The Screen Recorder Index
Mac screen recorders,
compared on the facts.
A side-by-side reference of the main screen recorders for Mac. Each fact links to the official source and carries the date of the last check. We make Screen Recorder, so it is in the list, and so are the cases where another tool fits better.
The short answer
The main Mac screen recorders fall into four groups: polished-demo apps with automatic zoom (Screen Recorder, Screen Studio), cloud video-message tools (Loom, Tella), full video editors (Camtasia, ScreenFlow), and free capture tools (OBS Studio, the macOS Screenshot app). Choose by the job: a quick clip, a shared message, a polished demo, or a long edited course.
The Screen Recorder Index
Each cell comes from the official source of the product, last checked on 1 October 2026. A dash means that the source did not state the fact. It does not mean that the feature is missing.
| Product | Price | Platforms | Videos stored | Auto zoom | Captions | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Screen Recorder | $49 once | Mac (Apple silicon) | On the Mac | Yes | Yes | MP4, up to 4K |
| Screen Studio | $29/mo, or $9/mo yearly | Mac | On the Mac | Yes | Yes | MP4, GIF |
| Loom | Free plan, from $18/user/mo | Mac, Windows, web, phone | Cloud | Not verified | Yes | MP4 (paid plans) |
| Camtasia | From $179.88/yr | Mac, Windows | On the computer | Yes | Yes | MP4, GIF, WebM |
| ScreenFlow | $199 once | Mac | On the Mac | Not verified | Partly | MP4, ProRes, GIF |
| CleanShot X | $35 once, or $10/user/mo | Mac | On the Mac | Partly | Partly | MP4, GIF |
| OBS Studio | Free | Mac, Windows, Linux | On the computer | Not verified | Not verified | MKV, MP4, MOV |
| Tella | From $13/user/mo | Web, Mac, Windows | Cloud | Yes | Yes | MP4, up to 4K |
| macOS built-in recording | Free with macOS | Mac | On the Mac | Not verified | Not verified | MOV |
A green tick means yes, an amber tick means yes with a limit, and a dash means that the official source did not state it. The full facts and their sources are in the product cards below and on each comparison page.
Four kinds of screen recorder
Which Mac screen recorder fits which job?
The products in the Index
- Cursor path smoothing and motion blur, which Screen Recorder does not have
- Captions in more than English, SRT export, and transcript editing
- Share links with comments and view counts
- A share link is ready the moment you stop recording
- Viewer comments, reactions, and view insights
- Windows, Chrome, and phone apps
- The most complete editor in this list: multitrack, animations, callouts, and quizzes for learning platforms
- Windows and Mac
- Cursor smoothing and keystroke editing
- A full multitrack editor
- ProRes and GIF export
- Intel Macs and iPhone or iPad recording
- A strong screenshot tool in the same app: annotation, text recognition, and scrolling capture
- A lower one-time price
- Cursor smoothing and GIF export
- Free and open source
- Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Live streaming, scenes, and an audio mixer
- Works in the browser with no install
- Share links with analytics, comments, and calls to action
- Captions in many languages
- Free and already on every Mac
- Nothing to install and no account
- Fast for a quick, unedited recording
How we build the Index
To report a fact that is out of date, email info@ascreenrecorder.com with a link to the official source.
Questions
What is the best screen recorder for Mac?
It depends on the job. For quick unedited clips, the built-in Shift-Command-5 tool is enough. For polished demos and tutorials with automatic zoom, look at Screen Recorder or Screen Studio. For share links, look at Loom or Tella. For a full editor, look at Camtasia or ScreenFlow. For live streaming, use OBS Studio.
Which Mac screen recorders add automatic zoom?
Screen Recorder, Screen Studio, Camtasia, and Tella state automatic zoom on their official sites. CleanShot X states zooms that follow the cursor.
Which Mac screen recorders work without a subscription?
Screen Recorder ($49), ScreenFlow ($199), and CleanShot X Basic ($35) sell one-time licences. OBS Studio and the macOS built-in tools are free. Screen Studio, Loom, Camtasia, and Tella sell subscriptions.
How often is this comparison updated?
The facts were last checked on 1 October 2026 against each product's official website, pricing page, or help centre. Prices change often, so check the official page before you buy.
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