# Alternatives to Bandicam

Lightweight Windows game and screen recorder.

Bandicam ranks #6 of 11 in Screen recording, with an Alt Score of 75. It is proprietary, sold as a one-time purchase from $53.90 and available on Windows. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandicam/
Category: Screen recording

## Where Bandicam stands out

- **Annotation during recording** — 2 of 6 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Watermark on free** — 5 of 10 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Windows users who need to record their screen, PC games, or an external video device (webcam, console, smartphone) — including content creators, gamers, streamers, and educators making tutorials.
- **What you get**: Bandicam captures desktop activity, gameplay (DirectX/OpenGL/Vulkan, up to 4K UHD and high frame rates), and external device video, saving output as MP4/AVI or as images. It uses a high compression codec that keeps file sizes small without a major quality loss. Extras include real-time drawing/annotation, webcam overlay, scheduled recording, and audio mixing from multiple sources.
- **How it works**: You pick a recording mode (screen, game, or device), set the capture area and output options, then start and stop recording with a hotkey; files save locally and can be trimmed or merged afterward in the companion app Bandicut.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: One-time (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $53.90 (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Windows
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Tella](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tella.md) | 90 | Proprietary | Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension |
| 2 | [Camtasia](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/camtasia.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 3 | [Cap](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cap.md) | 80 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS |
| 4 | [Screen Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/screen-studio.md) | 80 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 5 | [ScreenFlow](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/screenflow.md) | 80 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 6 | [Streamlabs](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/streamlabs.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS |
| 7 | [Kap](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kap.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS |
| 8 | [Loom](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/loom.md) | 50 | ? | Windows, macOS, Browser extension |
| 9 | [OBS Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/obs-studio.md) | 40 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 10 | [ShareX](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/sharex.md) | 40 | GPL-3.0 | Windows |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Screen recording checklist | Bandicam | Tella | Camtasia | Cap | Screen Studio | ScreenFlow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time | Subscription | Subscription | Freemium | Subscription | One-time |
| Starts at | $53.90 | $13/month | €39.57/year | $29/year | $9/month | $199 |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows | Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | macOS | macOS |
| Max resolution & fps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webcam overlay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| System + mic audio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Editing included | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Instant share link | ? | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Watermark on free | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Annotation during recording | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | No |
| GIF export | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cursor effects | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Bandicam. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Starts at**: $53.90 — <https://www.bandicam.com/buy/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “$53.90”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.bandicam.com/company/tos/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “All rights, title, interest, and intellectual property rights in and to the Software and related documentation are and shall remain the exclusive property of Bandicam Company.”
- **Pricing model**: One-time — <https://www.bandicam.com/buy/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Perpetual access to Bandicam 2027”
- **Platforms**: Windows — <https://www.bandicam.com/downloads/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Operating system : Windows 11/10/8/7 (64-bit)”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.bandicam.com/downloads/version_history/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “8.3.1 06/26/2026”
- **Max resolution & fps**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/game-recorder/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “records the latest high-resolution gameplays requiring up to 4K UHD, 480 FPS through hardware acceleration”
- **Webcam overlay**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/facecam/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Bandicam is the best facecam recorder that lets you add a webcam overlay to your video.”
- **System + mic audio**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/how-to-record-computer-sound-and-microphone/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Note: computer sound" and "your voice" at the same time in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10, start Bandicam -> Video -> Settings -> and choose "(Default Sound Device)" and Microphone at the Recording s"
  - Quote: “To record ”
- **Editing included**: Partial — <https://www.bandicam.com/downloads/2027/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Trim the beginning or end, and export your video directly inside Bandicam.”
- **Watermark on free**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/faqs/free-full-version/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “If you use the free version, the watermark (www.BANDICAM.com) will be added to the recorded videos.”
- **Annotation during recording**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/how-to-draw-on-screen-while-recording/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “You can simultaneously draw lines, boxes, or highlights while recording in 'Screen Recording' mode.”
- **GIF export**: No — <https://www.bandicam.com/support/settings/video/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The video file recorded by Bandicam is saved as an .avi file.”
- **Cursor effects**: Yes — <https://www.bandicam.com/how-to/mouse-effects/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “If you left/right-click your mouse, red/blue circles will be added to the recorded video.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/