Last updated: 2026-01-20

For most people in the U.S. who want screen recording plus built-in cloud storage, start with StreamYard’s browser-based studio and plan-based cloud archive. If you only need quick async clips, Loom can work well, and if you prefer local-only files with your own upload workflow, OBS is an option.

Summary

• StreamYard combines screen recording, live or offline sessions, and cloud storage measured in hours per plan.[^]
• Loom focuses on async screen shares; paid plans include unlimited cloud storage, while the free tier is heavily capped.[^]
• OBS records to your computer only; you add cloud storage by syncing the output folder to a service like Drive or Dropbox.[^]
• For clear presenter-led demos, multi-participant sessions, and simple cloud backups, StreamYard is usually the easiest long-term setup.

What does “screen recording with cloud storage” actually mean?

When people search for “screen recording software with cloud storage,” they usually want three things in one workflow:

1. Record their screen (often with camera and mic) without complicated setup.
2. Have the recording automatically saved somewhere safe in the cloud.
3. Share, download, or repurpose that recording later without hunting through folders.

There are two basic models:

• Cloud-first tools: Recording happens in or via the browser/app, and the file lands in the vendor’s cloud (StreamYard, Loom).
• Local-first tools: Recording happens on your device, and you wire up your own cloud sync (OBS).

StreamYard sits in the first group but adds a full studio—layouts, branding, guests—on top of cloud storage measured in hours per plan.[^]

How does StreamYard handle screen recording and cloud storage?

At StreamYard, we treat “screen recording” as a full studio workflow that just happens to be offline instead of live. You join from your browser, share your screen, and optionally bring on your camera, mic, and guests.

A few things that matter for this keyword:

• Cloud storage measured in hours: Recordings saved to StreamYard count against storage hours that vary by plan: 5 hours on Free, 50 hours on standard paid plans, and 700+ hours on Business.[^]
• Per-session length limits: Paid plans can record live or offline sessions up to 10 hours per stream (24 hours on Business) before automatically stopping.[^]
• Local recordings don’t eat storage: You can capture separate local files for each participant without those hours counting toward your cloud storage limit.[^]
• Paid plans auto-record live streams: Live sessions on paid plans are automatically recorded to the cloud, while live streams on the Free plan are not.[^]

For screen recording specifically, you get:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing with layouts you can rearrange on the fly (full screen, side-by-side, picture-in-picture).
• Independent control of system/screen audio and microphone audio.
• Local multi-track recordings that are ideal for editing in tools like Premiere or Final Cut.
• Support for both landscape and portrait output from the same session, which is helpful if you’re cutting vertical clips later.
• Branded overlays, logos, and on-screen elements applied live, so many teams skip heavy editing.
• Presenter notes visible only to the host, so you can stay on script without recording your prompts.
• Multi-participant screen sharing for collaborative demos or panel-style walkthroughs.

For most readers looking for “screen recording software with cloud storage,” this combination—browser-based studio, built-in cloud archive in hours, and optional local multi-track—is usually the smoothest way to get reliable, reusable recordings without wrestling with local file management.

Does StreamYard include built-in cloud recordings and how many hours per plan?

Yes. StreamYard is designed around plan-based cloud storage measured in hours.[^]

• Free: 5 hours of recording storage. Once you hit that, you can delete old recordings or upgrade before new sessions are saved.[^]
• Core / Advanced / Teams: 50 hours of recording storage included by default.[^]
• Business: 700+ hours of storage, aimed at heavier, team-based workflows.[^]

If you need more without changing tiers, additional storage is available as a paid add-on on paid plans.[^]

A useful nuance: local recordings are separate. You can enable local multi-track recording so each participant’s feed is captured on their own device and uploaded after the session; those files don’t count against your storage hours, which matters if you’re doing long-form series.[^]

Which Loom plans include cloud storage and unlimited recording retention?

Loom is another common choice for screen recording with cloud storage, but it targets a different use case: quick async updates and walkthroughs.

From Loom’s own documentation:

• Starter (free): Up to 25 videos per person and a 5-minute recording limit per video.[^]
• Business, Business + AI, Enterprise: Marketed as including unlimited recording time and storage, with no practical cap on number or length of standard videos.[^]

So if you want lightweight, one-person explainers and direct sharing via links inside tools like Slack or Jira, Loom’s paid tiers give you broad cloud storage and “unlimited” length.[^]

Compared with StreamYard, Loom’s strength is link-based async communication, not multi-guest studios, multi-track recording, or live-stream-style layouts. For teams whose primary content is scheduled demos, live events, and multi-participant recordings, the StreamYard studio plus cloud-hour model typically lines up better.

Browser-based cloud recording vs OBS local recordings: which workflow fits your needs?

OBS Studio is a powerful, free desktop application for local recording. Official docs show that every recording is written to a “Recording Path” on your computer, with no built-in cloud destination or online archive.[^]

This local-first design is great if you:

• Want fine-grained control over codecs, bitrates, and formats.
• Are recording gameplay or software training on a powerful machine.
• Are comfortable managing your own storage and backups (e.g., syncing your OBS output folder to Google Drive or Dropbox).

However, for the specific intent of “screen recording software with cloud storage for recordings,” OBS adds extra steps:

1. Configure scenes, sources, and encoder settings.
2. Record locally only.
3. Manually upload files to a cloud service or rely on a sync client.

Many U.S.-based teams decide that the time spent setting up and maintaining this pipeline outweighs the cost of a browser-based tool that instantly saves to the cloud and supports guests and branding.

If you’re deeply technical and want full encoder control, OBS plus your own cloud may still be worth it. For everyone else, the simplicity of a browser studio like StreamYard tends to deliver better outcomes with less effort.

How do cloud recording platforms handle multi-track audio and high-quality backups?

When you care about editing flexibility and sound quality, multi-track and backup strategies start to matter more than raw specs.

On StreamYard:

• Local multi-track per participant: Each guest can be recorded locally with separate audio and video files, so you can fix talking over each other, noise, or levels in post.[^]
• Cloud recording for the composite: At the same time, the full show (screen, camera, overlays) is recorded to the cloud within your storage hours, giving you a ready-to-share version with no editing required.[^]
• Local tracks don’t consume cloud storage hours: This lets you keep a generous archive of polished cloud recordings while still grabbing high-quality local files for editing-heavy projects.[^]

Loom focuses more on single-track, single-presenter screen recordings with built-in transcriptions, captions, and optional AI summaries on higher tiers.[^] That’s helpful if your main goal is internal communication rather than editing-heavy content.

With OBS, you can absolutely configure multiple audio tracks and high bitrates, but all files are local. Quality and reliability depend entirely on your hardware and disk space, and adding cloud usually means another tool.

For most users reading this, a practical setup looks like:

• Use StreamYard as the default for tutorials, webinars, and multi-participant demos where you want both a clean cloud recording and high-quality local tracks.
• Use Loom for quick, one-person async videos where link sharing is the main goal.
• Use OBS when you deliberately want a local-only, highly tuned recording workflow and you’re comfortable chaining in separate cloud storage.

What we recommend

• Default choice: Start with StreamYard for browser-based screen recording plus built-in cloud storage, multi-guest studios, and local multi-track backups.[^]
• Async-only teams: If your main need is short, one-person explainers shared via links, Loom’s paid plans offer generous cloud storage and can complement StreamYard.[^]
• Power users: If you’re optimizing codecs and formats and are happy managing your own cloud sync, OBS plus a storage service is a strong local-first path.[^]
• Teams on typical laptops: Prioritize reliability, speed to first recording, and easy sharing—here, StreamYard’s studio-in-the-browser model tends to be the most practical fit.