Nowadays, screen recording is a common thing. You may wish to record your screen activities in order to make video tutorials, create online courses, capture zoom meetings, provide technical support, or even save gameplay highlights.

There are a lot of screen recording programs you can choose from. To save your time, we have tested many screen recording software and sorted out 10 best free screen recorders for you. You can rest assured that you can use them without spending a penny. Although some of them offer a Premium version, they do provide a free version or free trial for you to record the screen with no watermark or time limit.

Program	Watermark	Recording time limit	Description
Awesome Screenshot & Recorder	No	No	Best free cloud screen recorder and screenshot tool for anyone
OBS Studio	No	No	Best free and open-source screen recorder for streaming and recording gameplay
ShareX	No	No	Best free screen recorder and screenshot tool on Windows
Flashback Express	No	No	Best free and easy-to-use screen recording software for novice
Screencast-O-Matic	No	15 minutes	Best free online screen recorder for educators
Loom	No	5 minutes	Best cross-platform cloud screen recorder for novice
Debut Video Capture	No	No	Best free tool to record videos from multiple sources
Acethinker	No	No	Free web-based screen recorder for quick screen recording
VLC Media Player	No	No	Best free, cross-platform and full customizable screen recorder
QuickTime Player	No	No	Best free screen recorder on Mac

1. Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

When it comes to the best free screen recorder with no watermark or time limit, Awesome Screenshot & Recorder will always be our first recommendation. It is a 2-in-1 screen capture and screen recording tool with video editing and cloud storage features. It provides browser extensions on Chrome, FireFox, Edge and Safari, allowing users to record screen activities on any PC or Mac devices.

You can install it to the browser, create an account and sign in for FREE. Then, you are allowed to start making cloud or local screen recordings with no watermark on it. Although only 20 cloud recordings are available for free users, you don’t need to worry because each cloud recording has no time limit. If you wish to record short videos locally, Awesome Screenshot & Recorder is perfect for you because the free local recording option offers unlimited recordings.

In addition to recording videos, this helpful extension also allows users to take screenshots from scrolling webpages, full screen or any selected area.

Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

One extension for all your screen recordings & screenshots

Record screen and capture screenshots easily
Edit videos/images quickly
Store videos/images to the cloud and share instantly

Pros

Allows you to record screen and take screenshots
Stores the recordings on the cloud to free up local storage space
Enables users to edit videos and images online
Allows you to share your recording instantly via a link
Offers extensions and Mac application

Cons

Only 20 cloud recordings are allowed for free users

OS: Mac, Windows

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No for cloud recording

Pricing plans: Free, $5/month for Basic plan, $6/month for Professional plan

2. OBS Studio

OBS, also known as Open Broadcaster Software, is probably the most well-known free screen recorder across the world! This open-source screen recording tool is completely free and comes with no watermark, no time limit or any other limitations.

OBS Studio is a powerful screen recorder that helps users capture the screen from any source, record audio, edit videos in a professional way and even stream videos. OBS packs so many useful features into a complicated UI, but this can make it hard for a novice to master. Thus, it is an ideal screen recording tool for professional users, such as YouTubers, live streamers, game players, etc. With some coding knowledge, you can even customize it according to your needs.

There are many useful OBS tutorials on YouTube. If you are willing to, you can learn how to effectively use this screen recorder from them.

obs interface

Pros

Completely free with no limitations at all
Offers In-depth screen recording, live streaming and video editing
Supports recording from multiple sources
Allows users to customize it to boost the productivity

Cons

Not user-friendly for beginners
Sometimes can be laggy

OS: Mac, Windows, Linux

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

3. ShareX

ShareX is another free and open-source program that helps you record your screen and share it to the web with ease. You can use it to record full screen, a specific window or any custom region. It is also capable of capturing screenshots and adding annotations to them. It won’t cost you a penny. Your recordings won’t be watermarked.

You have the options to include the cursor in recordings, schedule a recording, and even perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on text. You can record the screen as a video, audio or animated GIF. Once you finish the recording or screenshot, you can easily upload it to general online storage and social media.

It is an open source program. That means you can access its source code easily and customize it as you want. If you need, you can find many tutorials to learn how to use it.

sharex interface

Pros

Supports both screen recording and screenshot capture
Enables you to extract text from the screen captures
Allows you to edit source code to customize it
Provides quick online sharing options
Completely free and open source

Cons

The interface is out-of-date
Needs time to set up and to learn keyboard shortcuts
No game recording mode

OS: Windows

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

4. Flashback Express

FlashBack Express is a free screen recording software with no watermark. Thanks to its straightforward interface, it is easy for a novice to make his/her first screen recording. It offers a free version for you to record the screen, webcam, and system audio or microphone sound, and upload it to YouTube. Don’t worry, its free version has no recording time limit.

