Last updated: 2026-01-08

For most YouTube creators in the US, the best place to start is StreamYard: a browser-based studio that records your screen, camera, and guests in high-quality local tracks without complex setup. If you need deep encoder control and are comfortable tweaking settings, OBS is a strong local-only option, while Loom mainly fits short, quick explainers and team updates.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you presenter-led screen recordings, layouts, branding, and local multi-track files from your browser, ready for YouTube uploads or shorts.[^]
• OBS is free desktop software with powerful scene and encoder controls, but it depends heavily on your hardware and requires more setup. (OBS)
• Loom focuses on short, shareable screen clips and async team communication, with strict limits on its free tier and per-user pricing on paid plans. (Loom)
• For most YouTube workflows—tutorials, walkthroughs, interviews—StreamYard hits the sweet spot of speed, quality, and collaboration while staying affordable for teams.

What should you look for in screen recording software for YouTube?

Before you pick a tool, it helps to think about the job you’re actually hiring it to do.

Most YouTube creators in the US are looking for:

• Fast setup: No drivers, no codecs, no spending a weekend on forums.
• Clear presenter-led recordings: Your face, your screen, and your story in one place.
• Instant reuse: Files that drop cleanly into your editor, shorts workflow, or YouTube upload.
• High quality on typical laptops: Good 1080p output without needing a monster GPU.
• Reliability: You hit record, it just works—whether you’re solo or with guests.

This is where a browser-based studio like StreamYard changes the game. You open a tab, share your screen, hit record, and get local multi-track files you can reuse across your channel.[^]

Why is StreamYard a strong default for YouTube screen recordings?

At StreamYard, we built our studio around creator workflows, not just raw screen capture.

Here’s what that looks like when you’re making YouTube videos:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing: You see your slides, browser, or app and your camera feed, so you can stay on track while you teach or demo.
• Controllable layouts: Switch between full-screen screen share, picture-in-picture, or side-by-side without editing those layouts later.
• Independent audio control: Adjust screen/system audio separately from your microphone to keep your voice clear over demos or music.
• Local multi-track recordings: Capture separate audio and video files for each participant, which makes it much easier to clean up mistakes and balance levels in post. (StreamYard)
• Landscape and portrait in one session: Record traditional 16:9 plus vertical-friendly 9:16 framing so you can cut shorts and Reels from the same session. (StreamYard)
• Built-in branding: Add logos, overlays, lower-thirds, and backgrounds live, so your raw recordings already feel on-brand.
• Presenter notes only you can see: Keep key points in view without exposing them in your recording.
• Multi-participant studios: Bring in guests, co-hosts, or producers and still record usable local tracks for everyone.[^]

Because this all runs in the browser, typical US creator laptops handle it well—there’s no heavy encoding load like a full desktop app. And on paid plans, local recording is effectively unlimited, subject to your device and storage.[^]

How does StreamYard compare with OBS for YouTube tutorials?

OBS comes up in almost every “best screen recorder” list, and for good reason. It’s powerful, free, and widely used.

What OBS offers:

• A desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Scene-based layouts mixing windows, displays, images, webcams, and capture cards. (OBS)
• Detailed control over encoders, bitrates, and recording formats, with presets like “High Quality” or “Lossless.” (OBS)

For creators who enjoy dialing in every setting, OBS can be a great fit—especially for gameplay or complex scene-based production.

Where StreamYard is usually a better default for tutorials:

• Setup time: With OBS, you’re configuring scenes, sources, audio devices, and encoders. With StreamYard, you open a studio in your browser and click “Share screen.”
• Guest support: StreamYard gives you a ready-made backstage for remote guests, each with their own local recording track on paid plans.[^] OBS requires workarounds like separate call apps or plugins.
• Editing workflow: StreamYard’s local multi-track recordings are already aligned and labeled by participant, which simplifies editing in tools like Premiere or Final Cut. (StreamYard)
• Hardware dependence: OBS puts all the load on your machine; performance and reliability are tied to your CPU/GPU and configuration. (OBS) StreamYard leans on the browser plus cloud, which tends to be more forgiving on everyday laptops.

