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RepoQuarry

OBS Studio obsproject/obs-studio

Mature desktop app for recording and streaming screen, camera and audio with scene compositing; saves local files, no share links.

Creator kit + Compare GitHub ↗ Install guide (official) ↗

OBS Studio at a glance

Checked 16 Oct 2026

OBS Studio (77k stars, 32.2.2 Aug 2026) records any mix of screens, windows, webcams and audio sources into scenes, with camera overlays and hardware encoding, and saves files locally or streams them. GPL-2.0-or-later, free with no paid tier. It is a recorder only: there is no upload, share link, comments, transcripts or viewer analytics, and no editor for trimming. Pair it with a self-hosted sharing server to cover more of Loom. Setup is a normal installer but the interface has a learning curve.

Cite this pageRepoQuarry. “OBS Studio.” Checked 16 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/obs-studio

How much of Loom does it replace?

1 of 6 jobs. Replaces recording only; no sharing, comments, AI or editing.

Confirmed: Screen and camera recording Full replacement
No: Instant share links for recordings Not covered
No: Timestamped comments and reactions on videos Not covered
No: AI titles Not covered
No: Trimming and editing recordings Not covered
No: Team video library and viewer analytics Not covered

For instant share links for recordings, timestamped comments and reactions on videos, AI titles, trimming and editing recordings, team video library and viewer analytics, see other Loom alternatives. You may also need to build an interface, an API server and hosting yourself.

Facts, with sources

Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.

Report a correction
QuestionAnswerSourceChecked
Runs on my machine? Confirmed: Yes, desktop app OBS Studio is software designed for capturing, compositing, encoding, recording, and streaming video content, efficiently. github.com · obs-studio#readme ↗ today
Code licence Partial: GPL-2.0-or-later (copyleft) It's distributed under the GNU General Public License v2 (or any later version) github.com · obs-studio#readme ↗ today
Model weights licence Confirmed: No separate model weights github.com · obs-studio#readme ↗ today
Commercial use Partial: Recording for work is fine; redistributing modified OBS must follow GPL terms It's distributed under the GNU General Public License v2 (or any later version) github.com · obs-studio#readme ↗ today
Paid services needed? Confirmed: None; funded by donations and sponsors If you would like to help fund or sponsor the project, you can do so via Patreon, OpenCollective, or PayPal. github.com · obs-studio#readme ↗ today
Hardware Confirmed: DirectX 10.1 GPU on Windows, OpenGL 3.3 GPU on macOS and Linux; CPU needs depend on encoder and resolution The CPU requirements vary considerably depending on the chosen encoder, resolution, FPS and your scene complexity. obsproject.com · system-requirements ↗ today
Operating systems Confirmed: Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13+, Linux (Flatpak, Ubuntu 24.04+ PPA) The Windows release of OBS Studio supports Windows 10 and 11. obsproject.com · download ↗ today
Setup effort Confirmed: Easy installer, Flatpak or PPA; scene setup takes some learning OBS Studio is officially distributed as a Flatpak on Flathub and a PPA for Ubuntu 24.04 and newer. obsproject.com · download ↗ today

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