[Ultimate List] 9 Best Screen Recorders for PC: Pros & Cons

Part 1. How to Choose a Great Windows Screen Recorder

1. Recording Modes: It should let you record the full screen, a window, a custom region, webcam overlay, or gameplay.

2. Audio Recording: Tools that can capture system sound, microphone audio, or both at the same time are more convenient.

3. Annotation Tools: Basic trimming, cutting, and annotation save time in post-production. Being able to add text, shapes, or highlights during recording is ideal for tutorials.

4. Output Formats: Support for common formats like MP4, MOV, or MKV ensures compatibility. Adjustable bitrate, codec, and frame rate give you control over file size vs. quality.

5. Ease of Use: A clean, intuitive interface helps beginners get started quickly. Hotkeys and presets improve workflow for frequent users.

6. Scheduled Recording: Provide the task recording feature to preset starting and ending time, which can automatically record when you have no time.

7. Price: Consider whether it’s a one-time purchase, subscription, or free tool. Make sure the value matches your needs and usage frequency.

Part 2. Quick Comparison: Top 9 Screen Recorders for Windows

Part 3. 9 Best Screen Recorders for Windows

1. Aiseesoft Screen Recorder

Pricing: Starts at $12.5/month

Best for: Beginners who have various recording needs or want scheduled recording.

Our top recommendation for the best all-around capture software for PC is Aiseesoft Screen Recorder. This software achieves a great balance between a user-friendly interface and a powerful suite of features, making it the ideal choice for both beginners and professional users.

Aiseesoft Screen Recorder allows you to capture any area of your screen, no matter it’s full screen, a specific window, or a custom area. Meanwhile, this comprehensive tool can record high-quality video and audio from multiple sources simultaneously. You can seamlessly record your screen with system audio and your microphone’s input. Lastly, you can save the recorded file without quality loss.

• Record various sources from any area on the Windows screen, webcam, snapshots, microphone, and system audio.

• Save recorded files in MP4, MOV, AVI, GIF, MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, etc. for easy playback and sharing.

• Offer a great suite of editing features to trim, merge, compress, and convert the result.

• Support recording iPhone and Android devices screen on your computer.

Now, let's check the steps to record your Windows computer screen.

Free download, install and run this software on your Windows computer. You can choose different recording modes from the drop-down button beside Video Recorder. Here, we choose Video Recorder.

Here you are able to make the recording settings.

More settings: The settings will be applied during the whole process.

Click the menu button to select Preferences, and you can make the basic settings, like Recording, Mouse, Hotkeys, Output and others.

Recording preset: The settings will be saved for your current or next time use.

Click the drop-down list of "Video Recorder" and click "Manage" to enter the preset list.

Here you can add a new recording preset (record area, webcam, sound, microphone, video format, quality, audio format, etc.), when you want to customize your recording.

Here you need to select the recording area by full screen, fixed screen or customized screen.

For the audio option, you can toggle on or off "System Sound" and "Microphone".

Click the "REC" button to start to capture your computer screen.

While you are recording the computer screen, you can sue the edit feature to add text, draw a line, shape or arrow, etc. to help you make your video attractive.

Easy, right? Four steps can easily help you to capture screen on PC.

Screen Recorder is not the only one Windows screen capturing program, but it is the easiest one.

Surely, you can explore more screen recorders below to get what is the most suitable for you.

2. OBS Studio

Pricing: Free

Best for: Recording and live-streaming video content with a high degree of customization and control.

Features:

• Two simultaneous audio sources and the audio mixer for you to customize the levels and settings on both sources live or when editing a recorded video.

• Add filters during screen recording, and you can switch between video sources for a cohesive experience while capturing multiple screens.

OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) is the other free screen recording software on PC with live streaming. It’s a versatile tool that allows users to create complex scenes with multiple sources, including screen captures, webcam materials, game footage, images, text, and web browsers. Thus, OBS is popular among gamers and content creators for convenience on streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

3. Camtasia

Pricing: Starts at $39/ year

Best for: Recording professional-quality video tutorials, software demos, and training content.

Features:

• Record the entire screen or a custom area.

• Capture simultaneous video from a webcam.

• Record the microphone and system audio on separate tracks.

