ScreenRec vs SimpleScreenRecorder (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimpleScreenRecorder grades higher than ScreenRec: 2.8 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
ScreenRec grades higher on ease of use and platforms. SimpleScreenRecorder grades higher on value for money, the free plan and 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 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
Pick SimpleScreenRecorder if
- Fits if you play or demo on Linux and want an OpenGL capture like Fraps
- Works for people who want to pick their own codecs and keep the software free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or a Mac, as there is no build for either
- Not for you if you want to edit the recording, because it only records
- Watch out: live streaming is labelled experimental by the author
- Watch out: the Arch Linux package moved to AUR in April 2023 for lack of a maintainer, and the vendor warns simplescreenrecorder.com is a fake site
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAScreenRecFair | 2.8GPASimpleScreenRecorderGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree software under the GNU GPL, with no paid plan. A program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AThe whole program is free, with no cap or watermark. |
| Features | 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. | BWhole-screen, region and OpenGL capture, pause and resume, a live preview and many codecs and formats. Streaming is marked experimental by the author. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. Settings are laid out in a wizard, but codec and format choices are yours to make. |
| Platforms and 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. | DLinux only. The page lists distributions and no Windows, Mac, web or phone builds, and no integrations. |
| Best for | instant share links on Windows, Mac and Linux | recording games and screens on 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: ScreenRec and SimpleScreenRecorder. How we grade
Price against what you get
ScreenRec starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SimpleScreenRecorder has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
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, 8 score higher than ScreenRec for less, and none scores higher than SimpleScreenRecorder 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
- SimpleScreenRecorder is open source, according to its own site.
- ScreenRec also covers transcription, dictation and screenshots.
At a glance
| ScreenRec | SimpleScreenRecorder | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.90); $8.32 billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | 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 software distributed under the GNU General Public License; no paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | TeddySoft OOD | Maarten Baert |
| Price read from | screenrec.com | maartenbaert.be |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SimpleScreenRecorder
- Linux only; the project page lists distributions and no Windows or Mac builds.
- The page says the Arch Linux package moved to AUR in April 2023 for lack of a maintainer.
- The vendor warns that simplescreenrecorder.com is a fake site and that only the maartenbaert.be page is official.
Key features
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.
SimpleScreenRecorder
- Screen and OpenGL capture
- Records the entire screen, part of it, or an OpenGL application directly, similar to Fraps on Windows.
- Pause and resume
- Recording can be paused and resumed with a button or a hotkey, with live statistics such as file size and frame rate.
- Preview while recording
- An optional preview shows what is being captured so a wrong setting is noticed before the recording ends.
- Many codecs and formats
- Encodes through libav/ffmpeg libraries, so it supports many codecs and file formats, with custom codec options.
- Experimental live streaming
- Can also stream live, which the author labels experimental, with a how-to page for it.
Plans
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.
SimpleScreenRecorder
Free$0
The whole program, distributed under the GNU General Public License.
Ways to pay less
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.
SimpleScreenRecorder
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ScreenRec or SimpleScreenRecorder?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimpleScreenRecorder is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.99 a month for ScreenRec. ScreenRec starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.90); $8.32 billed monthly, and SimpleScreenRecorder is free.
Which has a free plan, ScreenRec or SimpleScreenRecorder?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both ScreenRec and SimpleScreenRecorder have a free plan.
Which platforms do ScreenRec and SimpleScreenRecorder 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.