- Screen Recording Software Free
- Best Audio Recording Software Mac
- Screen Recording Software With Audio Machine
- Screen Recording Software Mac Free
- Recording Audio On Mac
They say there is no free lunch and, more often than not, that’s the rule. Screen recording software, though, is a delightful exception — there are heaps of free tools out there.
To help you find the best free screen recorder, we have created a shortlist of the best free screen recorders in 2020 that are free. Ideal for communicating your ideas and feedback faster, recorder video tutorials, explainer videos, report bugs, etc.
To help you find the best free screen recorder, we have created a shortlist of the best free screen recorders in 2020 that are free. Ideal for communicating your ideas and feedback faster, recorder video tutorials, explainer videos, report bugs, etc.
Contents
Record your computer's screen with audio on a Mac. You can use QuickTime Player along with a free piece of software to record both video and audio from your Mac OS X machine. Free or Open Source Screen Recording Software for Macs. If your project is on a tight budget, you may not be able to spend much on Mac recording software. But don't give up. There are plenty of free and open source screen capture and screen recording software options for the Mac. Here's a great list of options to try: 1. Jan 28, 2020 You can now record the internal audio on your mac without the need for a third-party screen recording software. #apple #how to guide #MAC #macOS. Jun 11, 2020 Some of the screen recording software for Mac listed above also has the video editing tools, such as Filmora Scrn, which allows you to cut and remove unwanted parts, add call outs and annotations. But if you want to edit the recorded video further, you should try Wondershare Filmora9 video editor for Mac. 10 Best Screen Recording Software for Windows or Mac. FlashBack Express is very fast in terms of processing and offer features like no watermark on videos/recordings, audio commentary addition, screen recording/webcam recording, no time limits on the length of the videos recorded, schedule recording time, screen capture, add annotations etc.
What Is Screen Recording Software?
Screen recording software captures what is on your computer screen. You can either record in full screen or capture a specific area. Most of these apps can record your microphone (audio narration) and the best desktop recording software can also record your computer screen with audio (the system sound).
However, this is where the similarities end. Not all such programs are HD screen recorders. Some screen recording tools can save the recording in various file formats or export it to social media websites like YouTube. Top screen recorders, though, can upload your screen captures to the cloud in real time and give you a sharing link instantly (much more effective).
So, before you set your mind on a free screen recording software, it’s best to evaluate your own recording needs. Maybe you don’t need to upload your videos to social media or maybe you don’t need to record in HD.
How we reviewed the top screen video recorders
We took information about each of the best desktop recorders directly from their official website. In addition, we gathered insights from independent reviews published on G2Crowd and tested each tool ourselves.
What is a good screen recorder?
While our picks range from desktop apps to browser plug-ins, each one meets the following basic criteria:
- User-friendly interface
- Can record the entire screen or a specific area
- Captures both system and microphone audio
- Built-in video sharing and/or convenient exporting options
Here Are The Best Free Screen Recording Software In 2020
Screenrec | iSpring Free Cam | Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder | Screencast-O-Matic | Ezvid | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Save screencast to your hard drive | |||||
Video Hosting | |||||
Cloud Recording | |||||
Instant sharing | |||||
Sharing options | Universal sharing link. Share privately or publicly. | Upload to Youtube | Upload to Youtube, Dropbox, Vimeo or GDrive | Upload to Youtube | None. You can save the screen capture to your hard drive. |
Record computer audio and video at the same time | |||||
Record your voice | |||||
Record in full screen | |||||
Capture Screenshots | |||||
Video Library | |||||
Video Encryption | |||||
Video Analytics | |||||
Video Editing Tools | |||||
Facecam recording | |||||
Recording Time | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 15 minutes | Depends on how much free space you have |
Ads | Ad-free | Ad-free | Ad-free | Ads | Ad-free |
Video compression | MP4 (Universal) | WMV (Windows only) | MP4, WMV, AVI, FLV, MPEG, VOB, ASF and GIF | MP4, AVI, FLV | WMV (Windows only) |
Supported Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows | Windows and Mac | Windows and Mac | Windows |
Works when you’re offline |
1. Screenrec
Click. Record. Share instantly. If you’re looking for the quickest and easiest possible way to capture your computer screen and share the recording with someone else, this is it. No ads and limitations. You not only get a screen recorder for free but you also get business video hosting for free.
