The 6 best screen recorders for Mac. And which one suits you.

Q: What is the best free screen recorder for Mac?

For something quick, ⌘ ⇧ 5, which comes with macOS. To record your face and share a link, Hilo has a free plan: unlimited recording and editing, and 25 cloud videos up to 5 minutes. For live streams, OBS Studio.

Compared on what matters: recording your face, sharing a link and knowing who watched.

Updated November 2, 2026

The best screen recorder for Mac depends on what you record. To send videos with your face and an instant link: Hilo or Loom. For polished product demos: Screen Studio. For screenshots: CleanShot X. For something quick with nothing to install: ⌘ ⇧ 5 or QuickTime. For live streams: OBS Studio.

Hilo is our app. Data on the others comes from their own websites, as of November 2, 2026.

All 6 at a glance.

	Best for	Price	Free plan	Link when you finish
Hilo	Video and link	Free. Pro: €24/month or €199/year, VAT included	25 videos up to 5 min	Yes, already copied
Loom	Teams	Business: $18/month or $15/month billed yearly, per person	25 videos up to 5 min	Yes
Screen Studio	Product demos	$29/month or $9/month billed yearly	No	Yes
CleanShot X	Screenshots	Basic: $35 once. Pro: $10 per person/month billed yearly	No	Yes
⌘⇧5 and QuickTime	Nothing to install	Free	Built into macOS	No, it's a file
OBS Studio	Live streams	Free	Completely free	No, it's a file

Prices in US dollars from their websites as of November 2, 2026; they may change. Hilo's are in euros with VAT.

One by one.

Hilo

Best for sending videos with your face and a link

Press ⌘ ⇧ H, record your screen, camera and mic, and the link is copied the moment you stop. It zooms where you click, tells you who watched and how far, and also takes screenshots with ⌘ ⇧ 4.

Link copied when you stop; viewers need no account
Automatic zoom on clicks and smooth cursor
Per-viewer analytics, VSL mode and links AI can read

Mac only
Doesn't record the iPhone screen

Price: Free. Pro: €24/month or €199/year, VAT includedDownload Hilo →

Loom

Best for teams that also record on Windows or mobile

The best-known tool for async video: records screen and camera and gives you a link. Works on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, and is owned by Atlassian.

Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
Free plan with 25 videos up to 5 min
Owned by Atlassian, like Jira and Confluence

AI comes with Business + AI: $20/month billed yearly
Doesn't advertise automatic zoom on clicks

Price: Business: $18/month or $15/month billed yearly, per personHilo vs Loom →

Screen Studio

Best for polished product videos

Zooms automatically on clicks and smooths the cursor so a demo looks edited. Also records an iPhone or iPad screen over USB.

Automatic zoom and smooth cursor
Records iPhone or iPad over USB
Share links in 1080p at 60 fps

No free plan
Share links hold up to 30 minutes of video

Price: $29/month or $9/month billed yearlyHilo vs Screen Studio →

CleanShot X

Best for screenshots

The most complete screenshot app for Mac: scrolling capture, text from images (OCR), annotations and pinning to the screen. It also records video.

Scrolling capture and OCR
Annotations and pin to screen
One-time payment on the Basic plan

Basic includes 1 year of updates and 1 GB of cloud
Pro is billed per person, per month

Price: Basic: $35 once. Pro: $10 per person/month billed yearlyHilo vs CleanShot X →

⌘⇧5 and QuickTime

Best for something quick with nothing to install

Built into macOS. ⌘ ⇧ 5 records the whole screen or part of it, with your mic. QuickTime Player does the same and can show your camera in a separate window.

Free and already installed
Record screen and mic

Your face only shows by hand, in another window
You get a .mov file: no link

Price: FreeGuide: record your Mac screen →

OBS Studio

Best for live streams and scene-based recordings

Free and open source, on Mac, Windows and Linux. Mixes screens, cameras and text into scenes and streams live to YouTube or Twitch.

Free and open source
Scenes, sources and live streaming
Mac, Windows and Linux

Takes time to learn
Records a file: no share link

Price: Freeobsproject.com →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free screen recorder for Mac?

For something quick, ⌘ ⇧ 5, which comes with macOS. To record your face and share a link, Hilo has a free plan: unlimited recording and editing, and 25 cloud videos up to 5 minutes. For live streams, OBS Studio.

What is the best Loom alternative for Mac?

Hilo: it records like Loom, with the same free plan, and adds zoom on clicks, VSL mode and links AI can read. If your team uses Windows, Loom runs in more places. Hilo vs Loom.

Which Mac screen recorder also records your camera?

Hilo, Loom, Screen Studio and CleanShot X put your camera over the screen. With QuickTime you can only do it by hand, with the camera in another window.

Which screen recorder gives you a share link?

Hilo, Loom, Screen Studio and CleanShot X. With Hilo the link is already copied when you stop, and you know who opened it. ⌘ ⇧ 5, QuickTime and OBS Studio leave you a file.

Why is Hilo first?

It's our app, and it does in one step what people ask for most: screen, face and a link right away. That's why we also say when another one suits you better.

That meeting could’ve been a video.

Download Hilo for Mac