The tool has so much to offer for both Windows and Mac users. In the screencasting world, Movavi screencasting software is one of the highly rated. It has all the utilities a screen recorder might need to create a heart-warming screencast-and comes with a full range of editing tools to suit your needs. Screencast-O-Matic offers a free screen recorder. Users can record as many videos as they want, up to 15 minutes long. You can launch the screen recorder directly from our website. Deluxe or Premier users can access advanced screen recording features including the ability to draw on your screen. Download ScreenCast Pro for Windows to share your screen, webcam video with your entire network. Download Latest Version for Mac (40.62 MB) Advertisement. Screencast-O-Matic is a free screen recorder for instant screen capture and sharing. It has an easy to operate, simple interface that is not cluttered with excessive buttons or tabs. This is the free version with significant limitations to the Pro version. Screencast – Screen Recorder Download and Install for your computer - on Windows PC 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 and Macintosh macOS 10 X, Mac 11 and above, 32/64-bit processor, we have you covered.
What is a Screencast?
Screencasting is the video recording of a computer screen that is often accompanied by voice-over narration and serves for educational purposes. Live screencasting is, respectively, the live broadcasting of your screen.
For example, teachers may use screencasting to create e-learning tutorials and courses . Employers may screencast how-to videos and tutorials for new employees.
So, what is the best software for this purpose?
We’ve put together a list of the best screencast software available for free and premium. But, before we get into the specifics of each app, let’s define what ‘best’ means.
The Best Screencast Software Checklist
Here’s what to consider when looking for screencast software:
- Easy to use – You probably don’t want to and don’t have the time to fiddle around with complex applications. Screencasting should be easy and worry-free.
- Free – This isn’t a ‘must-have’, but, in reality, you don’t have to invest much (or anything) to produce a screencast. Typically, a free screen recorder will do a great job as we’ll see in a moment.
- Easy Sharing – Screencasting software can become a pain to use when you decide to publish your video tutorials. You should be able to share your recorded videos with just a few clicks in a matter of seconds.
- Security – Most people who are screencasting are typically recording information that they may deem sensitive, e.g. university lectures, internal training videos. Security is a must.
Best Free Screencast Software
1. ScreenRec
ScreenRec is reliable and super-easy screencast software (free for Windows + upcoming versions for Mac and Linux). Offering the simplest way to download and begin recording, this program ensures there is no learning curve to climb or tutorial to watch. Just download ScreenRec and you can get right to creating a screencast.
ScreenRec can record your screen and audio simultaneously and, even better, it automatically uploads your screencasts online, to your private cloud account. This means that you can share your tutorials and e-learning videos safely and privately with your students or colleagues while protecting your copyrights.
Feature Highlights
- User-friendly interface
- Automatic upload to private account
- Automatic shareable link copied to clipboard
- Free screencast software for Windows 10
- High-quality video and audio
- No time limit
- No watermark
- Saves in MP4 for universal viewing
Available for: Windows, Linux (Mac version coming soon)
2. OBS Studio
One of the most popular open-source screencasting solutions, OBS Studio is not for the everyday software user. With powerful video screen capture capabilities, OBS ensures that your screencasts will be of the highest quality.
However, you’ll need to climb a steep learning curve before you can venture in the vastness that is the Open Broadcaster Studio. Besides creating videos, with OBS studio, you can also broadcast live screencasts. There is also a powerful API that allows developers to create various plugins and scripts.
Feature Highlights
- Powerful customization and configuration options
- High Def recording
- Live screencast software
- Built-in equalizer and mixer
- Plugins available
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
3. CamStudio
CamStudio is yet another open-source screencasting software for Windows. This free program allows you to create AVI videos and convert them to SWF Adobe Flash files. However, there is no way to share, so you’ll need to upload your videos manually.
On the plus side, there is a basic editor that allows you to add annotations and save your videos in any format. What’s more, there are no file size limitations. However, be careful when setting up CamStudio because the setup tries to install a few other programs onto your computer.