Pros
- Record computer audio
- Record your computer screen in HD
- Capture and annotate screenshots
- 2Gb of free video hosting included
- Cloud recording. Your video capture is uploaded on the fly to a secure video hosting platform — StreamingVideoProvider.
- Files are saved in the .MP4 format which can be played on any device (free MP4 screen recorder)
- Instant private sharing. Once the recording is complete you get a private sharing link that you can send to anyone online.
- Extremely lightweight
- Video CMS to manage your recordings, e.g. tag, add descriptions, organize in folders and playlists
- Video encryption. No one can download your videos without your explicit permission.
- Video analytics
- Unlimited recording time
- No ads
Cons
- There are no video editing tools at this point
- You can’t record your webcam
2. iSpring Free Cam
iSpring Free Cam made our list of the best screen recorders because it’s easy-to-use, without ads and time limitations. It only works on Windows which can potentially be an issue but, otherwise, it’s got all the chops to help you capture the full screen or a specific area of your desktop.
Pros
- Record your microphone and system sounds
- Highlight your mouse
- Basic video editing tools, e.g. delete selection, remove background noise.
- Webcam recording is available but only in the Pro version
- You can upload your screencast to YouTube
- No ads
- No time limits
Cons
- Only works on Windows. No support for Linux or Mac.
- Screen captures are saved in .WMV format (OK if you’re using a Windows PC but might not play on other platforms)
- Uploading large videos might take quite some time because there is no cloud recording option. The file is compressed and uploaded after recording.
- You can’t take screenshots
- Some users report high CPU usage
3. Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder
A nice online screen recorder with basic video editing capabilities. This free screen capture software runs in your browser (Mac or Windows) and requires an internet connection. The Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder might be a good choice if you’re looking for a one-time solution.
Pros
- Record your webcam
- Add annotations within the video
- Capture computer audio
- Crop your video (no other editing tools, though)
- Works on Windows and Mac but not on Linux
- After recording, you can save the video file to your computer or upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
- You can save the file in a number of different formats (This can also be a con if you don’t know what you’re doing)
Cons
- Requires a browser plugin to run which may slow your browser down. There is a “Download desktop version” button on the website but this is actually the Pro version, not the free one.
- No cloud recording option. If you want to share your screencast, you will have to wait for the video to render and, then, you will have to wait for it to upload.
- Time limits and watermarks (removed when you create a free account)
- Not suitable for game recording because you can’t hide the recording widget
- Users report that it takes quite a lot of time to view the replay
- You must be online to use it
4. Screencast-O-Matic
The free version of Screencast-O-Matic is another browser-based screen recording tool. It should work for you if you don’t need to record computer audio and you only want to make very short videos.
Pros
- Narrate the video (record your computer microphone)
- Record your webcam
- After recording the video, you can upload it to YouTube or the Screencast-o-matic hosting service
- Highlight your mouse
- Available for Windows and Mac
Cons
- 15-minute recording limit
- There is a watermark
- You can’t record computer audio in the free version
- No screenshot tool
- The free version can only run in the browser which can slow your computer down
- Ads on your screencasts
- Requires Java to run
- Some users report that it crashes their browsers and slows down their computers
- No cloud recording option. If you want to share your screencast, you will have to wait for the video to render and, then, you will have to wait for it to upload.
5. Ezvid
Ezvid is on our best screen recording software list because it has some cool features like the ability to draw while recording or synthesize human speech from text. Like iSpring Free Cam, it only works on Windows and saves screencasts in the bulky WMV format.
Pros
![Screen recording software free Screen recording software free](https://www.mac-dvd.com/image/mac-software/mac-screen-recorder-camtasia-studio.jpg)
- HD video capture
- Include computer narration with your video
- Trim videos
- Insert images and videos in your screencast
- Draw while recording
- Facecam recording
- No watermarks
- No ads
Cons
- Works on Windows only
- Recording limit — depends on how much free space you have on your hard drive
- Delayed replay — you have to wait until your video is rendered
- Some users report that it slows down their computers
- Screen captures are saved in .WMV format (OK if you’re using a Windows PC but the video might not play on other platforms)
What Is a Good Screen Recorder?
