Top 10 Free Video Recorder for PC | Record Video on Windows Free

Video recording on computers is often a problem and takes much time. Making a tutorial, live streaming on YouTube, recording gameplay, and many other situations need you to record video or screen on computers. However, video recording can be very easy if you use a video recording app to help you. The best free video recorder can help you to record your videos or screen easily with a few steps, and even live streaming can be easy with the best video capture software.

This article provides you with the 10 best video recording software for PC that are free with features of video recording, screen recording, live streaming, webcam recording, video editing, etc. These fully-featured apps simplify your video recording process and give you a wonderful video recording experience. Learn more about them and choose one that suits you best.

Best 10 Free Video Recorders for PC - Overview

All the 10 best video recorders have screen recording features and can record different parts of the screen with audio from the speaker or microphone. The differences mainly lie in if an app installation is needed, if camera recording is supported, how convenient it is, and whether it is free or with a free trial. Let’s compare them with each other and give ratings to each one according to their ease of use and practicalities.

1. iTop Screen Recorder - Full Featured Video Recorder for Windows 10/11

iTop Screen Recorder is a best free video recorder for PC that is very easy to use and has most features that screen recording needs. It is the best video capture software considering its convenience. You can use it to record part of screen, full screen, a window, or even a part with a fixed ratio of the screen and add your sound to the recording. You can even take a screenshot while recording.

How to record a video with the screen recorder for PC? Follow the guide.

Step 1. Download and install iTop Screen Recorder on your PC. It is fully compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7.

Step 2. Launch iTop Screen Recorder. Go to Record > Screen. Select recording area and choose recording options.

• Turn on Speaker to record a video with system audio.
• Turn on Mic to record a video with your voice.
• Turn on Webcam to record a video with yourself.
• Turn on all the options to record video with audio and webcam at the same time.

Step 3. Click REC to start recording. A mini control bar appears the moment it records. Click the Done button to stop recording anytime you want to end. The recorded video is saved to Files > Video. From here, you can play, edit and manage the recording at will.

2. OBS - Open Source Video Recorder and Streaming App for PC

OBS is a free and open-source software for video recording and live streaming. Considered one of the best video recorders for PC which has most of the common features you need when recording a video except video editing. OBS is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it is fully featured on all these 3 operating systems. You can capture the view from your computer screen, a webcam, a video capture card, a camera, or even an existing video and put them together on one screen. More importantly, live streaming on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and other websites is supported on OBS. 

Besides, as an open-source software equipped with a powerful API, OBS enables plugins and scripts to provide further customization and functionality specific to your needs. Many helpful plugins and scripts from developers can be found in the resources section on OBS Forum.

To use OBS to record video or live stream, you need to get it from the official website obsproject.com. The main steps of recording video or live streaming with OBS are as follows.

Step 1 Add and name your recording or live streaming scene.

Step 2 Add one or several sources to capture videos and change the video and audio settings if you need to.

Step 3 If you are recording a video, just click start recording to record. If you are live streaming, choose or add a streaming service in the settings and then start live streaming.

Also Read: How to Record Discord Calls with OBS >>

3. StoryXpress Screen Recorder - Helpful Video Recorder on Chrome

StoryXpress is a free Chrome extension for video recording. Webcam recording, screen recording, voice recording, window recording, Chrome screen recording, and screen recording with a camera showed in a bubble can all be achieved with StoryXpress.

Apart from these basic recording features, StoryXpress also has the function to edit video online, which helps you to directly edit the video you recorded without downloading and installing any video editor. Moreover, you can share the video you recorded with anyone with a link.

As for compatibility, it supports all systems that Chrome can be installed, including macOS, Linux, and Windows. All you need to do is search StoryXpress on Chrome Web Store, and add the extension to your Chrome. 

Detailed recording steps with StoryXpress:

Step 1 Click the StoryXpress extension and log in. You can log in directly with your Google account.

Step 2 Choose the view you want to capture, screen, windows, Google tab, or webcam, and then start recording.

Your recorded videos will be stored on the cloud, and you can edit, download or share them at any time.

