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Our Windows computer screens carry much information which we may want to share with other people at one point or the other in the form of videos. Videos carry both visual and audio information for better understanding. To achieve this, you will need a good screen recorder (<<<====== click to get a FULL version of TalkHelper Screen Recorder for FREE) software that will capture what you want to share be it a tutorial, game-play, a product review, a scene recreation from a movie. So, basically, the best screen recorder will enable you to capture any area of your screen either as a screenshot or a video file.

Screen recording has become popular especially in the gaming industry as seen with games like PUBG and Fortnite where players record game-play videos and share on platforms like Youtube and Twitch. For the captured screen video to be of the best quality, you need a good and top screen recording software on your Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10.

In this article, we look at some of the best desktop recorder softwares available for the Windows platform.

TalkHelper Screen Recorder for Windows

TalkHelper screen recorder is the best software with no watermarks or time limits on your screencasting. TalkHelper is the best go-to software when you need to record the whole screen or portions of the same as well as capturing video from the webcam and audio from the microphone. A wonderful feature to note is the picture-in-picture that allows you to provide that outstanding quality and a better understanding of your tutorial and step-by-step instructional videos.

By capturing audio from the microphone, TalkHelper screencaster enables a user to add narrations to the recording and better yet, you can insert annotations to any part of your video. When it comes to the quality of output, TalkHelper will make sure your video recording comes out in good HD quality as well as providing you with video editing tools and various output formats to choose from when saving the final video.

Pros

• No watermarks at all
• No limit on length of recorded videos
• Can save files in many formats
• Easy and intuitive to use

Cons

• First time setup may take a while
• A bit expensive

 

Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder

Apowersoft Screen Recorder is a web-based screencasting tool that allows you to record either the PC screen or audio meaning you don’t necessarily need to download the software to your PC. It is great for screencasts, screenshots, and audio. Better yet, you can set automatic recordings and schedule shutdowns on recording times.

It is a top desktop recorder for those who do not like large abrasive user interface due to its minimal appearance. There are times you may forget it is even running. You get good quality and compact file sizes for the captured screen videos.

Pros

• You can capture either the microphone or system audio
• You get an option to record the whole screen
• You can schedule recordings and when to shut down the PC

Cons

• Links appear in menus and toolbars instead of being options

 

Camtasia Studio for Windows

Camtasia Studio is one the top screencast tool that enables you to create those professional-looking visuals. It is a personal favorite when I need to quickly and easily record screen video and produce a final video for sharing.

Camtasia Studio offers an option to import any media to your project whether it is a photo, audio or video. It gives you a simple drag-and-drop option with its intuitive features when working on the projects.

Pros

• A polished and attractive user interface
• Easy to learn
• Very powerful and feature-laden
• A wide choice of output formats

Cons

• You have to part with a large amount of one-off payment
• You need to have some knowledge regarding editing to maximize its potential

 

BB FLashback Express

BB Flashback Express is the best screen recording software suitable when working on tutorials and demos. Simplicity is its outstanding feature which brings out ease of use but that does not mean it lacks great features.

Every time you decide to record, a step-by-step wizard guide is availed to you giving all needed configurations like video quality, source of sound, area to record among others. You can also record the Windows PC webcam and support multiple monitor configurations.

Pros

• Has a step-by-step wizard when configuring for first time use
• Has a wide choice for sound sources
• It can upload videos directly to supported platforms like Youtube
• Generally has ease of use

Cons

• Can only export to 2 output formats
• Provides no editing tools
• A little bit slow when compared to other desktop recording softwares

 

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Studio

OBS Studio is one of the top open source projects on Github that you can download for free. If you are looking for a free and open source screen recording and live streaming software, this is a good choice to stop at. Create that dynamic stream with easy by using real time video and audio mixing and capturing and unlimited scenes to switch between using customizable transitions.

Significant work has gone into this software with its large community behind it to bring you a clean and easy to read interface. OBS gives you customizability of the capture quality in terms of resolution, frames per second, bit rate and apply resolution downscale where necessary.

Pros

• Free and open source and cross-platform
• Works with most live streaming video platforms
• Many plugins to enhance functionality

Cons

• Compatible starting with Windows 7 onward
• It can’t link to an audio file as a source

 

Fraps

Fraps is a top utility software when you need to take videos and screenshots of your PC. It is a great utility for benchmarking as it provides a frame rate counter on the desktop screen when capturing screen video. Better yet, both taking screenshots (whether one at a time or repeatedly) and recording screen video are hotkey activated.

