# OBS Studio

> 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.

- Repository: https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio
- Official docs: https://obsproject.com/kb
- Checked: 2026-10-16

## What it replaces
- Loom: Screen and camera recording (full). Replaces recording only; no sharing, comments, AI or editing.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Yes, desktop app | https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Code licence | Partial | GPL-2.0-or-later (copyleft) | https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Commercial use | Partial | Recording for work is fine; redistributing modified OBS must follow GPL terms | https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Paid services needed? | Confirmed | None; funded by donations and sponsors | https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Hardware | Confirmed | DirectX 10.1 GPU on Windows, OpenGL 3.3 GPU on macOS and Linux; CPU needs depend on encoder and resolution | https://obsproject.com/kb/system-requirements | 2026-10-16 |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13+, Linux (Flatpak, Ubuntu 24.04+ PPA) | https://obsproject.com/download | 2026-10-16 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Easy installer, Flatpak or PPA; scene setup takes some learning | https://obsproject.com/download | 2026-10-16 |

GitHub: 77615 stars, 10686 forks, last push 2026-10-14, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/obs-studio). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.