Tired of Screencastify's 10-video limit and 30-minute cap? Zumie gives you unlimited free recordings plus automatic zoom, click highlights, and beautiful backgrounds — features Screencastify doesn't have.
No account needed. Free forever with optional paid upgrade.
An honest, side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
One-time payment, yours forever
7-day money-back guarantee
Per user, per month (billed annually)
Zumie's $39 lifetime deal costs less than 6 months of Screencastify Starter. You'll save $45+ in your first year alone.
Features that make your recordings stand out — without the complexity.
Unlimited free recordings with no video count limit — record as many videos as you need
No time cap on recordings — record for 5 minutes or 5 hours, no artificial limits
Automatic zoom follows your cursor and clicks, making recordings dramatically easier to follow
Click highlights with beautiful animations draw attention to exactly where you're clicking
Keyboard shortcut display shows every key press in real-time — perfect for tutorials
Beautiful gradient backgrounds make your recordings look polished and professional immediately
One-time $39 payment for the lifetime plan — no monthly or annual subscription fees
No account required — install the Chrome extension and start recording in seconds
Built-in editor with smart zoom already applied — minimal editing effort needed
Works on any OS with Chrome — not tied to Google Workspace ecosystem
Screencastify is a Chrome extension screen recorder built primarily for education, with features like interactive quizzes, Google Drive integration, and LMS support. We believe in honest comparisons — here are the areas where Screencastify has the edge.
Zumie is the better choice for anyone making tutorials, product demos, bug reports, or async updates who wants their recordings to look professional without effort. If you're an educator who specifically needs interactive quizzes, LMS integration, and Google Classroom support, Screencastify is purpose-built for that use case. But if you just want a great screen recorder that makes clear, polished videos — and you're tired of hitting Screencastify's free plan limits — Zumie is the upgrade you're looking for.
Getting started with Zumie takes under a minute.
Add Zumie from the Chrome Web Store. No Google account login required — it works instantly.
Click the Zumie icon and start recording. No 5-minute cap, no video count limit. Record your full screen, a window, or a browser tab.
Zumie automatically zooms into your clicks and cursor movements. Click highlights and keyboard shortcuts appear on screen. No editing required.
The editor opens with zoom already applied. Choose your background, adjust if needed, and export. Share via link or download the file.
Zumie is a general-purpose screen recorder that works great for creating educational content, tutorials, and explainer videos. However, it doesn't have Screencastify's education-specific features like interactive quizzes, polls, or LMS integrations. If you specifically need those classroom features, Screencastify is purpose-built for that. If you just need to create clear, professional-looking tutorial videos, Zumie's automatic zoom makes your content much easier to follow.
Zumie stores recordings locally on your device. You can then upload them to Google Drive, Dropbox, or any other service manually. Screencastify's direct Google Drive integration is more convenient if your workflow is heavily Google-based.
We believe you should be able to fully try a tool before paying for it. Zumie's free plan includes unlimited recordings with all features — the main limitation is a watermark on exports. We'd rather you love the tool and choose to upgrade than force an upgrade through artificial recording limits.
For creating tutorial videos, Zumie is actually a significant upgrade from Screencastify. The automatic zoom, click highlights, and keyboard shortcut display make tutorials much clearer and more professional-looking. Your viewers can actually see what you're doing without squinting at a full-screen recording.
No. Zumie has no time limits on recordings, on either the free or paid plan. Record for as long as you need. Screencastify limits free users to 30 minutes per video and even the paid Starter plan caps at 60 minutes.
Install Zumie for free and see the difference automatic zoom makes. No signup, no credit card, no commitment.