You may like: How to Record Your Screen on Mac

4. iCapture - Simple Video Recorder Chrome Extension

iCapture is also a free screen recorder extension on Google Chrome, with screen recording, Chrome tab recording, and app window recording services. It is even more simple than StoryXpress. If you need to record your screen on the computer without a webcam or editing and don’t want to download and install any apps, iCaptue is a good choice for you. iCapture can also be found on Chrome Web Store, and it just takes two steps to record your screen. Choose video source and audio source and then start recording.

5. Reelia - Edge Extension to Record & Edit Video

Reelia is a video recording and editing extension on Edge browser. If you are using Edge not Chrome as your Browser, then Screen Recorder might be the extension you want to record video with. Compared with StoryXpress and iCpature, Reelia has camera recording and video editing features, and it doesn’t need users to log in. The recorded video on Reelia can be directly downloaded or edited with a video editor, and the recording steps of Reelia are similar to StoryXpress.

One disadvantage of browser extension video recorder is that they cannot record a part of the screen or a window on the screen. If you want to record these kinds of videos, you would better choose apps instead.

6. QuickTime Player - Built-in Video Recorder on Mac

QuickTime Player is a built-in app on Mac that has features of video, screen, and audio recording. This app is only available on macOS and you don’t have to download it. You can directly find it on your iMac, MacBook, Mac Pro, or other devices that run macOS. 

QuickTime Player is originally designed as a video player for Mac. It cannot be used to edit video or to record the screen and camera at the same time. And the video recorded with QuickTime Player is in “mov” format, which means you need to transfer the format to “mp4” or play with the players that support “mov”.

To record video or screen with QuickTime Player, you open it and find the recording options at “file”, and then choose a mode to record.

7. ActivePresenter - Free Presentation Maker with Video Recorder

ActivePresenter is a presentation maker app that has the feature of video recording & editing. Like other best video recorder software apps, it allows users to record screen and camera with sound from speaker and microphone. However, ActivePresenter is a paid app, but it provides users with a free personal edition, which means non-commercial personal use is totally free.

As ActivePersenter is a presentation maker app, it may be a little complicated to record a video with it and export the video. However, if you want to record a video or make a presentation, then it may be your best video recorder software.

8. Wondershare DemoCreator - Video Recorder & Editor

Wondershare DemoCreator, the best video capture software that is free and provides a video editor, may be the choice of people who want to have an app that can record videos and edit them easily. The video recording part of the app is very simple but contains most of the common features. Therefore, it’s very easy to record the screen or a video with Wondershare DemoCreator. Besides, the video editor is also very useful. You can edit the video and its audio separately, and the editor is full-featured as well.

However, if you already have a video editor, then the video editor in Wondershare DemoCreator is not recommended. The editor might not be as professional as yours.

9. Camtasia - Professional Video Recording Software for PC

Camtasia is a popular paid screen and video recorder software, but it provides users with 30 days trial. If you are not a long-term user, this app can also be the best video recorder software for you.

The basic video recording functions like screen recording, camera recording, and audio recording are all available on Camtasia. And the operating interface of video recording on Camtasia is very simple and easy to use.

Camtasia is also popular for its video editor integrated into the software, which has a lot of functions. You can record your screen, camera, or both and then edit it with Camtasia, and a video editor is no more needed as there’s already a professional one.

10. CloudApp - Simple Video Recorder with Sharing Feature

CloudApp, as its name suggests, is a video recorder with an online feature. The recorder of CloudApp is very simple, but it has some unique features, such as recording the screen as GIF and annotating on the screenshot. You can record your screen and make GIFs directly without any other tool and make a screenshot and annotate on it using CloudApp.

CloudApp is also the best video capture software that can be used on Windows and macOS as software, and Chrome as an extension. That means it can be used on almost all the commonly used operating systems. It has video trim/cut features as well. And video sharing on CloudApp is very convenient, you can create a group on it and share your videos with your friend online.

However, the app provides free users with limited recording time, 90 seconds for video and 15 seconds for GIF. Payment is needed for unlimited recording.

Conclusion

Video recording on the computer can be very easy if you use these best video recorders for help. Each of these video recorders has its advantages or unique features, and you should choose the one that best meets your demands. iTop Screen Recorder is a completely free and easy app for screen video recording. It can give you a pleasant screen video recording experience. Try it now and record your screen video unlimitedly!