| Product | Ideal for | Price from | Free version | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales video and viewer analytics | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Budget cross-platform recording | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Editing video by editing text | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Polished demos and tutorials | $13 per user per month | Free trial | Visit | |
| Quick capture with screenshots and GIFs | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Open-source and privacy-first recording | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Free unlimited recording and streaming | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Polished tutorials and courses | $39 per year | Free trial | Visit |
We compared official feature pages, pricing pages, app store listings, privacy policies and public reviews to build this list for loom alternatives. Every option below exists and works today, and each one earns its place for a different kind of reader.

Ideal for: Sales video and viewer analytics

Here is the short version. Vidyard is the sales-team alternative, with viewer tracking, calls to action and CRM links that turn a video into a pipeline signal. It fits readers who want sales video and viewer analytics, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. For simple internal updates it is too much tool and too much money, so internal teams should start cheaper. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Budget cross-platform recording

Start here if you want the safe default. ScreenPal is the budget pick that still feels complete, with recording, editing, hosting and captions at a few dollars a month. It fits readers who want budget cross-platform recording, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. The free cap and simpler polish mean client-facing teams may want Tella or Vidyard, but for teaching and internal use it is excellent value. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Editing video by editing text

This one suits a specific kind of reader. Descript changes editing: delete a word in the transcript and it leaves the video, which makes polishing a recording fast. It fits readers who want editing video by editing text, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. For a quick async update it is slower than a simple recorder, so use it when the video will be reused or published. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Polished demos and tutorials
Consider this if the top picks do not fit. Tella suits founders and creators who need polished product demos, with layouts and editing that make a screen recording look designed. It fits readers who want polished demos and tutorials, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is $13 per user per month, with a free plan status of free trial. The lack of a free plan and the focus on polish mean internal teams with high volume should compare ScreenPal or Cap first. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Quick capture with screenshots and GIFs
A strong option for a narrower need. Zight is the quick-capture tool, handling screenshots, GIFs and short videos from one app with instant share links. It fits readers who want quick capture with screenshots and gifs, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. Teams that need structured libraries or deep editing will outgrow it, but for fast feedback it is hard to beat. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Open-source and privacy-first recording
Worth a close look before you decide. Cap is the open-source alternative, with self-hosting and a Loom importer for teams that want control over their videos. It fits readers who want open-source and privacy-first recording, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. Self-hosting and a smaller ecosystem mean less hand-holding, so technical teams will enjoy it more than non-technical ones. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Free unlimited recording and streaming
This belongs on the shortlist for a reason. OBS Studio is completely free and unlimited, with multi-source recording that no simple recorder matches. It fits readers who want free unlimited recording and streaming, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is free, with a free plan status of yes. It records but does not host or share, so you still need a place to put videos, and setup is heavy for a quick update. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.

Ideal for: Polished tutorials and courses
Do not overlook this one. Camtasia suits course creators who need polished tutorials with quizzes and captions. It fits readers who want polished tutorials and courses, and its published feature set matches that promise rather than trying to cover every possible use case at once. When we weighed it against the rest of this list, the balance of price, scope and support stood out for that group. The price picture is $39 per year, with a free plan status of free trial. For a fast async update it is too much production, so keep it for content you will reuse many times. Before you sign up, check the current plan limits on the official site, because caps on users, usage or features are where most buyers get surprised after the first month.
We started from official feature pages and pricing pages, then checked app store listings, privacy policies and public reviews to confirm each product still works and still fits the topic. Products that could not be verified, or that only partly matched the topic, were left out, even when they were well known. We favoured a mix of established leaders and strong smaller options, and we weighted price transparency, a usable free tier or trial, and honest limits more heavily than marketing claims. No product on this list paid for its place, and our pick for most people is the one we would suggest to a friend with ordinary needs and an ordinary budget.
Start with the job: internal updates, sales outreach, teaching and published tutorials need different tools. Internal teams need speed and a low price, sales teams need analytics and CRM links, and course creators need editing depth. Next, check the free tier limits that actually bite: video count, length caps and viewer seats all change the real cost. Then check hosting and sharing, because a recorder without hosting leaves you to find storage and links yourself. Finally, test migration with a few real videos, since folders, captions and comments rarely transfer cleanly between tools. Also check AI features honestly: transcripts, summaries and chapters save time, but only if they work on your accent and content. Trial the top two with the same recording, share both links with a colleague, and keep the one that gets watched and understood. The best alternative is the one your team actually records with, not the one with the longest feature list.
Vidyard leads for sales, ScreenPal leads on budget, Descript leads for text-based editing, Tella leads for polished demos, and Cap leads for open-source self-hosting.
ScreenPal offers a generous free plan with 15-minute recordings, Cap is free and open source, and OBS Studio is free and unlimited for recording. Loom free allows 25 videos at 5 minutes each.
Post-acquisition pricing pushed Loom Business into enterprise territory for larger teams, with tier-based billing that can raise per-user costs. Alternatives such as ScreenPal and Descript deliver most of the value at a lower price.
Yes, Cap is the notable open-source, self-hostable option, with S3-compatible storage. OBS Studio is also open source but lacks hosting and sharing features.
Vidyard offers the strongest sales analytics with CRM-integrated viewer tracking, while Sendspark and Hippo Video offer personalisation and calls to action at lower prices.