Loom was great until Atlassian bought them in 2023 and started jacking up the price. If you’re looking for a free or cheaper Loom alternative in 2026, here are the best options.
Quick picks
- For saving existing Loom videos: Pullsy’s Loom to MP4 — not a recorder, but lets you save Loom videos locally before the cap hits.
- For recording instead of Loom: OBS Studio (desktop) or Loom’s competitor Kap.
- For screen recording without a time limit: ScreenPal or ShareX.
- For team screen recording: Vimeo Record (free tier) or Zoom built-in recording.
Why people are leaving Loom in 2026
Loom’s free tier caps you at 25 videos per account with a 5-minute max each. That’s it — once you hit 25, you either pay or lose access. Atlassian’s enterprise push also added friction: mandatory work emails, mandatory SSO, mandatory workspace creation.
If you’re an individual creator or small team, Loom no longer makes sense.
The 6 best alternatives
1. OBS Studio — the desktop gold standard
- Free: fully, open source
- Watermark: none
- Time limit: none
- Account: not required
- Best for: long-form tutorials, anyone who wants full control
- Downside: complex UI; takes 30-60 min to learn
2. Kap — open source Mac app
- Free: yes
- Watermark: none
- Time limit: none
- Account: not required
- Best for: Mac users who want simple screen + face cam
- Downside: Mac only, no longer actively maintained (but still works)
3. ShareX — open source Windows app
- Free: yes
- Watermark: none
- Time limit: none
- Best for: quick GIFs, scrolling screenshots, annotations
- Downside: Windows only
4. ScreenPal
- Free: 15-min recordings, 720p
- Watermark: yes on free tier
- Account: required
- Best for: occasional quick captures
- Downside: watermark unless you pay
5. Vimeo Record
- Free: 1 recording/day, 25GB storage/year
- Watermark: none
- Account: required
- Best for: people who want hosting included
- Downside: aggressive upgrade prompts
6. Pullsy Loom-to-MP4 (not a recorder)
- Free: yes, unlimited
- Watermark: none
- Account: not required
- Best for: saving your existing Loom videos locally before the cap hits
- Note: this isn’t a recording alternative — it’s a way to keep your Loom library portable
Comparison table
| Tool | Free | Watermark | Time limit | Account | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBS Studio | ✅ | No | None | No | Power users |
| Kap | ✅ | No | None | No | Mac users |
| ShareX | ✅ | No | None | No | Windows + GIFs |
| ScreenPal | ⚠️ 15 min | Yes | 15 min | Yes | Quick captures |
| Vimeo Record | ⚠️ 1/day | No | None | Yes | Hosting included |
| Pullsy Loom to MP4 | ✅ | No | None | No | Save existing Looms |
My actual workflow
For recording new tutorials, I use OBS. The learning curve is real but it’s the only tool that gives you everything: no watermark, no time limit, no account, full resolution. There are dozens of 10-minute YouTube tutorials to learn the basics.
For saving my Loom library (when I need to keep the videos I already made), I use Pullsy’s Loom to MP4 tool. It’s the fastest way to download public Loom videos — paste the link, click Get video, save the MP4. The video file is yours forever, regardless of what happens to Loom’s pricing.
What about Zoom recording?
If you’re recording meetings, Zoom’s built-in cloud recording works fine for most teams (free tier gives 40-min recordings). For longer meetings or local backups, use Zoom’s “Record to this computer” option, which saves an MP4 locally.
What about Google Meet?
Google Meet has recording built-in but it requires Google Workspace (paid). For free alternatives, use OBS to record the browser tab.
A note on “AI screen recorders”
A new wave of “AI screen recorders” (Tactiq, Fathom, Read AI) auto-transcribe and summarize your meetings. Most are:
- Paid ($10-20/month)
- Privacy-questionable (they upload your meeting audio)
- More focused on meetings than tutorials
For tutorials, OBS + Pullsy (for transcripts) is still the best combo.
Final thoughts
Loom is still a fine product, but their pricing has shifted toward enterprise. If you’re an individual creator, OBS is the only honest answer. If you’re a Mac user who wants something simpler, Kap. If you need to save your existing Loom library, use Pullsy’s Loom to MP4 before your free videos expire.
Related guides
- For saving Loom videos, see our Loom video save guide.
- For Loom alternatives more broadly, see our best Loom alternatives list.
- For general video archiving, see our archive online content guide.