When you need to record screen video, you can record with system sound of from the microphone for the case of creating walkthroughs. However, it is good to note the unregistered version of Fraps can only take 30s of video with a Fraps watermark and screenshots are taken in BMP format.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Very lightweight in a way it can run in the background
• Polished configuration settings

Cons

• Provides no video conversion options
• Large file sizes even for short videos

 

Bandicam Screen Recorder

Bandicam Screen Recorder is a good alternative to Camtasia Studio when you need to capture screen video or a screenshot on your Windows PC. Gamers can record game-play videos in high resolution and then share directly to their favorite platforms.

Bandicam lets you tinker with the number of frames per second, choose video and audio codecs and make work easier with keyboard shortcuts. Ease of use is also guaranteed by its minimalist interface. Bandicam can be useful when making screencasts and tutorials.

Pros

• Full assistance from the developer is provided on the website
• Has resizable capture area
• Provides 2 capture modes
• Supports various codecs and formats

Cons

• Watermark for the free version
• You may experience lags on videos

Icecream Screen Recorder

As the name suggests, Icecream Screen Recorder provides a user with an option to take a screenshot of a portion of a page or the entire screen. You can also record online videos of various formats be it on Vimeo or Youtube.

If you use multiple browsers at a go, this is a go-to software when you need to capture a screenshot or record screen video from any of your internet session browsers. Better yet, you are provided with annotations including circles, lines, boxes and arrows for that added touch to your final output.

Pros

• Better than other comparing utilities
• Can record videos and save standard images

Cons

• Compared to other plugins, it is huge
• HD videos may fail to render properly during playback
• Does not support all codecs

 

Debut Video Capture

Debut Video Capture is one of the best screen recording software for Windows PC when you need to record screen video from any image source, be it the desktop screen, a USB video device like a digital video camera or webcam.

With this top screencast tool, you get a preview of what will be recorded and simplicity guaranteed with just three simple control buttons – record, pause and stop. You can make recordings in various formats each with its own configurations and there is the possibility of downloading related programs from the same developer.

Pros

• Support for many formats
• Ability to download related programs
• Very easy to use

Cons

• When recording the screen, the preview can be confusing
• Comes with no embedded video player

 

Xsplit Broadcaster

Xsplit Broadcaster is an outstanding video and audio streaming and production software that enables a user to combine video from different sources (scenes) to provide both live streams for services like Twitch and videos for sites like Youtube.

For instance, one scene can be from the game itself, another to a camera showing the player, a third to saved video of earlier matches and a fourth scene can display the stream logo. It is simple to use, robust and free for a certain period making it one of the top desktop recorder for video game streamers. Expect many customization options when using this screen recorder.

Pros

• Provides a useful video editing tool
• Versatile and powerful
• Good value for money
• Simple and easy to use

Cons

• Social media updates are not perfect
• Does not work well with all capture cards

SmartPixel

SmartPixel is one of the best tool of screen recording for you that likes creating Youtube videos or step-by-step tutorials. This screencasting software will let you record screen video and then edit the output video as appropriate. You are provided with many tools for editing purposes including a picture in picture mode necessary for live commentary. Better yet, you can export the created videos in various formats for upload.

Pros

• Uploading videos to Youtube easily
• You can record in HD quality
• You can export videos in various formats
• Can add annotations and live commentary to videos

Cons

• Very hungry on resources
• Application may crash during use
• User interface may be confusing for first users
• Wide curve when learning the software

 

Jing

Jing is a hybrid product form Techsmith, the makers of Snagit screen capture and Camtasia screencast tool. With just one click action, you can capture screen video and images for easy sharing.

The interface has a web-like feel and capturing elements can be confusing during first use. Precision is guaranteed with a set of crosshairs that help you focus on the area of the screen you want captured after which you choose whether to output as a video or just an image. Jing screen recording software may have limited editing tools but the ones it has are sufficient enough.

Pros

• Option to save to image or video
• Is discreet but still accessible
• Has a history feature to show recent captures
• Includes Facebook output

Cons

• May lag during use
• Limited editing tools
• Crosshairs view

 

ShareX

ShareX is a screenshot grabbing tool with many video and image editing tools. A choice of filters, editing options, and upload tools are availed to you after saving for rapid sharing of any number of files. Saving and sharing may be simple but learning other things on this screen recording software can take time. Images and videos can be saved in any shape and watermarks applied in any shape and opacity.

Better yet, this is one of the best software to record screen video as it is free and open source. Expect light performance with support for hotkeys. Go for ShareX when you need rapid editing and sharing of created media.

Pros

• Free and open source
• Rich in features

Cons

• Most settings require personalisation
• Can be difficult to understand

 

There you have it. You have a choice of many top screencasting softwares as seen above and you just have to select the one that augers well with your preferences. Which other best screen recording software have we left out and you think it is worth looking at? Let us know in the comment section.