Kooha review
A capable free recorder for Linux users who need straightforward audio and screen capture.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Kooha is an open-source screen recorder for Linux systems, built around PipeWire and desktop portals. It suits users who need a focused way to capture a full monitor or a selected area, with microphone audio, desktop audio, or both at the same time. Its minimal interface and keyboard shortcuts make it appropriate for straightforward demonstrations, tutorials, troubleshooting clips, and other recordings where a compact tool is preferable to a broad production suite.
The published feature set covers the core recording workflow without adding a paid tier. Kooha can save recordings in WebM, MP4, GIF, and Matroska formats, while settings include the save location, pointer visibility, frame rate, and recording delay. These options give users control over the resulting files and capture behavior. Support for PipeWire, GStreamer, and xdg-desktop-portal also places Kooha within the Linux desktop media stack, though the application is limited to Linux rather than serving a wider platform ecosystem.
Kooha’s scope is clear, but some capabilities are not presented as fully mature. Experimental hardware-accelerated encoding may be useful on compatible systems, while experimental recording of a specific window gives users an additional capture mode with less certainty than monitor or area recording. Users who want simple Linux screen and audio capture should find the feature mix well aligned with that need. Those seeking cross-platform support, a larger collaboration ecosystem, or more advanced recording controls should consider a broader alternative.
Kooha pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Captures a full monitor or selected screen area
- Records microphone audio, desktop audio, or both
- Exports to WebM, MP4, GIF, and Matroska formats
- Where it doesn't
- Linux-only, so it does not serve Windows or macOS users
- Specific-window recording is experimental
- Hardware-accelerated encoding is experimental
Kooha fact sheet, pricing and score →
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