This blog will help you make the right choice. We have covered 7 screencasting software in this list that are the best available options in the market. We have also compared their free and paid plans to give you a clear summary of the tool.

A screencast is a video recording of whatever is being displayed on your laptop or desktop PC. Mostly screencast videos include a voice narration, but that’s not a mandatory feature. A gamer recording a gameplay video with their voice narration is an example of a screencast video. But, if there’s no voice narration, it will still be a screencast video.

You can record a screencast video for any purpose, but most users do that for sharing it with others. That makes sense because this way of communication is more visual and easier to understand. Screencast videos are great if you’re tired of writing too many emails or attending back-to-back online meetings.

In this part, we have tried our best to give you an in-depth comparison of paid and free plans of different screen recorders. Along with that, we have covered their compatibility and our verdict.

Vmaker is one of the simplest screencast software that is available for free. It’s simple to get started, the instructions are clear, and the interface is easy enough to be used by a 5-year-old.

Vmaker: Free version

You can use Vmaker for free to record unlimited 7-minute videos in 720P quality. There are no watermarks on videos, no restriction on the number of downloads. You can record screen and webcam both.

You will also have access to online AI video editor to help you converts your Raw videos into Wow videos in just minutes.

Vmaker: Paid version

The paid version of Vmaker is a steal. The features provide amazing value for money. If you plan to upgrade, rest assured, you’re making a great choice. Because Vmaker has a long list of features in the advanced plans, we thought it would be best to highlight them in a bullet list.

– Unlimited recordings for unlimited duration

– 4K quality recording

– Annotate while recording and highlight mouse clicks

– Choose a custom area to record

– Share videos on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from your dashboard

– Add a custom background to webcam recording

– Record computer audio

– Schedule recordings with recording scheduler

– Create folders and collaborate with your team

– Customize video page as per your liking

Available Versions

Vmaker can be used on Windows and Mac PCs. It can also be used as a Chrome extension.

Pricing

Vmaker has three pricing plans: Starter, Team, and Enterprise. The Starter plan is great for individuals interested in making screencasting videos. It starts at $7/month. Team plan is suitable for corporate teams. And Enterprise plans are completely customizable as per the request.

Verdict: If you want to record screencasting videos and share them with others, you can’t go wrong with Vmaker. It has a great mix of basic and advanced features. The pricing is affordable, so it’s easy to switch plans and see if it works for you. You can downgrade or upgrade anytime – no questions asked. All of that with no watermarks on videos and unlimited storage, it’s one of the best screencasting tools out there.

Screencastify has garnered a huge amount of popularity with educators. It’s an easy-to-use tool and integrates with Google apps like Classroom, Drive and Sign-on.

Screencastify Free version

The free plan of Screencastify will help you make screencasting videos as long as you keep the duration less than 30 minutes. You can save maximum 10 videos and the videos will also have watermarks. Talking about storage, you get a maximum storage space of 10 GB of save your screencasting videos.

Screencastify Paid version

The pricing plan starts at $7/month. You get unlimited recording duration recording with 25 GB storage space in the Starter plan. In the Pro plan, the storage space is bumped up to 100 GB, and there is no restriction on recording videos. In the paid plans, there are no watermarks on the videos.

Available Versions

Screencastify is only available as a Chrome extension.

Pricing

The Starter plan costs $7/month per user annually. The Pro plan costs $10/month per user annually.

Verdict

If you want to use Screencastify, by all means do that. It’s not a bad tool. But, if you want to record screencasting videos regularly, then try out their paid plans. It makes more sense to upgrade your account. The free plan is not suited for long-term users.

Loom is also a fantastic option for making screencasting videos. Like Vmaker, Loom has an amazing user interface. After you download the app, it will take you hardly any time to record your first screencasting video. The features are equally attractive, but a closer look at the pricing will give you a better idea.

Loom: Free version

Loom allows only 5 minutes of recording in the free plan. You can add up to 50 other Loom users in the free plan to your workspace. Along with duration, you can record only 25 videos in the free plan.

