Loom vs OBS Studio

Loom9.0Visit OBS Studio8.6Visit

Higher score Loom #3 in Screen Recording Software 9.0/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Loom

vs

OBS Studio #6 in Screen Recording Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit OBS Studio

• Loom fits best

  Teams needing polished async video workflows

• OBS Studio fits best

  Free creators who also need live production

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Side by side

Feature	Loom 9.0/10 Visit ↗	OBS Studio 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.6
Ranking	#3 in Screen Recording Software	#6 in Screen Recording Software
Best for	Teams needing polished async video workflows	Free creators who also need live production
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$18/user/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome extension	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Loom 3/3 · OBS Studio 0/3
Webcam recording	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
System audio	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Microphone recording	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Max recording length	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Maximum video quality	4k	Not checked yet
Supported platforms	web, windows, macos, ios, android, chrome_extension	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Records screen, webcam, microphone, and system audio Works across web, desktop, mobile, and Chrome Adds sharing, editing, analytics, captions, and AI workflows	Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux Advanced scenes, audio mixing, monitoring, and replay tools Extensible through plugins, scripts, and an API
Cons	Starter limits each person to 25 videos Starter recordings are limited to 5 minutes Advanced controls and AI require paid plans	Desktop software without a hosted browser studio Multistreaming depends on third-party services or additional tooling No AI features for automated production or editing
Our verdict	Loom is a video messaging and screen recording tool for individuals and teams that need to explain work asynchronously. It records a screen, webcam, or both, with microphone and system audio capture. Recordings become shareable links or… Read the review →	OBS Studio is free, open-source desktop software for recording video and producing live streams. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it suitable for individual creators, gamers, educators, event producers, and organizations that… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Loom — where it wins

  • Records screen, webcam, microphone, and system audio
  • Works across web, desktop, mobile, and Chrome
  • Adds sharing, editing, analytics, captions, and AI workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Starter limits each person to 25 videos
  • Starter recordings are limited to 5 minutes
  • Advanced controls and AI require paid plans

• OBS Studio — where it wins

  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Advanced scenes, audio mixing, monitoring, and replay tools
  • Extensible through plugins, scripts, and an API

  Where it doesn't

  • Desktop software without a hosted browser studio
  • Multistreaming depends on third-party services or additional tooling
  • No AI features for automated production or editing

• Loom9.0/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A broad screen recorder for teams that communicate through polished async video.

  Visit LoomFull verdict →
• OBS Studio8.6/10 · Free plan

  A capable free production tool for creators who need recording and live streaming.

  Visit OBS StudioFull verdict →