Loom put async video on the map. Record your screen, get a link, share it with your team — no editing, no uploads, no friction. For years, it was the default.
But things have shifted. Atlassian acquired Loom for $975 million in late 2023, and the transition hasn't been smooth. Users have reported lag, audio sync issues, failed uploads, and login problems throughout 2025 and into 2026. The Creator Lite role is being phased out. Annual plans now use tier-based billing where a 55-person team pays for 100 seats. And the Business + AI plan runs $20–$24 per user per month — which means a 10-person team is paying $2,400–$2,880 per year for a screen recorder.
Whether you're frustrated with post-Atlassian Loom, looking for better recording quality, or just want to stop paying per seat, there are alternatives worth considering. We tested 10 of them.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Price | Auto Zoom | Sharing | Platform | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zumie | Free / $39 lifetime | Yes | Share links + local | Any OS (Chrome) | Professional-looking recordings without editing |
| Tella | $19–49/user/mo | Yes | Cloud hosted | Mac, Chrome, Web | Clip-based demos and courses |
| Descript | Free / $16–55/mo | No | Cloud + download | Mac, Windows | Text-based editing with AI audio |
| Vidyard | Free / $59–99/user/mo | No | Cloud hosted | Chrome, desktop | Sales teams with CRM integrations |
| OBS Studio | Free | No | Local files | Mac, Windows, Linux | Maximum control at zero cost |
| ScreenPal | Free / $4–10/user/mo | No | Cloud hosted | Mac, Windows, Chrome | Budget teams and educators |
| Camtasia | $179.88/yr or $299.99 | No | Local + Screencast | Mac, Windows | Full-featured tutorial editing |
| CleanShot X | $29 one-time | No | CleanShot Cloud | Mac only | Screenshots with occasional recordings |
| Claap | From $30/user/mo | No | Cloud hosted | Chrome, desktop | Meeting recording and sales coaching |
| Vmaker | Free / paid plans | No | Cloud hosted | Chrome, Mac, Windows | Simple recording with cloud hosting |
1. Zumie
Best for: Recordings that look professionally edited — without actually editing.
Price: Free (watermark) / $39 one-time lifetime deal
Platform: Any OS (Chrome extension)
Zumie solves the biggest gap in Loom's offering: recording quality. Loom captures your screen. Zumie makes the capture look like it was produced by a video editor.
How It Compares to Loom
The core difference is output quality. Zumie's automatic zoom follows your cursor and intelligently zooms into clicks — no keyframes, no editing. Every recording gets click highlights (visual pulse on mouse clicks), keyboard shortcut overlays, and customizable gradient backgrounds that frame your content in a polished wrapper.
Loom added backgrounds and basic overlays in recent updates, but it still doesn't offer automatic zoom or click highlighting — the features that make the biggest visual difference.
Where Zumie Wins
- Automatic zoom — The single biggest differentiator. Viewers can actually see what you're clicking.
- One-time $39 vs $20/user/month — A team of 5 saves $1,161 in the first year alone.
- No per-seat pricing — Pay once, use on up to 3 devices.
- Cross-platform — Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS. Same extension everywhere.
- Local-first — Recordings live on your device. No cloud dependency. Optional share links expire after 7 days.
Where Loom Wins
- Team collaboration — Timestamped comments, viewer analytics, emoji reactions.
- Integration ecosystem — Slack, Notion, Jira, Gmail, Salesforce, and dozens more.
- Cloud library — Searchable, organized, always accessible.
- AI features — Auto-generated titles, summaries, chapters, and filler word removal.
Verdict
If you care more about how your recordings look than how they're organized, Zumie is the better tool at a fraction of the price. If async team communication with analytics and integrations is your primary workflow, Loom still has the ecosystem edge.
2. Tella
Best for: Course creators and polished product demos.
Price: Pro $19/user/month, Premium $49/user/month (7-day free trial)
Platform: Mac app, Chrome extension, web app
Tella is a recording and editing platform built for structured video content. Instead of recording one long take like Loom, you record clips and arrange them on a timeline.
How It Compares to Loom
Tella focuses on production quality over communication speed. Its clip-based workflow means you record individual segments, rearrange them, trim precisely, and export a polished final video with zoom effects, backgrounds, and automatic subtitles. Loom is "record and share instantly." Tella is "record, polish, then share."
