Snagit has become the benchmark for capturing and recording screen content - with super-smooth screenshots and video capture, plus some nifty editing tricks up its sleeve. However, the versatile tool comes with a price tag after the 15-day free trial period ends. Fortunately, there are quite a few free Snagit alternatives that provide comparable functionality. With the following list of the best 7 free alternatives to Snagit, you can easily capture and record your screen, and get the results you need.
iTop Screen Recorder - Best Free Snagit Alternative for Windows
Whether you need to grab a full-screen shot, a specific region, or bust out your webcam, this tool is the ultimate choice on the free Snagit alternatives list. With its ability to record system audio, microphone input, or both, iTop Screen Recorder provides a versatile solution for creating tutorials, capturing online meetings, or recording gameplay in HD (up to 4K 120fps) without lags. With its built-in video editing features, you can trim, cut, merge, and add text overlays, watermarks, and effects, to name a few.
Key Features:
- Capture the full screen, a specific window, or a selected region.
- Include a webcam feed alongside the screen recording.
- Record high-resolution gameplay with GPU acceleration.
- Adjust recording settings such as resolution, frame rate, and encoder.
- Video editing like trimming, cutting, adding watermarks, and text overlays.
Snipping Tool - Snagit Free Alternative Included in Windows
Snipping Tool is a standard feature included in Windows 10 and 11, allowing you to capture various types of screenshots, including full-screen, rectangular, free-form, and window-specific captures. Once captured, these images can be annotated with pens, highlighters, or erasers before being saved as image files or shared via email. When coming to Windows 11, it adds a new screen recording feature to record your screen with audio easily. Compared to other free Snagit alternatives, Snipping Tool has a straightforward interface with basic features. But advanced editing options are sorely lacking in this one.
Key Features:
- Versatile capture modes.
- Annotate captures with pens, highlighters, and erasers.
- Save captured images as PNG, GIF, JPEG, or MHTML files.
- Available to record screen and audio on Windows 11.
- Built-in to Windows 10/11, requiring no additional downloads.
OBS Studio - Open Source Free Alternative to Snagit
Live streaming and video recording just got a lot easier with OBS Studio, free open-source software that puts professional-grade production within anyone's reach. As one of the best Snagit free alternatives, it allows you to easily broadcast to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and beyond in one fell swoop, instead of publishing duplicate content across different platforms. This version gets granular with audio mixing, scene management, and customization options, giving you more control. However, it’s less user-friendly for simple screenshots or recording tasks. In such cases, user-friendly free tools like Snagit or simpler screen capture software might be more suitable.
Key Features:
- Capture desktop activity, specific windows, or game footage.
- Broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously.
- Basic editing tools for trimming, cutting, and combining clips.
- Highly customizable with plugins and scripts.
- Create complex scenes with multiple sources (images, videos, text, etc.).
Bandicam - Lightweight Free Snagit Alternative for PC
Add Bandicam to the list of free Snagit alternatives. The popular screen recording software is known for its high-quality video capture capabilities. Primarily designed for high frame rate gaming and video recording, it offers a range of features for users with diverse needs. With crystal-clear recordings that are comparable to pristine quality, you'd hardly notice a blip in performance. The free version adds a watermark to recorded videos. There’s no cloud storage integration, meaning that you have to manage recorded files locally.
Key Features:
- Record video from external devices like webcams and game consoles.
- Capture system sound, microphone input, or both.
- Optimized for recording gameplay with high frame rates.
- Annotate screen recordings with various drawing tools.
- Produce high-definition recordings with minimal compression artifacts.
ScreenRec - Snagit Alternative Free with no Watermark
With ScreenRec, recording and sharing videos becomes a breeze, free from complicated steps and frustrating learning curves. With the Snagit alternative Windows, just record and share your screen's every move - a snapshot of the action, edited to perfection, and spread to anyone you like. There are no local storage limitations. Different from other Snagit alternatives, it requires a stable internet connection for recording and sharing.
Key Features:
- Record screen on Windows 10/11 with webcam and audio.
- Videos are directly uploaded to the cloud without local storage limitations.
- Offer basic editing options like trimming and merging.
- Add annotations, transcriptions, and colorful highlights.
- Easy sharing options via link or embed code.
ScreenPal - Cross-platform Free Alternative to Snagit
Add ScreenPal to the selection of free Snagit alternatives. ScreenPal is a cloud-based screen recording and video editing software designed to help users create and share engaging visual content. Thanks to real-time collaboration, it’s efficient for team projects. The Snagit alternative can experience lag or slowdowns with high-resolution recordings or complex projects.
Key Features:
- Record part of screen, your entire screen, a specific window, or webcam footage.
- Add text, define areas with shapes, and point out details with arrows.
- Trim, cut, merge, and other basic editing tools.
- Real-time collaboration features for team projects.
- Record screen and webcam for face-to-camera presentations.
Loom - Online Free Screen Capture Tool Like Snagit
Loom makes it easy to capture your screen, webcam, or both, and share the recording with anyone via a simple link or embed code. With this alternative to Snagit, it’s no longer the case of tedious editing and lengthy rendering - instead, you get lightning-fast creation and sharing that facilitates seamless communication and teamwork. The free plan of the online screen recorder offers 5 minutes of recording per video and a storage limit of 25 videos.
Key Features:
- Record screen and camera easily.
- Offer Chrome extension, desktop app, and mobile app.
- Easy video sharing and embedding.
- Access to Stack, Gmail, and other popular platforms.
- Track video views and engagement.
Also Read: Free Screen Recorder with no Time Limit >>
Comparison of 7 Best Free Snagit Alternatives
With the best free Snagit alternatives lined up, just zero in on the distinct advantages and disadvantages that define each tool. Here's a detailed rundown of what you can expect from each option.
iTop Screen Recorder |
Snipping Tool |
OBS Studio |
Bandicam |
ScreenRec |
ScreenPal |
Loom |
|
Platform |
Windows |
Windows |
Windows, macOS, Linux |
Windows |
Windows, macOS |
Windows, macOS |
Windows, macOS |
Function |
Screen recording, editing, screenshot |
Image capture, screen recording (only for Windows 11) |
Live streaming, screen recording, video editing |
Screen recording, game recording |
Screen recording, video sharing |
Screen recording, video editing, screencasting |
Screen recording, video messaging |
Free Version |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Free plan with limitations |
Free plan with limitations |
Video Format |
MP4, MOV, AVI |
PNG, JPEG, GIF |
MP4, FLV, MKV, TS |
MP4, AVI, MP4, FLV |
MP4, GIF |
MP4, MOV, GIF |
MP4 |
Audio Recording |
System audio, microphone |
No |
System audio, microphone |
System audio, microphone |
System audio, microphone |
System audio, microphone |
System audio, microphone |
Screen Capture |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Webcam Recording |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Game Recording |
Optimized |
No |
Optimized |
Optimized |
Yes |
No |
No |
Annotations |
Advanced |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Video Editing |
Basic and advanced |
No |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Conclusion
Snagit doesn’t have a free version. If you want to find a free solution to record screens and edit with ease, try the best free Snagit alternatives introduced here. For Windows users, iTop Screen Recorder is a good choice. The free screen recorder helps you create high-quality screenshots/screen recordings in a few clicks and delivers a smooth screen capture process with GPU acceleration. Basic and advanced editing features are well built into the tool. So why not try? It can't hurt.