Short answer: Loom is the first pick for a small team. Its free Starter plan allows 25 videos per person, each up to 5 minutes at 720p, and its Business plan is $18 a user a month billed monthly. For longer recordings on Windows, Flashback Express's free version lists unlimited recording time and no watermark on recordings. OBS Studio and ShareX are free open-source tools with no paid tier.
Eight tools compared on what their free plans allow: recording length, video count, watermarks, export limits and the first paid price.
Free screen recording plans look alike on the pricing page and differ sharply once you open them. Loom caps each free video at five minutes. Screencastify caps its free videos at 30 minutes and puts a watermark on them. Flashback Express's free version lists no time limit and no watermark on recordings, but it runs on Windows.
This guide compares eight tools on the limits that decide whether a free plan can carry a regular habit: recording length, video count, watermarks, export size and the first paid price. Methodology: the eight tools come from the 117 screen recorders we track and are the ones a buyer of free software is most likely to compare; the full screen recording list holds the rest. Prices are dated October 2026, with sources in the pricing footnote, and each line states its billing basis. Paid placement plays no part in the order. Totals are our arithmetic on the printed prices.
Toolradar data: of the 117 screen recording tools we track, 77% have a free, freemium or open-source plan. The label says less than the limit does, so the table below sets each tool's limit next to its paid entry price.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
Free Starter plan covers short async videos for a small team: 25 videos per person, 5 minutes each, 720p.
Starting price
From $18 /mo
4.7 (2,944 reviews)
Best for
Teams sending short updates who can keep each video under five minutes.
Windows free version lists no time limit and no watermark on recordings. The 1-Year plan is $29 a year.
Starting price
From $2.42 /mo
Best for
Windows users who record long sessions and want no watermark without paying.
Free and open-source recording and streaming app with no paid tier and no plan limits.
Starting price
Free
4.7 (1,212 reviews)
Best for
Streamers and technical users who want no plan limits and do not need a clip editor.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loom | From $18/mo | 4.7 2,944 reviews | Teams sending short updates who can keep each video under five minutes. |
| Flashback Express | From $2.42/mo | n/a | Windows users who record long sessions and want no watermark without paying. |
| OBS Studio | Free | 4.7 1,212 reviews | Streamers and technical users who want no plan limits and do not need a clip editor. |
| Screenity | From $10/mo | n/a | Chrome users who record for themselves or send files directly, not share links. |
| Screencastify | From $7/mo | 4.6 83 reviews | Teachers and trainers who record in Chrome and can accept a watermark on free videos. |
| Kapwing | From $16/mo | 3.9 40 reviews | Creators who record and then cut clips in the browser, and accept a watermark on free exports. |
| Descript | From $16/mo | 4.6 1,106 reviews | Podcasters and creators who want to cut a recording by editing its transcript. |
| ShareX | Free | 4.8 102 reviews | Windows users who want one free tool for screenshots and quick recordings. |
- Starting price
- From $18/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.7 (2,944 reviews)
Best for: Teams sending short updates who can keep each video under five minutes.
- Pro: Free Starter allows 25 videos per person, with up to 50 members.
- Pro: Business removes the five-minute limit, allows up to 4K and removes Loom branding.
- Pro: Transcriptions in 50+ languages are listed on the free Starter plan.
- Con: Free recordings stop at five minutes and 720p.
- Con: Business is priced per user, so a ten-person team pays for ten seats.
Loom's pricing is generally fair, offering a generous free tier for basic use.
Flashback Express
Windows free version lists no time limit and no watermark on recordings. The 1-Year plan is $29 a year.
- Starting price
- From $2.42/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
Best for: Windows users who record long sessions and want no watermark without paying.
- Pro: Free version lists unlimited recording time and no watermark on recordings.
- Pro: Records screen, camera and audio, and captures full screen, window or region.
- Pro: No credit card is needed to start the free version.
- Con: Runs on Windows.
