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At Charter, we’ve regularly highlighted use cases for screen-recording tools as part of our coverage on how to better manage yourself and your team. For example, we’ve encouraged readers to use video messages to cut down on time sending lengthy email responses while adding a more personal touch to communications. We’ve also shared Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen’s recommendation to replace unnecessary meetings with asynchronous communications using Loom.
In our own work, Chartists regularly include Looms or Slack videos in messages to respond quickly to inquiries, to create tutorials and standard operating procedures, and to quickly train colleagues filling in for someone who is out. And though Loom is the tool we use most often internally and cite most frequently in our newsletter, the number of screen recording tools out there made us wonder: How does it stack up to competitors?
Out of the six tools we tested, our overall pick was Dropbox Capture for its ease of use and recording features, though Loom did stand out as our pick for Chrome users for its excellent Chrome extension. Both services have free versions that allow users to store roughly two hours of video on their account and provide a platform for viewers to react and leave comments.
Our picks
Dropbox Capture
Our overall pick for its ease of use, video quality, and recording features. Users do need to have a free or paid Dropbox account to use this tool, but the Dropbox Capture app is separate from the file management software. The free version allows users to create up to two hours of videos, with no limits on the length of individual videos.
PROS
- The recorder is easy to use and captures high-quality videos with screen recording, a webcam, or both. Users can also edit the video before sharing.
- The app allows users to draw on the screen while recording, a unique feature that makes creating tutorials and explainers easier. Users can also opt to record just a portion of the screen, rather than capturing a whole window or tab.
- The online platform allows others to view, comment on, and react to recorded videos, and the users can easily embed videos into Slack and Notion just by pasting the link.
CONS
- Dropbox Capture does not have a Chrome extension, meaning that users must launch a separate app to record browser pages.
- There are no built-in integrations to directly embed or record videos with a single command within workplace apps like Slack and Notion.
Loom
Our pick for Chrome users looking for a tool that integrates seamlessly with their browser. Although Loom lacks some of the features that Dropbox Capture has, users make few compromises in terms of overall user experience and video quality. The free version allows users to record and store 25 videos (to record additional videos, users must first delete older Looms in their account), with up to five minutes of recording time for each video.
PROS
- The recorder is easy to use and captures high-quality videos with screen recording, a webcam, or both. Users can also edit the video before sharing.
- Loom’s seamless integration with Chrome through a browser extension is the biggest draw, allowing users to start a video directly from their toolbar or through a floating icon in the browser window.
- With built-in integrations in Slack, Notion, and other apps, it’s easy to share across workplace apps. Users can also share Loom videos directly with a link to a landing page where viewers can comment, react, and share.
CONS
- Loom has fewer features for interacting with content on screen while recording.
- The free version has a five-minute limit on videos.
Our process
We tested six tools—Descript, Dropbox Capture, Loom, Scribe, Slack’s video recording tool, and Veed—by creating short tutorials for the same set of actions using all of the platforms. Then, we shared the videos and watched them back by sending them in Slack and embedding them into a Notion page, mimicking our most commonly used applications for screen-recording tools.
We scored each platform on ease of use, sharing and integrations, performance, storage and access, and pricing.
Our recommendations
Our two top picks were neck and neck in terms of user experience and ease of use, performance and load time, and viewing experience. In particular, they both pulled ahead of the pack on usability and performance, both during the video recording process and for their video landing pages that allow users to react, comment, share the video, or view the video transcript. Both platforms also feature sharing links that allow users to easily watch videos in Slack or on Notion without redirecting to an external application or browser.
Dropbox’s added recording features put it over the edge, as users can annotate the screen with a pen tool or click animation. Although it lacks a Chrome plugin, this makes little difference for users who are on other browsers or recording other apps. Additionally, the free version allows users to record up to two hours of video, with no limit on length for individual videos.
Loom, meanwhile, limits video length to five minutes in the free version of the tool. The Chrome plugin allows you to start videos from your browser, either in the toolbar or using the floating controls on the browser screen. An added bonus for Loom is that it has a greater number of integrations in Slack, Notion, and other apps, though we didn’t find that these integrations made a meaningful difference in embedding and sharing videos compared to Dropbox Capture.
It’s worth noting, though, that while Dropbox Capture and Loom were the standout tools dedicated solely to creating videos and screen recordings, other platforms include a similar tool. For those who prefer to minimize the number of extensions and apps they download, or for those who rarely use screen recording, it may be worth using the native tools in the following platforms:
- Slack: The Slack screen recording tool lacks the bells and whistles of Loom or Dropbox Capture, but it works in a pinch to send a quick video response or screen recording to a colleague.
- Descript - Our pick for best AI podcast editor also features a screen and video recording tool that users can launch directly from the MacOS toolbar. Like our picks, Descript allows users to record using screen recording, a webcam, or both, and it generates web links for sharing. For teams already using Descript to edit audio and video files, it’s worth checking out.
Pricing deep dive
Dropbox Capture is included in all subscription levels of the file storage service, Dropbox.
- The free subscription level of Dropbox Basic and the paid levels of Dropbox Plus ($11.99/month if billed monthly or $9.99/month if billed yearly) and Dropbox Family ($19.99/month for six users if billed monthly or $16.99 if billed yearly) all include two hours total of recording, with no time limit for individual videos.
- For unlimited recording time up to the Dropbox storage limit, upgrade to Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise. These plans start at $22/month per seat if billed monthly or $18 if billed yearly. Enquire for enterprise pricing.
- For more on Dropbox pricing level, including the Dropbox features included at each tier, visit Dropbox’s website.
Loom has three pricing levels: free, Business, and Enterprise.
- The free version includes up to 25 videos per user (To record additional videos, users must first delete older clips stored on their account.), with a maximum length of five minutes per video and unlimited transcriptions. Users have full sharing permissions, including video privacy controls, viewer insights, and a team workspace.
- Upgrade to Business ($15 per user per month if billed monthly or $12.50/month if billed annually) for unlimited videos and recording length, as well as link embedding within videos, import and download permissions, password-protected videos, and no Loom branding. Business also includes Loom AI, an AI-powered tool that creates automatic titles, summaries, time-stamped chapters, and follow-up tasks, and removes filler words and silent pauses.
- For advanced sign-in, security, and data retention settings, as well as a Salesforce integration, upgrade to Enterprise. Enquire for pricing.
How we chose what to review
We sourced our six candidates using online research and suggestions from online workplace forums on Slack and Reddit. To narrow down our list, we included only tools that allow users to record both their screen and webcam video and allow users to easily share completed videos using a web link or other sharing platform.
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