From basic screen recordings to selective capture, here are the best screencasting apps for Mac!
There are lots of reasons you'd need to take screen recordings of a Mac— to create a software demo for work, to send a helpful walkthrough to your mom or dad, to add some life to a school presentation, or even just to capture something funny to share with friends. Apple builds screen-capturing into Quicktime but there are also a lot of great screen-recording options in the Mac App Store as well, including some that don't break the bank. Here are the best ones!
Voila
I'm an active user of screen recording software, tried several relevant tools to record online meeting, live show, cool videos, but can hardly find any software capable to fulfill all those requirements. There tool satisfy me most is ActivePresent. Apr 17, 2016 2018 Top 5 Best Screencast Software for Windows/Mac 1. Aiseesoft Screen Recorder. Aiseesoft Screen Recorderis not the most comprehensive screencast software, but its. If you are tired of all the download and settings, Screencast-O-Maticwould be.
Voila is one of my favorite screen recording apps for Mac because it's not only a powerful and customizable screen recording program, it has tons of custom options for taking screenshots that I haven't found to be possible otherwise. From finicky drop down menus to tricky highlighted areas, Voila does it all. You can pull in video and audio from external components too. As for sharing, Voila supports several one click publish options including YouTube, Flickr, Evernote, Tumblr, FTP, and more.
If you need not only good screencasting support, but extended support for screenshots, get Voila.
- $29.99 - Download Now
QuickCast
QuickCast is a barebones screen recording app that lets you quickly record and share clips that are three minutes or shorter. To do so you can use external audio and the built-in camera. All of your recordings are then saved to your QuickCast account for easy sharing and embedding later. You can choose to record only certain parts of the screen but that's about the only option you do have.
If you record a lot of short, sweet, and to the point screencasts that need to be shared quickly, look no further than QuickCast.
- Free - Download Now
Screencast Maker
Screencast Maker is similar to QuickCast but doesn't have a time restriction. Just select the area you'd like to record, the quality you want, and start recording. QuickCast saves your files in H264/AVC right to your computer for you to do with what you want.
If you want a simple app like QuickCast but without the limit on video length, check out Screencast Maker.
- $4.99 - Download Now
QuickTime Player
QuickTime Player comes built right in to every Mac and most people don't realize it also has the ability to do basic screen recordings. As long as you don't need to only record a specific area of the screen, QuickTime Player can capture your entire screen along with audio if you need it. It's extremely basic but it's also extremely free.
If your needs are very basic and don't require recording selective areas of your screen, give the built-in QuickTime Player a try.
Best Free Screencasting Software For Mac Windows 10
- Built in to every Mac
Your picks?
Best Free Screencasting Software For Mac Download
Those are the Mac screen recording apps that we consider the very best. If you've had to capture the desktop on your Mac in the past, let us know what you used and why you picked it!
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Closed for 2020Apple says its offices in the US will not fully reopen until at least 2021
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is planning for its office and many of its retail workers to remain remote for the rest of the year.
If you are looking to effectively share knowledge or information in a quick and the ultimate easy way, screencasting is very advisable. And in fact, there is a boatload of apps out there in the market that are able to kick the ball out of the park for you in the most convenient way. Whether you want to create training videos, teach online courses, make tutorials on navigating specific software on your computer among other tasks, the best screencasting software is a need to satisfy.
However, this does not come easy since the biggest hurdle that we come across is the lack of in-depth analysis of these programs that we are opened up to making it hard to pick the best screencasting software when bombarded with a range of options. Luckily, by getting to compare the various features offered by each app, online or offline, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision at the end of the day.
Therefore, this review article is a must-have if you are having trouble settling on the best screencasting software. The good thing is that all the screencast tools featured here are top choices that will bring you little to no instances of disappointments. We cannot all settle on the same screencast software since we all have different preferences and so let us get acquainted with the cornucopia of popular screencast software.
Top 6 Best Screencast Tools for Teachers & Students – Free Download
Software Name | Supported OS | Offline Version | Download Link |
---|---|---|---|
Windows | Full Version | Free Download | |
Windows & Mac | Free Demo | Free Download | |
Windows & Mac | Free Trial | Free Download | |
Windows | Free Trial | Free Download | |
Windows | Full Version | Free Download | |
Mac | Free Demo | Free Download |
1. TalkHelper Screen Recorder
TalkHelper Screen Recorder has over the years won the hearts of many users thanks to its comprehensiveness when it comes to screencasting. It is actually one of the screencast tools that let you choose how you want to do the recording in terms of the area of capture besides giving you the ability to personalize the screencast video with a webcam overlay. By supporting real-time drawing and the ability to schedule recordings, this top app makes it to this list of the best screencasting software.
Better yet, you can enjoy scheduling multiple screencasts without any limitations whatsoever. In the instance, there are any interrupts to the recording process you can always pause and resume at your own convenience to avoid messing up the whole screencast video. Not all of us like tinkering with settings and options and that is why this program just gives you a single-click button to start the screencasting process.
