Free Alternative to ScreenFlow

OBS Studio is the most powerful free screen recording software available, used by millions of professional streamers and content creators worldwide. It handles multiple video sources simultaneously, live streaming to any platform, scene transitions, and records at up to 4K quality with no limitations. While the learning curve is steeper than ScreenFlow, the capabilities rival software costing hundreds of dollars—and it's completely free with no subscriptions, no watermarks, no feature restrictions, and an active community contributing thousands of plugins. OBS powers everything from Twitch streams to professional webinars, making it the de facto standard for serious content creation.

DaVinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design is a professional video editing application used on Hollywood films, TV shows, and commercials worldwide. The free version includes the complete video editing suite, color correction tools that defined the industry standard, Fusion visual effects, and Fairlight audio post-production. It handles 4K and even 8K footage, supports unlimited timeline tracks, and includes AI-powered features like face detection, object tracking, and auto-subtitling. While it doesn't record your screen directly, pair it with OBS Studio or QuickTime for recording, then edit in DaVinci Resolve for a workflow that exceeds ScreenFlow's capabilities at zero cost.

QuickTime Player is already installed on every Mac and can record your screen with a single click—making it the simplest solution for basic recordings. No installation, no configuration, no cost, no learning curve. The recording quality is excellent up to 4K on supported Macs, and you can do basic trimming before exporting.

While it lacks advanced features, QuickTime handles 80% of screen recording needs for most users. The main limitation is that it can't capture system audio natively, though this can be solved with the free BlackHole virtual audio driver in about five minutes.

Kap is a lightweight, open-source screen recorder designed specifically for macOS and optimized for Apple Silicon. Built with web technologies and maintained by a passionate community, it lives in your menu bar and activates instantly when you need it. Kap excels at creating GIFs and short videos for sharing—perfect for bug reports, feature demos, tutorial snippets, and social media clips.

Export options include GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG with customizable quality, frame rate, and dimension settings. The plugin system extends functionality with direct uploads to Giphy, Streamable, Imgur, and more. For developers and designers who need quick, shareable screen recordings, Kap is the perfect tool.

Loom takes a radically different approach to screen recording—instead of creating local video files, you get instant shareable links. Record your screen with or without your camera bubble, and get a link immediately when you stop recording. The free tier includes 25 videos up to 5 minutes each with auto-transcription, viewer analytics, and simple editing.

Ideal for async team communication, quick product demos, bug reports, and explanations where sharing speed matters more than editing control. Loom has become the standard for modern remote teams, with millions of videos shared daily across companies like HubSpot, Netflix, and Atlassian.

Press Cmd+Shift+5 on any modern Mac and you get a full-featured recording toolbar built right into macOS. This native tool can record the entire screen, a selected portion, or a specific window—all with microphone audio if needed. It's the fastest way to start recording—no app to open, no configuration required, zero learning curve.

Files save directly to your Desktop or any location you choose. Available since macOS Mojave (2018), this tool handles the vast majority of simple screen recording needs. For basic screencasts, internal documentation, and quick captures, this might be all you ever need—and it's already on your Mac.

iMovie is Apple's free video editing software, pre-installed on every Mac and iOS device. While it doesn't record your screen directly, it's an excellent companion to QuickTime, OBS, or the macOS screenshot tool for editing your recordings. iMovie offers a more approachable interface than DaVinci Resolve while still providing professional features like multi-track editing, titles, transitions, color correction, and green screen effects. It's perfect for users who want editing capabilities beyond basic trimming but aren't ready for the complexity of professional editors. The tight integration with macOS and iOS means your projects sync across devices via iCloud.

VLC Media Player is known primarily as a video player, but it includes a hidden screen recording feature that many users don't know about. Open VLC, select Media > Open Capture Device, choose 'Screen' as the input, and you can record your desktop. While the interface isn't as polished as dedicated screen recorders and the feature feels somewhat buried, VLC is completely free, open-source, and incredibly powerful for media conversion and playback.

If you already have VLC installed (and most people do), it can handle basic screen recording in a pinch. It's especially useful for converting recordings between formats or extracting audio from video.

ScreenPal (rebranded from Screencast-O-Matic in 2022) offers a free tier for screen and webcam recording with cloud hosting. The free version allows unlimited recordings up to 15 minutes each with a watermark, plus 2GB of cloud storage for your videos. It includes basic editing features like trimming, adding text, and simple animations.

The web-based launcher means it works across platforms without heavy installation, and sharing is as simple as sending a link. While the free tier has limitations, it's more generous than many competitors and suitable for educators, support teams, and casual users who need occasional screen recording.

ShareX is an incredibly powerful open-source productivity tool for screenshots, screen recording, file sharing, and automation. While primarily known as a Windows application, it runs on Mac via compatibility layers or virtual machines. It offers dozens of capture methods, automatic uploading to 80+ destinations, OCR text recognition, QR code generation, and extensive workflow automation.

The screen recording feature uses FFmpeg for high-quality capture with custom codec settings. For power users who want ultimate flexibility and automation, ShareX is unmatched—though Mac users might find native tools more convenient.