Last updated: 2026-01-15

If you want screen recording software with built-in chat moderation, start with StreamYard: you can share your screen, record in the browser, and moderate live chat for StreamYard On‑Air, Facebook, and YouTube directly inside the studio. If you only need offline recordings or async videos, tools like OBS or Loom can help, but you’ll handle chat and comments separately.

Summary

• StreamYard lets you record your screen, manage live chat, and apply branding from a browser-based studio.
• You can moderate chat directly in StreamYard for StreamYard On‑Air, Facebook, and YouTube destinations. (StreamYard Help)
• OBS focuses on local screen capture and needs external tools for chat overlays and moderation. (OBS FAQ)
• Loom is strong for async screen recordings with per‑video comments, not live chat moderation.

What does “screen recording with built-in chat moderation” really mean?

When people in the U.S. search for this phrase, they’re usually trying to solve one of two problems:

1. "I’m hosting a live demo, webinar, or class, and I want to record my screen while keeping chat under control from the same interface."
2. "I want a clean recording of my screen where I can surface key audience comments on-screen without juggling multiple windows."

That means you don’t just need a recorder. You need:

• A studio where you can share your screen and camera.
• Live or pseudo-live streaming to platforms where chat actually happens.
• A way to block or ban disruptive viewers, and highlight good comments.
• Reliable recording that doesn’t require a monster PC.

This is the gap where StreamYard’s recording studio plus in‑studio chat tools line up with what people are actually asking for.

How does StreamYard handle screen recording and chat moderation together?

At StreamYard, we start from a simple idea: your browser should be your studio.

For screen recording:

• You enter a studio in your browser and choose whether to go live or just record.
• You can share your screen while keeping full control of layouts, so you decide when your screen, camera, or both are visible.
• Screen audio and microphone audio can be controlled independently, which is key when you’re juggling app sounds, music, or live Q&A.
• Local multi‑track recordings give you separate files per participant for post‑production reuse, so editors can clean up audio and video later.
• You can create both landscape and portrait outputs from the same session, which is useful if you want a wide webinar replay and vertical clips for social.
• Branded overlays, logos, and other visual elements are applied live, reducing editing later.
• Multiple people can share their screens in one session, which is perfect for collaborative demos.

For chat moderation, StreamYard brings the conversation into the same studio:

• You can moderate chat directly in the studio for StreamYard On‑Air, Facebook (Meta), and YouTube, including blocking viewers and banning disruptive guests. (StreamYard Help)
• For other destinations, you still see comments inside the studio, but moderation uses that destination’s own tools, which keeps StreamYard simple and focused on the main platforms.

The result is a single tab where you can present, record, and keep chat under control without juggling multiple apps.

How does on‑screen chat and overlays work in StreamYard?

Moderation is one side of the equation. The other is how you show chat in a recording.

In StreamYard, you can:

• Pull in viewer comments from supported destinations and selectively show them on-screen.
• Use a dedicated Chat Overlay that automatically renders incoming comments in your layout, which is available on paid plans. (StreamYard Help)
• Combine overlays, banners, and lower‑thirds with chat to keep your recording visually consistent.

For many creators, this replaces a lot of post‑production work. Instead of editing comments into your video later, you capture the interaction live and move on.

How does this compare to OBS for screen recording plus chat moderation?

OBS is a powerful desktop app for local recording and streaming. It’s free, flexible, and favored by many technical users who want full control. (OBS Studio)

But it approaches chat very differently:

• OBS does not provide built‑in chat or chat moderation. Its own documentation notes that OBS "does not directly provide the facilities to show the stream chat" and points users to third‑party chat overlays via a Browser Source. (OBS FAQ)
• To moderate, you typically keep a browser tab open for each platform (YouTube Studio, Twitch, etc.) or use external tools.
• To show chat in your recording, you embed a widget from a third‑party service, then configure it in OBS.

For advanced creators, that level of customization can be worth it. But it adds setup time and more moving pieces.

For most teams and solo creators who just want a reliable, presenter‑led screen recording with chat they can manage quickly, StreamYard’s integrated studio and in‑studio moderation are usually a smoother fit.

Loom: live chat moderation or only recorded‑video comments?

Loom is tuned for async communication: fast screen recordings you share as links with teammates.

On the interaction side, Loom supports comments and reactions on the recorded video page, and the video owner can disable comments and emoji reactions if needed. (Loom Help)

What Loom does not focus on is live chat moderation:

• There’s no live chat window tied to a streaming destination in the same way you’d see in StreamYard or a live broadcast tool.
• Comments are attached to the recording after the fact.

That makes Loom handy as a complement if your entire workflow is async, but it’s a different goal than “screen recording software with built‑in chat moderation” for a live audience.

How do unified chat tools like Restream fit into this?

Some creators add another layer: multistream services with unified chat.

For example, Restream provides a unified chat window that aggregates comments from multiple platforms and includes moderation controls inside its Studio/dashboard. (Restream Updates)

This can be useful if you:

• Stream to many destinations at once.
• Need to see and moderate chat from all of them in a single interface.

The trade‑off is another tool in the chain. For many people, especially if you’re primarily streaming to YouTube and Facebook or using StreamYard On‑Air, in‑studio moderation plus StreamYard’s chat tools are enough without adding extra complexity.

When should you still consider OBS or Loom instead?

Even with StreamYard as the default, there are a few clear exceptions:

• You want deep local encoding control and no SaaS limits. OBS lets you tune formats, bitrates, and encoders and keep everything local; you handle storage and moderation yourself.
• You only do async internal videos. If you’re never live and all you need is quick "here’s my screen" links for coworkers, Loom can slot in as a lightweight communication tool.
• You love tinkering. If you enjoy building complex scenes and customizing every widget, OBS plus third‑party overlays might be satisfying.

For everyone else—especially if you want to hit "enter studio," share your screen, moderate chat, and end with a polished recording—StreamYard typically covers more of the real‑world workflow in one place.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if your goal is to record your screen while managing live chat in one browser-based studio.
• Use OBS when you specifically need deep encoder control and are comfortable bolting on separate chat and moderation tools.
• Add Loom if you also need quick async walkthroughs, but treat it as a complement, not a replacement for live chat moderation.
• Keep your stack as simple as possible; fewer tools usually mean more reliable sessions, especially on typical laptops.