tmux
Focus: terminal, sessions and multiplexer. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Desktop App
OBS Studio
Free, open-source software for screen recording and live streaming.
Rating
4.7 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is OBS Studio?
OBS Studio is free and open-source software for video recording and live streaming. It captures and mixes multiple sources, such as window captures, webcams and images, into scenes, and works with the major streaming services. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or later and Linux.
Pros: what OBS Studio does well
- Completely free and open source, no watermarks or time limits
- Mix screen, webcam and images into scenes
- Records locally or streams live
Cons: where it falls short
- No built-in share links like Loom
- Takes some setup to learn scenes and sources
Who OBS Studio is for
Anyone recording tutorials, demos or streams who wants full control for free.
Who can skip it
People who just want a quick video link for a teammate.
What people use OBS Studio for
- Recording your screen, webcam and microphone together for tutorials, demos and course videos
- Live streaming to the major streaming services with your own scenes and overlays
- Recording a Loom-style walkthrough without a watermark or a time limit
- Mixing several sources, such as a window, a webcam and an image, into one scene and switching scenes with hotkeys
How to get started
- 1Download OBS Studio from obsproject.com for Windows 10 or 11, macOS 13 or later, or Linux.
- 2Run the auto-configuration wizard and choose whether you mainly record or stream.
- 3Add sources to a scene, for example a display or window capture, your webcam and your microphone.
- 4Press Start Recording, or connect a streaming service in Settings and press Start Streaming.
OBS Studio pricing
OBS Studio is completely free and open source. There are no paid plans, watermarks or time limits; the project is funded by donations and sponsors. See current prices on OBS Studio's site
Checked 2026-10-22. Prices change, so double-check before you pay.
OBS Studio FAQ: quick answers
- Is OBS Studio really free?
- Yes. It is free and open-source software with no paid tier, no watermark and no recording time limit.
- Can OBS Studio record just my screen without streaming?
- Yes. Recording and streaming are separate buttons, so you can record locally to a video file and never go live.
- Can I extend OBS Studio?
- Yes. It has a plugin API for native plugins and supports Lua and Python scripts, and many community plugins are available.
Compare OBS Studio
See how OBS Studio stacks up, side by side, plus the lists it made.
OBS Studio alternatives
Not sold on OBS Studio? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Deskflow
Focus: keyboard and mouse sharing, software kvm and multi-computer. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Rated 4.6 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Screen Studio
Focus: demos, tutorials and async. Shares screen recording and video with OBS Studio. Paid but Affordable (OBS Studio: Free). Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppPaid but AffordablemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
Kooha
Focus: screen recorder, tutorials and linux. Shares video and open source with OBS Studio. Rated 4.5 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreeLinux
4.5Visit
Recordly
Focus: screen recorder, demo videos and cross-platform. Shares open source and video with OBS Studio. Rated 4.3 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.3Visit
ShareX
Focus: screenshots, gif and windows. Shares screen recording and loom alternative with OBS Studio. A Windows app, not a desktop app. Same 4.7 rating.
Windows AppFreeWindows
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to OBS Studio
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Ghostty
Focus: terminal, emulator and gpu. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Rated 4.9 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.9Visit
fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
lazygit
Focus: git client, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
navi
Focus: terminal, cli and cheatsheet. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Rated 4.8 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Upscayl
Focus: image upscaling, ai and electron. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Rated 4.8 (OBS Studio: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreeLinux, macOS
4.8Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source with OBS Studio. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
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