If you’re looking for a free, and powerful screencast software that lets you record video/audio from your computer’s screen. Here’s the right article you should read!
Nowadays, the number of screencast software is countless. If I remember correctly, there are more than 100 different screencast software (free and paid) for desktop, and the same number of mobile applications exist. Honestly speaking, it’s not easy to decide which software to use because they are very similar such as usability, features, or even license price. That’s not to mention tons of biased reviews from unreliable resources on the internet.
Well, there is always a solution to a problem. In this article, I’ve compiled a list of top 5 screencast software you can try on Windows, or Mac. They are cable of:
- Recording high quality video from your computer’s screen with audio.
- Recording the screen and webcam simultaneously.
- Editing your recording, add annotations (shapes, text, arrows) to your recording.
- Export the recording into different videos formats.
These programs are the best programs in my opinion.
Let dive into the detail now!
1. ActivePresenter
On top of the list is Atomi ActivePresenter. It is an all-in-one screencasting software for creating how-to videos, product demos or tutorials. It has a built-in screen recorder and video editor plus dozen for annotation tools for training purposes. All these features are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Beside basic screencasting features, ActivePresenter also provides advanced tools for professional use such as Chroma key, Blur moving objects, customize Java Script, text-to-speech, picture picture, adjust audio and so on. Click here to read our detail review of ActivePresenter!
The good
- Easy to use.
- Record full screen, a locked application, or customized area.
- Record screen and webcam simultaneously.
- Record audio from microphone and system sound.
- Feature-rich video/audio editing tools.
- Has special effects such as Zoom and pan, highlight, spotlight, Text-to-speech, blur moving object and so on.
- Add annotations to video like shapes, text, arrows, icons and gestures etc.
- Upload video directly to YouTube.
- Export videos into MP4, AVI, MKV or WebM.
The bad
- It’s time-consuming as you need to export/render video after finish the recording.
Pricing detail
- Free for non-commercial purposes.
- $199 for Standard Edition.
- $399 for Professional Edition.
2. Camtasia
The next option you can use is Camtasia of TechSmith. It has everything you need to make screencast videos such as: a powerful and full HD screen recorder, simple to use video editor with tons of preset titles, annotations as well as video/audio effects. Adding effects, callouts and annotations in Camtasia is as easy as a piece of cake. For those of you who don’t know about Camtasia, read our latest review of Camtasia in this post.
The Good
- Easy to use.
- Great built-in video editing tools.
- Record full screen or a part.
- Record webcam.
- Import and edit images, audio and video up to 4K resolution.
- Add annotations, transitions, animations as well as audio, visual effects.
- Add quizzes to the video easily.
The bad
- No Free version.
- Need a strong computer to run it smoothly.
Pricing detail
- Free trial in 30 days.
- $249 per lifetime license.
3. Apowersoft Screen Recorder Pro
Apowersoft Screen Recorder Pro is a simple yet powerful screencast software for recording video and audio from your computer’s monitor. You can also record webcam, edit recorded video and upload it directly to YouTube, FTP or Google Drive quickly. Like ActivePresenter and Camtasia, it is simple to record video in full screen or part of screen, switch between screen options, schedule tasks.. and so on. Its free video editor has basic editing features for cutting, trimming and adjusting video speed, contrast, shapes as well as converting the file into various formats such as: MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, FLV, MPEG, VOB, ASF, GIF.
The good
- User-friendly interface.
- Record full screen or regional.
- Record around mouse area.
- Record on iOS.
- Record Webcam, 2nd monitor screen.
- Support more than 20 languages in the tool.
- Allow video output settings, mouse style setting, audio input setting, output format setting.
- Take screenshot easily.
- Customize hotkey, video quality, audio codec.
- Convert recorded video to MP4, WMV, AVI, FLV, MPEG, VOB, ASF and GIF
Price
- Free for online tool
- $39.95 for personal license.
4. Movavi Screen Capture Studio
Movavi screen capture studio is very similar to Camtasia if we look at its interface and video editing timeline. This program also includes a high quality screen recorder, powerful video editor and dozen of annotation tools you can use to create instructional videos. It’s great for making either tutorial videos or product demos. Read our detail review of Movavi Screen Capture Studio here to learn more.
Movavi Screen Capture Studio is available on both Windows and Mac. It offers 14 days trial and the license price is very affordable i.e $59.95 only. This is a lifetime license and you can use all its features.
The good
- Easy to use
- Record screen and edit recorded video quickly.
- Recording full screen, regional, webcam or audio simultaneously or separately.
- Built-in video editor with capture info effect.
- Shapes and Annotation tools available in editor.
- Adding stamp, call out, transition or workflow.
- Export and share video easily.
The bad
- 14 days free trial.
- $59.95 per license.
5. Bandicam
Finally, for those of you who often screencasting games, take a look at Bandicam free screen recording software. It is an easy-to-use and powerful screencast software for recording game-plays. Bandicam can record everything on your computer screen and save it as video files(AVI, MP4) or image files. Read this review to learn more about Bandicam.
The good
- Easy to use
- Record video in various options, record webcam.
- Record high quality games in 4K Ultra HD video at resolution up to 3840×2160 and HD video with max 144fps.
- Real-time drawing: Draw and outline you video or screenshot in real time is possible.
- Mix your voice in is the recording is a unique function of Bandicam.
- Add logo to video.
- Add mouse effects and animation while recording.
The bad
- Lack of video editing tools.
- Output file is limited to only AVI and MP4.
Pricing detail
- Free (unregistered version)
- Pro version price is 29$/ 1 PC.
Bottom Line
Choose the right screencast software, you can create amazing tutorial videos, product demonstrations, or amazing marketing videos easily and vice versa. If you need any further help about using these programs, don’t hesitate to contact me any time.
Good luck!
Elearning Supporter 
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Hi Susan. Yes. You are right. Apowersoft is a good tool too. The reason we put Screencast O Matic here is its ease of use and stability. I will take a look at Acethinker too. Cheer!
I sorry to say that Screencast O Matic should not in the list because of the limitation of time limit and video quality. There are some other similiar online tool that don’t have any limitation like Apowersoft and Acethinker. You should put them here. Just a few words.