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What should you look for in a screen recorder?

You choose a screen recorder on what you make with it: a quick explanation for a colleague, a polished product demo or a screenshot with annotations. Then look at what the free plan allows, how you pay and where your recordings stay.

  1. One-off licence or subscription

    Some screen recorders sell the app for a fixed amount, with a year of updates, and only charge per month for cloud storage. Others only work with a subscription per user. Work out what you will spend over two years.

    Ask the vendor

    Can I buy the app once, what does renewing the updates cost, and does it keep working if I do not renew?

    Sort by lowest price2 of 5 tools have a public price

  2. Watermark, time limit and business use on the free plan

    Free plans of screen recorders often put a watermark on your video, stop after a few minutes of recording or prohibit commercial use. The latter already affects you when you make a demo for a client.

    Ask the vendor

    May I use the free plan for business, and is there a watermark or maximum recording length?

    Show tools with a free plan2 of 5 tools meet this

  3. Making a real demo during the free trial

    Zooms, subtitles and layouts always look good in a sample video. During the free trial, record a demo of your own product or service and see how much editing work is left.

    Ask the vendor

    Do I get all editing features and exports without a watermark during the free trial, and how many days do I have?

    Show tools with a free trial2 of 5 tools meet this

  4. Where your recordings are stored

    What you record shows what was on your screen, sometimes including customer data or emails. If a video goes to the cloud of an American vendor, check whether they fall under the Data Privacy Framework or use standard contractual clauses.

    Ask the vendor

    In which country are the videos I share through your cloud stored, and can I choose an EU region or my own storage?

    Show tools with data in the EU1 of 5 tool meets thisMore about data in the EU

  5. Data processing agreement for shared videos

    If customers or colleagues are on screen, or their data is on your screen, and you put that video online with the vendor, that vendor is your processor. Then ask for the data processing agreement and the list of sub-processors.

    Ask the vendor

    Does your data processing agreement also cover videos and transcripts, and which sub-processors get to see them?

    Show tools with data in the EU and a data processing agreement1 of 5 tool meets thisMore about the data processing agreement

  6. Sharing with a link or keeping it local

    A share link is handy for a quick explanation, but then your video is stored with the vendor. An app that records and exports locally gives you more control, but then you arrange the sharing yourself.

    Ask the vendor

    Do recordings stay on my computer until I share them, and can I protect a share link with a password or expiry date?

    We do not have a filter for this yet. Ask the vendor.

  7. Publishing to your other tools

    A demo or explainer video eventually has to land somewhere: in your help centre, on YouTube, in Slack or on a course platform. A direct integration saves downloading and uploading again.

    Ask the vendor

    To which platforms can I publish or embed a video directly, and is there an integration with Slack or my help centre?

    Sort by most integrations3 of 5 tools list integrations

  8. Dutch subtitles and transcription

    Subtitles make an explainer video usable without sound and easier to find. Not every tool recognises Dutch equally well; check whether Dutch is among the transcription languages and whether you can correct the text yourself.

    Ask the vendor

    Is Dutch among the languages for automatic subtitles, and can I edit the transcript myself before I publish?

    We do not have a filter for this yet. Ask the vendor.

Frequently asked questions about choosing screen recorders

What should you look for in a screen recorder?

Look mainly at one-off licence or subscription, watermark, time limit and business use on the free plan, making a real demo during the free trial, where your recordings are stored, data processing agreement for shared videos, sharing with a link or keeping it local, publishing to your other tools and Dutch subtitles and transcription. For each point we explain why it matters and which question to ask the vendor.

Which questions should you ask a vendor of screen recorders?

Can I buy the app once, what does renewing the updates cost, and does it keep working if I do not renew? May I use the free plan for business, and is there a watermark or maximum recording length? Do I get all editing features and exports without a watermark during the free trial, and how many days do I have? In which country are the videos I share through your cloud stored, and can I choose an EU region or my own storage?

How many screen recorders in the guide can you use or try for free?

Of the 5 screen recorders in our guide, 2 have a free plan and 2 can be tried for free, according to the vendor's site.

Sources

  1. Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens: Transferring personal data to the US (in Dutch)
  2. Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens: Data processing agreement (in Dutch)

Texts and sources checked on . The counts follow from the facts in the guide. Rules can change; the source prevails. This is an explanation, not legal or tax advice.

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