The highest recording quality is 720P. There are some nice-to-have features like emoji reaction, video comments, viewer insights and recording canvas.

Loom paid version

In the paid plan you have two options – Business and Enterprise. The Enterprise plan has a bunch of customizable features over the Business plan, and a dedicated support team.

The best features in the paid plans are 4K quality recording, no limit on video duration and quantity. You can also use screen annotations, mouse emphasis, custom dimensions to record video. There are also custom branding options available like adding your own logo to the video page and customizing the colors of the player.

Available versions

Loom has it all covered. It’s available for Windows and Mac PCs. You can also use it as a Chrome extension, iPhone and Android app.

Pricing

The Business plan costs $8/creator/month billed annually. The Enterprise plan is customized to the requirements of the user.

Verdict

If you want a screencasting tool that looks sleek and has a clean interface, then Loom should be in that list. However, paid plans are a better option.

Screecast-O-Matic is another screen recorder in this list that is popular with educators. It also has a strong community where you can ask questions, request features and support other users by answering their questions.

Screencast-O-Matic: Free version

The free plan of Screencast-O-Matic is alright for basic screencasts. Your recording can be up to 15 minutes and there will be watermarks on your videos. Besides that you can record both screen and webcam, only a window or the full screen.

It’s nice to see that they allow users to apply custom background to webcam recording, and allow them to upload captions through a text file. But, it’s sad that you cannot record system audio. This is disappointing if you want to record screencast with audio.

Screencast-O-Matic: Paid version

The paid plans start at $4/month/user. There are four plans: Solo Deluxe, Solo Premier, SoloMax, and Team Business. As you must have guessed it, Team Business is the enterprise plan.

When you look at the paid plans of Screencast-O-Matic, things change drastically. You can record unlimited videos, blur information, use the automated caption feature, upload stock images and videos from their 7 million asset library.

Custom options like Custom video player, Branded Playback Pages, Call-to-Action buttons and collaboration are available from the Solo Premier plan. There is a long list of features to choose from. The best advice is to pick the plan that has all the necessary features you need to make a screencast.

Available versions

Screencast-O-Matic is available for Windows and Mac computers. You can also use it from your browser using the Chrome extension. It also supports iPhone and Android devices.

Pricing

There is a free plan. Followed by four plans: Solo Deluxe, Solo Premier, SoloMax, and Team Business.

Verdict

Screencast-O-Matic offers a wide range of features. One of the best in this segment. If you’re someone who likes to play around with different features while recording screencast videos, then this screen recorder is a great choice.

Active Presenter is a screen recorder and authoring tool used by e-learning specialists worldwide. It has advanced features for creating courses for school students and employees alike.

Active Presenter: Free version

In the free plan of Active Presenter, you can record screen and webcam. You get access to basic video editing like cut, copy, crop, split and insert functions. You can import PowerPoint presentations, but your recording will be exported only as a video.

Active Presenter: Paid version

There are two paid plans: Standard and Pro. Active Presenter clearly mentions in its terms that these plans are supposed to be used for commercial purposes only. Unless you’re an instructional designer or an e-learning content creator, these plans are not made for you.

The pricing is on the higher side at $199/license. In these plans you can use advanced video and audio editing functions. Like blur feature, reduce audio noise and green screen effect. You can also take the export in the form of HTML5 and an SCORM file.

Available versions

Active Presenter is available for both Windows and Mac PCs.

Pricing

There are two plans: Standard costs $199/license and Pro costs $399/license.

Verdict

Active Presenter is purely for e-learning professionals. It’s tough to recommend this tool to anyone else because the features are not very conducive. But, if you’re looking for a basic screen recorder, then the free plan might be your calling.

Nimbus Capture is a screenshot and screen recorder. The goal of this tool is to make collaboration easier with visual communication.

Nimbus Capture: Free version

The free version of Nimbus capture is for simple screen and webcam recording. You can use it forever if you’re OK with just the basic features. There are some editing options, and when your recording is ready, you can upload it to your local drive.