Feature Highlights:
- Open-source
- Free program
- Automatic AVI to FLV converter
Available for: Windows
4. QuickTime
Unbeknownst to some, the QuickTime Player is a program on macOS that does more than playing videos. You can also use it to make recordings of your computer screen and even do simple edits on these recordings (like clipping and trimming).
t is by no means a highly sophisticated application, but it gets the job done. With the added bonus of narration options, QuickTime serves its purpose nicely. It may be one of the simplest screencast software for Mac available for free.
In MacOS Mojave, screen recording is done by pressing Command-Shift-5. It’s no longer part of QuickTime but, rather, a separate app.
Feature Highlights:
- Simple editing options
- Built-in application
- Recordings saved with H.264 encoding with AAC audio track (high video and audio quality)
Available for: Mac
5. Movavi Screen Recorder
If you need an easy-to-use program that suits users of all levels – Movavi Screen Recorder will be an excellent variant. This program allows you to record the screen together with the webcam, and you will be able to record your microphone and the system sound. Also, there is an opportunity to highlight your mouse movements and clicks, and keystrokes.
After finishing the recording, you can save the video to your hard drive in MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, WEBM, GIF, or MP3 formats, or upload it to the cloud or Google Drive. You can also share the video immediately via email or on YouTube, WhatsApp, or Telegram.
Feature Highlights:
- Intuitive interface
- Webcam recording
- Simultaneous recording of the system sound and the microphone
- Highlighting of the mouse and the keyboard
- Uploading to the cloud or the Google Drive
- Instant share
- No time limitations
Available for: Windows, Mac
Best Paid Screencast Software
1. Screencast-O-Matic
Screencast-O-Matic is screencasting software that doubles as a video editor. It’s a fairly straightforward tool. You can record, edit, and share via direct upload to YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
Some of the cool features that come with this screencasting software are the green screen and stock music. While there is a free version available it’s hardly usable for screencasting due to the time limits. It’s the deluxe version that makes this program worth mentioning.
Feature Highlights:
- User-friendly interface
- Basic editing options
- Direct upload for sharing
- Green screen tool
Available for: Chromebook, Windows, Mac
2. Camtasia
Created by TechSmith, Camtasia is a multifaceted program used to create online tutorials through screencasting. However, Camtasia is more of an all-in-one e-learning tool rather than a simple screen recorder. If you need something simpler, check out our list of Camtasia alternatives.
By no means complex, Camtasia is still rather involved. There are a handful of editing options and e-learning features (quiz creator, slideshow integration) that give you a lot to browse through and figure out when creating your videos. Camtasia is a viable option for screencasting, as long as you’re willing to invest a few hundred dollars and several hours to sift through the dozens of options.
Feature Highlights:
- Powerful video editor
- Free music and sound effects
- Quiz creator
- Supports almost all file formats (AVI, MP4, MOV, WAV, etc)
Available for: Windows, Mac
3. ScreenFlow
ScreenFlow is a screencasting program with a built-in video editor specifically for MacOS. This pieces of software has a very simple interface that’s easy to use for every user level. Even though there is an option to sign up for their free trial, in our opinion, the program is a tad too expensive for its simple features and design.
The most notable feature is ScreenFlow’s access to hundreds of stock photos. If stock photos are extremely important to you and you’re on a Mac, then, by all means, give ScreenFlow a try. Another small bonus is that you can customize your exports settings with ProRes and MP4 encoding.
Feature Highlights:
- Easy, user-friendly interface
- Access to stock images
- Customizable exporting options
Available for: Mac
4. ActivePresenter
An advanced screencast and e-learning program, ActivePresenter gives you options for every step of the recording process—from choosing your recording options (i.e, capture area) to selecting audio recording tools (i.e, microphone or webcam), all the way to editing your video. ActivePresenter is a good application for getting a decent video screen capture done.
