OBS Studio vs ScreenPal

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

ScreenPal

• Teachers recording lessons and adding quizzes for their LMS
• Individuals who want a recorder, editor and hosting on a small budget
• Trainers and support teams producing tutorial videos

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.

ScreenPal

• The free plan limits each recording to 15 minutes and hosting to 10 videos.
• ScreenPal AI, including text-based editing and the AI video generator, needs Solo Max or a team plan.
• Listed prices are for annual payment; monthly subscriptions are offered at a higher rate.
• Team Business requires at least 3 creators, and SAML SSO and team management are limited to team plans.

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.

ScreenPal

Screen and webcam recorder

Record the full screen, a window or any area, with the webcam alone or as picture-in-picture. Draw and zoom while recording; no watermark is added on any plan.

Video editor

Cut, crop and combine clips, add text, shapes, animations, overlays, music and voiceover narration, and remove silences. The full editor starts with Solo Deluxe.

Screenshots and image editing

Capture screenshots, including scrolling and time-delayed ones, then annotate, blur or highlight them. The image editor with OCR text recognition is listed for Windows and Mac.

Hosting and channels

Host videos and images with folders, channels, password and privacy controls, scheduled publishing and custom thumbnails. Hosting is capped at 10 videos on the free plan.

Interactive video

Add quizzes, polls and ratings to a video and embed it in a learning management system or website. Free and Deluxe allow 5; Max and team plans are unlimited.

ScreenPal AI

Generates titles, summaries, captions, quiz questions and translated transcripts, and adds text-based editing, filler-word removal and an AI video generator. Included in Solo Max and Team Business.

OBS Studio

• OBS Studio$0

  The complete program for Windows, macOS and Linux, including recording, live streaming, the virtual camera, plugins and scripting.

ScreenPal

• Free$0

  Recordings up to 15 minutes, basic editing, screenshots, 10 hosted videos, 720p playback and 5 quizzes.

• Solo Deluxe$4

  per month, paid annually

  Unlimited recording time and hosting, the full video editor, storyboards, AI speech-to-text captions and standard stock media.

• Solo Max$10

  per month, paid annually

  Deluxe plus ScreenPal AI, auto-captions and transcriptions, AI text-to-speech, the AI video generator, premium stock media, 4K playback and unlimited quizzes.

• Team Business$8

  per user / month, paid annually (3 users minimum)

  Max features plus collaboration tools, team management, advanced integrations and SAML SSO. The plan card carries a 22% off label.

OBS Studio

No public discounts listed.

ScreenPal

• Education

  Education plans from $3 a month

  ScreenPal's education plans page lists Deluxe Edu at $3 a month and Max Edu at $6 a month, paid annually, against $4 and $10 for the standard Solo plans.

• Annual discount

  Discounted annual subscriptions

  ScreenPal's plans FAQ says monthly subscriptions are available for the Solo plans and Team Business and describes the annual subscription pricing as discounted.