As of 25 October 2026, seven of the ten screen recorders we checked list a free plan, and five of those seven cap recording length: Loom, Cap's shareable links and Zight at 5 minutes, ScreenPal at 15, Screencastify at 30. Screencap, one of the ten, has no limit on recording length.
How do free screen recorder plans compare in October 2026?
The table below puts ten tools side by side on eight points. Each cell comes from the vendor's own pricing or help page, fetched on 25 October 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not say, and "n/a" means the tool lists no free plan. Plans change, so treat the date as part of the data.
| Tool | Free plan? | Recording length | Videos | Watermark or branding | Max resolution | Share links | End-to-end encryption | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screencap | Yes | No limit | No limit | No watermark on normal accounts | Up to 4K in the Mac app (a setting); about 1080p in the browser | Private or password-protected links | Optional, Mac app only, off by default | Mac app; browser recording in Chrome or Edge |
| Loom (Starter) | Yes | 5 minutes | 25 videos | Not stated | Up to 720p | Video privacy controls (password-protected videos are listed under Business) | Not stated | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Cap (Free) | Yes, personal use | Shareable links up to 5 minutes; local recordings no time limit | Not stated | Not stated | 4K and 60 fps export | Shareable links (password-protected shares not on Free) | Not stated | macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome extension |
| Screen Studio | No free plan listed ($9 a month billed yearly, $29 monthly). Without an active plan, video export is blocked | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Mac only |
| OBS Studio | Yes, free and open source | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| ScreenPal (Free) | Yes | 15 minutes | 10 hosted videos (its FAQ says unlimited) | Not stated (plans table is ambiguous) | 720p playback; recording resolution not stated | Link sharing, custom video links, embedding | Not stated | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chromebook |
| Zight (Share) | Yes | 5 minutes | Not stated (keeps the last 50 captures, 1 GB storage) | Not stated | Up to 720p | Link sharing (password-protected items not on Share) | Not stated | Windows and Mac desktop app, iOS app, Chrome extension |
| Tella | No free plan listed. 7-day free trial of Pro, no card | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Mac and Windows apps, Chrome extension, web recorder |
| Screencastify (Free) | Yes | 30 minutes | 10 videos (up to 20 more by inviting people) | Castify watermark | Up to 1080p | Link sharing with privacy controls | Not stated | Browser extension (Chrome, Edge) |
| CleanShot X | No free plan and no trial (30-day money-back guarantee) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Mac only |
Screencap's row comes from its own product facts, and its limits can change: its Terms reserve the right to set limits or add paid plans. Screen Studio, Tella and CleanShot X list no free plan, so their free-plan cells read n/a. OBS Studio's home page lists no limits or watermark, which is why its cells read Not stated.
Sources, checked 25 October 2026
- Loom pricing
- Atlassian: Loom Starter plan FAQ
- Atlassian: Loom security measures
- Cap pricing
- Cap home page
- Screen Studio home page and pricing
- Screen Studio download page
- OBS Project home page
- ScreenPal plans
- ScreenPal home page
- Zight pricing
- Tella pricing
- Tella home page
- Screencastify pricing
- CleanShot X pricing
What do the numbers show?
Of ten tools, seven list a free plan: Screencap, Loom, Cap, OBS Studio, ScreenPal, Zight and Screencastify. Five of those seven state a recording length cap. Three of the five sit at 5 minutes: Loom's Starter plan, Cap's free shareable links and Zight's Share plan.
- Time: 5 minutes for Loom, Cap links and Zight, 15 for ScreenPal, 30 for Screencastify. Screencap states no limit.
- Video count: 3 of 7 free plans state a cap: Loom 25 videos, ScreenPal 10 hosted videos, Screencastify 10.
- Watermark: 1 of 7 free plans states one (Screencastify). Screencap states none, and the other 5 do not say clearly.
- Resolution: Loom and Zight list up to 720p, Screencastify up to 1080p, Cap 4K export, Screencap up to 4K in the Mac app.
- Password-protected links: Cap and Zight say these are not on the free plan, and Loom lists them under Business. Screencap includes them.
- Platforms: Screen Studio and CleanShot X are Mac only. Screencap has a Mac app and records in Chrome or Edge elsewhere.
Which free screen recorder has no recording time limit?
Screencap states no limit on recording length or storage as of October 2026. Cap's free plan has no time limit on local recordings, but its shareable links stop at 5 minutes. OBS Studio records to your own disk and its home page lists no limits. Every other free plan in the table states a cap.
A cap on the link is different from a cap on the recording. Cap's local files can run long, yet the link you share with a teammate cannot. Screencap gives you the link the moment you stop, so for sharing it is the limit on the link that matters. For side-by-side detail, see Screencap vs Cap and the Loom comparison.
Who encrypts recordings end to end on a free plan?
Screencap does, as an option in the Mac app. It is off by default, and browser recordings are not encrypted. For the other nine tools, the pages checked on 25 October 2026 do not state end-to-end encryption. Loom's security page describes TLS 1.2+ and AES-256, which protect data in transit and at rest.
Read the Not stated cells as "the vendor's page does not say", not as "no". If encryption matters to you, ask the vendor. Screencap's own page explains what its encryption covers.
How was this checked?
On 25 October 2026 we opened each vendor's pricing or help page, read the free-plan column and wrote down only what the page says. Where a page said nothing, the cell says Not stated. We did not sign in, start trials or ask vendors, and we did not use reviews or third-party round-ups.
Three cells need a note. ScreenPal's plans page lists 10 hosted videos and, in its FAQ, unlimited hosting. Its 720p entry refers to playback quality. Loom's pricing page does not tie its platform list to a plan. Reuse the data under CC BY 4.0 with a link back to this page.
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] with the vendor's page link and we will check it and fix the table.
Common questions
Is there a free screen recorder with no time limit?
Yes, with caveats. As of 25 October 2026, Screencap has no limit on recording length. Cap says local Studio recordings on its free plan have no time limit, though its shareable links stop at 5 minutes. OBS Studio's site lists no limits at all. Loom's Starter plan stops at 5 minutes.
How long can you record on Loom's free plan?
Five minutes per video and 25 videos in total, according to Loom's pricing page and Atlassian's Starter plan FAQ, both checked on 25 October 2026. Loom's pricing page shows video quality up to 720p on Starter.
Which free screen recorders add a watermark?
Of the seven free plans checked, only Screencastify states one: its free plan has the Castify watermark. Loom lists Remove Loom branding under Business, not Starter. ScreenPal's plans table is ambiguous, and the other pages do not say.
Do any free screen recorders offer end-to-end encryption?
Screencap offers it as an option in the Mac app, off by default. The pricing and help pages checked for the other nine tools on 25 October 2026 do not state end-to-end encryption, so those cells read Not stated.
Which free plan records in 4K?
Cap lists 4K and 60 fps export on its free plan, and Screencap records up to 4K in the Mac app if you choose it in Settings. Loom and Zight list up to 720p on their free plans, and Screencastify up to 1080p.