- Con: The plan table lists video and audio editing, so check that row before relying on the free version.
The pricing for Flashback Express is very generous, especially the Lifetime option at $49.
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.7 (1,212 reviews)
Best for: Streamers and technical users who want no plan limits and do not need a clip editor.
- Pro: Free and open source, with no paid tier to buy.
- Pro: Scenes and custom transitions let one app handle recording and live streaming.
- Pro: The project describes itself as free and open source, with OBS Studio contributors doing development.
- Con: It has no built-in clip editor, so edits happen in another program.
- Con: Setup takes longer than a browser recorder.
OBS Studio offers an incredibly generous pricing model as it is 100% free and open-source.
Screenity
Free, open-source Chrome extension that records screen, camera and mic. Files stay on your device.
- 1.0 on SourceForge (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- From $10/mo
- Free plan
- Free to use
Best for: Chrome users who record for themselves or send files directly, not share links.
- Pro: The free extension needs no account, and recordings stay on your device.
- Pro: The recorder is open source under GPLv3, and the editor is hosted in Europe.
- Pro: The extension records screen, camera and mic, with drawing, blur and click highlight tools.
- Con: Share links, the editor and MP4 export need Pro: $10 a month billed yearly ($120 a year).
- Con: It works in Chrome.
Screenity's single Pro tier at $10/month is quite fair, offering a robust set of features for video recording and editing.
Screencastify
10 free videos of up to 30 minutes with a Castify watermark; inviting team members adds up to 20 more.
- 4.6 on G2 (83 reviews)
- Starting price
- From $7/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.6 (83 reviews)
Best for: Teachers and trainers who record in Chrome and can accept a watermark on free videos.
- Pro: The free plan includes video editing tools as well as recording.
- Pro: Starter allows unlimited videos, 60-minute recordings and removes the watermark on new videos.
- Pro: The free plan includes a teleprompter, Submit requests and up to four team members.
- Con: Free videos carry a Castify watermark, and the base plan stops at 10 videos unless you invite team members.
- Con: Starter's monthly billing is $19 a user, up from $15 in a June 2024 capture of the pricing page.
Screencastify's pricing is quite generous, especially the Free tier offering 10 videos and 30-minute recordings.
Watch out
No mention of storage limits for videos
- Starting price
- From $16/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 3.9 (40 reviews)
Best for: Creators who record and then cut clips in the browser, and accept a watermark on free exports.
- Pro: Free plan includes 5 GB of cloud storage and 720p exports.
- Pro: Pro removes the watermark, allows 4K exports and projects up to two hours long.
- Pro: Pro raises the upload limit to 6 GB per file.
- Con: Free exports end at four-minute clips and 30 minutes a month.
- Con: The watermark stays on free exports, so a client video needs Pro.
Kapwing's pricing is fair for its feature set, especially the Pro tier at $16/month annually, offering significant value compared to the Free tier's limitations.
- Starting price
- From $16/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.6 (1,106 reviews)
Best for: Podcasters and creators who want to cut a recording by editing its transcript.
- Pro: Free plan includes text-based editing, so you can cut a recording by editing its text.
- Pro: Hobbyist adds 10 media hours a month and watermark-free 1080p export.
- Pro: Hobbyist adds 400 AI credits a month and access to Underlord, its AI co-editor.
- Con: 60 media minutes a month runs out quickly on a full-length recording.
- Con: Watermark-free export starts on the paid Hobbyist plan, not the free one.
Descript's pricing is generally fair, offering a generous Free tier and a well-structured progression.
Watch out
Overage fees for exceeding media minutes
ShareX
Free, open-source Windows tool for screenshots and screen recording, with no account and no paid tier.
- 4.8 on G2 (80 reviews)
- 4.8 on Capterra (19 reviews)
- 5.0 on SourceForge (3 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.8 (102 reviews)
Best for: Windows users who want one free tool for screenshots and quick recordings.
- Pro: Free and open source, and no account is required.