However, once you are finished recording and editing, sharing becomes a hassle. You can either export your video in various formats including MP4, MKV or AVI or publish it to YouTube. In order to share privately, you’ll need to upload your videos manually to the destination of your choice. Plus, the free version will watermark your videos.
Feature Highlights:
- E-learning tools like quiz creator
- Powerful editing options
- Export in MP4, MKV, AVI
Available for: Windows and Mac
*BONUS* Video Editing Software
Not every screencast program in our list comes equipped with a video editor and some that do, just aren’t quite up to the task. So, instead of having one tool that tries to do two things, you can have two dedicated tools that are best at their specific task.
For example, you can pair a powerful free screen recorder like ScreenRec with a powerful video editor like OpenShot. Both applications are best at what they do which means you don’t have to compromise on quality or features. Plus, they are both free.
What is the Best Free Screencast Software?
There’s quite a bit of information that needs to be processed when deciding which of these apps is best. To make it easier on you, we took the info from the apps above and compared them to the checklist to see which apps ticked all of the boxes.
Easy to use? | Free? | Easy to share? | Secure? |
OBS | |||
CamStudio | |||
QuickTime | |||
Movavi Screen Recorder | |||
Screencast-O-Matic | |||
Camtasia | |||
ScreenFlow | |||
ActivePresenter |
Each of these programs has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, you decide which is the best screencasting software.
If you’re wondering where to start, download ScreenRec as it offers not just easy screen recording, but also easy sharing and security.
The idea of using a screencast software is to save time and avoid additional emails, phone calls etc. That’s why the software you are going to use need to be simple and easy to use. ScreenRec is a perfect choice in this regard, because it’s optimized to work fast and it’s not bogged down by unnecessary features.
If you are looking for a Windows supported open-source screen recorder, OBS Studio might be a good choice. It has vast features, concerning video quality, audio modifications, colour correction etc. OBS may be complicated but it has a lot of important tools to make sure your video will really be outstanding and impressive.
To create a screencast, you need a screen recording tool. Different screen recorders have specific features but there are some basic criteria to consider. For example, an easy interface is important, since one of the main reasons people record their screens is to save time explaining and to avoid misunderstanding. Another requirement that most users have is the ability to simultaneously record audio along with the screen recording, so the explanations can be clearer and the information they share can be easily understood. Once you’ve recorded your video, you have to share it. This is another basic, but crucial, feature of screen recording software—easy sharing, without the need to use other apps and tools. The best screencast tool is the one that saves you the most time. We recommend ScreenRec.
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A Screen casting software is used prevalently for the purpose of recording the activities on-going on a laptop or computer screen. The software is such designed to not obstruct in the way of other running programs, games, videos, and pictures.
Related:
The usage is typically limited to streaming and recording of desktop activity in place of a software vision mixer, which can mix and switch the output between various platforms and input streams.
Screencast-O-Matic
Screencast-O-Matic is a free for download software which is able to take screenshots and videos. But the paid premium plan offers a lot of more features for use like; Longer Recordings, No embedded watermark, edit tools, Screenshot tool an audio recorder. Easy publishing to Google drive, YouTube, Vimeo and others.
Jing Screen casting Software
Jing is a software designed to captures frames and videos of a working computer screen for both work as well as play. Jing offers the choice of adding visual elements to captured content and also boasts speedy social media sharing. The software comes complete with a set of useful tools.
Best Free Screencasting Software
ScreenFlow for MAC
ScreenFlow is a MAC exclusive software packed rich with tools and features. ScreenFlow possesses the capability to record the contents on the monitor while simultaneously capturing with a video camera, iOS device and microphone. The end result can be easily customized with special elements and can be shared effortlessly in various social media platforms.
Free Screencast Software
Free Screencast gives the user complete control to capture any part on their PC screen and save them in multiple formats; including MP4, WebM and AVI. Users have a choice of full screen as well as partial screen capture with inbuilt audio recording from a microphone, audio mixer and even other input devices.
