NVIDIA ShadowPlay vs Segra

NVIDIA ShadowPlay8.9Visit Segra7.9Visit

Higher score NVIDIA ShadowPlay #4 in Game Recording Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit NVIDIA

vs

Segra #10 in Game Recording Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Segra

• NVIDIA ShadowPlay fits best

  Free high-resolution NVIDIA GPU capture

• Segra fits best

  Free automatic highlights and high-quality capture

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Side by side

Feature	NVIDIA ShadowPlay 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Segra 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	7.9
Ranking	#4 in Game Recording Software	#10 in Game Recording Software
Best for	Free high-resolution NVIDIA GPU capture	Free automatic highlights and high-quality capture
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Desktop
Platforms	Windows	Windows, Linux
Support	Live chat, Docs	Community
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features NVIDIA ShadowPlay 2/4 · Segra 2/4
Instant replay	✓	✓
Watermark-free video	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
GPU encoding	✓	✓
Webcam overlay	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Capture resolution	8k	4k
Recording modes	Multi-mode	Multi-mode
Supported platforms	Windows	Windows 10/11; Linux alpha
Our review
Pros	Free access to manual recording, Instant Replay, and Highlights Captures up to 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps Supports Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live integrations	Automatic background recording and game-event highlights Up to 4K at 144 FPS capture on Windows Open-source workflow with replay buffer and clip editing
Cons	Requires a Windows PC with an NVIDIA GPU AV1 recording is limited to supported RTX 40-series GPUs Capture capabilities vary by GPU model, codec, and settings	Windows is the primary supported platform Linux support is labeled early alpha Automatic highlights depend on supported games
Our verdict	NVIDIA ShadowPlay is gameplay capture software delivered through the NVIDIA App for PC gamers and creators using NVIDIA GPUs. It covers manual gameplay recording, DVR-style Instant Replay, Automatic Highlights capture, screenshots,… Read the review →	Segra is an open-source desktop game recorder built on OBS for gamers and content creators. It records gameplay in the background, can start automatically when a game launches, and saves recent action through a replay buffer and hotkey.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• NVIDIA ShadowPlay — where it wins

  • Free access to manual recording, Instant Replay, and Highlights
  • Captures up to 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps
  • Supports Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a Windows PC with an NVIDIA GPU
  • AV1 recording is limited to supported RTX 40-series GPUs
  • Capture capabilities vary by GPU model, codec, and settings

• Segra — where it wins

  • Automatic background recording and game-event highlights
  • Up to 4K at 144 FPS capture on Windows
  • Open-source workflow with replay buffer and clip editing

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows is the primary supported platform
  • Linux support is labeled early alpha
  • Automatic highlights depend on supported games

• NVIDIA ShadowPlay8.9/10 · Free plan

  A free Windows recorder with high-resolution capture for NVIDIA GPU users.

  Visit NVIDIAFull verdict →
• Segra7.9/10 · Free plan

  A capable free recorder for automatic highlights, replay clips and high-quality Windows capture.

  Visit SegraFull verdict →