Key Strengths
- Clip-by-clip recording — Record segments separately, combine them without retakes.
- Zoom effects and backgrounds — Visual polish similar to Screen Studio.
- Built-in hosting — Shareable links generated automatically. 4K export on Pro.
- AI editing — Automated enhancements included in the Pro plan.
- Subtitle generation — Automatic captions for accessibility.
Limitations
- No free plan — only a 7-day trial.
- Subscription pricing adds up ($228–$588/year per user).
- Less focused on async communication — no comments, reactions, or viewer analytics like Loom.
Verdict
Tella is the right choice if you regularly produce tutorials, courses, or demo videos and want clip-level control over the final product. For quick async messages, it's more tool than you need.
3. Descript
Best for: Editing recordings by editing text.
Price: Free (limited) / Hobbyist $16/mo / Creator $24/mo / Business $55/mo
Platform: Mac, Windows
Descript takes a fundamentally different approach: it transcribes your recording, then lets you edit the video by editing the transcript. Delete a paragraph, and the corresponding video disappears.
How It Compares to Loom
Where Loom is about speed (record → share), Descript is about polish (record → edit → share). Its AI tools are more advanced than Loom's: Studio Sound removes background noise in one click, filler word removal eliminates every "um" and "uh," and Overdub lets you fix misspoken words using your own cloned voice.
Key Strengths
- Text-based editing — Edit video like a Google Doc. Fastest way to cut content.
- Studio Sound — Transforms bad audio into broadcast quality.
- Filler word removal — One click to clean up speech patterns.
- Multi-screen recording — Capture up to 2 screens simultaneously.
- Free tier — 1 hour of transcription/month, 720p exports.
Limitations
- No automatic zoom or visual polish (backgrounds, click highlights).
- Subscription-only with no lifetime option.
- AI features consume credits that can run out.
- Heavier software with higher system requirements.
Verdict
Descript is the best alternative if your recordings are audio-heavy and you want AI to handle the tedious parts. It's not a Loom replacement for quick sharing — it's a content production tool.
4. Vidyard
Best for: Sales teams that need video analytics and CRM integration.
Price: Free (limited) / Starter $59/user/mo / Teams $99/user/mo / Enterprise (custom)
Platform: Chrome extension, desktop apps
Vidyard is a video platform built for B2B sales and marketing. Record personalized videos, track who watches them, and push engagement data directly into Salesforce or HubSpot.
How It Compares to Loom
Loom has basic viewer analytics (who watched, how far). Vidyard goes deeper: heatmaps, individual viewer tracking, engagement scoring, and CRM sync. If your sales team sends video prospecting emails and needs to know which prospects actually watched, Vidyard is purpose-built for that.
Key Strengths
- Deep analytics — Viewer-level engagement data with heatmaps.
- CRM integration — Native Salesforce and HubSpot sync.
- Video landing pages — Custom pages for personalized outreach.
- AI enhancements — Avatars, smart thumbnails, dynamic personalization.
Limitations
- Expensive — $59–$99/user/month puts it in enterprise territory.
- Focused on sales workflows — overkill for general screen recording.
- No automatic zoom or visual polish features.
Verdict
Vidyard is the right move if you're a sales team sending personalized video outreach and need engagement analytics tied to your CRM. For general recording needs, it's overpriced and overbuilt.
5. OBS Studio
Best for: Power users who want full control at zero cost.
Price: Free (open source)
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
OBS Studio is the most powerful free recording tool available. Up to 4K resolution, 8 independent audio tracks, scene switching, chroma key, and full customization through plugins. The 2026 release added AV1 hardware encoding for dramatically better quality at lower bitrates.
How It Compares to Loom
They're almost opposites. Loom is "press record, get a link." OBS is "configure 20 settings, press record, get a file you edit elsewhere." OBS gives you control that Loom never will — but demands technical investment that Loom never asks for.
Key Strengths
- Completely free — No limits, no watermark, no subscription. Forever.
- 8 audio tracks — Record microphone, desktop audio, Discord, and more on separate tracks.
- Plugin ecosystem — Thousands of community plugins.
- Streaming support — Record and stream simultaneously.
Limitations
- Steep learning curve — not beginner-friendly.
- No sharing features — produces local files only.
- No built-in editor — you need separate software.
