Top 15 Video Capture Software You Must Try [Windows, Mac & Linux]

There are quite a lot of reasons that can make you want to record your computer’s screen – mostly when you’re creating a detailed tutorial or an explainer video. You will find many software applications with screen recording functions; however, not all are fit for use. When looking out for the best free video capture software, you should be conscious of certain features, especially annotation features. The best video capture software should definitely allow you to annotate and add other useful elements to your recorded video.

Interestingly, this article extensively covers the top best video capture software for macOS, Windows, and Linux OSes. Hence, irrespective of your computer’s operating system, you’ll find a perfect video capture software to use for your next explainer video or tutorial.

This article is divided into three parts, listing the most reliable video capture software for each computer operating system. You can quickly navigate with the table of content.

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Part One: Best Video Capture Software Mac

These video recording software apps work seamlessly on MacBook computers. However, some of them have Windows OS versions.

1. DVDFab Screen Recorder

The DVDFab 11 software comes with a free add-on video capture utility (available in the “Launchpad” module) that allows you to record/capture your iOS device screen on Windows or MacBook computers. To use DVDFab video capture solution, you need to connect your iOS device to your computer using a USB cable, and then select the “Screen Mirroring” features on your iPhone. DVDFab Screen Recorder & Editor works for Apple devices running on iOS 10 or iOS 11. It is packed with a lot of impressive video recording and editing features; plus, you can easily convert the recorded video into any format using DVDFab video converter.

2. QuickTime Player

Apple’s QuickTime Player can also serve as a reliable free video capture software for MacBook users. The QuickTime Player is available on most mac computers by default; hence you won't need to download any third-party software. Interestingly, this video capture utility on MacBooks supports keyboard shortcuts. Videos captured with QuickTime Player can be further edited and shared to/across different platforms. QuickTime Player is a versatile utility on Apple MacBooks, and if you’re looking for just a basic software to record your MacBook screen, QuickTime Player can be your best bet.

Note: QuickTime Player saves your recorded video in MOV format.

3. Use the Default On-Screen Recording Command for Mac

Unlike Windows, MacBooks come with quite a variety of built-in utilities that can help you record your screen; QuickTime Player is one of them, and by pressing Shift-Command (⌘)-5, you can also launch another on-screen recording utility available on mac.

However, this tool is only available on macOS Mojave or later versions. If your MacBook runs an older version, you should try out the other options on this listicle. Interestingly, there are a bunch of handy on-screen recording tools you’ll have access to when you try out this method to record your MacBook's screen. However, you won’t be able to choose an output format for your recorded video.

4. Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a professional video capture software that is available across various platforms and OSes. This video recording software comes with quite a lot of packages that'll help make your recorded clip appear as you wish. You can annotate your videos, add effects, and perform some quick video editing before sharing the recorded clips. With the Screencast-O-Matic video capture software, it’s easy to create educational videos, work videos, and more. However, to explore all the features of this app, you need to upgrade to its pro version. You can rely on this as an ideal alternative to the DVDFab iOS screen recorder for mac.

5. Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder

Maybe you prefer online tools to software-based applications; if that is your case, then Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder is one of the best free video capture software for mac. It is fully web-based and does not require you to download any software app. There are quite many on-screen recording tools supported by this online mac screen recording solution. You could mark out the part of your screen where you want ongoing activities, or simply record the entire screens. Also, this on-screen capture tool allows you to configure different settings to get what you want. This video capture software is good on to be considered by mac users.

Part Two: Video capture software windows 10

Here are the top best video capture software windows 10 applications. These software apps can also work on older Windows versions.

6. Debut Video Capture Software

The Debut video capture and screen recorder software is quite popular among Windows OS users. It is an intuitive free video capture software with support for a wide variety of valuable features. Interestingly, this can act as a perfect streaming video capture software because it allows you to record streaming videos and movies as they play. Debut video capture software is developed by NCH, a renowned windows software developer. More so, the captured videos can be saved in AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG, MP4, MOV, and other formats. For anyone looking for the best video capture software windows 10, this one is an ideal choice.

7. Camtasia Screen Recorder and Video Editor

Irrespective of the purpose you need to achieve with the on-screen video you wish to record, this Camtasia tool can help you out. It is a reliable, professional video capture software for Windows users. The software can run on Windows OS versions down to ver7. There are many handy features and built-in tools to find on the Camtasia screen recorder and video editor software. Thanks to the clear-cut interface, it is much easier for anyone to access and use this software efficiently irrespective of their technical knowledge. You can pick this software app as a reliable alternative to the Debut video capture software.

8. ShareX Screen Capture

Here comes a totally free video capture software for Windows 10 users. ShareX Screen Capture is an open-source utility that lets you record what's happening on your screen. It works awesomely for making tutorial videos, explainer videos, and quite different types of videos that require you to record your PC screen. ShareX Screen Capture software does not have a pro version and packs a variety of handy features for video recording. More so, there’s no limit to the length of video you could record with this open-source software; plus, it allows you to either save the recorded clip as GIF or actual video (mp4). This utility is available for Windows and Linux operating systems.