A simple way to decide:

• Choose StreamYard if you want clean, presenter-led tutorials, interviews, or walkthroughs with minimal setup.
• Choose OBS if you specifically want deep control over encoding and complex, multi-scene compositions—and you’re comfortable tuning settings.

Where does Loom fit into a YouTube screen recording stack?

Loom is built for quick, async communication—think “explain this Jira board” or “give feedback on a design,” not full YouTube production.

On the free Starter plan, you get:

• Up to 5 minutes per recording.
• A cap of 25 videos in your workspace. (Loom)

Paid Loom plans remove those caps and add AI summaries, but pricing is per user per month, which can add up quickly for teams. (Loom)

That makes Loom useful as a companion tool for short internal explainers or quick client updates. For serious YouTube work—especially longer tutorials, cohesive branding, and multi-participant content—StreamYard is usually a better fit.

There’s also a pricing nuance: at StreamYard, plans are priced per workspace, not per user, so a small team can share one subscription rather than paying per seat.

How to record 1080p screen recordings for YouTube in StreamYard

Let’s walk through a simple, real-world workflow for a YouTube tutorial.

1. Create a recording studio
   Log into StreamYard, create a new recording, and enter the studio in your browser.

2. Set up your camera and mic
   Select your webcam and microphone, and check levels in the preview so your voice sits comfortably above system audio.

3. Share your screen
   Click “Share” and choose a specific window or entire screen. You can toggle between layouts (full screen, picture-in-picture, side-by-side) as you teach.

4. Enable local recordings
   On Free, you can record up to 2 hours of local recordings per month; on paid plans, local recording is unlimited, within the constraints of your device.[^]

5. Record in 1080p
   Start recording. StreamYard creates 1080p HD local recordings and automatically saves separate audio and video files on your device for post-production. (StreamYard)

6. Export for YouTube and shorts
   Download your full-resolution file, then cut it into your main YouTube video and vertical clips. With portrait mode, you can frame vertical shots that are ready for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok from the same session. (StreamYard)

In practice, this feels like recording inside your finished show, not just capturing a raw desktop that you have to fix later.

Do StreamYard, OBS, and Loom all provide separate audio/video tracks?

For YouTube creators who edit, this matters more than most spec sheets admit.

• StreamYard creates local recordings with separate audio and video files per participant on all plans, which gives you precise control in post-production. (StreamYard)
• OBS lets you route multiple audio sources into different tracks and can record them into a single container file, but setting that up requires manual configuration of tracks and sources. (OBS)
• Loom focuses on a single combined recording with built-in transcription and AI features; its public docs emphasize storage and length limits rather than multi-track post-production workflows. (Loom)

For most YouTube workflows—especially interviews and collaborative tutorials—StreamYard’s per-participant multi-track approach in a simple browser studio is often the most straightforward way to get edit-friendly files.

How do pricing and limits actually compare for teams?

If you’re recording alone, any of these tools can work. Once you’re a small team or growing channel, the math changes.

• Loom charges per user, with the free Starter plan limited to 5-minute recordings and 25 stored videos. To remove those limits, each creator typically needs a paid seat. (Loom)
• OBS is free to install, but you’re investing time in setup, plus hardware and storage to handle local recording.
• StreamYard prices plans per workspace, not per user, so an entire small team can record in a shared studio under one subscription. New users in the US often see introductory pricing and can use a 7-day free trial to validate the workflow before committing. (StreamYard)

For many YouTube-focused teams, that combination—shared workspace pricing plus a browser-based studio and local multi-track recordings—ends up being more cost-effective than per-user tools or heavy desktop setups.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if you want clear, presenter-led screen recordings, easy guest interviews, and edit-ready local tracks for YouTube, all from your browser.
• Add OBS only if you need deep encoder control or complex, scene-based production and you’re comfortable managing hardware and settings.
• Use Loom as a side tool for short async clips and internal explainers, not as your main YouTube production environment.
• Revisit your setup every 6–12 months, but prioritize simplicity, reliability, and your actual publishing cadence over chasing specs.