# Alternatives to OBS Studio The open source streaming and recording standard. OBS Studio ranks #10 of 11 in Screen recording, with an Alt Score of 40. It is licensed under GPL-2.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/obs-studio/ Category: Screen recording ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Streamers, content creators, and broadcasters who need to record video or stream live to platforms like Twitch and YouTube, from casual hobbyists to professional production setups. - **What you get**: Unlimited scenes built from multiple sources (webcams, window/screen captures, images, text, browser sources) that you can switch between live. An audio mixer with per-source filters like noise suppression and gain, plus VST plugin support. Studio Mode for previewing scenes before they go live, multiview for monitoring up to eight scenes at once, and hotkeys, custom transitions, and stinger clips for polished switching. It's free, open source, and extensible via a plugin/scripting API (Lua, Python). - **How it works**: You build scenes by adding and arranging sources, then use the mixer and filters to shape audio and video output. From there you either start a local recording or connect to a streaming service (via RTMP or platform integration) and go live, switching between scenes and sources in real time. ## Profile - **License**: GPL-2.0 (verified 2026-07-11) - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-11) - **Starts at**: ? - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux - **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 | [Bandicam](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandicam.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Windows | | 7 | [Streamlabs](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/streamlabs.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS | | 8 | [Kap](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kap.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS | | 9 | [Loom](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/loom.md) | 50 | ? | Windows, macOS, Browser extension | | 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 | OBS Studio | Tella | Camtasia | Cap | Screen Studio | ScreenFlow | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | Subscription | Subscription | Freemium | Subscription | One-time | | Starts at | ? | $13/month | €39.57/year | $29/year | $9/month | $199 | | License | GPL-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | 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 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Instant share link | No | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | | Watermark on free | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | | Annotation during recording | No | ? | ? | ? | No | No | | GIF export | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Cursor effects | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for OBS Studio. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: GPL-2.0 — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Version 2, June 1991” - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “OBS is free for anyone to use, for any reason” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Download and start streaming quickly and easily on Windows, Mac or Linux.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “OBS Studio 32.1.2” - **Max resolution & fps**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “On a 1080ti, nvenc encodes 2160p60 at max quality and 2160p120 at performance just fine.” - **Webcam overlay**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “The Video Capture Device Source allows you to add a variety of video devices, including but not limited to webcams and capture cards.” - **System + mic audio**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “By default, OBS Studio is set to capture your desktop audio and microphone.” - **Editing included**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “So you've just finished your Ultra-Mega-Marathon Streaming session... but now you need to cut out those not-so-funny-parts, the false starts, all those flubs, add some lower thirds, clean up/normalize” - **Instant share link**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Recording Path is where your recordings will go on your computer.” - **Watermark on free**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “OBS has no watermarks or other limitations and can be used commercially with no restrictions.” - **Annotation during recording**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “i want an option to annotate while screen recording or streaming, many recorders have this option.” - **GIF export**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Expect the output format to support gif” - **Cursor effects**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “The ability to highlight mouse cursor and mouse clicks is helpful when you're making a video tutorial or a video to demonstrate a bug when doing software testing” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/