© Provided by TechRadar The best free screen recorder

Apowersoft Screen Recorder is a free app that enables you to record screen activities without any hassles and save as HD videos. Aside from recording screen, it can also record audio from mic and synchronize with screencast videos. Utilizing it, you can easily make video tutorials and record gameplays, live shows, video calls, etc. After recording, it gives you quick access to trim videos. With ApowerREC (1.4.9.50), you can start recording your screen and audio in no time by choosing a Full-Screen Mode, a Fixed Region, or a Locked Region on a selected app. You can even record audio from your system, from your microphone, or both by using ApowerREC with activation code.

With a free screen recorder, you can capture exactly what's happening on your screen (whether it's the entire display or just a selected area) and either stream it live, or save it as a video file.

The best screen recorders can do a lot more than that though, with options for recording your own commentary as a voiceover, adding captions and notes, and even using picture-in-picture to add footage from your webcam. The right software will also let you export your recordings in a variety of formats, and even export them directly to YouTube.

Not all free screen recorders are the same though – some only record for a few seconds, some come bundled with extra software you probably don't want, and some apply unsightly watermarks to your finished videos.

That's why we've rounded up the very best screen recorders you can download today, helping you choose the right one for your project. Whether you're making a software tutorial, recording a Let's Play video, or capturing a video call, there's something here that'll fit the bill.

The best free screen recorders at a glance

OBS Studio
FlashBack Express
Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder
Debut Video Capture
ShareX
Screencast-O-Matic

© Provided by TechRadar Divider

© Provided by TechRadarIt's not free, but if you want to record footage from your screen for use in presentations and YouTube videos, Adobe Captivate is the best tool for the job. Not only can it capture footage from your screen, it also allows you to integrate PowerPoint slides, and even add interactive questions for your audience.

© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: OBS Studio Contributors; Shutterstock)

1. OBS Studio

The best screen recorder for any software, including games

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

HD streaming and recording

Open source and ad-free

If you’re a keen gamer, OBS Studio is easily the best screen recorder for you. Unlike the hugely popular FRAPS (which only lets you record for 30 seconds at a stretch unless you’ve bought a license, and applies a watermark to the resulting footage), OBS Studio is open source, and completely free to use without restrictions.

OBS Studio supports both streaming and recording in high definition, with no restrictions on the number or length of your creations. You can stream live to Twitch or YouTube gaming, save projects and come back to them later, or encode your footage in FLV format and save it locally.

Because OBS Studio can record directly from your graphics card, it’s able to capture games running in full-screen mode (many other screen recorders can only record if the game is windowed), with customizable hotkeys to control the recording. OBS Studio can also make full use of multi-core CPUs for improved performance, and can record at 60FPS (or even higher).

It might take a little while to set it up exactly how you want, but OBS Studio is by far the best and most powerful screen recorder for gamers.

Read our full OBS Studio review

© Provided by TechRadar Divider© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Blueberry Software; Shutterstock)

2. FlashBack Express

Ideal for recording games and capturing footage from a webcam

Platform: Windows

Well designed interface

Record from screen or webcam

OBS Studio is our favorite free screen recorder, but Flashback Express comes an extremely close second. Despite being a free version of a paid program, FlashBack Express won't put ugly watermarks over your recordings or impose time limits, and it's packed with features and tools that rival many premium programs. Its interface is less intimidating than OBS Studio, so if you've never used a screen recorder before, it's an excellent choice.

You can record from your whole screen, a window, a selected area, or a webcam. Once you’ve finished, your recording will appear in a simple editor, where you can crop and trim it to suit your needs, then export it to YouTube, an FTP server, or your PC.

That’s all fairly standard fare for a free screen recorder, but take a minute to dive into Flashback’s advanced options and you’ll find a wealth of thoughtfully designed settings that will make your desktop recordings look truly professional. The recorder can automatically obscure passwords entered on screen, replace your silly wallpaper with a plain one, hide messy desktop icons, and highlight your mouse pointer to make it easier to follow. There's also a dedicated gaming mode that lets you define the number of frames recorded per second.

There’s no limit on the length of your recordings unless you choose to set one, which can be useful if there’s a chance you might accidentally leave the recorder running. You can also choose to break long recordings up into chunks – a brilliant touch that helps you avoid creating huge, unwieldy files. Your recordings won’t be watermarked, either.

Following a recent update, Flashback Express can export in WMV, AVI and MP4 formats, eliminating the need for a separate video converter, and it no longer requires a free license key for activation – just install the software and you're ready to start recording.

Developer Blueberry Software has also released a free screen recorder designed specifically for games – FBX. This recorder captures HD in-game footage, with hardware acceleration for AMD and Nvidia cards, and Intel CPUs.

If you're thinking about upgrading to FlashBack Pro, Blueberry software is offering TechRadar readers an exclusive 25% discount.

Read our full Flashback Express review

© Provided by TechRadar Divider© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Apowersoft; Shutterstock)

Gallery: Best indoor security cameras 2020: See inside your home anytime (Pocket-lint)

3. Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder

An in-browser recorder more powerful than most desktop apps

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux (in browser)

No time limits or watermarks

Can record from webcams

If you want to record a presentation, software demonstration or tutorial, give Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder a try. It's a browser-based tool, which means it's not suitable for games, but for any other tasks it's ideal.

The first time you use Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder, you'll be prompted to download a small launcher application. You'll then be provided with a control bar packed with more options than you'll find in most desktop screen recording software. You can capture footage from your desktop or a webcam, and record audio from your PC, microphone, both or neither.

You can record the whole screen, select an area manually or choose one of the preset resolutions – ideal if you’re recording a clip for YouTube, for example, and don’t want to use a separate video editor to resize it later.

Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder also offers customizable keyboard shortcuts for speed and convenience. You can choose whether or not to include the cursor in the recording and take your pick from a range of output formats including MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV and many more. You can even add annotations during the recording.

Once you’re done, you can save the recording as a video file or GIF, upload it directly to YouTube or Vimeo, or send it to Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also edit the clip. Selecting this option will download an additional component – Apowersoft Video Editor – which lets you make simple adjustments before exporting your video

Apowersoft Screen Recorder Temp