Nimbus Capture: Paid version

All the paid versions come with a 14-day free trial. You don’t have to use your credit card to use Nimbus Capture during this period. There are two pricing plans for recording – Pro and Team. Pro is for $4/month and Team is $5/month billed annually.

The pricing is great because at this price point you have all the basic and advanced features you need to make a screencast. You can use annotations, record GIFs, upload to YouTube, Slack, Dropbox and also use the blur feature.

Available versions

Nimbus Capture is only available as a Chrome extension.

Pricing

Pro: $4/month and Team: $5/month

Verdict

If you prefer a web-based screen recorder for making screencasting videos, then you can’t ignore Nimbus Capture. The pricing is great, and you should upgrade to get a deep overview of this tool.

OBS is Open Broadcasting Software. It’s an open source screen recorder and has been around for a very long time. It’s popular among gamers and anyone who enjoys recording live-streaming videos.

OBS: Free version

OBS is available for free. Anyone can use it and there are no other pricing plans. There is no limit on the number of video recordings you can make.

OBS enables users to define the scene and the corresponding sources, such as a webcam, game window, browser tab, screen, or anything. The software also enables mixing both system and microphone audio along with transitions. Additionally, you can add your watermarks to the recordings as well. For this reason and the live stream capability, OBS is loved by so many gamers, streamers, and YouTube content creators.

But, it comes with a disclaimer. Out of all the screen recorders we mentioned, OBS is a bit challenging to get used to. The interface is not very friendly, so if you have plans on using OBS for screencasting, proceed with caution.

Available versions

OBS is available for Windows, Mac and Linux computers

Pricing

Free

Verdict:

If you only want a screen recorder that’s free, has a good amount of useful features, and you’re ready to learn to use the tool with patience, then OBS is a great choice.

Final thoughts

That was all we had to share with you for picking the right screencasting tool for you. We recommend taking some time out and trying these screen recorders for a few days. That will tell you which one will work the best for you.

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If you’re someone who is wondering what a screencast is, and is looking for clear-cut information about how to create one, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s post, we cover everything you need to know about screencasts.

We take you through a step-by-step process and teach you how to screencast videos professionally. As an added bonus, you also get to learn various tips and suggestions that will help you avoid mistakes that most beginners make.

We take you through this process with the help of Vmaker and help you learn how to record screencasts for free in one of the easiest ways possible.

But, before we dive in, let’s clearly understand what screencasts truly are!

A Screencast is a digital recording of your computer screen. It captures every movement on your screen and allows you to add your explanations as voice-overs. Additionally, it can be enhanced with background music and captions.

It brings life to boring PowerPoint presentations, provides feedback to students’ commonly asked questions, and can also be used to create instructional guides for complicated software.

What Are The Common Types of Screencasts?

1. Narration videos (Desktop version),
2. Slidecast narration videos (includes presentations) and
3. Interactive tutorials (a process where learners interact with the software).   

Now, let’s clearly understand its applications. 

i) On-Boarding and Employee Training

Nowadays, many companies have started to use screencasts as a part of their employee training material. Onboarding new employees is a stressful task. So, companies are looking forward to making how-to videos and tutorial demonstrations of all the joining procedures involved. Instead of solving each and every query in person, it makes sense to record a screencast, and share it with them. The employees can watch them at their own pace and follow the instructions as it’s self-explanatory.

ii) Product Demos

Product demo videos are powerful sales tools that educate users about the brand’s products in detail. It gives the audience a complete walk-through about the brand’s product and its functionalities.

Example: Adobe uses a lot of screencast demos to help users get a better understanding of their application. 

iii) Promotional Videos & Advertisements

Screencasts are a hot choice amongst marketers too. We all understand the importance of video marketing and the impact it has on our audience.

But, unfortunately, many brands cannot afford the equipment required to produce high-quality video advertisements. In those cases, brands tend to promote their products via screencasting. As screencasts can be created for free, it helps marketers promote their products without having to spend too much. 

iv) Tutorials

Screencasts help teachers provide feedback about a particular subject and resolve students’ frequently asked questions. It also helps absentees stay updated with the current topics and contributes to increased participation and thus helps increase students’ success rate.