In regard to sound in the recording, you can choose to have some background music play or alternatively add your own voice narration all in realtime. An element of choice is also seen with this top screencast software in that you can choose to capture a screenshot or a motion video for the case of video tutorials or even webinars.
2. Camtasia
This is the perfect candidate for all your demos, tutorials, training videos among others with the option to enjoy a free trial period on both Windows and Mac before you can make up your mind to grab the paid version. What makes Camtasia so outstanding is the ability to make screencast videos that are interactive in nature like quizzes; as the user watches the recorded video, they can engage with the content to facilitate understanding.
What’s more, is that you are not limited regarding the content you can capture, full screen, a window, selected region and when you are done recording, editing options are available for you to tweak the output to your preference using the built-in editor. It is worth pointing out that during the screen capture process, capturing the webcam is also supported besides audio integration from either the built-in microphone or system or even both.
On top of that, you have the ability to record PowerPoint slides at the click of a button with this good choice. At the end of the day, you have a simple, reliable screencast software that sees to it that you have professional screencasts that are at no point of poor quality. To facilitate this, lots of features to tinker with are all free at your disposal making it the best screencasting software.
Best Mac Video Software
3. Screenr
Chrome is popular as a fully-fledged web browser app that gets more functionality added to it when it meets an addon like Screenr. It is not able to screencast video but rather gives you an easy way to capture the screen and annotate it in one of the most unique ways making it the best screencasting software of its kind. It goes without saying that you need a good internet connection as this tool functions online. The speed at which this top online software works is just like the blink of an eye and you should be annotating your captured PNG image within no time.
Regarding the mode of capture, this good screencast software is only able to grab the visible part of the Chrome browser. When we talked about uniqueness, this screencasting program does not take you through lots of tinkering like placing arrows, highlighting or resizing anything and thus saving you a great deal of both time and effort. With the captured images being saved online, sharing and collaboration become easy since a shareable link is automatically generated for you. This is, without a doubt, the best screencasting software that you can use to quickly capture the screen and annotate conveniently.
Best Writing Software For Mac
4. CamStudio
Getting accustomed to screencast video using CamStudio is very simple thanks to a learning curve that is not steep at all. You are not only getting the chance to capture the screen as you see fit but also be open to implementing the picture-in-picture mode that is possible using the webcam. As a result, you are able to personalize the video so that the audience can get to know the author. Audio forms an important part of the recorded video since it facilitates further understanding and that is why this app ensures that it is crisp clear even at a small size.
You are free to adjust the video quality as you wish depending on the size of the video you want in the end. You get to access all these features for free regardless of whether you are after commercial or non-commercial purposes. You will be happy to learn that the output quality offered here is one to be reckoned with and consequently translates into one of the best screencasting software. The output is usually saved in AVI format but by converting the same into SWFs, you get smaller video files that do not consume a lot of bandwidth when transferring online.
5. ActivePresenter
ActivePresenter is a utility software from Atomi that is known to be all-around as it is able to screencast video, provide editing options besides playing a pivotal role in eLearning. This app comes with a plethora of features that are geared towards the best screencasting software you can obtain. You will not only get the chance to just create screencasts but you will be able to go beyond that and come up with interactive ones. Actually, it is one of the screencast tools that features a built-in green-screen effect. In addition to that, you can include audio in your videos from the mic or the system on top of editing options for the same.
You will also be able to record the screen and the webcam simultaneously and later apply necessary edits. For convenience purposes, this screencast software supports the most common video formats to ensure that the content reaches a wider audience. Amazingly, almost any kind of annotation you can think of is supported by this program. For convenience, navigating this software has been made easy thanks to the support for hotkeys that help accomplish certain tasks faster. As one of the best screencasting software ActivePresenter has a lot to offer and this article cannot exhaust all of them.
Best Freeware For Mac
Free Office Software For Mac
6. Screenflow
When it comes to screencasting in education and marketing, Screenflow is one of the best screencast tools that you can employ. Actually, this app has got you covered in other ways apart from screencasting including video editing and sharing without breaking a single sweat. Teachers can take great advantage of this resource especially when the need to record lectures arises by implementing a feature like the picture-in-picture mode to personalize the videos and facilitate further understanding by the viewer.
This is the best app to screencast video with when you are on a quest for the pristine quality of the final recording. You can actually pick the framerate to use, choose to record in loops and even specify a timer on how long the screencast video is to run in case you are not around. Better yet, you are empowered to capture multiple screens simultaneously or even when retina displays are put into play. At the same time, audio from the microphone or the system can also be recorded with options to adjust the mix and device to use. You will not go through any steep learning curve when it comes to getting around this screencast software since the simple user interface brings that ultimate ease of use.
Free Software For Mac
No matter the app that you pick from this list, you will be able to achieve the core function even before you can apply further actions like editing which may not be supported by all of them. Depending on the kind of convenience you are after, your best screencasting software can either be online or offline based. Other factors like the ease of use, functionally, quality of the recording and whether the app is free or paid are some of the other factors that come into play. It is now time to make screencasting in education or create training videos without the hassle and bustle of searching for the right solutions as all these screencast tools will ensure you hit the home runs.