- Pro: Screen capture, screen recording and file sharing sit in one lightweight app.
- Pro: The project page says ‘Free forever. Open source. No account required.’
- Con: Runs on Windows.
- Con: It is a capture tool, not a video editor.
ShareX offers an incredibly generous pricing model, as it is completely free and open-source.
Watch out
Potential costs for third-party storage services.
Other Screen Recording tools worth considering
More published tools from our Screen Recording category, ordered by our category ranking. They are not part of the editorial picks above.
What counts as a free screen recording plan
Most free plans limit one of three things: how long each recording runs, how many videos you can keep, or whether the export carries a watermark. Some limit export minutes or storage instead. A fourth group is free open-source software, which has no plan at all, so the limit is what your computer can handle.
That difference matters when you buy. A plan that allows 25 videos of five minutes each suits a weekly two-minute update. It does not suit a training video recorded in one take. Flashback Express lists no time limit on its free version, and OBS Studio has no paid tier to limit it.
Why the limit you hit first decides the tool
A free plan fails on the limit a buyer reaches first. Someone recording a six-minute tutorial on Loom's free plan hits the five-minute cap on the first take, even though 25 videos would last the month. Someone recording short clips on Screencastify hits the 10-video cap first, and every free video still carries a watermark.
Paid steps add different things. Loom's Business plan removes the five-minute cap, Screencastify's Starter removes its watermark on new videos, and Descript's Hobbyist plan adds watermark-free 1080p export. Pay for the limit you keep hitting, not for the whole plan. On the paid side, Kapwing and Descript meter what you export or process, so check that minutes line first. Compare Loom and Screencastify on that basis, and check Loom's alternatives if the five-minute cap is the sticking point.
One Hacker News commenter wrote about ShareX in July 2015: "I use ShareX for my screenshotting/quick screen recording needs." (comment)
Key Features to Look For
Recording length (Essential)
Loom's free plan allows five-minute videos, and Screencastify's allows 30 minutes. Flashback Express's free version lists no time limit. Kapwing's free exports stop at four-minute clips.
Video count (Essential)
Loom's free plan includes 25 videos per person and Screencastify's includes 10. OBS Studio and ShareX have no plan, so no plan caps their videos.
Watermarks (Essential)
Screencastify's free videos carry a Castify watermark, and Kapwing's free exports carry a Kapwing watermark. Flashback Express lists no watermark on recordings. Descript lists watermark-free export on its Hobbyist plan.
Export and storage (Important)
Kapwing's free plan includes 30 minutes of exports a month at 720p and 5 GB of cloud storage. Screenity keeps free recordings on your device, and sharing needs its Pro plan.
Platform (Important)
Flashback Express and ShareX are Windows downloads, and Screenity works as a Chrome extension. Kapwing records inside its browser editor, and OBS Studio runs as a desktop app on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Paid entry price (Important)
Loom's Business and Screencastify's Starter are priced per user. Screenity's Pro is billed yearly by default ($10 a month billed yearly), and Flashback Express's 1-Year plan is billed yearly, so check the billing term in the table before comparing.
What to Consider
-
Count the videos you make in a normal month, then check the video cap before the length cap.
-
Decide whether a watermark is acceptable on anything a customer or student will see.
-
Check the billing toggle before you compare. Loom's monthly Business price is $18 a user, and its page says you ‘can be billed monthly, but save 17% if you pay annually.’ Screencastify's Starter is $7 a user billed annually and $19 billed monthly.
-
Pick the operating system first. Flashback Express, OBS Studio and ShareX run on Windows, and Screenity needs Chrome.
-
If you plan to edit, read the export limits as carefully as the recording limits. Kapwing's free exports end at 30 minutes a month.
Evaluation Checklist
Record one take at the longest length you need, then check whether the free plan allows it.
Export one video and look for a watermark before you commit to a tool.
Check where the file lives. Screenity keeps a free recording on your device, while cloud tools store it on their servers.
