Open-source ScreenFlow alternatives

OBS Studio, from the Open Broadcaster Software project, is a free, open-source application for recording video and streaming live. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, recent macOS versions and Linux, and it is written mainly in C and C++ under the GPL-2.0 license.

Content is composed as scenes built from multiple sources, such as window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams and capture cards. You can create as many scenes as you need and switch between them with customizable transitions. An audio mixer provides per-source filters like noise gate, noise suppression and gain, and VST plugins are supported. A modular dock-based interface can be rearranged, and individual docks can be popped out into separate windows.

OBS can stream to Twitch, YouTube and other providers, or record to local files using H.264 video and AAC audio. The project is funded through sponsors and backers. It suits streamers, educators, gamers and anyone producing tutorials or presentations who needs flexible capture and mixing without a license fee.

Cap is an open-source alternative to Loom for recording and sharing screen videos. You can record the screen, camera and microphone, then send a link or export a finished video. It is built with Rust and Tauri for the desktop apps, plus a Next.js web dashboard, and runs on macOS and Windows. The repository metadata lists the license as Other.

There are two recording modes: Instant Mode uploads while you record so a share link is ready when you stop, and Studio Mode records locally and offers editing with backgrounds, zooms, trimming, captions and export controls. Sharing options include private links, passwords and custom domains, and comments, reactions, transcripts, viewer analytics and team workspaces support async feedback. Storage can be Cap Cloud, your own S3-compatible bucket, local files or a fully self-hosted platform. Cap AI generates titles, summaries, chapters and captions, and Loom videos can be imported.

Screenity is a free screen recorder and annotation tool that emphasizes privacy and has no recording limits. It can capture a browser tab, a selected area, the whole desktop, a specific application or a camera, and also records audio, which makes it useful for product demos, tutorials, presentations and feedback videos.

Topics show it runs as a Chrome extension, and it includes annotation tools to draw on screen while recording. The README documents how to create a development version and how to enable saving to Google Drive. The project is funded by sponsorship, with Recall.ai supporting its open-source work, and its creator offers an optional paid tier called Screenity Pro, described as an EU-hosted, privacy-minded platform offering link sharing, multi-scene editing, zoom keyframes and captions.

Screenity is JavaScript and licensed under GPL-3.0. The free extension can be installed from the browser store, and there is a section on self-hosting it. It suits teachers, support staff, designers and developers who regularly record their screen and prefer not to depend on a subscription.

Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor. It is written in C++ with the Qt 6 framework for its interface and uses the MLT multimedia authoring framework as its editing engine. It is released under the GPLv3 license, and Dan Dennedy is credited as the main author.

Its direct dependencies include FFmpeg for multimedia formats and codecs, Frei0r for video plugins, FFTW and SDL for audio playback. Prebuilt binaries are regularly built and available on the project website, while building from source is recommended mainly for beta testers and contributors, using Qt Creator or the command line with CMake.

The project maintains a features page and a roadmap on its website, and invites translations through Transifex. As a desktop program it runs locally on the user's computer, and there is no hosted service. A credits page lists the full set of direct, indirect and bundled dependencies.

Kdenlive is a free and open-source video editor that targets both quick family videos and larger, more involved projects. It is developed by the KDE community and built on the MLT multimedia framework, which provides the core video editing functionality behind the interface.

The interface is written in C++ with Qt and KDE Frameworks 6. Video effects come from the frei0r library and audio effects from LADSPA plugins, so the effect set can grow through those ecosystems. Downloads of stable releases and experimental daily builds are published on the project website, and users can also help with translations, bug triage, documentation and tutorials.

Kdenlive is licensed under GPL-3.0 and runs as a desktop application on Linux, Windows and macOS. Primary development happens on KDE Invent, with the GitHub repository acting as a mirror, and contributors discuss development in a Matrix channel.

BetterShot is a free, open-source Mac app for capturing, editing, and sharing screenshots and screen recordings. It is built natively with SwiftUI and needs no account, subscription, or cloud service. It requires macOS 26 or later and is positioned as an alternative to CleanShot X and Loom. The input lists its license only as other.

Screenshot tools include region, window, fullscreen, and scrolling capture, OCR text extraction, a color picker, and annotation with arrows, shapes, text, numbered markers, highlights, blur, and pixelate. Captures can be framed on a wallpaper or gradient with padding, rounded corners, and shadow. Recording supports a display, window, or area, with optional system audio, microphone, camera, and teleprompter, followed by a video editor for cutting, speed changes, zooms, transitions, captions, and masks.

It also provides customizable shortcuts, URL scheme automation for tools like Raycast, and self-hosted cloud sharing, with Cloudflare R2 among the topics. BetterShot suits Mac users who make tutorials, documentation, and bug reports and prefer a local, privacy-focused tool.