From time to time, academic researchers try and experiment with different learning methodologies with the goal to analyze students’ behavioural patterns. One such learning methodology that’s increasingly adopted by many schools and colleges is flipped classroom learning. 

Here, the students are expected to learn the main concepts at home by watching video explanations. So, when they get to class the next day, they already have an understanding of the key concepts and use their time to clear existing doubts about those topics. Screencasting plays a key role here as well in helping teachers create these tutorial videos. 

With the help of a screen recording software, you can create a few PowerPoint presentations, add audio narrations explaining the key points and you’re good to go. 

v) Video Testimonials

We all know that adding testimonials to your website boosts credibility. Since it shares real feedbacks from customers, it doesn’t come across as strong sales pitches. To get it done, you can ask some of your happy customers to screencast a video and talk about your product and review its features.

By now, you would have a clear picture of what screencasts are, their uses, and what factors you should check before making a purchase. Now, let’s get to the main section of the post. Let’s learn how to create a screencast video for free!

Step 1: Download a screen recording software

Choose a screen recording software that suits all your requirements and download it to your system. If you use Google Chrome, you can download any of the screen recording Chrome extensions available in the Chrome Web Store. Some of the popular screencasting Chrome extensions are Vmaker, Loom, Nimbus screen recorder, Hippo video, etc.

Note: We have also come up with the list of the 5 best screencasting software below based on the products’ pricing policies, features, advantages and disadvantages. You can check the list below to make an informed buying decision. 

In this step-by-step guide, we take you through this process with the help of Vmaker. If you plan to use Vmaker, sign up for Vmaker and download the software.

While Chrome users can download the software as a Chrome extension, Mac users can download the software from the official website. 

Note: If you’re using a Chrome Extension, you can pin the extension to your browser to make it easier to access it whenever you want. 

Step 2: Customize your preferences and start rehearsing

You can now start customizing your preferences and check whether you have enabled all the necessary features. For instance, if you’re a teacher, you might want to make use of the screen annotation and subtitle feature. But, if you’re a YouTuber, you might want to make use of features that allow you to add music to your recording. So, remember to customize your preferences based on your personal requirements. 

Now, it’s time to prepare your script. Once you are ready with your script, you can start rehearsing. Start by recording a sample video to check your audio and video quality. 

Step 3: Start recording 

Once you are ready, you can start recording. When you start recording, a timer starts indicating to users that the recording is about to start. Once you are done with the recording, click on ‘Stop Sharing’ to stop the recording. 

Step 4: Edit your recording 

If you did a perfect job recording your video, you can go ahead and download the recording. However, if you’d like to edit the screencast, click the “Edit” button. It will take you to our Vmaker AI video editor, which can transform your raw videos into stunning “wow videos” in minutes. Vmaker AI automatically adds b-rolls, background music, transitions, effects, subtitles, and more, making your videos publish-ready with a single click.

Note: Before starting your editing process, it’s always advisable to duplicate your file. This ensures you have a backup of the original copy in case you clip out a few important parts by mistake. 

Step 5: Download, share and upload your recording 

Now, you can download, share the link, or upload the file to social media handles such as YouTube, Facebook, etc. 

What Does a Screencast Look Like?

Here is an example of a screencast that was taken using Vmaker. 

In order to make sure your recording process is smooth, keep a check on the following factors before you make a purchase. 

i) Storage Capacity

Many screen recording software requires a lot of storage space. The problem with bulky software is that, in the long run, it can slow down the overall performance of the system.