Confirm your team's operating system, since three of the eight picks run on Windows (Flashback Express, OBS Studio and ShareX).
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Free plan | First paid price | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
Loom | 25 videos per person, 5-minute recordings, 720p | $18 a user a month (Business) | Monthly; annual saves 17% |
No time limit, no watermark on recordings, Windows | $29 a year (1-Year) or $49 one time (Lifetime) | Billed yearly or one time | |
Free and open source, no paid tier | None | Free | |
Screenity | Chrome extension, recordings stay on your device | $10 a month billed yearly ($120 a year, Pro) | Billed yearly |
Screencastify | 10 videos, 30-minute recordings, Castify watermark | $7 a user a month (Starter) | Billed annually; $19 billed monthly |
Kapwing | 30 minutes of exports a month, 720p, watermark, 4-minute clips | $16 a month (Pro) | Billed annually; watermark removed on Pro |
Descript | 60 media minutes a month per editor | $16 a person a month (Hobbyist) | Annual; $24 billed monthly |
Free and open source, Windows, no account | None | Free |
Prices as of October 2026, from each vendor's own pricing page: Loom pricing, Flashback Express pricing, OBS Studio, Screenity, Screencastify pricing, Kapwing pricing, Descript pricing and ShareX. The Screencastify price history uses an archived copy of its pricing page from June 24, 2024.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Comparing one tool's monthly price with another tool's annual price.
- ×
Choosing a free plan by its headline and not by its video count.
- ×
Recording for a month before checking how the export looks with the watermark.
- ×
Assuming a watermark can be removed later without paying.
Expert Tips
- →
Record a single test video at the longest length you need, then export it, before you pay for anything.
- →
Keep annual billing in mind for a team that will stay a year. Loom's page says you ‘can be billed monthly, but save 17% if you pay annually.’
- →
If recordings must stay off a cloud service, a free extension that keeps files on your device, such as Screenity, fits better than a hosted free plan.
Red Flags to Watch For
-
A watermark on every free video, when the videos go to customers or students.
-
Per-user pricing on a team of ten, where each seat is billed separately.
-
A recording cap so short that a normal explanation stops mid-sentence.
The Bottom Line
Pay for Loom Business when the team needs videos longer than five minutes, since its free Starter plan covers short updates for a small team. On Windows, Flashback Express's free version lists unlimited recording and no watermark on recordings, and its paid 1-Year plan is worth it when you need the editing features in its plan table. OBS Studio and ShareX need no paid plan at all. Screencastify is the one to skip for client-facing video, because its free videos carry a watermark, and the base plan stops at 10 videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free screen recorder with no time limit?
Flashback Express's free version lists unlimited recording time and no watermark on recordings, but it runs on Windows. OBS Studio and ShareX are free open-source tools with no paid tier.
How much does Loom cost after the free plan?
Business is $18 a user a month billed monthly. Loom's page says you ‘can be billed monthly, but save 17% if you pay annually.’ The free Starter plan allows 25 videos per person, each up to five minutes.
Does Screencastify add a watermark on the free plan?
Yes. Free videos carry a Castify watermark. Starter removes it on new videos and costs $7 a user a month billed annually.
Can Kapwing's free plan export long videos?
No. Its free plan caps exports at four-minute clips and 30 minutes a month, with a watermark. Pro removes the watermark and allows projects up to two hours long.
Does a free recording stay on my computer?
With Screenity's free extension, yes. Recordings stay on your device, and no account is needed. Sharing a link needs Pro: $10 a month billed yearly, or $120 a year.
Did Screencastify raise its prices?
The monthly Starter rate moved from $15 to $19 a user between a June 24, 2024 capture of its pricing page and the current page. The annual rate was $7 a user in the June 24, 2024 capture and is $7 a user on the current page.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free Screen Recording Software in 2026", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-screen-recording-software
Related Guides
Ready to Choose?
Compare features, read reviews, and find the right tool.
Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.