The best free online screen recorder in 2026: ten tools compared on audio and time limits
Steffen Rosenögger, Founder of CapmeUpdated November 1, 2026
The 10 best free online screen recorders for 2026, compared on audio and time limit, for tutorials, training and teams. Plus Windows and Mac with sound.
In short
- On their own pages, checked 7 October 2026, Panopto Express and the Screenity extension set no time limit on free recordings either. A free take stops after 60 minutes on VEED, 30 on Clipchamp, Riverside, Screencastify and Vidyard, 15 on ScreenPal and 5 on Loom.
- VEED and Riverside put a watermark on free videos, and Screencastify lists watermark removal only on its paid plans. Loom and Vidyard keep free videos in their own libraries and Screencastify shares them by link; the other seven let you download or export a file.
- As checked in Capme's code on 7 October 2026, the /studio recorder writes each take to the browser's own storage while it records, with no server involved.
For a free online screen recorder with no time limit and nothing to download, try Capme Screen Recorder. It runs in a browser tab, records up to 1080p for as long as you talk and gives you an MP4. We make Capme, so read the rest with that in mind. Saving asks for an email address the first time, and on the Free plan the frame carries a small "Recorded with Capme" line above the picture.
Record without a time limit
Free, in your browser, nothing to install.
A browser screen recorder is free screen recording software that runs as a web page or a browser extension and records your screen and camera with the browser's own APIs.
How do you record your screen on Windows, a Mac or a phone?
- Windows 10 and 11: Win+Alt+R starts the Xbox Game Bar recording of the open app, sound included. For the whole desktop or part of it, open the Snipping Tool on Windows 11 and switch it to video.
- Mac: Cmd+Shift+5 opens a bar with "Record Entire Screen" and "Record Selected Portion".
- iPhone and iPad: Screen Recording in Control Center. Android: the Screen record tile in Quick Settings.
- In the browser: capme.app/studio records screen, camera and microphone in a tab, also on a work laptop where you are not allowed to install anything.
Free screen recorder with audio: can you record sound?
Yes, but which sound you get depends on the tool. Capme records your microphone and, in Chrome or Edge, the sound of a shared tab as well, or of the whole computer on Windows; switch the sound on in the browser's share dialog. The Game Bar on Windows records the app's sound. The Mac's built-in recorder takes only the microphone, and the computer's own sound needs extra software.
Which free online screen recorder records unlimited length?
Three of the ten set no time limit on a free recording: Capme Screen Recorder, Panopto Express and Screenity. Of those, Panopto Express and Screenity also put nothing on the video, by their own account. The rest stop a free take between 5 and 60 minutes.
| Recorder | Longest recording, free | What the free plan puts on the video |
|---|---|---|
| Capme Screen Recorder | No time limit | "Recorded with Capme" in the top margin; your own logo on Solo |
| Panopto Express | No time limit | Nothing, says Panopto |
| Screenity (Chrome extension) | No time limit | Nothing, says Screenity |
| VEED | 60 minutes, every plan | VEED watermark on every free export |
| Clipchamp | 30 minutes per recording | Nothing, says Microsoft |
| Riverside | 30 minutes each time | A watermark on every free recording |
| Screencastify | 30 minutes, up to 10 videos | Not stated; "Remove Castify Watermark" is listed on paid plans only |
| Vidyard Free | 30 minutes, 5 videos a month | Not stated on Vidyard's page |
| ScreenPal | 15 minutes at a time | Nothing, says ScreenPal |
| Loom | 5 minutes on Starter | Nothing, says Loom |
By our own arithmetic (length divided by the per-take limit, rounded up), a 42-minute product demo takes 9 recordings on Loom's free plan, 3 on ScreenPal and 2 on Clipchamp, Riverside, Screencastify or Vidyard. VEED, Panopto Express, Screenity and Capme get it in 1. A 20-minute onboarding walkthrough takes 4 on Loom, 2 on ScreenPal and 1 everywhere else. Which recorders leave the file unmarked, installed ones included, is the subject of our guide to the free screen recorder without a watermark.
5:01 minutes is how long a screen recording runs at the median, leaving out clips under a minute.
Which free screen recorders need an account, and where does the file go?
