Whether you need to record a tutorial, capture a video call, or save moments from your favorite games, a screen recorder is indispensable. Windows PC users have an endless variety of great options for screen recording. But if you’re looking for a screen recorder for Mac, you’d find that there are relatively fewer good options. 

So, to save you the stress of digging around, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the 11 best screen recorders you can leverage to record moments on your Mac PC.

Screen Studio

Screen Studio offers robust screen recording functionalities for capturing webinars, tutorials, games, and more. It is designed to help you make “beautiful” screen recordings with smooth cursor movement, cinematic motion blur, and background padding.

Price: standard starts at $89/user

Features: 

  • Smooth cursor movement
  • Zoom & follow mouse clicks
  • Cinematic motion blur
  • Wallpaper & window frame
  • Ability to record an iPhone simulator for mobile app demos
  • Selfie camera support
  • Automatic size balancing

Cross-platform compatibility: macOS only

Pros Cons
  • Intuitive interface
  • Feature-rich
  • No edit skills are needed since Screen Studio applies such settings as smooth transitions, cinematic blur, and zooms on clicks automatically
  • No free trial

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is an open-source screen recording software for Mac, Windows, and Linux systems.

Thanks to its large community of sponsors and backers, OBS packs a ton of features for a robust screen recording experience. The software also comes with an API, enabling users to customize and extend its functionalities with plugins and scripts.

Price: free

Features: 

  • Screen recording with webcam and overlays
  • Streaming to Twitch, YouTube, and other websites
  • Audio mixing
  • Ability to use plugins
  • Plenty of options for customization

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS, Windows, and Linux

Pros Cons
  • Free and open-source
  • Powerful screen recording capabilities
  • Customizable recording settings
  • Live streaming capabilities
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Steep learning curve
  • No official customer support
  • May require additional plugins to get specific features

ScreenPal

Screenpal, formerly known as Screencast-O-Matic, focuses on speed and simplicity as its key strengths. It doesn’t require creating an account before usage, allowing you to start recording without delays. It offers basic functionalities like recording specific screen areas, recording audio from your mic, and resizing webcam videos.

Price: free version, premium starts from $3/month

Features: 

  • Record screen, webcam, or both
  • Record audio voice narration
  • Remove, blur, or replace the background 
  • Trim recordings
  •  Add music (including free stock music)
  • Add a captions file
  • Zoom in while recording
  • Create animated GIFs

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS, Windows, IOS, Android, ChromeOS

Pros Cons
  • Easy to use
  • Affordable premium version
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Limited recording time (15 min), quality output, and features in the free version
  • Internet connection is required to run the application

Camtasia

Camtasia stands out from other screen recording tools because it has a robust built-in video editor with advanced functionalities you can leverage to take your recorded videos to another level.

Price: $299/user (one-year maintenance included)

Features:

  • Recording with webcam and overlays
  • Cursor effects to help you focus attention on specific onscreen elements
  • Has an in-built video editor with a range of  advanced features, such as annotations, media files, and transitions
  • Supports a wide range of image, audio, and video file formats—REC, MP4, Lottie, Apple ProRes, JPEG, GIF, MP3, WAV, etc.

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS and Windows

Pros Cons
  • Robust video editing capabilities
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Offers a one-time lifetime license fee or an annual subscription option for updates, providing flexibility in pricing models
  • Relatively expensive
  • Requires a moderate to high system configuration for smooth performance
  • Some users may find the constant updates and subscription model inconvenient or costly in the long run

Movavi Screen Recorder

Movavi takes screen recording a notch higher by adding personalization functionalities like onscreen drawing, click sounds, and record scheduling. It provides users with the essential features they need to record their screens more efficiently.

Price: free trial, premium for $15.95/year or $20.95 lifetime

Features:  

  • Record video chats, screencasts, online videos, and other kinds of screen activity
  • Record sound from multiple audio devices simultaneously
  • Take screenshots and edit them
  • Highlight the cursor, set your own click sound, and capture keyboard actions
  • Schedule recordings
  • On-video drawing functionality
  • Save captured video in any popular media format
  • Share your creations online on YouTube or upload them to Google Drive

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS and Windows

Pros Cons
  • Easy to use
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Multiple recording options
  • Comes with basic video editing features
  • Watermark in the free version
  • Limited recording time, quality output, and features in the free version

ScreenFlow

As the two counterparts discussed above, ScreenFlow offers a combination of video editing and screen recording functionalities, allowing users to create, edit, and share their videos within a few clicks.

Price: free trial, premium start at $169/user

Features: 

  • Record screen and webcam
  • Built-in Stock Media Library
  • Ability to add transitions, text animations, video animations, freehand annotations, multi-channel audio, and more
  • Ability to animate graphics, titles, and logos with built-in video and text animations
  • Closed Caption Support

Cross-platform compatibility: macOS only

Pros Cons
  • Easy to use
  • Rich built-in stock media library
  • Stream-lined media management
  • Robust video editing features
  • Relatively expensive
  • Limited export options

ApowerRec

ApowerRec describes itself as the best screen recorder in the market, and considering its robust functionalities and smooth interface, it does have a spot among the best.