Same as Snagit, Camtasia is a screen recording and video editing software developed by TechSmith. But more professional, Camtasia combines a screen recorder with a video editor. Users can record the screen, webcam, and audio, and then use the multi-track timeline to edit this footage. The editor provides a wide range of features like transitions, animations, callouts, and cursor effects.

4. ScreenPal

Pricing: Starts at $48/year with a free trial

Best for: Performing screen recordings for education, business, and personal use.

Features:

• Screen and webcam recording.

• Video and image editing.

• Automated captioning.

• Options for sharing and hosting videos.

Screencast-O-Matic, now it’s ScreenPal, is a popular and user-friendly screen recorder accompanied by a built-in video editor.

One of its key features is the ability to edit your videos with tools for trimming, adding text, and including music from its stock library. While the free version has some limitations, the paid plans unlock more advanced editing features and cloud hosting options.

5. Loom

Pricing: Starts at $15/month with the free version trial

Best for: Teams to quickly record and share videos.

Features:

• Screen recording.

• Webcam recording.

• Screen + camera recording.

• Instant shareable links, viewer comments, and basic analytics.

Loom is a cloud-based screen recorder available on Windows, macOS, and browsers. Its biggest advantage is instant sharing - videos are automatically uploaded and turned into shareable links with no exporting required. Loom also supports camera overlays, in-video comments, and integrations with tools like Slack and Notion, making it ideal for remote teams, product demos, onboarding, and quick walkthroughs rather than performance-heavy game recording.

6. Snagit

Pricing: Starts at $39.00/ year

Best for: Creating quick and high-quality visual content like tutorials, technical guides, and marketing materials.

Features:

• Versatile capture options of region, window, scrolling, and webcam.

• Video and audio recording.

• An additional editor for creating annotations and simplifying screenshots.

• Tools for organizing and sharing content, like Smart Redact for privacy.

Developed by TechSmith, Snagit is a well-known screen capture and recording software. It allows you to capture images and record videos of your computer screen quickly. Beyond simple screenshots, Snagit offers a comprehensive suite of editing tools that enable you to add annotations, text, arrows, and other effects to your captures. It’s easy to enhance and share the captured materials.

7. ShareX

Pricing: Free

Best for: Users who need a customizable tool for taking screenshots, screen recordings, and sharing them automatically.

Features:

• Screen capture.

• Video recording with productivity tools like an on-screen ruler and color picker.

• GIF creation.

• A built-in image editor.

Come with free, ShareX is an open-source program for Windows users to record screen activities. This program is best known for its screenshot capabilities, which include various capture methods and advanced annotation tools.

ShareX can export the result as a video or GIF. Then, you can set it as an automatic upload to a cloud service. Shortening the URL and copying the link to your clipboard—all with a single keystroke.

8. Bandicam

Pricing: Starts at $33.26/year with a free trial

Best for: Game recording and making high-quality tutorials.

Features:

• Screen recording.

• Game recording.

• Device recording.

• Additional capabilities like real-time drawing, webcam overlays, and mouse effects.

Bandicam is a lightweight screen recorder only for Windows. One of its key features is the ability to record 4K Ultra HD video at up to 144 FPS. This high-quality recording program also has real-time drawing, mouse click effects, and webcam overlay. Thus, it’s good and powerful for gamers to record DirectX and OpenGL games with minimal performance impact.

9. iSpring Free Cam

Pricing: Free

Best for: Making simple, professional-looking screen recordings and video tutorials without a watermark, especially for educational purposes.

Features:

• Record full or specific screen areas and save them to WMV format.

• Upload the recording to YouTube.

The last one, iSpring Free Cam, is a completely free and user-friendly screen recording tool. The software comes with a basic video editor, which can help you trim unwanted parts, remove background noise, and add audio effects. It records in high definition without watermarks or time limits.

Part 4. FAQs of Screen Recorder on PC

Conclusion

In this article, we introduced 9 best screen recorders for Windows. These 9 tools have their shining points and downsides. Pick up a suitable one based on your own needs. We highly recommend Aiseesoft Screen Recorder for its comprehensive editing tools, strong compatibility, and high recording quality. Just download one and have a try!