# SimpleScreenRecorder review (2026): is it any good? > Free Linux screen recorder with a Qt interface Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. SimpleScreenRecorder is a Linux program by Maarten Baert for recording programs and games. It has a Qt graphical interface, records the whole screen, a part of it or OpenGL applications directly, and encodes with the libav/ffmpeg libraries. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License. - **Category:** Screen Recording & Video - **Made by:** Maarten Baert - **Website:** https://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder - **Runs on:** Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use Windows or a Mac, as there is no build for either. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, SimpleScreenRecorder is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free software distributed under the GNU General Public License; no paid plans. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | The whole program, distributed under the GNU General Public License. | Read from https://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SimpleScreenRecorder before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Linux users recording games or applications - People who want a GUI instead of typing ffmpeg commands - Anyone who wants free, open-source software ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. SimpleScreenRecorder is a free Linux recorder for the whole screen, part of it or OpenGL games, with pause, preview and many codecs through ffmpeg. It runs on Linux only, the Arch package lost its maintainer in 2023, and live streaming is labelled experimental. - **Value for money: A.** Free software under the GNU GPL, with no paid plan. A program anyone can download and run. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole program is free, with no cap or watermark. - **Features: B.** Whole-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: C.** No store rating on record. Settings are laid out in a wizard, but codec and format choices are yours to make. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Linux only. The page lists distributions and no Windows, Mac, web or phone builds, and no integrations. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the SimpleScreenRecorder project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among screen recording and video tools - SimpleScreenRecorder's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 104 of the 133 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 15. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 117 of 133) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). - SimpleScreenRecorder has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/video ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** SimpleScreenRecorder is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 104 of the 133 other screen recording and video tools we grade. - You could not: Recording the screen with its sound, and somewhere to keep the video. - You could not: A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Screen recording, Open source ## Alternatives - [Kazam](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kazam): Free open-source screencaster for Linux desktops. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kazam-vs-simplescreenrecorder) - [OBS Studio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obs-studio): Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obs-studio-vs-simplescreenrecorder) - [ScreenRec](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screenrec): Desktop screen recorder and screenshot tool with instant share links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/screenrec-vs-simplescreenrecorder) - [ScreenToGif](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screentogif): Free Windows recorder that turns screen captures into GIFs. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/screentogif-vs-simplescreenrecorder) - [Cap](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cap): Open-source screen recorder with instant share links and an editor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-simplescreenrecorder) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplescreenrecorder Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).