- No automatic zoom, backgrounds, or visual polish.
Verdict
OBS is unbeatable for creators who want full production control at zero cost. It's not a Loom alternative for async team communication — it's a recording powerhouse for a different audience entirely.
6. ScreenPal
Best for: Budget-conscious teams and educators.
Price: Free / $4–$10/user/month
Platform: Mac, Windows, Chrome extension
ScreenPal (formerly Screencast-O-Matic) is a straightforward screen recorder with editing tools and cloud hosting at a fraction of Loom's price.
How It Compares to Loom
ScreenPal is Loom at a quarter of the price — with trade-offs. You get screen + webcam recording, basic editing (trim, split, merge), annotations, cloud hosting, and shareable links. What you lose is Loom's polish, AI features, and deep integrations.
Key Strengths
- $4/user/month — Drastically cheaper than Loom's $20/user/month.
- Free plan — Unlimited videos, 15-minute limit, basic editing, free hosting.
- AI features on higher tier — $10/month adds AI enhancements.
- Education focus — Quiz integration, video assignments, LMS compatibility.
Limitations
- Less polished interface and experience than Loom.
- Weaker integration ecosystem.
- 15-minute limit on free plan.
- No automatic zoom or visual polish features.
Verdict
ScreenPal is the pragmatic choice for teams or educators who need Loom-like functionality at a fraction of the cost. If brand polish and integrations matter less than budget, it delivers.
7. Camtasia
Best for: Full-featured tutorial and course editing.
Price: $179.88/year or $299.99 one-time
Platform: Mac, Windows
Camtasia combines screen recording with a professional multi-track timeline editor. It's been the go-to for course creators and training teams for over a decade.
How It Compares to Loom
Loom is a communication tool. Camtasia is a production tool. You record your screen, then edit on a full timeline with transitions, callouts, annotations, cursor effects, and a built-in stock media library. The 2026 version added AI features including script generation, text-to-speech, and avatar videos.
Key Strengths
- Full video editor — Multi-track timeline, transitions, annotations, templates.
- Perpetual license — $299.99 one-time, no recurring fees.
- Screencast hosting — Host up to 25 videos with comments and reactions.
- Template library — Pre-built intros, outros, and lower-thirds.
Limitations
- No automatic zoom — zoom-and-pan requires manual keyframing.
- Heavy software with a learning curve.
- Expensive upfront ($300 for the perpetual license).
- Not designed for quick async sharing.
Verdict
Camtasia is the right tool if you're producing polished educational content and need a full editor bundled with your recorder. It's not a Loom replacement — it's a step up in production capability (and complexity).
8. CleanShot X
Best for: Mac users who capture screenshots and occasional recordings.
Price: $29 one-time (1 year of updates, $19/year renewal)
Platform: Mac only
CleanShot X is the best screenshot tool on Mac — and it also records video. Area capture, scrolling capture, OCR, annotations, GIF export, and instant cloud sharing via CleanShot Cloud.
How It Compares to Loom
CleanShot is a capture utility, not a video communication platform. It lives in your menu bar and handles the quick "grab this and share it" workflow. For screenshots, it's leagues ahead of Loom. For video, it covers the basics — recording, trimming, GIF export — without the team features.
Key Strengths
- Best-in-class screenshots — Scrolling capture, OCR, annotations, window capture.
- $29 one-time — Incredibly affordable.
- GIF export — Record short clips as GIFs for Slack and docs.
- CleanShot Cloud — Instant sharing with a link.
- Always accessible — Runs in the menu bar, always one shortcut away.
Limitations
- Mac-only.
- Recording features are basic — no zoom, no backgrounds, no webcam overlay.
- Not designed for structured video content.
- No team collaboration features.
Verdict
CleanShot X is the ideal companion to a screen recorder, not a replacement for one. If you're a Mac user who takes lots of screenshots and occasionally needs a quick video, it's a must-have at $29. For regular video recording, pair it with something else.
9. Claap
Best for: Sales teams that record meetings and need AI coaching.
Price: From $30/user/month
Platform: Chrome extension, desktop apps
Claap sits between Loom and Gong. It records meetings, transcribes them, generates AI summaries, and provides sales coaching insights. It also supports async video messages like Loom.
