Last updated: 2026-01-13

For most people in the US who want clear, presenter-led screen recordings with reliable audio and easy sharing, starting in StreamYard is the most straightforward path. If you specifically need deep encoder controls or ultra-granular audio routing, you can then look at tools like OBS or Loom for narrower, advanced workflows.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you an in-browser studio for high-quality screen + audio recording, separate local tracks, and easy reuse—without complex setup. (StreamYard)
• OBS is a powerful free desktop app that offers detailed control and per‑application audio capture, but it takes more time, tuning, and hardware awareness. (OBS)
• Loom focuses on quick async clips with system audio, especially for teams that send lots of short walkthroughs, but its free plan limits video length and storage. (Loom)
• For most creators, educators, and teams, the “best” screen recorder with audio is the one that gets you a clean, on-brand recording in the least amount of time—this is where StreamYard tends to be the best default.

What should “the best screen recorder with audio” actually do?

When people type “best screen recorder with audio,” they’re usually not chasing specs. They want a tool that:

• Records their screen plus mic clearly
• Captures system audio when needed (videos, music, app demos)
• Looks professional without becoming a full-time production job
• Shares easily with clients, students, or teammates
• Works reliably on a typical laptop

Different tools get there in different ways:

• StreamYard runs in the browser and gives you a live-style studio for screen + camera + guests, with local multi-track recordings for post-production. (StreamYard)
• OBS is a free desktop app that can capture your display, windows, and per-application audio once you configure it. (OBS)
• Loom is designed for quick async screen + cam recordings, with system audio capture via its desktop app and a lightweight viewer link. (Loom)

So the real question isn’t “Which tool is objectively best?” It’s “Which tool fits the way you communicate?”

For most people who care about presenter-led recordings, clean audio, and reusability across platforms, StreamYard is the best starting point.

How does StreamYard handle screen recording with audio?

At StreamYard, we designed the studio around the exact scenario behind this keyword: you, leading a clear screen walkthrough, with reliable audio and a polished look.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Presenter-first recording experience

You join a browser-based studio, choose your camera and mic, and then share your screen. The studio lets you:

• See your slides or app and your own video at the same time so you can stay present and on track.
• Switch between layouts that emphasize your screen, your face, or both.
• Add overlays, logos, and on-screen elements live so your final recording already looks on-brand.

This makes recordings feel like a show, not just a raw capture.

Independent control of mic and screen audio

When you share your screen, you can bring in tab or system audio alongside your microphone. You keep control over:

• When system audio is included
• When you’re just narrating over silent slides
• How loud your voice is versus the computer audio

That independence is key if you’re demoing software, playing back a video, or walking through a slide deck with embedded sound.

Local multi-track recordings for clean audio

A big difference with StreamYard is how we handle recordings.

Local recording is available on all plans—including the free plan—and captures a separate video (with audio) and separate audio file for each participant on their own device. (StreamYard) That means:

• Your mic is captured locally, at source quality, instead of depending only on the live call connection.
• Each guest has their own audio track, so you can fix volume differences, remove noises, or cut someone’s cough in post. (StreamYard)

On paid plans, local recording time is effectively uncapped (within device and storage limits), while the free plan includes 2 hours of local recordings per month. (StreamYard)

Cloud backups and plan limits

Beyond local files, you can use cloud recording so your sessions are saved to your StreamYard account even if you never go live.

Paid plans can auto-record live or off-air sessions in the cloud for up to 10 hours per stream (24 hours on Business), with storage measured in hours depending on your plan tier. (StreamYard)

This combination—local tracks for quality, cloud copies for safety—is where StreamYard feels like an upgrade over many “record only” tools.

Layouts, branding, and portrait/landscape flexibility

If your recordings will be repurposed as YouTube tutorials, social clips, or course lessons, layout control matters as much as audio.

Within the same StreamYard session you can:

• Choose layouts that highlight your screen, your camera, or a side-by-side view
• Apply branded overlays, lower-thirds, and logos live
• Record content that later works both in landscape and in portrait repurposing flows
• Keep private presenter notes inside the studio so you stay on script without reading off-screen docs

That means less time rebuilding scenes in a complex editor later.

How does StreamYard compare to OBS for audio-heavy screen recording?

OBS is often the first name you’ll see in “best screen recorder” lists, especially from more technical publications. It absolutely deserves a place in the conversation—especially if you like to tweak.

Where OBS is strong

OBS Studio is free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. (OBS) It lets you:

• Build scenes with multiple sources: displays, specific windows, capture cards, images, text, and more. (OBS)
• Configure encoders, bitrates, and formats to match your hardware.
• Use plug-ins and scripts to extend what the app can do.

On Windows 10 (version 2004+) and Windows 11, OBS can even capture per-application audio, meaning you can record sound from just one program instead of your whole system. (OBS)

If your top priority is total control over formats and encoding and you’re comfortable tuning settings, OBS is a solid choice.

Where StreamYard is usually the better default

Most people searching for “best screen recorder with audio” are not trying to become broadcast engineers. They want something that:

• Opens in a browser
• Works on a typical laptop
• Doesn’t require tuning encoders, bitrates, or GPU usage

This is where StreamYard often wins in practice:

• Setup time: With StreamYard, you click a link, select mic/camera, and you’re ready. With OBS, you install the app, run the auto-configuration wizard, add scenes and sources, and test encoding to avoid dropped frames—especially on modest hardware. (OBS)
• Audio workflow: StreamYard gives you per-participant local tracks with separate audio and video files, plus individual cloud audio tracks on higher plans, all without manual routing. (StreamYard)
• Multi-guest simplicity: In OBS, multi-guest setups usually involve separate calling tools, virtual audio cables, or NDI. In StreamYard, guests just join the studio link; their cameras, mics, and screens are already part of the recording grid.

