Choosing a Screencasting Software

Back in 1999, I was working as a stand-up technical trainer, the kind that local law firms, power companies, and state government agencies use to train their clerical staff on Word and Excel.

Occasionally, we got more interesting assignments. In early 2000, I got loaned out to this tiny company called TechSmith, who had just developed a product called Camtasia.

My assignment was this: Use Camtasia to make the first ever tutorials about Camtasia. And I was instantly hooked. My brain was on fire with possibilities.

Of course, back then, “possibility” was very much the operative word, nothing but a discful of unbridled potential made of up of lots of ones and zeroes. Screencasting was brand new then. Camtasia was only the second such product ever introduced (and the first one that actually worked).

In the fifteen years since, as the myriad possibilities of screencasting entered the popular consciousness, we’ve seen new software offerings, and each passing year saw them improved.

We’ve now arrived at a kind of golden age. The tools (even the higher-end ones) are affordable, and offer up a wonderful mix of power and approachability. In other words, it’s easier than ever to make something great, do it reasonably quickly, and do it on the cheap.

So here’s the deal, folks. I know that people use different platforms, and have many different needs and budgets. For me, it makes the most sense to break these down by platform, and I’ll also give you a “recommended solution” for each platform, starting with the most common:

Windows Screencasting Software:

Camtasia Studio. The first functional screencasting tool is still the king of the hill (and no, I’m not just saying that because I used to work there).

It’s also probably the priciest of the “strictly screencasting” tools, although I’d hardly call $399 a dealbreaker for the kind of end-to-end solution you get in exchange.

It remains, as ever, my go-to software for almost all projects, despite the fact I use a Mac for just about everything else. If you’re on Windows, it’s a no-brainer.

But if you want to be extra super sure it’ll fit your needs, you can download and use it for 30 days with zero strings. No disabled features. No watermarks on the video. You can actually use it for a real project with no money down, which I’m sure folks appreciate.

Camstudio. This program is open-source, and therefore free. Beyond that, there’s little to recommend it. For one, it’s a recorder tool only – no editor. For another, the technology is dated.

About ten years ago, the original authors (a Korean company called Rendersoft) reverse engineered the Camtasia Recorder, even copying its interface, almost down to the pixel. It’s exchanged hands a few times before going open-source, and not much has happened since. It’s a shame actually, as I’d love to see a serious competitor on the Windows side really hold TechSmith’s feet to the fire. Healthy competition = good for the the consumer. But this hasn’t happened yet.

If you decide you don’t need editing and will be just fine with a simple screen recorder (big mistake IMO, but it’s your life), TechSmith also puts out a free screen capture and recorder tool called Jing. It’s simple, free, and makes sharing of informal screencasts a snap. The only downside is that each video is limited to 5 minutes.

Screencast-O-Matic. This is also a cross-platform tool, only it runs in your web browser. I haven’t personally found it very approachable, but at least the basic version of it is free. You can add video tools, unlimited length, HD, and a very basic editor for $15 a year.

Mac Screencasting Software:

Camtasia Mac. Not satisfied with doing a simple port of Camtasia Studio, TechSmith designed this guy as a separate, decidedly “mac” product from the ground up.

This is one is my pick for Mac screencasters. After a few years of development, it has nearly caught up to its Windows-lovin’ big brother in terms of feature set. The two can already share recordings. As time goes on, I suspect even further integration, possibly including the ability to share entire projects.

Even through its leaps forward in development, Camtasia Mac has remained at its introductory price of $99. I suspect this is largely due to market pressure from our next contender…

Telestream Screenflow. It too is a robust $99 Mac-based recording and editing tool. Screenflow and Camtasia Mac are constantly leapfrogging each other with new features. It’s a little hard to keep up. In truth, you’d do quite well with either of them.

This is admittedly a bit dated, but here’s a head-to-head contrastive review video I made a couple of years ago:

For those looking for something a bit more on the free side, keep in mind that both Jing and Screencast-O-Matic work on Macs as well.

Mobile screencasting software

Screencasting mobile devices has historically been a pain. Particularly with iPhones and iPad, Apple’s licensing restrictions have kept a tight rein on any kind of screen recorder tools. Typically, you’ll have the most success by broadcasting the screen of your mobile device onto your computer screen, where you can use one of the aforementioned tools to capture it. I have two favorites in this category, a software-based solution and a hardware-based one.

Reflector. This software (for both Mac and PC) takes a mirror image of your mobile screen and broadcasts it over your wifi connection to your computer, where you can capture it. It used to be available exclusively for iOS (iPhone & iPad), but they’ve finally released a version for Android devices. Unfortunately, quality depends heavily on your connection speeds. The price is right, though. You can buy a single license for Mac or Windows for just $15.

Here’s a quick demonstration video I made on using Reflector:

El Gato Game Capture card. About the size of a deck of cards, the El Gato plugs into your device via HDMI, and then runs a USB connection to your computer. As its name implies, this little box is designed for capturing video from gaming consoles, but also works with almost any mobile device, as long as it has an HDMI out port. And because it’s hardware-based, it’s yields a pretty faithful capture, albeit with a slight delay. The excellent quality comes at a cost, though: about $130.

Here’s a complete video review of the El Gato:

Now that Apple is relaxing its formerly draconian lock on video capture a bit, TechSmith has made a Mac-based application called Appshow that will let you take a recent iPhone or iPad (it needs one of those lightning cable dealies), and record footage to your Mac, building a complete video as you go. As it’s currently one of their “Labs” experiments, it’s free, at least for now.

So, do apps exist that actually capture screencast video on the device itself? For iPhone and iPad, the answer is no, at least if you’re averse to jailbreaking your device (which will void your warranty). There are a few such apps on the Android side, the most well-known of which is called Screencast Video Recorder. It’ll only set you back only $4. But personally, I’d recommend taking those four bucks and putting them toward the purchase of the El Gato.

The Bottom Line

At $399, Camtasia Studio is the best tool out there for any platform, and definitely rules the Windows world. For Mac tools, it’s a toss-up between Camtasia for Mac and Screenflow at $99 for either one. The Camtasia softwares can now share recording files between platforms, and project files may eventually be cross-platform as well. The Linux world can currently boast of no robust editing solution, though recording tools abound. I’ve shown you a few possibilities for capturing mobile devices, but for editing, please see one of the Windows/Mac solutions.