Free Screen Recorder for Mac with Audio [True Users' Pick]

If you browse Reddit, Apple Discussions, or other forums, one question keeps coming up: how do you record screen with internal audio on a Mac? The built-in tools, such as QuickTime Player or the shortcut Shift+Command+5, only capture the screen and microphone. When users try to record the sound of a specific app, the playback often ends up completely silent. Many users are therefore looking for a free screen recorder for Mac that can handle internal audio. But the search isn't simple. Some complain that:

To save you time, this article brings together the tools most frequently mentioned in user discussions, explains their features, pros, and cons, and ranks them by priority- so you don't have to compare everything on your own.

Option 1. OBS | 🔥 Most Recommended by Users, Totally Free & Powerful

OBS is by far the most recommended tool whenever people ask about a free screen recorder for Mac. In almost every forum thread, OBS gets the most upvotes and positive mentions.

👉The biggest breakthrough came in recent versions, confirmed by Reddit users Lore_Effe:

• If you're running macOS Ventura (13) or later and OBS 28/29/30+, you can use the macOS Screen Capture Source or the newer macOS Audio Capture Source to directly record internal audio or even the sound from a single app.
• On macOS Monterey or earlier, you'll still need a virtual audio driver, like BlackHole or Soundflower, to capture system audio.

By reviewing highly upvoted and actively discussed comments, we summarized the common pros and cons of OBS mentioned by the community. Overall, macOS users rate OBS very positively. The main drawback noted is that the interface can look complicated, making it harder for beginners to get started quickly.

If you find OBS acceptable and are interested in how to record desktop audio on Mac using OBS, here is a video tutorial:

 

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Option 2. QuickTime + Virtual Audio Driver | 🛠️ Works But Kinda Tricky to Set Up

For users who want to stick with Apple's built-in QuickTime but still need internal audio recording, using a virtual audio driver instead. A virtual audio driver works like an invisible audio cable inside your Mac. It captures the system sound before it reaches your speakers, then reroutes it back into QuickTime as if it were coming from a microphone. This way, QuickTime can finally record not only your screen but also the internal audio. There are free and paid drivers available.

🚩Here is a comparison table of the most suggested options:

The Virtual Audio Driver + QuickTime method doesn't enjoy the same level of praise as OBS on Reddit. Some users appreciate it because it allows recording internal audio. However, others complain that the resulting files can be very large (e.g., 4GB for a 2-hour video). This issue is mainly due to QuickTime's encoding, not the virtual audio driver itself. Look at the genuine reviews from r/mac:

Below is a summary of users' genuine opinions on the pros and cons of this approach:

In most community discussions, the tools that come up most often are BlackHole and Soundflower. The biggest challenge for users is that these virtual audio drivers are not very intuitive to set up. For example, you typically need to go into Audio MIDI Setup to manually create a multi-output device, allowing the system audio to be routed to both your headphones and the virtual driver.

🚩To successfully record internal audio with QuickTime, you'll need to:

• Install and enable the virtual audio driver.
• Set it as the input/output device in your system preferences.
• Choose this virtual input as the audio source in QuickTime.
• If any of these steps are missed, the recording will typically capture the video but not the sound.

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Option 3. Third-Party Tools | 💡 Super Easy, Free But Limited (Full Features Cost)

Besides OBS and the QuickTime + Virtual Audio Driver setup, many users in forum discussions also mention third-party screen recording tools. The main advantage of these programs is ease of use: they can capture both the screen and internal audio without complicated configuration (most of them integrate a built-in virtual audio driver or audio capture module to make this possible).

However, these third-party macOS screen recorders usually come with their own pricing models:

For users who are simply looking for a free Mac screen recorder, the free or trial versions might already be enough if you only record occasionally for short clips. But if you need long-term recording, higher quality, or advanced editing features, upgrading to the paid version is usually unavoidable.

To save you time, we've summarized the most frequently mentioned third-party tools, along with their pricing models, limitations, and upgrade costs, so you can quickly compare and decide which option best fits your needs.

Final Thoughts – Choosing the Right Free Screen Recorder for Mac

After digging through Reddit threads, Apple forums, and user reviews, one thing's clear - there's no single "perfect" free screen recorder for Mac.

• Some people swear by OBS because it's free and super flexible.
• Others make QuickTime work with a virtual audio driver despite the big file sizes and compl.
• Plenty just prefer third-party apps like EaseUS RecExperts because they're easier to set up (even if the free plans are limited).

At the end of the day, it really comes down to what matters most to you: zero cost, simple setup, or extra features. What's been your go-to solution for recording Mac with internal audio?

Free Screen Recorder for Mac with Audio FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions from UGC content, along with concise answers:

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