This page provides a comparison of notable screencasting software , used to record activities on the computer screen. This software is commonly used for desktop recording, gameplay recording and video editing. Screencasting software is typically limited to streaming and recording desktop activity alone, in contrast with a software vision mixer, which has the capacity to mix and switch the output between various input streams.
The following table compares features of screencasting software. The table has seven fields, as follows:
| Product name | Audio | Entire desktop | OpenGL | Direct3D | Editing | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActivePresenter [31] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| ActivePresenter free edition [31] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Adobe Captivate [32] | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | SWF, EXE, MP4 |
| Adobe Presenter Video Express [33] | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | MP4 |
| Bandicam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| BB FlashBack | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | AVI, FLV, SWF [34] |
| BB FlashBack express | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4 (H.264 or MPEG-4 ASP), WMV, Animated GIF, PowerPoint slideshow, self-extracting EXE [34] |
| CamStudio | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | AVI, SWF |
| Camtasia (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Camtasia (Mac) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| CloudApp | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ? |
| Debut | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | AVI, FLV, MKV, MP4, WebM, WMV, 3GP, ASF, DV, MOV, MPG, OGV |
| FFmpeg with a plug-in | Depends | Depends | Depends | Depends | No | cf.[ broken anchor ] FFmpeg § Codecs, formats and protocols supported |
| Fraps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | FPS1 in AVI |
| Freeseer | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | Ogg |
| HyperCam | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | AVI, WMV |
| Jing | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | SWF |
| Microsoft Expression Encoder | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Nero Vision | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes | |
| Nvidia Shadowplay | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Open Broadcaster Software | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Simple mode: FLV, MP4, MOV, MKV, TS, HLS Advanced mode: Any format supported by libavformat |
| Pixetell | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| QuickTime X | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | |
| recordMyDesktop | Yes | Yes | ? | — | No | Theora in Ogg |
| Screencam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ScreenPal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
| ScreenFlow | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | ProRes, MP4, GIF, AAC |
| ShareX | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | AVI, MP4, GIF |
| SimpleScreenRecorder | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | No | Formats supported by libavformat |
| Snagit (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
| Snagit (Mac) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
| Snapz Pro X | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | |
| VirtualDub | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes | AVI |
| VLC | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | |
| Windows Media Encoder | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | |
| Xbox (Game DVR) /Xbox Game Bar | Yes | No | ? | ? | No | MP4 |
| XVidCap | Yes | ? | ? | — | No | |
| XSplit Broadcaster | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | MP4, FLV |
| Product name | Audio | Entire desktop | OpenGL | Direct3D | Editing | Output |
Adobe Flash is a discontinued multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich internet applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players.
SWF is a defunct Adobe Flash file format that was used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript.
A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture or a screen recording, often containing audio narration. The term screencast compares with the related term screenshot; whereas screenshot generates a single picture of a computer screen, a screencast is essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on a computer screen, that can be enhanced with audio narration and captions.
Adobe Captivate is an authoring tool that is used for creating eLearning content such as software demonstrations, software simulations, branched scenarios, and randomized quizzes in HTML5 format.
Adobe Connect is a software suite for remote training, web conferencing, presentation, and desktop sharing. All meeting rooms are organized into 'pods'; with each pod performing a specific role. Adobe Connect was formerly part of the Adobe Acrobat family and has changed names several times.
Fraps is a benchmarking, screen capture and screen recording utility for Windows developed by Beepa. It can capture from software that uses DirectX and OpenGL, such as PC games.
CamStudio is an open-source screencasting program for Microsoft Windows released as free software. The software renders videos in an AVI format. It can also convert these AVIs into Flash Video format, embedded in SWF files. CamStudio is written in C++, but CamStudio 3 will be developed in C#. The program has distributed malware and harmful viruses via the installer.
Camtasia is a software suite, created and published by TechSmith, for creating and recording video tutorials and presentations via screencast, or via a direct recording plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint. Other multimedia recordings may be recorded at the same time or added separately. Camtasia is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese versions.
A screenshot is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display.
Jing was a screencasting computer program released in November 2007 as Jing Project by the TechSmith Corporation. Users must create an account before they can use the software, which must be installed on their computer. Its simple format and the ability to upload captures instantly have made Jing useful in virtual library references.
Adobe Animate is a multimedia authoring and computer animation program developed by Adobe.
Bandicam is a closed-source screen capture and screen recording software originally developed by Bandisoft and later by Bandicam Company that can take screenshots or record screen changes.
ActivePresenter is 3-in-1 screencasting, video editing and eLearning authoring software program developed by Atomi Systems and designed for educators. It is available for Microsoft Windows and macOS.
SimpleScreenRecorder is a Qt-based free and open source multithreaded screencast software made for Linux and Unix-like operating systems which can handle similar tasks FFmpeg/avconv and VLC does.
Adobe Presenter is eLearning software released by Adobe Systems available on the Microsoft Windows platform as a Microsoft PowerPoint plug-in, and on both Windows and OS X as the screencasting and video editing tool Adobe Presenter Video Express. It is mainly targeted towards learning professionals and trainers. In addition to recording one's computer desktop and speech, it also provides the option to add quizzes and track performance by integrating with learning management systems. Adobe Presenter was designed to replace the now discontinued Adobe Ovation software, which had similar functions.
Adobe Presenter Video Express is screencasting and video editing software developed by Adobe Systems.
vMix is a software vision mixer available for the Windows operating system. The software is developed by StudioCoast PTY LTD. Like most vision mixing software, it allows users to switch inputs, mix audio, record outputs, and live stream cameras, videos files, audio, and more, in resolutions of up to 4K. The software is also capable of serving image magnification (IMAG) and projection needs in many instances, with various configurable external output and display options.
Zight, previously known as CloudApp, is a cross-platform screen capture and screen recording desktop client that supports online storage and sharing.
