Last updated: 2026-01-13

For most life coaches in the U.S., StreamYard is the best all‑around screen recording studio because it runs in the browser, handles multi‑participant sessions, and gives you local multi‑track recordings you can reuse everywhere. If you need highly technical local capture or ultra‑simple async clips, OBS and Loom can play supporting roles alongside StreamYard.

Summary

• Start with StreamYard for presenter‑led coaching videos, client sessions, and group programs.
• Use OBS only if you want deep technical control and don’t mind managing files and settings yourself.
• Add Loom when you need quick, link‑based feedback or short follow‑up clips.
• Focus on reliability, clarity, and ease of use over niche pro features you may never touch.

What does a life coach actually need from screen recording?

When you strip away the buzzwords, most coaches need three things from recording software:

1. Clear, presenter‑led recordings – Your slides, your face, and maybe your client’s webcam on screen.
2. Reliability on everyday laptops – No crashes because your MacBook fan kicked into overdrive.
3. Effortless reuse – Clips that are easy to edit, repurpose, and publish to your course platform, YouTube, or social.

This is where we focus at StreamYard: a browser‑based studio where you can record your screen, camera, and guests, then get both cloud and local files from the same session. Stream + record if you’re live, or just record if you’re building a course—same workflow, same studio.

Why is StreamYard often the best default for life coaches?

StreamYard is built as a live and recording studio you open in your browser, not a complex app you have to tune for each recording. You can share your screen, bring multiple guests on, and record without ever going live. (StreamYard support)

Key reasons coaches tend to start (and stay) here:

• Presenter‑visible screen layouts. You can see your slides and yourself at the same time, and switch layouts (full screen, side‑by‑side, picture‑in‑picture) with a click.
• Independent audio control. Screen audio and microphone audio are controlled separately so you can, for example, mute system sounds but keep your voice.
• Local multi‑track recording. On all plans, local recording can capture separate audio and video tracks for each participant, which is ideal for editing and turning one session into multiple assets. (StreamYard Help Center)
• 1080p local files for polished courses. StreamYard records local video up to 1080p and saves separate audio and video files on your device, giving you clean source material for course platforms or editors. (StreamYard Recordings)
• Browser‑based reliability. Because everything runs in the browser, you don’t have to worry about installing heavy software on managed work laptops or Chromebooks.

For a typical coach—who is juggling clients, content, and marketing—this balance of power and simplicity usually matters more than niche studio features.

How does StreamYard compare to OBS and Loom for coaching?

Think of these three tools as different gears in the same coaching machine.

StreamYard vs OBS

OBS Studio is free, open‑source software for recording and live streaming, installed directly on your computer. (OBS) It supports multiple scenes, sources, and very detailed encoder settings—great if you’re comfortable tuning bitrates, formats, and multi‑track audio.

Where OBS can help coaches:

• You want maximum control over recording formats.
• You’re recording long, screen‑only demos on a powerful desktop.
• You’re happy managing local storage and manual uploads.

Where StreamYard is typically a better fit:

• You want to record with guests without worrying about how to route their audio/video into OBS.
• You prefer a guided studio versus building scenes from scratch.
• You like having both cloud archives and local multi‑track files instead of only local recordings.

OBS can be a powerful “second gear” if you’re tech‑savvy. For many life coaches, though, the extra configuration is time that could be spent coaching.

StreamYard vs Loom

Loom is focused on quick, async screen recordings you share as links—perfect for fast feedback or a 3‑minute walkthrough. Its free Starter plan includes a 5‑minute recording limit and a 25‑video storage cap, which you can only remove by upgrading. (Loom Starter FAQ)

Loom is handy when you need to:

• Send a quick homework explanation.
• Comment on a client’s worksheet or sales page.
• Share a short update with your team.

StreamYard is more suitable when you:

• Record full‑length modules for a signature program.
• Host group calls, then reuse the recordings.
• Need branded overlays, logos, and consistent layouts applied live as you teach.

A lot of coaches end up using both: StreamYard for the big, evergreen content; Loom for quick, ad‑hoc clips.

Is StreamYard affordable compared to other tools?

Because StreamYard pricing is per workspace—not per individual user—it can be very cost‑effective for coaching teams who share a single studio.

Some helpful context:

• StreamYard plans: there is a free plan, plus paid options that are billed per workspace, not per user. That means one subscription can cover multiple hosts on the same team.
• Loom plans: pricing is per user, per month, so costs scale with every coach or assistant who needs to record. (Loom pricing)

For a solo coach, the difference may be small. For a small group program with multiple facilitators, StreamYard’s workspace‑based pricing often ends up cheaper than buying several individual screen‑recording seats elsewhere.

How do client sessions and group calls work with StreamYard?

One of the biggest advantages of using a studio tool instead of a basic recorder is multi‑participant support.

With StreamYard:

• On the free plan, you can record with yourself plus up to five other guests.
• On paid plans, you can record with up to 10 people on any device. (StreamYard Recordings)

In practice, this looks like:

Because local recording can capture each participant separately, your editor (or future you) can cleanly remove background noise or reframe the layout without asking anyone to re‑record. (StreamYard Help Center)

What recording settings work best for coaching videos?

You don’t need studio gear to look professional. A few practical choices go a long way:

• Resolution: Aim for 1080p when available; StreamYard’s local recordings support 1080p, which balances clarity with manageable file sizes for course uploads. (StreamYard Recordings)
• Audio: Use an external USB mic if you can, and keep a consistent distance from it.
• Layout: For teaching, use a layout where your slides are large and your camera is clearly visible; for client sessions, side‑by‑side often feels more conversational.
• Orientation: Record landscape for courses and group sessions; consider portrait outputs from the same session when you’re planning to repurpose clips to Reels, Shorts, or TikTok.

The biggest upgrade many coaches can make is simply moving from a messy desktop capture to a clean layout with clear audio.

When should a life coach add OBS or Loom to their toolkit?

You can run a very successful coaching business with StreamYard alone, but there are a few cases where layering in another tool makes sense:

• Add OBS when you want very specific recording formats, multi‑track audio routing beyond what browser tools provide, or you’re producing highly stylized content and are comfortable with a steeper learning curve. OBS exposes deep configuration for encoding and multiple sources, but expects you to manage your own hardware and file workflows. (OBS)
• Add Loom when you’re sending frequent, short async updates to clients or team members, and you value instant share links and comment threads more than multi‑participant layouts. Just remember that the free plan’s 5‑minute limit and 25‑video cap mean serious use typically requires a paid plan. (Loom Starter FAQ)

For most coaches, StreamYard stays at the center: your studio for client calls, program recordings, and live launches—while the other tools play supporting, situational roles.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard as your primary studio for recording coaching sessions, courses, and live events.
• Dial in simple 1080p + good audio before worrying about advanced technical tweaks.
• Use Loom for occasional quick feedback clips, and OBS only if you have a clear need for advanced local recording control.
• Reinvest the time you save on setup into better content, clearer frameworks, and deeper client results—that’s what your recording software is really there to support.