9. Filmora Scrn

Available for macOS and Windows OS, Filmora Scrn by WonderShare is an advanced video capture software with lots of features you’ll find handy for various needs. It is a professional software that lets you record your entire PC screen or mark out a place to record. Filmora Scrn is available for free over a free-trial period and would require a paid subscription for you to continue enjoying its premium features. With full-suite built-in video editor and support for multiple video formats, when seeking for the best video capture software, this should not escape your list.

10. Ezvid Software

The Ezvid video software provides a variety of video solutions, which includes a screen recorder app that allows you to create impressive videos from what's happening on your screen. Ezvid screen recorder for Windows is one of the easiest to use, and it provides extensive video editing features to personalized the recorded clips. This video capture software is entirely free to use (doesn’t have a paid version) and flaunts an intuitive user interface that is very easy to understand. So, if you need a free app for creating on-screen videos, this is an ideal consideration.

Part Three: Free Video Capture Software for Linux

Here, you will find the best software utilities to use in recording the screen of a computer running on Linux OS.

11. OBS Studio

OBS Studio is a free and open-source software for video recording and live streaming. You can comfortably refer to this utility as a streaming video capture software. Well, OBS Studio is available across computer operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is a multi-feature video capture utility that is completely free to use forever. The app supports a ton of built-ins that you’ll find handy when recording live streams or movies. However, there’s no built-in video editor on OBS Studio; it only works for recording what's on your screen. If you need to edit a clip recorded by this tool, you need a reliable video editor.

12. Kazam Screencaster

Kazam is simply made to record computer screens for systems running Ubuntu/Linux OS. The software is not packed with extensive features or packages asides the tools required for its primary purpose – screen recording. Clips captured with Kazam Screencaster can be played back on video players that support VP8/WebM video format. Nevertheless, you can always convert the video format to conventional digital formats if you wish to play it back on other media players. Also, Kazam is entirely free forever; you'll never have to pay for a feature or add-on. Thanks to the simpler UI features by Kazam, it is one of the best free video capture software for Linux OS.

13. RecordMyDesktop

If you’re a Linux expert or you’re familiar with Linux command-line utilities, you might prefer this free screen recording utility to other alternatives. recordmydesktop is a command-line screen recording tool; however, there are about two Python-based GUI versions (check gtk-recordMyDesktop and qt-recordMyDesktop). Download the version you prefer and start recording your screen for free. recordmydesktop doesn't have a paid version, and it saved your recorded video(s) in OGV format. There are not many features supported by the screencast software – it doesn’t even support webcam recording, but it’s a good option to consider if you just need a screen recording software to use on a Linux system.

14. ScreenStudio

ScreenStudio is an advanced Linux screen recorder tool. It is also available for OS X and Windows (beta). Using ScreenStudio, you will seamlessly record the activities happening on your computer screen full HD resolution. Interestingly, this Linux utility lets you overlay certain texts or even record with your PC’s webcam. More interestingly, you can stream your desktop screen to UStream, Hitbox, or Twitch.tv. Obviously, ScreenStudio is an ideal option for every Linux user in need of a screen recording solution. This software is available on all Linux distros and works "out-of-the-box."

15. Simple Screen Recorder

Last but not least on this list is the SimpleScreenRecorder Linux screen recorder. This is a free video capture software you can run on Linux OS systems. The software is easy to use, and it is capable of recording programs and games. You will love the straightforward GUI of this software; plus, you could live-stream your recording on YouTube. There are a couple of interest features available on SimpleScreenRecorder, and you'll find them handy for different purposes. This software also supports MKV, MP4, WebM, OGG, H.264, M4V, and AVI. It is one of the top best video capture software for Linux – very much faster than VLC.

Part Four: FAQs

1. What is video capture software?

Simply put, a video capture software or a screen recording tool is a computer program that allows you to record your screen. Some advanced programs that offer this feature also allow you to annotate, live-stream your recording, and do more interesting stuff.

2. What is the best video capture software?

The Debut video capture is practically the best video capture software for Windows OS, while SimpleScreenRecorder can be said to be the best video capture software for Linux. macOS users have several possible ways to record their MacBook screen without downloading a 3^rd party software.

3. Is debut video capture software safe?

Certainly, the debut video capture software is safe to use on Windows computers. It supports Windows 10, 8, and 7.

4. What is the best video capture software for gaming?

OBS Studio is the best screen recorder software that can be used to record gameplay. It is intuitive to use and packs a lot of good features.

Part Five: What More?

There are more things you could do with the recorded video. For example, you can convert the video to GIF, or convert it to different video formats.

Convert Video Between Various Formats Using DVDFab Toolkit Video Converter

The DVDFab Toolkit package comes with a bunch of utility tools that serve for many purposes. There’s a converter tool available on the Toolkit package, and it lets you quickly convert your recorded video into different formats. Simply launch DVDFab Toolkit, click on “Converter,” upload your video, set the basic parameters, and click “Start” to convert the video.

Convert Video to GIF Using DVDFab Toolkit Video to GIF

The Video to GIF tool on DVDFab Toolkit allows you to turn videos into GIF in just a few clicks. All you need to do is launch DVDFab Toolkit, scroll down and click on “Video to GIF” tool, upload your video, choose the GIF duration, and click “Start.”

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