Dahu Software
Dahu is a free software for Windows, Mac and Linux. Instead of videos Dahu records still images in a sequence which makes it quite easier to use. The Annotations on the presentation appear as textual tools making the post-editing section easy.
QuickCast App
QuickCast is an App designed to be easily understood and used complete with everything one may need to complete a clear concise content. The simplicity of use lies in the QuickCast icon; which when tapped upon after installation gives way to complete video recording of the screen. Once finished the app itself will prompt the user to share the screencast.
Droid Screencast
Droid Screencast will allow the user to project the screen of any android device virtually onto the pc monitor. This software is set apart from others on the key fact that it requires only an USB-cable and no added software installation on the handheld device. The software is best compatible with GoToMeeting and WebEx conferencing software.
What is Screencasting Software?
Screencasting software is basically an application which offers the user complete control over recording and editing any on-going operation on their desktop i.e. monitor. A factor to be taken into account is that on-going operation includes everything from video files, games, other softwares and open tabs on the Internet. What started as a simple screen shot based type of software quickly graduated to record live videos as well as audio. With the advent of technological upgrades audio can now be incorporated through a 3rd source, for e.g. a microphone. This software now comes complete with several tools to make the process more efficient and easy for the users. The main aim of the software after user satisfaction is functionality. It is crucial that the software runs seamlessly along with all other programs open on your monitor. In other words the screencasting software cannot clog up the regular functions just to record a picture/video.
How to Install Screencasting Software?
Installing a Screen Casting software is no different than installing any other software or program. First decide which program is most suited to what you desire, then download the necessary installation file. Most installation files come in a compressed format and have to be extracted prior to installation. Once the process is launched it is simply a matter of following the instructions till the end of the installation. While installing keep in mind to install the software in a drive which has ample disk space to support it, otherwise even if the process completes the program may crash during an important event.
Various uses and Applications
Screencasting software is predominantly used nowadays to create tutorial videos to publish online. This is a broad topic which be classified into several segments like gaming tutorials and walkthroughs, Instructional videos to help users understand a certain application, Photoshop tutorials, phone rooting, data recovery, hacking video guides and much more. The procedure is to run the screencasting software and then launch the specified program. Now as the user proceeds to power through the sequences (games, tutorials etc.) the screen casting software keeps on recording.
Save for a few free demos all such software come with endless amount of recording time; recording is dependent on disk space available in the target folder. Previously where the audio commentary had to be incorporated later on nowadays it can be directly included during the recording session. Once the recording is complete basic editing and digital enhancement is offered by almost all softwares to add the last finishing touches to the video.
Best Windows ScreencastingScreen Casting Software
Screencast Mac Download App
Camtasia Studio
By Default Windows users have a greater array of software choices, but the best one by far Is Camtasia Studio. Camtasia possesses the capability to record from multiple sources along with features like SmartFocus which identifies cursor positions and zooms accordingly, multiple format export, built-in video editor. Find more about this at
Best Screencasting Software for MAC
For the MAC user the best software title is given to ScreenFlow. Not only is the interface reminiscent of Apple’s Minimalist design, it also comes with pre-bundled tools and excellent features. Total control over the content is possible with Chroma Key tool, separate audio and video edit streams and high-resolution video capture. To learn more visit:
Best Screencasting Software for Android
Explain Everything
The best Screencasting app for android users is deemed as The Explain Everything app. Except for screencasting this app inherits a large number of excellent features and useful tools. The app allows an user complete control over the recording by enabling the user to add clip-art, write comments, doodle, edit and post-process the ultimate recording.
Best Screencasting Software of the Year (2016)
Out of all the classics and the newly developed ones the software called Jing is deemed the best screencasting software of 2016. Jing comes in both free and premium versions, it’s easy to use and chock-full of excellent features. It allows a user to take flawless videos and screenshots and comes with a handy restart button as well as options to share directly into the social media.