It’s always safer to choose software that occupies less storage space. In fact, there are many screencasting software available as chrome extensions in the Chrome Web Store. They might be helpful if you’re running short of storage space in your system. Some popular screencasting software that are available as chrome extensions are Vmaker, Loom, Hippo, Vidyard, Nimbus Capture, etc.

ii) Ease of Use

Screencasting is definitely not rocket science. It’s something that can be done by anybody. You just have to learn how to do it. So, make sure you choose a software that makes the process easier. Check whether it has a user-friendly interface so that it’s easier to navigate across different sections of the software. 

iii) Watermarks

While some tools like Vmaker and OBS studio allow even their free users to record videos without watermarks, some screencasting software permits only their premium users to record without watermarks. So, make sure you choose a software that allows you to record videos without a watermark.

iv) Video Editing Tools

An important and stressful part of video creation is the editing process. But, it’s essential to create videos of great quality. So, make sure you check whether your screencasting software provides comprehensive video editing services and options.

v) Look For Additional Features That Might Be Beneficial 

It’s extremely important to make sure you choose a screencasting tool that supports all the features you would like to add to the video. For instance, if you’d like to add background music, audio narration, screen annotations, and expect a high definition video quality, you should choose a software that provides all those features. Remember, only if you choose a tool that fulfils all your requirements, will you be able to bring life to your dream videos.

Let’s go ahead and analyze different screencasting software online based on their features, pricing, advantages and disadvantages. 

The list of the 5 best screen recording software available online are: 

• Vmaker
• OBS Studio
• Screencast-O-Matic
• Camtasia
• Loom

1. Vmaker

Vmaker is one of the most affordable and user-friendly screen recording tools available online. It’s downloadable in two forms – as a macOS version and as a Chrome extension.

It allows users to record their screen, webcam, and both (screen + webcam) together. It helps YouTubers, educators, marketers, managers, students and many other content creators record, edit and share videos effortlessly. An important feature that would benefit teachers is its screen annotation feature. This feature allows users to explain, highlight or draw while they’re recording.

Features 

• Unlimited number of recording
• Recording scheduler
• Built-in video editor
• Screen, webcam and (screen + webcam) recorder
• Records both internal and external audio
• Allows users to add music
• Allows users to change the background
• Helps upload external videos and merge them with the existing recording

Advantages 

• User friendly
• Great customer service
• Most of the basic features required to record a screencast are available for free.

Disadvantages 

It cannot be downloaded as an android or IOS version and hence cannot be used as a mobile application 

Pricing

It has three pricing packages. 

• Lite plan: $0
• Starter plan: $84 per year and $7 per month
• Team plan: $120 per year and $10 per month

2. OBS Studio 

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a open-source screencasting and streaming application that helps users record and live stream videos for free. It supports Linux, Windows and macOS. 

Features 

• Unlimited recording
• Built-in video recorder 
• Multi-screen recording
• Records both internal and external audio
• Allows users to live stream videos directly on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Advantages 

It’s available for free 

Disadvantages 

Its user interface isn’t intuitive.

Pricing: Free

3. Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is one of the leading screencasting tools that allows users to create, record, edit videos and images. It also has a built-in stock library that has a collection of interesting photos and music tracks. 

Features 

• Built-in video editor 
• Backup & Recovery
• Collaboration tools
• Speech to text conversion 
• Records both internal and external audio 
• Access to upload directly to youtube

Advantages 

• Good customer service
• Easy-to-use

Disadvantages 

Free users have a recording time limit of fifteen minutes. So, you’d be able to record lengthier videos only if you have a paid plan.

Pricing

It has four major pricing packages. They are,

• Free plan: $0
• Deluxe plan: $4 per month if paid annually
• Business plan: $5 per month if paid annually
• Premier plan: $5.75 per month if paid annually 

4. Camtasia

Camtasia’s recorder comes with a built-in video editor and allows users to record video tutorials and presentations. It allows users to record internal and external audio with ease and allows them to use hotkey combinations to start and stop the recording.

Features 

• Powerpoint integration
• Screen annotations
• Speech to text translations
• Built-in video editor
• Readymade video templates
• Directly uploadable to YouTube, Vimeo, etc.

Advantages 

• Easy to use
• Clean setup
• User-friendly interface

Disadvantages 

When we compare the pricing model of various screencasting tools online, Camtasia comes across as a very costly purchase. 

Pricing

Camtasia doesn’t have any subscription payment models. If you’d like to use Camtasia, you can purchase a license that will be valid for a lifetime. When we compare the pricing model of various screencasting software online, Camtasia comes across as a very costly purchase. 

