Recording a tutorial sounds simple until you finish your first take and discover the "free" recorder stamped a watermark across it or stopped at five minutes. Every screen recorder has a different definition of free, and the one that suits a quick bug-report clip is not the one you want for a 40-minute course walkthrough.
This guide compares eight screen recorders you can use for tutorials without paying, focusing on the five things that actually matter: watermarks, recording time limits, whether files save locally, export quality, and editing.
What to check before you record your first tutorial
Watermarks and time limits
Most free recorders put a logo on the video or cap each recording at 5 to 15 minutes. OBS Studio and ShareX are the exceptions: both are open source with no watermark and no time limit. If your tutorials run long, start your shortlist there.
Local files vs cloud links
Cloud recorders like Loom give you a shareable link in seconds, but free plans limit how many videos you can keep and how long they can be. Local recorders like OBS Studio and Xbox Game Bar save files to your own drive with no storage ceiling, which matters for longer courses.
Built-in editing
ScreenPal and Clipchamp let you trim and annotate without leaving the app. OBS Studio, ShareX, and Game Bar only capture, so you will still need an editor like CapCut or DaVinci Resolve afterwards.
The 8 best free screen recorders for tutorials
1. OBS Studio — best overall free recorder
OBS Studio is completely free, open source, and has no watermark or time limit, which is why it is the default recommendation for tutorial creators on every platform. You build scenes from sources (display capture, webcam, microphone, application audio), so you can show your face in a corner, zoom between app windows, and record your system audio and mic on separate tracks.
Setup takes about ten minutes: install OBS, create a scene, add a Display Capture source, add your microphone as an audio source, and press Start Recording. For smoother recordings, use your hardware encoder (NVENC on NVIDIA, AMF on AMD, or Quick Sync on Intel) in the output settings.
Best for: long tutorials, multi-window walkthroughs, and anyone who wants maximum control. Trade-off: the learning curve is real, and there is no built-in editing, so plan for a separate editor.
2. ShareX — best lightweight Windows option
ShareX is a free, open-source capture utility for Windows that does screen recording alongside its famous screenshot features. It is ideal for quick tutorial clips: define a hotkey, select a region or window, and it saves an MP4 or even an animated GIF, which is handy for embedding short steps into documentation.
Recording a tutorial is as simple as pressing your capture hotkey, drawing the region, and stopping with the same hotkey. Files save locally with no watermark, and you can set automatic actions like uploading or copying the file path after recording.
Best for: developers and writers making short how-to clips and GIF tutorials. Trade-off: Windows only, and like OBS it has no editing features.
3. ScreenPal — best for teachers and quick lessons
ScreenPal (formerly Screencast-O-Matic) is designed around education: it lets you draw on the screen while recording, zoom into specific areas, and overlay your webcam easily. It is one of the few free options where recording and light editing live in the same app.
The free tier has two catches to know about: recordings add a small branding logo at the end of the video, and free plans limit recording length. Tests show clean 1080p MP4 output with modest RAM usage, and the paid tier starts at a low price if you outgrow the free plan.
Best for: teachers, trainers, and anyone making lessons of 15 minutes or less. Trade-off: the outro logo and length cap on the free plan.
4. Loom — best for short videos shared by link
Loom's strength is speed: record your screen and webcam, and you get a shareable link seconds after you stop. For tutorial creators who share quick walkthroughs with clients, students, or a team, that instant link replaces the whole record-export-upload cycle.
The free Starter plan is genuinely useful, but it restricts recording length per video and the number of videos you can keep. It is perfect for five-minute explainer clips and quick answers; it is the wrong tool for a full course.
Best for: short explainer clips shared by link. Trade-off: length and storage limits on the free plan, and recordings live in the cloud, not on your drive.
5. Microsoft Clipchamp — easiest record-and-edit combo
Clipchamp comes built into Windows and combines a screen recorder with a real timeline editor. You record your screen and webcam, then trim, add captions, and drop in titles in the same window, no export round-trip needed.
This makes it the friendliest option for beginners: record a lesson, cut the pauses, add captions, and export, all in one app, all free for the core features.
Best for: beginners who want recording and editing in one place. Trade-off: it is a simpler recorder than OBS, so power users will miss scene switching and multi-track audio.
6. Xbox Game Bar — the recorder already on your PC
Every Windows PC has a screen recorder hiding behind the Win+G shortcut. Xbox Game Bar records individual app windows for free with no watermark, and the files save locally as MP4s.
It is genuinely useful for quick tutorial clips: press Win+G, hit record, demonstrate your steps, and the video is ready in your Videos folder. The limitation is that it records one app window at a time, so it cannot capture your whole desktop switching between apps.
Best for: quick single-app how-tos with zero setup. Trade-off: app-window recording only, no webcam overlay, no editing.
7. QuickTime and Screenshot app — the Mac defaults
Mac users do not need to install anything. The Screenshot app (Shift+Command+5) and QuickTime Player both record the screen locally for free, with microphone audio and basic trimming in QuickTime.
Quality is solid and there are no watermarks or time limits. It is the simplest path to a clean tutorial recording on macOS.
Best for: Mac users recording straightforward walkthroughs. Trade-off: no webcam overlay in the basic flow, no annotation tools while recording.
8. Guidde — best AI-assisted tutorial maker
Guidde takes a different approach: you click through your process in its browser extension, and it turns the capture into a polished tutorial video with AI-generated voiceover, captions, and annotations. The free plan includes 25 tutorial videos, which covers a solid batch of lessons.
This is the fastest path from "I know how to do it" to "here is a finished video" if your tutorials are click-through workflows rather than freeform coding or design demos.
Best for: creating polished step-by-step guides in minutes without editing skills. Trade-off: the 25-video free cap, and it is less flexible than a manual recorder for creative work.
How to choose based on your tutorial style
Match the tool to how you actually teach:
- Long course lessons: OBS Studio. Unlimited recording, separate audio tracks, and local files you can edit anywhere.
- Quick lessons for students: ScreenPal or Guidde, depending on whether you want to edit manually or let AI assemble the video.
- Short clips shared by link: Loom. Fastest path from record to "here is the link."
- Beginner record-and-edit: Clipchamp on Windows, QuickTime on Mac.
- Developer how-tos and GIFs: ShareX for lightning-fast local captures.
- Zero-install demos: Xbox Game Bar (Windows) or the Screenshot app (Mac).
Key takeaways
- OBS Studio and ShareX are the only picks with no watermark and no time limit; they are open source and save files locally.
- ScreenPal is the most teacher-friendly option but adds an outro logo and caps length on the free plan.
- Loom wins for short videos shared by link, while its free plan limits recording length and stored videos.
- Clipchamp and QuickTime are the easiest built-in choices on Windows and Mac when you want recording plus light editing.
- Decide local files vs cloud links first: that one choice eliminates half the list before you compare anything else.