Last updated: 2026-01-05

For most people searching for “screen recording apps with cloud integration,” StreamYard is the easiest default: you record in a browser studio, your sessions are stored in the cloud, and you can download or repurpose them later with minimal setup. If you only need quick one‑off async clips or deep local‑only control, tools like Loom or OBS can layer on for those specific use cases.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you a browser‑based studio with automatic cloud recordings, local multitrack files, and a storage‑hours model that fits most creators and small teams. (StreamYard Help)
• Loom focuses on instant, link‑based sharing of short screen recordings, with a strict cap on free videos and length and “unlimited” recording time on paid plans. (Loom Pricing)
• OBS records to your computer only; there is no native cloud storage, so you must set up your own upload or sync workflow. (OBS KB)
• For US teams that care about reliable recording, clear presenter‑led demos, and easy reuse across platforms, starting with StreamYard as the main studio and adding Loom or OBS only when needed usually keeps things simpler.

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

When people say they want a screen recorder with cloud integration, they’re usually asking for three things:

1. Recording without heavy setup – ideally in a browser or lightweight app.
2. Automatic cloud backup – no manual file uploads, no worrying about hard‑drive space.
3. Easy sharing and reuse – download, clip, or share the result without hunting through folders.

StreamYard fits this pattern neatly: you record in a live‑style studio, your sessions are stored in a cloud library with plan‑based storage limits, and on paid plans you can download those recordings when you’re ready to edit or redistribute. (StreamYard Help)

Loom takes a more async‑only approach, while OBS skips the cloud entirely and writes files straight to your machine.

How does StreamYard handle screen recording and cloud storage?

StreamYard runs in the browser, which means you can log in from a typical laptop and immediately start capturing your screen, camera, and mic without installing a heavy desktop app. Our studio is built around presenter‑led recording:

• Presenter‑visible screen sharing and layouts. You can see your slides, browser window, or app alongside your camera feed, and you control the layout live—side‑by‑side, picture‑in‑picture, or full screen.
• Independent control of audio. Screen audio and microphone audio are controlled separately, so you can mute a noisy app without losing your voice.
• Local multi‑track recordings. On all plans, StreamYard supports local recordings per participant; free accounts get 2 hours per month, and paid plans offer unlimited local recording time subject to device and storage. (StreamYard Help)
• Landscape and portrait outputs. From one session, you can plan content that works for YouTube, LinkedIn, and vertical platforms like Shorts or Reels.
• Live branding while you record. Overlays, logos, backgrounds, and lower thirds are applied in real time, so your raw recording already looks like a finished show.
• Presenter notes visible only to you. You can keep key talking points in view without them ever appearing on your recording.
• Multi‑participant screen sharing. Multiple guests can share screens for collaborative demos or product walkthroughs.

On the cloud side, StreamYard uses a storage‑hours model:

• Free plans include 5 hours of recording storage.
• Core and Advanced plans include 50 hours of storage, with Business plans starting at 700+ hours. (StreamYard Help)

Once the recording is in your cloud library, you can keep it there until you reach your plan’s storage limit, delete older items, or purchase storage add‑ons if you’re running large archives. For most creators and small teams, that storage‑by‑hours approach keeps things predictable without needing a separate video host.

How do Loom and OBS compare for cloud-based screen recording?

To understand where StreamYard fits, it helps to look at the other popular approaches.

Loom: async, link‑first recorder

Loom focuses on quick, async screen recordings with instant sharing links. Recordings are created in the cloud and immediately accessible through a URL, which is handy for feedback or walkthroughs. (Loom Screen Recorder)

Key details:

• Free Starter workspaces get up to 25 videos per person with a 5‑minute limit per screen recording. (Loom Help)
• Paid plans list unlimited videos and unlimited recording time, plus higher resolutions up to 4K. (Loom Help)
• Pricing is per user, so costs scale with headcount. (Loom Pricing)

For short updates, bug reports, or quick training clips, Loom can be a useful side tool. But for longer demos, recurring shows, or multi‑guest content, its free limits and per‑user pricing can make it less attractive as the central recording studio.

