Last updated: 2026-01-24

For most marketers in the US, start with StreamYard: it gives you a browser-based studio for presenter-led screen recordings, multi-participant demos, and reusable local tracks without complex setup. If you mainly need quick async clips or highly customized local-only capture, tools like Loom or OBS can play a supporting role.

Summary

• StreamYard is a browser-based studio built for presenter-led screen recordings, brandable layouts, and easy reuse of content.
• Loom is strong for quick async explainer clips and paid tiers add longer, higher-resolution recordings. (Loom)
• OBS is powerful and free for advanced local capture but demands more setup and capable hardware. (OBS)
• For most marketing teams, StreamYard offers the best balance of ease, multi-person workflows, and recording options, especially when you factor in local multi-track recording and workspace-based pricing. (StreamYard)

What do marketers actually need from screen recording software?

When people search for “screen recording software for creating marketing videos,” they usually aren’t dreaming about codecs or bitrates.

They want to:

• Hit record quickly without wrestling with settings.
• Capture a clear walkthrough of a product, slide deck, or browser tab.
• Stay on camera as the trusted guide, not just a disembodied voice.
• Add basic branding so the video looks intentional, not accidental.
• Reuse the content across channels without re-recording from scratch.

That’s the core lens for this article: not “which tool has the most knobs,” but “which setup helps you ship more effective marketing videos in less time on a typical laptop.”

How does StreamYard handle screen recording for marketing videos?

At StreamYard, we built the studio so a marketer can be ready to record in minutes, in just a browser tab.

Key capabilities for marketing videos include:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing with controllable layouts. You can bring in your screen, your camera, a guest, or multiple guests, then switch layouts so the focus moves between presenter and product. This makes it easy to demo software, show slides, or walk through dashboards without post-production gymnastics.

• Independent control of screen and mic audio. You can decide when screen audio is part of the story and when it should stay muted, which is especially important if you’re demoing tools with notification sounds or background music.

• Local multi-track recordings for reuse. Each participant can be recorded locally with separate audio/video tracks, which is ideal if you plan to cut vertical clips, remix testimonials, or tighten up the narration later in an editor. (StreamYard support)

• Landscape and portrait outputs from the same session. You can structure a single recording session so it works for YouTube landscape and TikTok/Shorts/Reels vertical edits, instead of recording twice.

• Branding baked in. Overlays, logos, and other visual elements can be applied live, so your walkthrough already feels on-brand when you export it.

• Presenter notes only you can see. Keep your talking points inside the studio instead of juggling separate documents, which reduces takes and stumbles.

• Multi-participant screen sharing. Multiple teammates or customers can join, share screens, and pass control for collaborative demos or customer stories.

Because all of this runs in the browser, most US marketers can stick with their existing laptops; they don’t need a streaming PC or to understand GPU requirements.

StreamYard vs OBS vs Loom: which fits marketing video workflows?

You can think of these three tools as different answers to different flavors of the same problem.

StreamYard: browser studio for marketing content

• Runs in the browser, no heavy install. (StreamYard)
• Auto cloud recording on paid plans, plus local recordings on every plan, so you get both a safety net and high-quality source files. (StreamYard blog)
• Guest-friendly links, live or off-air, so interviews and panel-style marketing videos are straightforward.

Loom: async updates and quick explainer clips

• Optimized for recording a single person’s screen with a webcam bubble and instantly sharing a link. (Loom)
• The free Starter plan caps recordings at 5 minutes and 25 videos, which constrains longer tutorials or large libraries unless you upgrade. (Loom Help)
• Paid Business and above remove most caps and can record at higher resolutions up to 4K, which is useful when crisp UI detail matters. (Loom)

OBS: advanced, free local capture

• Desktop application, free and open source, with detailed controls over scenes, sources, and encoders. (OBS)
• Records only to local storage by default; there’s no built-in cloud library, so you handle file management, backups, and uploads yourself.
• System requirements and configuration can be non-trivial; performance depends heavily on your hardware. (OBS requirements)

For day-to-day marketing videos—product walkthroughs, launch explainers, customer interviews—StreamYard usually sits in the sweet spot: more structured and brandable than Loom, dramatically simpler than OBS, with both cloud and local recording baked into normal workflows.

How easy is it to start recording with StreamYard?

Here’s a simple flow many teams use for their first marketing recording:

1. Open the StreamYard studio in your browser. No desktop install or admin permissions required.
2. Select your camera, mic, and screen share. You can share your entire screen, a specific window, or a browser tab.
3. Set your layout and branding. Add your logo, choose a layout that highlights your product, and bring in overlays if you’d like.
4. Hit record (without going live). StreamYard supports recording-only sessions, so you can focus on nailing the walkthrough and worry about publishing later.
5. Export and repurpose. Use local multi-track files for deeper edits, or use the cloud recording as-is for platforms that don’t require heavy cutting.

Because everything is presenter-led and visible, you’re not guessing what the final frame will look like. You see what your audience will see.

How does pricing compare for teams and recurring marketing content?

Pricing models matter once you move beyond one-off videos into repeatable campaigns.

• At StreamYard, pricing is per workspace, not per user, which can be significantly more cost-effective for marketing teams that want multiple creators using the same studio and brand assets. New users often see first-year prices of $20/month and $39/month (billed annually) on our core paid tiers, plus a 7-day free trial and occasional special offers. (StreamYard)
• Loom’s pricing is per user, with a free Starter plan and paid Business and Business + AI tiers that add unlimited recording time and higher resolutions. (Loom)
• OBS is free to install and use, but you’ll invest in time, training, and potentially upgraded hardware if you want smooth high-resolution recording. (OBS requirements)

For most US-based marketing teams, the workspace-based approach at StreamYard means you can bring multiple marketers, PMs, and customer-facing teammates into the same recording environment without multiplying subscription costs every time someone new needs to record.

How does StreamYard handle audio and screen specifics marketers care about?

Good marketing videos live or die on clarity: can your viewer hear you and read the screen easily?

• Screen audio vs mic audio. You can control these separately in StreamYard, so background music or app sounds don’t overwhelm your voice.
• System/tab audio when needed. When sharing a Chrome tab, StreamYard can capture tab audio so you can play demo videos or app sounds in context. (StreamYard screen sharing)
• Local recording safety net. Local recordings on all plans protect you against internet hiccups that might affect a live or cloud-only recording. (StreamYard local recording)

The net effect: you spend less time troubleshooting “why is the audio weird?” and more time telling a compelling story about your product.

When do Loom or OBS make more sense than StreamYard?

There are absolutely scenarios where another tool is a better supporting choice.

Use Loom when:

• You want ultra-fast, link-first async updates (e.g., internal reviews, quick customer follow-ups).
• Most videos are under a few minutes and don’t require multi-guest setups or complex layouts.

Use OBS when:

• You need deep control over scenes, sources, and encoding for long local recordings and are comfortable with technical tuning.
• You’re okay managing local storage, manual backups, and DIY sharing workflows.

Even in those cases, many teams pair these tools with StreamYard: OBS for one-off highly customized captures, Loom for internal async updates, and StreamYard as the main studio for public-facing marketing content and repeatable shows.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard as your primary screen recording studio for marketing videos—especially if you want clear, presenter-led walkthroughs, guests, and built-in branding.
• Add Loom if your team sends a lot of short internal or customer update videos where a quick link matters more than layout control.
• Bring in OBS only if you have specific advanced local-recording needs and the technical appetite to configure it.
• Keep your workflow simple: let StreamYard handle most of your production, then reuse its local multi-track recordings to feed your editing, repurposing, and social distribution pipeline.