The free version provides basic screen recording features. It is a good choice for budget users. However, if you want to use some advanced features, like video/audio editing and video annotation, you can upgrade to its Pro version.

flashback express interface

Pros

Simple, clear interface
Enables users to record multiple screens
Allows users to schedule a recording
Lets you save the recordings to different file formats, like MP4, AVI, and WMV
Offers dedicated game settings

Cons

The free version has limited features
Offers only basic video editing features
Sometimes might be laggy

OS: Windows

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free, $49 for 1 PC, $74 for 2 PCs

5. Screencast-O-Matic

Screencasto-O-Matic is a fast and intuitive web-based screen recorder. It offers a free version and some paid options. The free version allows you to record the screen, take a screenshot, lightly edit the video and share it to online platforms. Although the free version has some limitations, it is free to use forever. However, free users can record up to 15 minutes of each recording.

If you want to remove the watermark or unlock the limitations, you can upgrade to the right paid version, which lets you enjoy unlimited screen recording, video editing, cloud storage and video analytics.

screencast o matic interface

Pros

Enables you to record screen and capture snapshots
Offers a capable video editor
Enables you to zoom in and zoom out while recording
Provides cloud storage for video hosting and sharing

Cons

Free version will add watermark to your recording
Free version has a 15-minute limit on recording time
Lacks scrolling capture feature

OS: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: 15 minutes

Pricing plans: Free, the paid plan starts from $2.4/month

6. Loom

Loom is a screen recording program that enables you to record your screen with audio and webcam, edit video, save to the cloud and share it with ease. Requiring zero technical skill, it is ideal for new users to make video tutorials, online courses, demos and more!

The basic version of Loom is free to download and use. It won’t add any watermark to your recording, but has a 5 minutes of time limit. If you just want to record short video clips, Loom’s free version is a good choice for you!

loom interface

Pros

Easy to use
Saves your recordings to the cloud automatically for fast sharing
Enables you to choose who can see your video
Provides both app and browser extension

Cons

Videos are public by default
Limited video editing features

OS: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: 5 minutes

Pricing plans: Free, $8/month for Business plan

7. Debut Video Capture

Debut Video Capture is a free screen recorder that is packed with features you'd expect to find in premium programs. It can do whatever free screen recorders do, such as recording the screen with audio and/or webcam, adding effects to recording, sharing videos to online platforms, etc. When it comes to screen recording, it can record the entire screen, a single window or any selected portion. Once the recording is done, you can save it as avi, wmv, flv, mpg, mp4, mov and more video formats.

What makes it stand out from the crowd is the ability to capture videos from multiple sources, including webcam, network IP camera or video input device. It also offers advanced features, including time lapse screen recording, background replacement, etc. Although it is free to use, it has no watermark nor recording time limit.

debut video capture interface

Pros

Completely free for personal use
Record from multiple sources
Save videos as multiple formats, like avi, wmv, flv, mpg, mp4, mov, etc
Provides green screen tool for background replacement

Cons

Outdated interface
Lacks video editing features

OS: Mac, Windows

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

8. Acethinker

Acethinker is a free web-based screen recorder to let you record your screen with or without system audio and/or microphone audio. It doesn’t have many features like other online screen recorder offers, but it is good to use if you just want a lightweight and simple screen recording tool.

It is free to use with no limitations. You can save your recordings to the major file formats, such as MP4 and WMV. You also have the options to directly upload your videos to online platforms and cloud storage.

acethinker interface

Pros

Easy-to-use
Customizable recording area

Cons

Lacks additional features, like video editing
Not technically web-based, as it requires you to download a launcher initially

OS: Mac, Windows

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

9. VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is a free and open-source multimedia player on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Although VLC is mostly used for playing nearly all kinds of media files, it provides a screen recording feature as well. It is totally free to use without any limitations or watermarks.

VLC Media Player lets you record your screen to high resolution and save it to a variety of file formats. As it is not designed as a screen recorder, its screen recording features are too basic. But if you just want to record the screen and require no video editing features, VLC is a good free screen recorder tool for you.

vlc media player interface

Pros

Allows you to customize it
Works across all platforms
Allows you to save and convert the recordings to different file formats
Free, no watermark, no recording time limit

Cons

Doesn't support recording custom area
Doesn't provide video editing tools
The user interface is old-fashion

OS: Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

10. QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is a pre-installed media player which provides a screen recording feature on macOS. It is a good screen capturing choice for users who don’t want to download any app to their Mac device. You can rest assured that it is completely free and won’t add a watermark to your recordings.

To start a recording on your Mac, you just launch QuickTime Player, hit File > New Screen Recording, or simply press Shift + Command + 5 to bring up the recording tool. You can even record the iPhone and iPad screens if they are connected to your Mac. Once the recording is done, you can play it or simply edit it.

quicktime player interface

Pros

Offers simple editing features like trim and split
Supports playing videos in a variety of formats (RMVB is not supported)
Free, no watermark

Cons

Cannot record screen with internal audio unless you use it with an additional audio tool
Only provides basic video editing features
No annotation tool
Not available for Windows users

OS: Mac

Watermark on recordings for free users: No

Recording time limit for free users: No

Pricing plans: Free

Conclusion

These are the 10 best free screen recorders we listed. If you are looking for a simple and reliable cloud screen recorder, we’d suggest Awesome Screenshot & Recorder as it is easy-to-use and compatible with both Windows and macOS. If you are an experienced user with advanced technical skills, OBS Studio will be our top recommendation.

10 Best Free Screen Recorder - No Watermark or Time Limit

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