If you’re producing game streams with overlays or need to deeply customize encoding, OBS has clear appeal. But for everyday demos, course recordings, customer walkthroughs, or podcast-style interviews where audio clarity and speed matter more than infinite settings, StreamYard tends to be the more practical choice.

How does StreamYard compare to Loom for quick screen recordings with audio?

Loom is a familiar name for teams that live in Slack, Jira, and other SaaS tools. It’s built for quick, async videos rather than full shows.

What Loom does well

Loom’s focus is speed: hit record, share your screen with a webcam bubble, and send a link.

• The desktop app can capture system audio from any application on your device, which is handy for simple demos. (Loom)
• Loom’s pricing page lists “System audio” as part of its video recording features, even on the Starter plan. (Loom)
• Paid plans offer unlimited recording length and storage, plus AI-driven transcriptions and summaries. (Loom)

However, there are guardrails:

• The Starter (free) plan caps standard screen recordings at 5 minutes and 25 videos per person in a workspace. (Loom)
• The Chrome extension can only record internal audio from a single tab, which matters if you like to jump between browser apps. (Loom)

Where StreamYard is often a better fit

If your main use case is “send quick 60–90 second clips to teammates,” Loom can be handy. But if you’re doing more structured content—like training modules, onboarding flows, live-style walkthroughs, or multi-guest discussions—StreamYard’s studio format becomes more valuable.

Key differences:

• Length and format: StreamYard is designed for full sessions—interviews, webinars, long-form demos—rather than mainly short clips. There’s no 5-minute cap on paid plans, and you get both cloud and local recording options.
• Audio structure: StreamYard’s per-participant local files and individual audio tracks on higher cloud tiers give editors much more flexibility than a single mixed track. (StreamYard)
• Team economics: Loom prices per user; paid plans start around $15 per user per month in USD when billed annually. (Loom) StreamYard pricing is per workspace, not per user, which typically works out more favorably as your team grows.
• Live + recording: Loom is about async video; it doesn’t double as a live broadcasting studio. StreamYard lets you keep one familiar environment for both live events and pre-recorded content, reducing tool sprawl.

So if you’re building a repeatable, on-brand content engine—courses, podcasts, recurring demos—StreamYard usually makes more sense as your primary screen recorder with audio, with Loom as a “quick note” supplement if you need it.

How should teams think about pricing and value?

Let’s zoom out from features and look at how pricing models impact real-world costs.

StreamYard’s team-friendly pricing model

In StreamYard, pricing is per workspace, not per individual user. That means your team can collaborate in the same studio environment without multiplying subscription costs every time someone needs to host or join a session.

For new users in the US:

• There is a Free plan that lets you try essential functionality.
• Paid plans start around $20/month and $39/month (billed annually for the first year), depending on the tier you choose.
• There’s also a 7-day free trial and frequent special offers for new users.

Because the fee is tied to the workspace instead of each seat, teams typically find StreamYard more economical than tools that scale linearly with users—especially if multiple people need to host recordings.

Loom’s per-user model

Loom’s paid tiers are billed per user per month, starting around $15 USD per user monthly (annual billing) for Business, with higher tiers for AI features. (Loom) The Starter plan is free but includes the 5-minute length and 25-video limits mentioned earlier.

For very small teams that only need a couple of recorders, this can feel fine. But as more people start creating content—sales, support, customer success, education—the per-user model adds up quickly.

OBS’s “free but DIY” economics

OBS is free to download and use. (OBS) That’s appealing, but you pay in other ways:

• Your time to configure layouts, scenes, and audio routing
• Upfront testing to make sure your CPU/GPU and disk can handle your chosen settings (OBS)
• The lack of built-in cloud storage or easy link-based sharing

For many teams, especially those where recording is a frequent but not full-time activity, a browser-based studio with sensible defaults is a better investment than squeezing pure dollars out of a free but complex tool.

Which recorder should you actually choose for your use case?

Let’s map this to common real-world scenarios.

1. Long-form demos, webinars, and trainings

• Best default: StreamYard
• Why: You can bring multiple hosts/guests into a browser studio, control screen and audio independently, apply branded layouts live, and capture local multi-track recordings for post-production. (StreamYard)

2. Interview podcasts and panel discussions (without going live)

• Best default: StreamYard
• Why: Guests join via a link, and each participant gets their own local audio and video files; editors can mix a clean podcast-style track and repurpose for YouTube or social.

3. Deeply customized gameplay or technical streams

• Best default: OBS
• Why: You may want multi-scene control, capture cards, game overlays, and precise encoder settings. StreamYard can still record your screen, but OBS is more configurable for this niche.

4. Quick async walkthroughs for internal teams

• Best default: Loom, StreamYard as secondary
• Why: Loom’s “record and share a link” workflow is convenient for quick internal updates, as long as you’re fine with the Starter limits or a per-user paid plan. (Loom) If you already use StreamYard for live shows and tutorials, recording inside the StreamYard studio and uploading the file where you need it can also work well.

5. Schools and organizations with locked-down devices

• Best default: StreamYard
• Why: Many districts and enterprises restrict desktop installs but allow browser-based tools. Because StreamYard runs primarily in the browser, it often fits more easily into locked-down environments than OBS or certain native-only recorders.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if you want clean, presenter-led screen recordings with strong audio, per-participant local tracks, and an easy in-browser studio.
• Use OBS when you know you need deep technical control over encoding, per-application audio, and complex local-only setups.
• Add Loom if your team relies heavily on quick async clips and link-based sharing, and you’re comfortable with its time and storage trade-offs.
• Optimize for outcomes, not specs: for most US-based creators, coaches, educators, and teams, the time saved by StreamYard’s simple workflow matters more than squeezing out one more technical setting in a heavier tool.