OBS Studio vs ScreenToGif
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OBS Studio
Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming
Free
Where they differ
- OBS Studio is free. ScreenToGif is free.
- Only OBS Studio lists macOS and Linux apps.
- OBS Studio also covers noise cancellation.
- ScreenToGif also covers video editing.
In commonFree planWindowsOpen sourceScreen recording
At a glance
| OBS Studio | ScreenToGif | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The whole app is free, with its source code published on GitHub under the MS-PL license. The developer accepts donations through PayPal, Patreon and Ko-fi. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | OBS Project | Nicke Manarin (N-Tech) |
| Price read from | obsproject.com | github.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
ScreenToGif
- Short GIFs for bug reports, documentation and tutorials
- Windows users who want a free recorder with a built-in editor
- Removing or annotating individual frames before exporting
Worth knowing
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.
ScreenToGif
- Windows only: it needs Windows 10 or 11 and the .NET 9 Desktop Runtime or newer.
- The developer describes it as a quick, small recorder and recommends other software for recordings longer than a few minutes.
- The developer's site now marks ScreenToGif as legacy and presents a newer app, N-Studio, as its successor.
- It is a one-developer project supported by donations and sponsors.
Key features
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.
ScreenToGif
- Screen recorder
- A hollow window is placed over the area to capture and can snap to another window. The frame rate is set from 1 to 60 fps, and the frame can be moved while recording.
- Webcam recorder
- Captures the video feed from a webcam chosen from the connected video devices; resizing the window changes the size of the recording.
- Board recorder
- A canvas for drawing with a pen whose color and tip size can be changed. Strokes are recorded automatically as they are drawn.
- Frame-based editor
- Shows every frame of a recording so unwanted ones can be removed, and adds annotations such as captions and free drawing. It can also import GIFs and videos.
- Export to GIF, APNG, video, PSD or PNG
- A finished project is saved as an animated GIF or APNG, a video, a PSD file or PNG images, and single frames can be exported as images.
Plans
OBS Studio
OBS Studio$0
The complete program for Windows, macOS and Linux, including recording, live streaming, the virtual camera, plugins and scripting.
ScreenToGif
ScreenToGif$0
The complete app, downloaded from the developer's site or GitHub, or installed from the Microsoft Store, Chocolatey or FossHub.