How It Compares to Loom
Claap does everything Loom does for async video, plus adds meeting intelligence. After a sales call, Claap auto-generates notes, pushes them to your CRM, and highlights coaching moments. If your team uses Loom for async and Gong for meeting recording, Claap replaces both.
Key Strengths
- Meeting recording + async video — One tool for both.
- AI sales coaching — Actionable insights from call recordings.
- CRM integration — Auto-push notes and summaries.
- Transcription — Real-time transcripts with search.
Limitations
- $30/user/month is more expensive than Loom.
- Focused on sales workflows — overkill for general use.
- No visual polish features (auto zoom, backgrounds, highlights).
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Loom.
Verdict
Claap is the right alternative if your team records both async messages and sales calls, and you want AI to extract insights from both. For simple screen recording, it's too much tool.
10. Vmaker
Best for: Simple recording with free cloud hosting.
Price: Free (unlimited, no watermark) / paid plans for advanced features
Platform: Chrome extension, Mac, Windows
Vmaker is a lightweight screen recorder that gives you unlimited recording and cloud hosting on the free plan — with no watermark and no time limits.
How It Compares to Loom
Vmaker's free plan is more generous than Loom's (unlimited videos, no time cap vs. Loom's 25 videos at 5 minutes). The trade-off is fewer features: no AI editing, no viewer analytics, and a simpler interface. For basic recording and sharing, it's Loom without the price tag.
Key Strengths
- Unlimited free recording — No watermark, no time limits.
- Cloud hosting included — Share via link immediately.
- Screen + webcam — Record both simultaneously.
- Integrations — Google Drive, YouTube, Zoom.
Limitations
- Basic editing only (trim, split).
- No automatic zoom, backgrounds, or visual polish.
- No team analytics or collaboration features on free plan.
- Smaller user base and community.
Verdict
Vmaker is the most generous free Loom alternative for basic recording and sharing. If you just need to capture your screen and send a link without paying anything, it's hard to beat.
Which Loom Alternative Should You Pick?
"I want better recording quality without the subscription" → Zumie — Auto zoom, click highlights, polished backgrounds. $39 once.
"I create courses and structured demos" → Tella for clip-based workflow, Camtasia for full editing control.
"I need AI to clean up my audio and edit via transcript" → Descript — Studio Sound, filler word removal, text-based editing.
"My sales team needs video analytics in our CRM" → Vidyard for analytics, Claap for meeting intelligence.
"I want the cheapest team plan" → ScreenPal at $4/user/month — or Vmaker for free.
"I want maximum power at zero cost" → OBS Studio — Unmatched control, completely free.
"I mostly take screenshots with occasional recordings" → CleanShot X — Best screenshot tool on Mac, $29.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Loom still free in 2026?
Loom offers a free Starter plan that includes unlimited screenshots and up to 25 videos with a 5-minute recording limit per video. Transcriptions and basic editing are included. For longer recordings, AI features, or team collaboration, you need the Business plan at $15/user/month or Business + AI at $20–$24/user/month.
What happened to Loom after the Atlassian acquisition?
Atlassian acquired Loom for $975 million in October 2023. Since then, billing has moved to Atlassian Administration, the Creator Lite role is being phased out (accounts after February 2026 no longer have it), and annual plans shifted to tier-based billing. Users have reported performance issues including lag, audio sync problems, and upload failures throughout 2025–2026. Enterprise migration is expected to complete by mid-2026.
What is the best free Loom alternative?
For basic recording and sharing, Vmaker offers unlimited free recordings with no watermark and cloud hosting. For maximum recording power, OBS Studio is free and open source with professional features. For free recording with automatic zoom and visual polish (but with a watermark), Zumie offers the most polished output on a free plan.
Which Loom alternative has automatic zoom?
Zumie and Tella both offer automatic zoom effects. Zumie's auto-zoom intelligently follows cursor movements and clicks without manual keyframing, while Tella includes zoom effects within its clip-based editor. None of the other alternatives listed — including Descript, Vidyard, OBS, ScreenPal, Camtasia, CleanShot X, Claap, or Vmaker — offer automatic zoom.
Can I switch from Loom without losing my videos?
Yes. Loom allows you to download your videos. Go to your Loom library, select videos, and export them as MP4 files. You own the content. However, you'll lose Loom-specific features like viewer analytics, comments, and embedded links unless you re-upload to another platform that supports them.
Related reading: