10 Free and Paid Camtasia Alternatives For Mac and Windows

Software Alternatives

Camtasia is a great screen recording and voice-over tool. It also has an excellent video editor. The combination of these three features makes it a powerful software for creating video tutorials and online courses.

But it isn’t perfect. There are some drawbacks. If you are disappointed with it, check out the Camtasia alternatives I review below.

A bit about Camtasia

Before I go into details about the alternatives, I will share a bit about Camtasia to help you compare it against the rest.

Camtasia is a screen recorder and video editor from TechSmith with over 24 million users. It is extremely popular because you can use it to create different types of video content. You can create videos, record voices, and edit them with one tool. All features gel well together.

Pros

• Record your screen and voice and edit with one tool.
• Record the screen and voice separately then assemble them. There’s no need to do it all at once.
• It includes templates, presets, overlays, and music that simplify video creation.
• Easy to use, even with a small learning curve (you can master it in two or three days).

Cons

• Noise reduction feature doesn’t always get rid of background noise.
• Video sharing and export features don’t work sometimes.
• Expensive. One-time fee for the purchase and separate annual fee if you want upgrades and maintenance.
• No browser extension.

Best Suited for: SaaS companies, video editors, and entrepreneurs.

Pricing: Free trial for review purposes only; may not be used for commercial purposes. 30-day money-back guarantee. Single license is a one-time purchase of $249.99. Optional $49.75 annual maintenance. Discounts for education, government, and nonprofit users.

Here are the Camtasia alternatives you should check out

Source: Clapboard

Clapboard, from StoryXpress, is a powerful screen recorder and video editor. You can also host your videos directly on their server or post them on other sites like YouTube.

Pros

• Generous free plan that lets you create watermark-free videos up to 10 minutes long.
• Host the videos on their servers or embed them in blog posts and webpages.
• Post your video directly on other sites such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack, and Intercom.
• Paid plans are very affordable.
• Built-in analytics to track video performance.

Potential drawbacks

• You can’t add custom branding to your videos on the free plan.
• The video editor isn’t as advanced as Camtasia’s.
• Right now, it only works with the Chrome extension. Software for computers and an app for iOS are in development and will soon be available.

Best Suited for: Software companies, entrepreneurs, and educators.

Pricing: Free plan available. 14-day free trial. The Lite, Pro, and Plus plans are $7, $17, and $46 per user per month, billed annually. The plus plan usually costs $540 per year, but on AppSumo, you can get it for just $99.

Screencast-O-Matic is an affordable video recorder, editor, and screenshot tool with 60+ million users.

Pros

• Free, with inexpensive premium features.
• Record your screen, edit the videos, and host them with just one tool.
• Import narration and music or use the music in their library.
• Can convert speech to captions and overlay them on the video.
• Add other overlays to your videos.
• There’s a green screen filter to enhance your videos.

Potential drawbacks

• The video editor isn’t as advanced as Camtasia’s.
• Videos recorded with the free version contain a watermark.
• Videos recorded with the free version can’t exceed 15 minutes.

Best Suited for: Educators.

Pricing: Plans cost $19.80 and $48 per year. You can get it for less if you pay for three years in advance. There’s a free plan available.

Loom is an immensely popular screen recording tool; it’s mainly used to create explainer videos for software.

Pros

• Screen recording tool is easy to use.
• Record your screen and yourself.
• Add calls to action to your videos.
• There’s a drawing tool that lets you draw on your screen while recording.
• It integrates with several tools that make it easy to share videos.
• Viewer and engagement insights to help measure the efficacy of your videos.

Potential drawbacks

• The video editor is very basic. It’s more of a trimmer than an editor.
• You can create unlimited videos with the free plan, but you can only access the 100 most recent ones. Videos on the free plan can be just 5 minutes long.

Best Suited for: Anyone looking for a free tool to create explainer videos.

Pricing: It costs $10 per month. There are also free and enterprise plans, and a free plan for educational users and institutions.

Snagit is a screenshot tool from TechSmith that also records videos. It’s not as advanced as Camtasia, but you can use it to make quick and basic videos. This is the tool I use to take screenshots.

Pros

• It helps you create simple videos.
• Record your screen or yourself. You can even record audio.
• There’s an app version for recording your mobile phone’s screen.
• You can string screenshots together and create a video or GIF.
• Integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Word, Slack, and other platforms make it easy to save and share videos.

Potential drawbacks

• The integrations don’t always work.
• Editing features are minimal. It’s a basic trimmer.
• The screen recording isn’t as good as Camtasia’s.

Best Suited for: Writers, trainers, social media managers, and entrepreneurs.

Pricing: $49.99 one-time fee; recommended maintenance plan of $12.50 a year. There are discounts available for educators and nonprofits.

ScreenFlow is an affordable Camtasia alternative for screen recording and video editing. It only works on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It’s not as advanced as Camtasia, but it excels in other areas.

Pros

• It’s straightforward to use.
• You can record your screen or the webcam, or you can use the 500,000+ media clips in their stock library.
• The iOS app lets you record your iPhone and iPad screens.
• You can directly publish your video on YouTube, Wistia, Facebook, and Vimeo.
• Record multiple screens simultaneously.

Potential drawbacks

• It only works on Mac and other Apple devices.
• The video editor isn’t as advanced as Camtasia’s.
• You only get premium support with the largest plan.

Best Suited for: Mac, iPad, and iPhone users.

Pricing: Costs $129, $175 and $209. Upgrading from the previous version to the latest version costs $39. Upgrading from an older version costs more. A free plan’s available, but all your videos will get watermarked.

Ezvid is a free video editor and screen recorder for Windows; a separate web version called Ezvid Wikimaker works on multiple devices. It’s a decent solution for anyone looking for a free Camtasia alternative.

Pros

• It’s free.
• Very easy to use.
• It includes voice synthesis; you type the text and the software creates the voice for you. You can pair this with your video.
• There is also a slideshow maker.
• You can draw on your screen with the software.

Potential drawbacks

• Software version works only on Windows.
• It’s very basic.
• Your recordings can’t exceed 45 minutes.

Best Suited for: Anyone looking for a basic and free screen recorder and video editor.

Pricing: Free.

Wondershare DemoCreator is an intuitive screen recorder and video editor. It’s great for anyone looking for an affordable tool to create online courses and other video presentations.

Pros

• Easy to use, with a small learning curve.
• There’s a free version available. The premium plans are also affordable.
• Software is available for both Mac and Windows.
• The recorder lets you record your screen and webcam.
• You can draw and write on the screen while recording.
• Text animation templates, annotation tools, and cursor effects make it easy to edit your videos.

Potential drawbacks

• There’s no mobile version.
• Watermark on videos created with the free version.

Best Suited for: Teachers, vloggers, and gamers.

Pricing: Free trial available. Costs $32.99 per year or $59.99 for life; business plan is $69.99 annual) or $99.99 (for life) per user . Discounts are available for teachers and students.

Movavi is a complete video suite with 3 million users. You can use it to capture screens, edit videos and photos, and convert media.

Pros

• Works on both Windows and Mac.
• Takes screenshots too.
• You can buy the video editor and screen recorder separately or as a package.
• There’s also an unlimited plan that includes photo editing and other useful features.
• There’s a video effects store where you can access effects, transitions, stickers, and backgrounds.

Potential drawbacks

• You can’t record sounds on the free version, and the video will have a watermark.
• You need to purchase the Windows and Mac versions separately. This will cost more if you use multiple devices.

Best Suited for: Video editors, educators, and businesses.

Pricing: Free trial available. Screen recorder costs $34.95 per year or $49.95 for life. The entire video suite costs $79.95 per year. There are other pricing options available depending on the products you buy and whether you buy them for Windows or Mac.

Free Cam helps you create screen recordings for free without adding a watermark to the video; a premium plan includes extra features.

Pros

• It has a generous free version that doesn’t add watermarks to your videos. There’s also no time limit.
• You can record and edit videos with it.
• You can either save your video on your computer or share it on YouTube directly.

Potential drawbacks

• The resolution of videos created with the free version can’t exceed 760p, and you can only create WMV videos with the free version.
• Several other features like annotations, webcam recording, and separate voice-over recording are only available with the paid version.
• The video editing features are limited.

Best Suited for: Best Suited for: Anyone looking for a basic and free screen recorder and video editor.

Pricing: It costs $227 per year. There’s a free plan available.

ActivePresenter from Atomi Systems is a complete video creation software. It has a lot of features that suit content creators in the eLearning industry. You should check it out if you are creating an online course.

Pros

• It helps you create interactive videos for online courses.
• Includes features such as quiz builder and eLearning games.
• You can use their prebuilt themes and templates. You can also import PowerPoint presentations.
• Record your screen, webcam, and voice.
• You can use the editor to edit both videos and images.

Potential drawbacks

• It doesn’t have the best video editor.
• Learning curve because of all the features.

Best Suited for: Online course creators.

Pricing: Standard and Pro plans cost $199 and $399 per license, respectively. Teachers, students, educational institutions, and nonprofits can get the pro plan for $199 per license. You have to purchase upgrades separately. They cost 40% of the full price.

A free edition is available, but you can only use it for personal and noncommercial work.

Which Camtasia alternative did you like most?

Camtasia is a great tool, and I have used it for years. It has many wonderful features, but it isn’t too complicated, making it easy to use. But it does have some drawbacks. The price is a bit steep, and the video sharing and noise reduction features don’t always work right.

If you’ve noticed some of these drawbacks and would prefer an alternative, you can get an alternative I listed above. If you are looking for more video creation and recording tools, make sure you check out the AppSumo store. We have several lifetime deals available for a fraction of the price.