Camtasia license ~ $312 (approximately)

5. Loom

Loom aims to make it easier for teams to communicate with each other by allowing its users to share instant video messages through their platform. Its main goal is to empower people with effective communication wherever it’s feasible. It also allows users to record their screen, webcam, microphone and desktop simultaneously. 

Features 

• Built-in video editor
• Screen annotations
• Speech to text analysis
• Collaboration tools
• Real-time chat
• Customizable branding

Advantages

• Easy to use
• Good customer service

Disadvantages 

Free users will only be able to record videos for five minutes. If you’d like to record lengthy videos, you’d have to upgrade to a premium account. 

Pricing

It has two major pricing packages. They are:

• Starter plan: $0
• Business plan: $8 per month

Movavi Screen Recorder

Movavi Screen Recorder is easy to use, affordable, and offers some good features. You can record any part of the screen and follow it with your voice, system sounds, and webcam overlay (or use each of those elements individually). It’s available for both macOS and Windows.

Features

• Unlimited recording sessions
• Video trimming option
• Drawing tools
• Offers various export options like MP4, AVI, GIF, etc.
• Allows users to schedule recordings
• Allows users to export directly to Google Drive and YouTube

Advantages

• Beginner-friendly
• Great customer service

Disadvantages

• The free trial version adds a watermark to all the recorded videos.

Pricing

• It has one major pricing package of $44.95/year.

Here are some additional tips and suggestions that will help you get started!

i) Draft an Outline

It’s super important to create an outline and a mind map of your entire project in advance. This helps you organize your thoughts, brainstorm new ideas and make necessary corrections to your existing plan. Creating and sticking to a plan helps you fasten your recording process and saves a lot of your time.

ii) Rehearse a Few Times

Once you are done with your outline/script, you can do a few rehearsals before recording for real. This will help set your pace and help you avoid unnecessary fillers in your speech. 

iii) Keep your Recording Set up Ready

Make sure you’ve chosen a quiet environment. Also, try to turn off both your mobile and desktop notifications. This will help you avoid taking numerous retakes. Some screencasting tools come with an in-built editor. You can also make use of those tools to cut out unnecessary portions of the recording.

iv) Make Good Use of your Recording Features

Most screen recording tools online provide many interesting features that you can experiment with. In order to create an engaging video, you should make sure you keep it short, avoid unnecessary fillers, use screen annotations and enable webcam recording. 

Conclusion

By now, you would have gotten a complete idea about what screencasts are and how to create them. We took you through a step-by-step process and discussed all the necessary topics, and gave a few tips to help your video making process easier. 

We made sure we did our part. Now, it’s your turn to take action. So, stop hesitating any further and start creating your screencasts without fear.

If you have any doubts, feel free to ask them in the comments section below. 

Happy recording!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I Screencast for free?

There are many paid and free tools available online. Here are the 3 best tools available for free:

• Vmaker,
• OBS Studio and
• Active Presenter.

Note: Though Vmaker is a freemium tool, it allows all its free users to access all the basic requirements and comes with unlimited number of recording and storage space. 

2. How to Screencast on a PC?

You can either download screen recording tools that support your OS or download a Chrome extension that you can use on your PC. Some of the popular tools that can be downloaded as a chrome extension are Vmaker, Nimbus Capture, and Loom. 

3. How much does a Screencast cost?

The cost depends on an individual user’s requirements. If you’re someone who’s looking forward to creating tutorials or how-to videos, you’d be fine just by signing up as a free user on any of the screen recording platforms online. But, if you’re looking for more advanced features, then you’d have to upgrade to any of their paid plans. The pricing plans of most recording software online fall in the range of $0 to $300.

4. What is the best screencast software?

Choosing the best software is often a trickier task.

There are so many screen recording tools available online. When people try to search for a credible screen recording tool online, they get so many options that they end up feeling overwhelmed and confused.

Every software comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. So, you should make sure you choose a software that fits your requirements. Based on your individual needs, you would be able to decide what’s best for you. If you’re looking for a software that’s easy to use and provides all the basic screen recording features for free, you can try using Vmaker.

Recommended Reads

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