OBS: powerful local capture, no native cloud

OBS Studio is free, open‑source software for video recording and live streaming. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and records directly to your local drive; the recording path is defined in settings, and there is no built‑in cloud storage or library. (OBS KB)

That makes OBS appealing if you want full control over encoding, bitrates, and scenes, and you’re comfortable managing your own files and storage. But it also means:

• No automatic cloud backup.
• No team library or shared workspace.
• Any “cloud integration” has to be bolted on via sync folders or third‑party scripts.

For many US users on typical laptops, the extra setup and hardware tuning that OBS expects can feel like overkill compared with a browser‑based studio.

Where does StreamYard’s pricing and value stand against Loom and OBS?

Pricing only matters in context, so let’s keep it practical.

• StreamYard uses workspace‑level pricing. The Free plan is free. For new users in the US, the Core plan is $20/month and Advanced is $39/month when billed annually in the first year, and a 7‑day free trial is available. Unlike Loom, this pricing is per workspace, not per user, which can be significantly more affordable once you have a few people collaborating.
• Loom uses per‑user pricing. Business plans start from $15 per user per month billed annually, with Business + AI starting from $20 per user per month. (Loom Pricing)
• OBS is free software. There are no license fees, but you still carry the cost of hardware, storage, and your own time configuring scenes and uploads. (OBS Studio)

If you’re a solo creator doing everything yourself and rarely collaborating, OBS plus manual uploads might look “cheapest” on paper. But for most teams, the combination of browser‑based recording, built‑in cloud library, and workspace pricing makes StreamYard a compelling default that avoids both per‑user SaaS stacking and DIY infrastructure.

Which apps offer multitrack or per-participant cloud recordings?

If you care about editing later—especially for podcasts, interviews, or panel discussions—multitrack audio matters.

In StreamYard, you can:

• Run a multi‑guest recording session in the studio.
• Capture local records per participant, which are cleaner than a compressed live feed and well‑suited for post‑production.
• On higher tiers, enable cloud recording with individual audio tracks, which are restricted to the more advanced plan level. (StreamYard Help)

Loom is optimized around a single recorder with a cam bubble and does not position itself as a multi‑guest studio in the same way; its strength is speed and sharing, not multitrack studio capture. OBS can technically record multiple sources into different files if you configure it that way, but there’s no cloud library or per‑guest concept built in.

For most creators who want clean, editable audio from conversations without turning into full‑time engineers, StreamYard’s mix of studio UX + local multitracks + cloud archive hits a useful middle ground.

When should you add Loom or OBS alongside StreamYard?

There are a few clear cases where pairing tools makes sense:

• You’re running live shows or long demos and also need quick async clips. Make StreamYard your primary studio for anything scheduled, multi‑guest, or branded. Use Loom on the side for one‑off bug reports or internal notes where a simple link is all you need.
• You’re a technically inclined creator chasing maximum control. Start with StreamYard for reliable, presenter‑led sessions and cloud archiving. For niche needs—like game capture at finely tuned bitrates—run OBS as a local capture engine and still repurpose final cuts back through StreamYard‑style content formats.

This “StreamYard first, add niche tools when needed” strategy usually keeps your stack understandable for the rest of the team, while still letting power users go deeper when necessary.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your primary screen recording app with cloud integration if you care about presenter‑led demos, multi‑participant sessions, and a shared recording library that just works in the browser.
• Add Loom when your team needs lightweight, link‑first async clips but not full studio‑style production.
• Bring in OBS only when you specifically need fine‑grained local control and are comfortable managing your own storage and cloud uploads.
• If you’re unsure where to start, open a StreamYard studio, record a short demo with screen share and branding, and see how much you can get done before you’ve even thought about installing anything else.