# Open-source alternatives to Loom

> Open-source alternatives to Loom that run locally, allow commercial use and need no paid API include ScreenToGif (screen and camera recording and trimming and editing recordings; MS-PL). Cap and SendRec cover all 6 Loom jobs.

Loom: Hosted async video messaging. Record your screen and camera from a desktop app or browser extension, get a share link straight away, and collect comments, reactions and view analytics in a team library. AI titles, summaries and transcripts, plus trimming and basic editing. Recordings are stored in Loom's cloud. Pricing: See pricing page (checked 2026-10-16). Facts checked 2026-10-16.

## Projects

| Project | Jobs | Runs locally | Commercial use | Paid services | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [OBS Studio](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/obs-studio) | screen-camera-recording | Yes, desktop app | Recording for work is fine; redistributing modified OBS must follow GPL terms | None; funded by donations and sponsors | DirectX 10.1 GPU on Windows, OpenGL 3.3 GPU on macOS and Linux; CPU needs depend on encoder and resolution |
| [ShareX](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/sharex) | screen-camera-recording, instant-video-share-links, recording-trim-edit | Yes, Windows desktop app; uploads go to destinations you choose | Free to use for work; redistributing modified versions must follow GPL-3.0 | None required; you pick the upload destination (own S3/R2 bucket, custom uploader or a third-party host) | Not documented in the README |
| [Recordly](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/recordly) | screen-camera-recording, recording-trim-edit | Yes, desktop app | Use for any purpose is allowed; modified or service versions must publish source under AGPLv3 and credit Recordly | No paid service required for the local screen-recording and editing workflow, which the README describes as free | Not documented beyond OS versions |
| [ScreenToGif](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/screentogif) | screen-camera-recording, recording-trim-edit | Yes, desktop app | Yes under Ms-PL; the author asks people not to rebrand and sell the app | None; donations only | Not documented beyond the .NET runtime |
| [Cap](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/cap) | screen-camera-recording, instant-video-share-links, video-comments-reactions, ai-video-titles-summaries, recording-trim-edit, video-library-viewer-analytics | Desktop app records locally; the sharing web app can be self-hosted with Docker Compose or used as Cap Cloud | Official desktop binaries need a paid commercial licence (or Cap Pro) for commercial use; self-built binaries fall under AGPLv3 only | Nothing paid needed for personal use; work use of official binaries needs a licence; AI transcripts and summaries need a provider key (or a local OpenAI-compatible server); email via Resend | Not documented for the desktop app or the self-hosted server |
| [Screenity](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/screenity) | screen-camera-recording, recording-trim-edit | Yes, browser extension; self-built version runs fully local | Free for personal, educational or internal use; GPL-3.0 terms and a request to contact the author before building a commercial product | None required; link sharing, multi-scene editing and captions are in paid Screenity Pro | Not documented |
| [OpenScreen](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/openscreen) | screen-camera-recording, recording-trim-edit, ai-video-titles-summaries | Yes, desktop app; captions transcribed on-device | Yes, MIT code and no paywall | None required; the AI editing assistant needs your own key for a provider such as Claude, OpenAI or Gemini, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint | 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended); Windows needs Intel 8th Gen / Ryzen 2000 or newer; GPU encoding with CPU fallback |
| [Kooha](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kooha) | screen-camera-recording | Yes, desktop app | Free to use for work; redistributing modified versions must follow GPL-3.0 | None; donations only | Not documented; needs PipeWire and xdg-desktop-portal |
| [vokoscreenNG](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/vokoscreenng) | screen-camera-recording | Yes, desktop app | Free to use for work; redistributing modified versions must follow GPL-2.0 | None required for local screen recording; the author's site describes it as free and open source and asks for voluntary donations | Not documented; Linux needs Qt 6.9+, PulseAudio and GStreamer 1.22.8+ |
| [SimpleScreenRecorder](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/simplescreenrecorder) | screen-camera-recording | Yes, desktop app | Free to use for work; redistributing modified versions must follow GPL-3.0 | None required for local recording; official instructions install the standalone Linux application from distribution packages or build it from source | Not documented |
| [SendRec](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/sendrec) | screen-camera-recording, instant-video-share-links, video-comments-reactions, ai-video-titles-summaries, recording-trim-edit, video-library-viewer-analytics | Self-hosted with Docker Compose or a Helm chart; also offered hosted at sendrec.eu | Allowed under AGPL-3.0 copyleft terms; no separate commercial licence mentioned | None required; transcription can run locally; cloud transcription, AI summaries and billing integration are optional | Small VPS, 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM |

## Common questions

### Is there a free, open-source alternative to Loom?

Yes. Cap, SendRec, OpenScreen, ShareX and Recordly are free to download and run on your own computer without paid API keys. Cap and SendRec cover every job we list for Loom; the others cover only part of it, so check which job you need.

### Can I do screen and camera recording locally without a Loom subscription?

Yes, with OBS Studio (GPL-2.0-or-later), Cap (AGPL-3.0-only) and SendRec (AGPL-3.0-only). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Can I do instant share links for recordings locally without a Loom subscription?

Yes, with Cap (AGPL-3.0-only), SendRec (AGPL-3.0-only) and ShareX (GPL-3.0-only). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Which Loom alternatives can I use commercially?

Confirmed: OpenScreen and ScreenToGif. With conditions: Cap, Kooha, OBS Studio, Recordly, Screenity, SendRec, ShareX, SimpleScreenRecorder and vokoscreenNG. This is not legal advice; read each licence.

### Does any open-source project replace all of Loom?

Cap and SendRec cover every job we list for Loom.

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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/alternatives/loom). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.