Download my passport software for mac. There are two important points to consider when looking for the best free screen recorder in 2020.
1. File Format & Compression
A file format is a particular way of organizing the data within the file. There are many video file formats and some screen recording tools support more than one. However, most of the time, it goes down to MP4 vs. WMV.
MP4 or WMV for screen capture?
The WMV format is a product of Microsoft. Back in the day, it was created to allow professional videos to be recorded in high quality, e.g. on DVD, Bluray. The biggest issue here is that Mac users often have trouble viewing WMV files.
MP4, on the other hard, helps you produce video files that can be opened on any platform. And, when it comes to video quality, MP4 is actually better than WMV.
So,MP4 is more suitable for publishing your screen captures on the web and sharing them with others. The best free video capture software allows you to save your videos in MP4.
2. Video Hosting & Uploading
When looking for a screen capture software, you’d probably look at the recording features like — recording time, ability to record the computer audio, and so on.
Screen Recording Software Free
But what happens after you record your screencast?
Most of the time, video files are very big and can’t be attached to emails. This means that, to share a video, you have to upload it somewhere in the cloud. In other words, you need video hosting.
This is a book-worthy topic but here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Hosting on YouTube. Some screen recorders allow you to post your videos on YouTube. That’s great when you want to share your videos publicly but not recommended if the screencast contains sensitive information.
- Proprietary video hosting. Some screen recorders like Screenrec, Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder and Screencast-O-Matic come with video hosting. When storing your videos on these platforms, it would be wise to research if the platform is free and what level of security it offers.
- Cloud Recording. If there is no Cloud Recording option, you will have to wait for the video to upload until you can share it. The best free screen capture tools come with this option.
Conclusion
Even the best free screen recording software has advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, the recording features — what you can do with the tool, are just as important as the effectiveness — how quickly you can record your computer screen and share it with others.
So, before you set your mind on a free screen recording software, it’s best to evaluate your own recording needs. Maybe you don’t need to upload your videos to social media or maybe you don’t need to record in HD.
Best Audio Recording Software Mac
Based on this criteria, the top screen recording software for us is the free screen recorder by ScreenRec. The final decision is, of course, yours to make.
What's the difference between a desktop screen recorder vs. online screen recorder?
As the names suggest, the biggest difference is that a desktop screen recorder can capture your screen while you're offline or on a poor internet connection. An online screen recorder requires stable Internet. For this reason, an online screen recorder isn't the best option when it comes to game capture. It may be a viable option when you're recording a tutorial, though.
What is the best alternative to Screencast-O-Matic?
Screencast-O-Matic is a popular screencasting tool. Many people use it to record tutorials, training videos and other educational content. The biggest advantage of Screencast-O-Matic is, perhaps, the ability to share the recording to a number of platforms like Vimeo, YouTube and Screencast-o-Matic's own video hosting platform. One downside, however, is the fact that you have to wait for the recording to upload and, if you've been recording for, say, 1 hour, this can be a huge pain. That's why, as an alternative, we'll suggest ScreenRec. It's quick and lightweight, allows you to capture both your computer audio and microphone audio and, finally, it's got instant private sharing--your screen recordings are uploaded in real time which means that you never have to wait. You get a sharing link as soon as you press 'Stop'.
How do I record my computer screen?
It depends on the screen capture tool you're using and your platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). With ScreenRec, for example, you have to press Alt + S to start recording your desktop. This works on all platforms.
References & Further Reading
Mac doesn’t have an exclusive application for screen recording. Fortunately, there is a functionality for this bundled right into the QuickTime Player app. So you don’t have to install any additional software to record screen activity on your Mac.
The QuickTime Player’s screen recorder function is dead simple to use. It allows you to record your whole screen, a portion of the screen, with or without audio – a great solution for most use cases. Let’s see how it works!
Using the QuickTime Player’s Screen Recorder in macOS
The screen recorder in QuickTime Player is available in Mac OS X 10.6 and later. Below is the complete guide on how to use it to capture a video of your Mac screen.
