The simplest screen recorders simply capture what’s on your screen and save it in AVI format, but the more advanced free tools also offer editing, picture-in-picture, live streaming, and game play optimization. You don’t need to own the best laptop to do most of these tasks, though it does help.
However, you have to be careful – many free recorders will add unsightly watermarks to your clips or let you record only a handful of videos before demanding payment, so it’s essential to pick the right software first to avoid disappointing results.
Here are the best free screen recorders that will help you record or stream professional-quality video from your desktop or webcam.
- Check out the list of best screen recorders for all platforms below:
1. OBS Studio
The best free screen recorder for capturing or streaming games, packed with features to help you achieve high-quality recordings
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- HD streaming and recording
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- No restrictions on video length
- Setup takes a little while
If you’re a keen gamer, OBS Studio is easily the best screen capture software for you. Unlike the hugely popular FRAPS (which only lets you record for 30 seconds at a stretch unless you’ve bought a license, and applies a watermark to the resulting footage), OBS Studio is open source, and completely free to use without restrictions.
Free screen recorder OBS Studio supports both streaming and recording in high definition, with no restrictions on the number or length of your creations. You can stream live to Twitch or YouTube gaming, save projects and come back to them later, or encode your footage in FLV format and save it locally.
Because OBS Studio can record directly from your graphics card, it’s able to capture games running in full-screen mode (many other screen recorders can only record if the game is windowed), with customizable hotkeys to control the recording. OBS Studio can also make full use of multi-core CPUs for improved performance, and can record at 60FPS (or even higher).
It might take a little while to set it up exactly how you want, but OBS Studio is by far the best and most powerful screen recorder for gamers.
- How to use OBS Studio
2. FlashBack Express
FlashBack Express is a brilliant screen recorder that’s surprisingly simple to use
Another feature-packed screen recorder that’s ideal for recording games and capturing footage from your webcam
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- Well designed interface
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- Built-in video editor
- Choice of output formats
OBS Studio is the top choice for recording from a desktop or webcam, but Flashback Express comes an extremely close second. Despite being a free version of a paid program, FlashBack Express won’t put ugly watermarks over your recordings or impose time limits, and it’s packed with features and tools that rival many premium programs. Its interface is less intimidating than OBS Studio, so if you’ve never used a screen recorder before, it’s an excellent choice.
You can record from your whole screen, a window, a selected area, or a webcam. Once you’ve finished, your recording will appear in a simple editor, where you can crop and trim it to suit your needs, then export it to YouTube, an FTP server, or your PC.
That’s all fairly standard fare for a free screen recorder, but take a minute to dive into Flashback’s advanced options and you’ll find a wealth of thoughtfully designed settings that will make your desktop recordings look truly professional. The recorder can automatically obscure passwords entered on screen, replace your silly wallpaper with a plain one, hide messy desktop icons, and highlight your mouse pointer to make it easier to follow. There’s also a dedicated gaming mode that lets you define the number of frames recorded per second.
There’s no limit on the length of your recordings unless you choose to set one, which can be useful if there’s a chance you might accidentally leave the recorder running. You can also choose to break long recordings up into chunks – a brilliant touch that helps you avoid creating huge, unwieldy files. Your recordings won’t be watermarked, either.
Following a recent update, Flashback Express can export in WMV, AVI and MP4 formats, eliminating the need for a separate video converter, and it no longer requires a free license key for activation – just install the software and you’re ready to start recording.
Developer Blueberry Software has also released a free screen recorder designed specifically for games – FBX. This recorder captures HD in-game footage, with hardware acceleration for AMD and Nvidia cards, and Intel CPUs.
If you’re thinking about upgrading to FlashBack Pro. This is not free.
- How to use Flashback Express
- Download Flashback Express and Pro version in 1 file: Download here
3. Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder
The online edition of Apowersoft’s screen recorder is more powerful than many desktop apps
- An in-browser recorder more powerful than most desktop apps.
- No time limits or watermarks.
- Lots of export options.
- Not suitable for games.
- How to use Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder:
- Download desktop version of Apowersoft Screen Recorder: Download
4. Debut Video Capture
- Amazingly flexible, and capable of much more than just screen recording.
- Scheduled recordings.
- Can record from external cameras.
- Looks a little dated.
Debut Video Capture is a new addition to our roundup of free screen recorders, and although its slightly dated design does it few favors, it’s an extremely powerful program that can do much more than just capture what’s happening on your PC monitor.
In addition to basic screen recording (with no time limits or watermarks), Debut Video Capture can also record footage from external devices, including webcams and security cameras. It can even record on a regular schedule, which means it can become the main hub of a home security system. Not too shabby for a program that’s totally free for personal use.
There are no post-production editing tools, but you can apply filters and add your own captions and watermarks before you begin recording. There’s no option for exporting videos directly to YouTube or Facebook, but they can be saved in all the main formats, including MP4, MOV and AVI (to name just three).
Debut Video Capture is currently in public beta, so we look forward to seeing the final release version with a lick of extra polish soon.
- How to use Video Capture
5. ShareX
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- ShareX is a superb screen recorder for any task other than games, and can upload your captures automatically.
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- A fine choice if you want to share your screen recordings online.
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- Capture as video file or GIF.
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- Dozens of export options.
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- Also great for static screen grabs.
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- Unintuitive interface.
- Not suitable for games.
ShareX is an open source app for capturing still screen grabs and recording videos. There are no watermarks or time limits to worry about, but the interface isn’t the most intuitive in the world so you’ll be best off using keyboard shortcuts. For quick reference, you can start a recording by tapping Shift + Print Screen, and stop it again using Ctrl + Shift + Print Screen.
You can also use this free screen recorder to save your capture as a GIF rather than a video file, which can be extremely useful for sharing on forums and social media.
Another of its best features is the ability to send your captured grabs and videos straight to a file-sharing or social media site. There’s a vast array of options, which you can check out on the project’s site.
Unfortunately, ShareX doesn’t support taking screen grabs or recordings from games running in full-screen mode. Other than that, it’s a superb screen recorder that will serve you extremely well.
