Open source screen recorder software is used widely as they are free and easy-to-use. If you want to get an excellent open source screen recording software, you can find the best one in this post. Here we collected 12 ones to share with you. Just keep on reading to get more useful information.
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Nowadays, most of you have a great demand for the best free screen recorder, as you more or less need to record online meetings, capture live streaming audio/video, make tutorial videos, or others. While choosing the screen recording programs, you may get confused, as some are free, some are paid, and some are complex to use...
We have tested and chosen the best 12 open source screen recorder, including the UI, recording modes, output file quality, etc. Below are the detailed testing statistics you can check to choose the one you like best!
| 🔢How many we tested | 25 open-source programs |
| 💻What devices we tested | On a Dell PC and an iMac |
| 📆Total recording time | 72 hours |
| 🎨What we record | Videos, webcams, audio, presentations, online meeting, and gameplay |
| 🥇How we evaluate the result | Output file quality, recording modes, compatibility, performance, and UI |
EaseUS RecExperts is a fantastic video capture software that is widely used by all levels of users, and it is compatible with both Windows and macOS computers.
This screen recording software enables you to capture your screen, audio, webcam, and even gameplay flexibly without any lag, so you can choose the most suitable recording tool to capture what you need. With its help, you can record live streams, meetings, online courses, etc., without much effort. Also, it can modify recordings with the built-in trimmer. Although it's not an open source screen recorder, it can surely meet requirements.
To help you find your desired screen recording software, we have made a comparison table below among those 12 opening source screen capture software we introduced.
| Operating System | Area Selection | Record Webcam | Capture Audio | Editing | |
| OBS Studio | Win/Mac/Linux | × | × | √ | × |
| ShareX | Win | × | √ | √ | × |
| UltraVNC | Win | × | √ | √ | √ |
| Camstudio | Win | × | × | √ | √ |
| Freeser | Win/Mac/Linux | √ | × | √ | √ |
| RecordMyDesktop | Linux | √ | × | √ | × |
| ScreenCam | Win | √ | √ | √ | × |
| SimpleScreenRecorder | Linux | √ | √ | √ | × |
| Captura | Win | √ | √ | √ | × |
| VirtualDub | Win | × | × | √ | √ |
| Adobe Captivate | Win/Mac/Android | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| XVidCap | Linux | × | × | √ | × |
OBS Studio is one of the most popular open source screen recorder software on the market. This video recording software provides further customization and functionality to your needs. Using it, you can record your screen, live streaming audio/video, or capture video from multiple resources like images, webcam, browsers, etc.
Besides, it is also an unlimited screen recorder. Also, this open-source screen capture offers custom transitions, advanced filters, color correction, and many more to apply to your recorded video clips.
Features:
ShareX is a free and open source video capture software, which allows you to capture your screen area, including the full screen, a locked window, or a specific area.
Or you can record videos in different shapes like rectangles, squares, etc. After recording, you are able to save it via GIF or an MP4 file format with HD quality and share it with one click.
Features:
UltraVNC Screen Recorder is another open source video capture software for Windows 10 that many people use it. It is famous for its fast speed while recording the screen. With this freeware screen recorder, you can capture video, record audio with screen, and even record gameplay and webcam videos of up to 4K quality.
Also, it offers you options to edit your recorded videos, like adding video effects and filters after recording.
Features:
Camstudio can record all the activities on your screen and export them with 4K quality. As one of the best open source screen recorder software, it allows you to set the full screen, window, or fixed region as a target area according to your situation. Moreover, it enables you to record a demonstration or product information video from your desktop screen.
After recording, you can convert these recordings into high-quality videos. If you require high-quality video with small file size, you can try CamStudio.
Features:
Freeser is a free, open-source, and cross-platform screen recorder to capture anything on your desktop. It is friendly to beginners as well as professionals. This Windows screen recording software in open source is designed for capturing presentations and has been successfully used at many open source conferences to record hundreds of talks.
Moreover, using it, you also can capture demos, training materials, lectures, and other kinds of videos as you like.
Features:
RecordMyDesktop is a popular open source screen recording software, which can even run on a Linux computer.
This freeware lets you record the screen in different aspect ratios, and you can capture video with audio in one simple click. It can also help you record streaming audio or video from different sites like YouTube, Facebook, and many others. Last but not least, the output recording file will be of high quality.
Features:
ScreenCam is an open source screen recorder for Windows, which gives you a virtual screen camcorder for recording virtually anything on your desktop.
Once the recording is done, it can export to the most powerful internet, CD/DVD, and email formats, combined with the ability to add high-end interactivity all in one elegant package.
Features:
SimpleScreenRecorder is an easy-to-use and open source screen capturing software on Windows 10. It can help record any activities on your screen with HD quality.
By using this program, you can capture live streaming videos or gameplay. And while recording, it allows you to check previews of videos, pause or resume them as per need. Once the recording is done, this freeware enables you to export the recorded file in various file formats and codecs.
Features:
Captura is another open source software. It can capture the full screen, a fixed window, or a specific area of your screen. While recording, you also can use the hotkeys to control the recording. Once done, you can directly upload the recorded videos to social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc. All in all, it will give you a comfortable audio and video recording experience with a simple and friendly user interface.
Features:
This is a simple but versatile open source recording software for Windows users that enables you to capture your screen and export the recordings in videos. Since its user interface is easy to use, you can use this tool without much effort, and even you are a beginner.
Besides the recording function, this open-source screen recorder also offers some useful video editing tools. With their help, you can easily add effects and subtitles to your recordings.
Features:
This is a powerful open-source recording software designed by Adobe. This versatile tool can run smoothly on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, even iOS and Android.
Its strong compatibility gives you the ability to capture the screen of your devices effortlessly. You don't even worry that you will miss online meetings or classes since this tool provides you with a task scheduler that automatically helps start recording.
Features:
This is an open-source recorder that you can use on Linux, and you can use it to do some simple and basic recording tasks. But there is a disadvantage that may have some severe negative impact on you. This software is old, and the lack of updates makes it's not so convenient to use this tool.
Features:
On this page, we share with you the top 12 best open source screen recorder. Whether you are working on a Windows, macOS, or Linux computer, you can always find the best screen recording software here.
While selecting the screen recorder, make sure to choose the one that can work best for you according to your situation. No matter you are a Windows user or a Mac user, EaseUS RecExperts is your best option. Although it's not open source, it can satisfy almost all of your needs. Try it now!
This post introduced many excellent open-source screen recording apps you can use on different operating systems. You may still have some questions about those programs, like how to use them. You will find the answer in this part.
1. How do I record my screen on open source?
Let's take OBS Studio as an example, and you can follow those steps to use it to record your screen.
1. Launch this open source video capture software and adjust the settings according to your needs.
2. Go to the "Source" tab on the main interface, click the "+" icon, and choose "Display Capture" as the video source. Then, select "Audio Output Capture" to set the sound source.
3. Click on the "Start Recording" button to capture the activities on your screen.
4. Hit the "Stop Recording" button to save the captured video to your device.
2. Which is the best open-source screen recording software for PC?
There is enough open-source capture software on different platforms, and you can find the most suitable one for you in the following list.
Listed Best Open Source Screen Recorder for Windows:
Among them, OBS Studio is a famous open source screen recording software on Windows. It provides simple and advanced editing functions for recording screens, audio, etc.
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