Recording Studio

11 Best Free and Open Source Linux Screencasting Software

A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, typically carrying audio narration. Screencasting software takes a series of screenshots of a running application, recording the user’s actions, and creating a video file. The movies can be output in a variety of different formats. This type of software was brought into prominence by the commercial Windows application Lotus ScreenCam in 1994, followed by TechSmith Camtasia and Adobe Captivate.

Screencasts have a wide variety of uses. This type of software is also often used to demonstrate operating systems, software actions, website features, troubleshooting, and evaluating technical skills.

Things have moved on since we last covered screencasting software. The purpose of this article is to identify high quality open source screencasting software that makes it a breeze to create screencasts. Thanks to this software, anyone can make their own videos.

To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 11 slick Linux screencasting tools. All of these tools are released under a freely distributable license.

Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart.

Ratings chart

Click the links in the table below to learn more about each application.

Screencasting tools
OBS StudioComplete video recording and live streaming solution
GPU Screen RecorderMinimizes system performance by recording using the GPU only
vokoscreenNGEasy to use screencast creator
KoohaSimple GTK-based app to “elegantly record your screen”
screenkeyScreencasting software inspired by Screenflick
FFmpegRecord, convert and stream audio and video
SimpleScreenRecorderEasy to use screencast creator
Blue RecorderSimple screen recorder written in Rust
peekAnimated GIF screen recorder
ScreenStudioStreaming made easy
KazamWell designed and easy to use interface

This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.

If you are running Gnome Shell you already have an environment framework to record your desktop. Simply press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R to start recording a screencast. Gnome’s screencasting works well, using little resources, and is effortless to use.

Best Free and Open Source SoftwareRead our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software.

The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk.

There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more.
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