Analyst verdictFree, open-source screen recording and live streaming
The best free screen recorder: no watermark, no time limit and full control over scenes and audio, but it records and streams only, with no editor or sharing built in.
What it is
OBS Studio records and live streams your screen, webcam, game capture, browser windows and capture cards, mixed into scenes you build from sources, with separate audio tracks and filters such as noise suppression. It is free and open source (GPL), with no watermark, no time limit and no account, and runs on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or newer and Linux. Recordings save as local files (MKV or MP4, among others); there is no built-in editor and no hosting or share links. Version 33.0.1 was released October 29, 2026. Checked on obsproject.com November 13, 2026.
Best for
- Free recording with no limits
- Gaming and live streaming
- Multi-source scenes: screen, camera and overlays
What we like
- Free and open source: no watermark, no time limit, no account
- Scenes mix screen, webcam, windows and overlays, with separate audio tracks
- Records and live streams from the same setup
What to watch
- No video editor: trims and cuts need another app
- No cloud hosting or share links
- Setup takes time; the defaults are built for streaming, not quick clips
- No phone apps
Rankings
Where OBS Studio ranks
Alternatives
Alternatives and head-to-heads
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