Panopto Express, Riverside's free recorder, ScreenPal and Screenity let you record and download without signing up. Loom and Vidyard keep your videos in their own libraries, and Screencastify shares them by link. The VEED screen recorder takes up to 60 minutes on every plan and uploads the take to VEED, where you edit, download or share it (VEED support, recorder, checked 7 October 2026). VEED's support page on watermarks, checked 7 October 2026, says: "All projects exported while you weren't logged into an account or used a free account will have a VEED.IO watermark."
| Recorder | Account | Where the file goes | Free resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capme Screen Recorder | None to record; an email address to save | Your browser, then an MP4 on your device | Up to 1080p |
| Panopto Express | No sign-up | MP4 download, YouTube, Google Classroom or Panopto | Not stated on Panopto's page |
| Screenity | None needed | Your computer or your Google Drive | Not stated for the free extension |
| VEED | Optional; free exports carry the watermark either way | Uploaded to VEED, then edit, download or share | 720p |
| Clipchamp | Microsoft account | Clipchamp's video editor | Up to 1080p |
| Riverside | No sign-up | MP4 download to your device | 720p |
| Screencastify | Not stated on its pricing page | Shared by link | Up to 1080p |
| Vidyard Free | Vidyard account | Your Vidyard library; videos never expire | Not stated on Vidyard's page |
| ScreenPal | No sign-up | Your computer or ScreenPal hosting | Not stated clearly for the free plan |
| Loom | Sign-up | Loom, shared by link | 720p |
What does a recording with Capme Screen Recorder look like?
- Open capme.app/studio. Recording needs no sign-in; the browser asks for camera and microphone.
- Pick 480p, 720p or 1080p, and a background, blur or the teleprompter if you want them (recording a presentation with the teleprompter). Click "Share screen" and choose a window or tab.
- Press Record. Ending a screen share drops you back on the camera without stopping the take; press Stop when you are done and trim the start and end.
- Press Save to device. The first time, enter an email address and the six-digit code it receives; then the MP4 downloads.
On Free you send the file yourself, since there are no share links, and the logo slot holds Capme's line. Solo adds links, your own logo and a shelf of 50 videos in EU-hosted storage for 9 € a month, and you can try it free for 14 days. Recording for a team? Capme Meetings replaces status meetings with recorded topics, and the people who watch never pay.
How long can you record on Loom's free plan?
Loom's free plan records for five minutes. Its Starter plan FAQ lists "5-minute recording limits" and a library of up to 25 videos and screenshots, archived ones included (Loom's Starter plan FAQ, checked 7 October 2026). Starter records at up to 720p (Atlassian support, recording quality, checked 7 October 2026) and, by Loom's own page, puts no mark on the video and shares it by link (Loom's page on watermarks, checked 7 October 2026). The Loom comparison sets Loom and Capme side by side.
What is the best free screen recorder for Windows in 2026?
On Windows 10 or 11, the best free screen recorder is the same browser recorder you would pick on any computer: Capme, Panopto Express and Screenity run in Chrome or Edge, and Riverside says its recorder supports Windows and Mac. If your company runs Microsoft 365, the work version of Clipchamp may already be there, though Microsoft says your IT team has to enable it first (Microsoft support, Clipchamp products, checked 7 October 2026). For installed tools such as the Snipping Tool and OBS, see our comparison of free screen recorders for Windows and Mac.
Can you record your screen without downloading anything?
Capme, Panopto Express and Riverside's recorder run in a tab with nothing to install. Screenity is a Chrome extension, Vidyard records through an extension or a desktop app (Vidyard Free limits, checked 7 October 2026), and ScreenPal also offers downloads for Windows and Mac. On a work laptop without admin rights, a recorder in a tab is often the only one you can start today, since IT may block extensions too. Desktop software is the better fit for multi-track editing, transitions and effects.
Which free online screen recorder should you pick?
We would look at the time limit per take first, because it is the one you find out about mid-sentence. Then:
- Capme Screen Recorder, if one take has to run as long as it needs, the file should stay with you and an email address to save is fine.
- Panopto Express, if you want no length limit and nothing on the video, and its resolution suits you.
- Screenity, if a Chrome extension is allowed and the file should go to your disk or Google Drive.
- VEED or Clipchamp, if you mainly edit afterwards; Clipchamp exports clean, VEED marks free exports.
- Riverside, Screencastify or Vidyard, if 30 minutes is enough. Riverside watermarks free recordings, Screencastify allows 10 videos and Vidyard 5 a month.
- ScreenPal or Loom, if your recordings stay under 15 or 5 minutes.
Record your first video
Open the recorder, hit record, save the MP4.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there really no length limit on Capme's free recorder?
- The recorder sets none. The practical ceiling is the disk space your browser lets the page use, since the take is written there while you record. A 1080p take fills it faster than 720p.
- Do browser screen recorders work on a Mac?
- Yes, in Chrome or Edge on macOS, the browsers most of them are built for. Safari is the weak spot; Capme's recorder shows a notice there that it may not record cleanly. Check the vendor's browser list before a long take.
- Which free recorder lets me send a link instead of a file?
- Loom and Screencastify share free videos by link, Vidyard keeps them in its library, and Panopto Express can share to YouTube. On Capme, links start with Solo; on Free you send the MP4 yourself.
- May I record customer data with a free screen recorder?
- Ask your IT team or data protection officer which tools are approved before you press record. A file that stays on your device stays out of the vendor's cloud; where you store and send it next is up to you.