Alongside enhanced screen recording capabilities, ApowerRec also comes with a basic video editor for trimming and watermarking.

Price: premium start at $29.95/month

Features: 

  • Allows real-time annotations
  • Supports webcam video recording
  • Enables task scheduling for recording PC screens/webcam automatically
  • Supports “spotlight recording” for emphasizing specific parts of the screen in real-time

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Pros Cons
  • Task scheduler
  • Real-time editing
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Multiple output formats
  • Limited export options
  • Limited free version

TinyTake

Built by MangoApps, TinyTake is a simple screen capture and video recording software that enables you to capture images, record your screen, add comments, and share your generated content for free.

It doesn’t pack several advanced features, but it does an excellent job of ensuring its basic functionalities are efficient and reliable.

Price: free, premium starts at $29.95/year;

Features: 

  • Record your screen for up to 120 minutes
  • Record a video using your webcam
  • Capture a region, a window, or your fullscreen 
  • Capture an image with your webcam
  • Copy to clipboard or save it locally
  • Open, annotate, and share an existing image
  • Zoom in and zoom out during recording
  • Store screenshots 
  • and recorded videos in the cloud  
  • Assign custom shortcut keys 
  • Proxy server friendly

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS and Windows

Pros Cons
  • Easy to use
  • Multiple recording options
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Cloud storage and sharing
  • Limited recording time (5 min) in the free version
  • Limited advanced settings such as customizing video formats, resolution, bitrate, etc

Screenapp.io

Screenapp.io is a cloud-based screen recording software that allows users to record their PC screen, webcam, and microphone. It offers features like video editing, annotations, and team collaboration, making it ideal for remote teams and e-learning.

Price: free, premium from $7/month

Features: 

  • Record a video of your screen online
  • Record a video using your webcam online
  • Team space for collaboration
  • Transcription tool for automatically converting meeting recordings to text
  • A recording API for integrating plugins

Cross-platform compatibility: All operating systems since it’s an online-based screen recorder

Pros Cons
  • Easy to use
  • No installation is required
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Offers unlimited recording up to 3 hours
  • Great for remote teams
  • Internet connection required
  • Does not support Safari

ActivePresenter

ActivePresenter is an all-in-one screen recording and video editing software that provides advanced features such as interactive quizzes, animations, and annotations. It offers several output formats and compatibility with various devices, making it ideal for e-learning and business presentations.

Price: free version, premium starts from $199

Features:

  • Upgrading screen recordings to a fully-fledged teaching tool
  • Converting existing presentations into online courses
  • Exporting content in HTML or embedding HTML packages in the program
  • Smart annotation that automatically generates descriptions while recording actions on the screen

Cross-platform compatibility: MacOS, Windows

Pros Cons
  • Interactive content creation
  • Different export options
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Clear interface for instructors
  • Robust collection of features
  • Not a budget choice
  • Steep learning curve
  • Limited features in the free trial version

ScreenRec

ScreenRec is a lightweight screen recorder that lets you capture high-quality recordings of your desktop, webcam, and microphone with just a few clicks. Its cloud-based storage and sharing options make it easy to share your videos and collaborate with others. Furthermore, it’s free and doesn’t require any registration or subscription.

Price: free

Features: 

  • Recording screen and webcam
  • Online and offline recording
  • Ability to add bubbles, shapes, text, and arrows to screenshots
  • Analytics tool to show who watched your videos, when, and how long they watched
  • Content encryption to ensure you control who gets access to your recording files

Cross-platform compatibility: Mac OS, Windows, Linux

Pros Cons
  • Free to use, pro features are available for those who have an account
  • Easy to use
  • Multi-platform compatibility
  • Simple online sharing
  • You can’t share or record for more than 5 minutes without creating an account
  • No video editing tools

Additional Option: macOS Built-in Screen Recorder

The macOS in-built Screen Recorder is a simple yet powerful tool for capturing high-quality recordings of your desktop or selected areas. It offers features like microphone capture, mouse clicks highlighting, and quick sharing options to make creating and sharing your recordings easy. Plus, it’s free and doesn’t require any additional software installation.

Price: free

Features:

  • Record your entire screen or focus on a selected portion
  • Option to capture audio from the system or a connected microphone
  • Ability to record mouse clicks and keystrokes
  • Option to show or hide the mouse cursor during recording
  • Ability to choose the video quality and frame rate
  • Easy access to the recording controls through the Control Center; or the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+5

Cross-platform compatibility: macOS only

Pros Cons
  • No need to install any third-party software
  • Easy to use
  • Recordings can be easily integrated with other macOS applications such as iMovie, QuickTime, and Photos
  • Limited editing options
  • No support for external cameras
  • Limited file formats

Conclusion

Screen recorders have become essential for everyone—gamers, marketers, live coaches, remote teams, etc. Mac PCs do come with an in-built screen recording tool, but its features are not as extensive as most third-party alternatives. This was also the case with Windows Movie Maker just before Microsoft decommissioned it.

That said, this guide covered 11 of the best Mac screen recorders in 2023, with different features and functionalities, ranging from free to premium versions. 

So, be sure to choose the one that best fits your needs, preferences, budget, and technical abilities.

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