Step 1: Launch Quick Time Player
There are various ways to open a program on Mac.
- You can navigate to /Applications in the Finder and launch QuickTime Player
- Or much quicker, press Space + Command – the Spotlight search field will appear in the middle of your screen. Now enter “QuickTime” and launch it.
Step 2: Start Recording
Screen Recording Software With Audio Machine
Look at the menu bar at the top of the screen, click File, then select New Screen Recorder. (Alternatively, if you love using shortcuts, then press Control+Cmd+N)
Note: if you keep the QuickTime app in your Dock, then you can start recording your screen anytime quickly by right-clicking on its icon and choose “New Screen Recording” from the menu.
A small screen recording box will pop up with the remarkable Record button. Before starting, you can choose recording options for audio and mouse clicks. Click on the white down arrow beside the record button to see the options.
- Microphone: Choose None to capture the video with no sound, or choose an audio source from one of your microphones. By default, you’re not able to record system sounds, but if you want to, we’ve got you covered in the next part of this post.
- Options: Choosing “Show Mouse Clicks in Recording” make clicks much more obvious as it places a circle around them. So people who watch your videos will know when you do click. Perfect for making instructional or how-to videos.
Once you’ve done with the settings, click the Record button. After you click the button, the QuickTime Player will display the following instruction:
So
- If you want to record the entire screen, simply click one anywhere on the screen.
- If you just want to record a smaller segment of the screen, such as a Safari window, click anywhere and drag to make a selection area. Then you can resize and move it to fit a specific window. Once you’re satisfied, click “Start Recording” in the middle of the selection area.
Screen Recording Software Mac Free
Step 3: Stop Recording
To end recording, just hit the stop button in the menu bar (or use the Touch Bar). The QuickTime Player app will let you preview the recorded video. In case the stop button is hidden in the menu bar, right-click on the QuickTime Player icon in the Dock and select Stop Screen Recording.
You can then choose File > Save or hit Cmd + S to save it to your desired folder. By default, the video is saved as a MOV file in HD resolution. Meaning you will have to convert it to another file format if necessary.
You can also choose File > Export to export the video using another resolution: 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p or export only the audio. If you don’t want to save the video, just close the preview window and click Delete.
Note: Using the QuickTime Player app is also one of the native ways to record iPhone and iPad’s screen.
Recording Mac’s screen with Audio using QuickTime Player
As I stated before, you have limited options on what you can use as the audio sound when recording the screen with QuickTime Player. You can only choose between None and Built-in Microphone.
That’s really annoying in situations where you want to record the audio internally. Sure you could try using the built-in microphone to capture the output audio, but it’s far from satisfactory as it will also capture background noise.
Recording Audio On Mac
The solution is to use an additional sound driver that can route the output audio to act as the input for another application, here it’s QuickTime Player.
SoundFlower was the most popular tool for this but now it’s no longer updated and not compatible with El Capitan and higher. You may find tutorials out there mentioning it, but they’re outdated and may not work for you.
Loopback by Rogue Amoeba is a new alternative I found recently. It’s a paid software with a free trial. I’ve personally tested using the trial version and it works decently. Here’s how I configured the input/output audio for QuickTime using this sound driver.
- Download and install the trial version of LoopBack here. A license key to unlock Loopback costs $99 and can be used on one or multiple Macs.
- After installing it, go to System Preferences > Sound > Output and choose “Loopback Audio” for sound output.
- Open QuickTime to record the screen, click the white down arrow, you’ll see a new option named “Loopback Audio” under Microphone. Select it.
- Click the red Record button to start recording as usual. Now you’ll capture both the video and audio in one recording
If you cannot find Loopback Audio as an available input or output, try to reboot your system for it to work.
That’s how you can record your Mac’s screen with audio using QuickTime Player. If you know another exclusive screen recorder for Mac, or a decent sound drive that works similarly to Loopback, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Dan is a web developer, a digital nomad, and a lifelong Apple fan. At iPhonebyte, his job is to help you get the most out of your iOS and Mac devices. Read the story about him and the website here.