Upgrading to the proper video editor turns Screencast-O-Matic into a professional tool.
Screencast-O-Matic recommends 720p, presumably to manage file sizes, but I recorded my full 1080p laptop screen.įree users can trim recordings, write captions, and add a limited number of music tracks before publishing. The aps lets you adjust the size of the recording window depending on resolution. Paid users can record computer audio, but it costs nothing to add microphone narration. Recording options are simple and straightforward. You can record your screen, your webcam, or both. The video recorder is similarly intuitive. You can crop and resize an image, blur and highlight its different sections, or add graphics and text. However, you do get plenty of editing options. You don’t get some of the fancier capturing options that come with Snagit, such as tracing shapes other than rectangles, timing and capturing scrolling windows, or grabbing text with OCR recognition. Taking a screenshot is as simple as dragging the cursor over an area and letting go. You also get quick access to your recent screenshots and recordings.
Screencast-O-Matic’s menu gives you four options: Take Screenshot, Launch Recorder, Open Editor, and Open Uploads.
Like Snagit, Screencast-O-Matic also offers companion apps for Android and iOS, so you can sync your mobile and desktop captures. Its publishing platform runs in your browser. Screencast-O-Matic works on Windows and Mac. Still, even without paying, Screencast-O-Matic's video recording alone makes it more powerful than Microsoft’s free Windows Snip & Sketch, which lacks the feature entirely Premier gives you more storage and backup options, along with business-friendly branding and advertising features. Upgrading to Deluxe unlocks a host of extra features, most notably unlimited video recordings. You can take and edit screenshots, record up to 15 minutes of watermarked video, and share to online platforms. Naturally, the free version has limitations.
Screencast-O-Matic subscriptions are billed annually, so you could use the app for two years and still ultimately pay about the same price as Snagit or Ashampoo.
Those prices increase depending on how many team members need access.įor comparison, one-time purchases for Snagit and Ashampoo Snap cost $49.99 and $39.99, respectively (and that doesn’t include the price of upgrading to the next year’s versions). You can also choose between two different premium subscriptions.įor solo users, the Deluxe tier costs $1.65 per month and the Premier tier costs $4.00 per month. Whereas Snagit and Ashampoo Snap only offer free trials, Screencast-O-Matic's basic version is free to use forever. Screencast-O-Matic bridges the gulf between the two extremes with a generous, free version that easily surpasses its no-cost rivals, and a subscription tier that offers cool, unique features.Īlthough Screencast-O-Matic's paid version lacks the chops to top Snagit, the Daxdi Editors’ Choice for screen-capture utilities, it gives you robust image-snipping flexibility. Premium screen capture utilities offer professionals many useful features, but they can feel like overkill to casual users.įree utilities take standard screenshots just fine, but they lack many advanced features that power users enjoy.