan
OBS Studio
- Live streamers who want detailed control of scenes, sources and audio
- Recording gameplay, tutorials or presentations without paying for software
- Linux users: there is an official Flatpak and an Ubuntu PPA
Worth knowing
Loom
- The free Starter plan is capped at 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings and 720p quality.
- Auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal need Business + AI or Enterprise.
- Business plans are billed per Creator, and Enterprise is sold on annual subscriptions only.
- No Linux app is listed; recording is offered on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iOS and Android.
OBS Studio
- It captures and mixes video in real time; the feature list on its site does not include editing a recording afterwards.
- Downloads are offered for Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13.0 or newer, and Linux; no mobile or browser version is listed.
- The Game Capture source is Windows only, according to the quick start guide.
- Help comes from a knowledge base, forums and a community Discord server rather than a vendor support desk.
Key features
Loom
- Screen and camera recording
- Record the screen, the camera or both from the desktop app, the Chrome extension or the mobile apps, then share the video as a link.
- Basic editing
- Trim recordings, stitch clips together and add backgrounds, text, arrows and box overlays.
- Transcripts and captions
- Transcriptions and closed captions in more than 50 languages, included on the free Starter plan.
- Comments and viewer insights
- Viewers can respond with comments, emoji reactions and tasks, and creators can see who watched. Engagement insights and calls-to-action are paid features.
- Loom AI
- Business + AI and Enterprise add auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal. An AI bug report feature fills in Jira work items from a recording.
- Meeting recordings
- Meetings can be recorded without a length limit, including on the Starter plan.
OBS Studio
- Scenes and sources
- Compose a scene from window and display captures, webcams, capture cards, images, text and browser windows, and set up as many scenes as you need.
- Recording and live streaming
- Record to a local file or stream to one of the included services or a custom server. A replay buffer can save recent footage with a hotkey.
- Audio mixer with filters
- Each audio source can take filters such as a noise gate, noise suppression and gain, and VST plugins are supported.
- Studio Mode and Multiview
- Studio Mode lets you preview and adjust a scene before it goes live. Multiview shows 8 scenes at once and cues any of them with a click.
- Virtual camera
- Sends an OBS scene, or a single source, to any app that accepts a webcam, such as Zoom or Discord.
- Plugins and scripting
- An API supports native plugins and scripts written in Lua or Python, and community-made plugins are shared in the site's Resources section.
Plans
Loom
Starter$0
Up to 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings, 720p quality and up to 50 members.
Business$18
per user / month, billed monthly
Unlimited storage, recordings up to 6 hours, HD recording, custom branding, engagement insights and calls-to-action.
Business + AI$24
per user / month, billed monthly
Everything in Business plus Loom's AI features, including auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual contracts through sales with SSO, SCIM, custom data retention and advanced security controls.
OBS Studio
OBS Studio$0
The complete program for Windows, macOS and Linux, including recording, live streaming, the virtual camera, plugins and scripting.
Ways to pay less
Loom
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
Loom's pricing page says you can be billed monthly but save 17% if you pay annually.
- Education
Up to 75% off for education
Verified teachers, professors and students at accredited institutions can get up to 50% off premium plans for general academic use, or 75% off for classroom use.
OBS Studio
No public discounts listed.
