Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most Facebook creators in the US, StreamYard is the best starting point because you can record your screen, camera, and guests in the browser and go live or upload to Facebook without complex setup. If you need deep encoder control on a powerful PC, OBS, or if you mainly share quick async clips, Loom, can be useful secondary tools.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you in-browser screen recording, local multi-track capture, and branded layouts that are ready for Facebook uploads or live broadcasts.
• OBS offers powerful, free desktop recording and streaming, but it demands more setup and stronger hardware. (OBS)
• Loom focuses on fast, shareable screen recordings with strict limits on its free tier and per-user pricing on paid plans. (Loom pricing)
• For most Facebook Pages and creators, the fastest path is to record and stream through StreamYard, and only add other tools for niche workflows.

What actually matters for Facebook screen recording?

When someone types "best screen recording software for Facebook," they rarely want another app to manage. They want outcomes:

• Go live on Facebook with a clear, presenter-led screen share.
• Capture the session so it can be clipped and reused as Reels, Stories, or YouTube content.
• Avoid complicated encoder settings and CPU errors partway through a launch or webinar.

Facebook itself supports going live with external software and even calls out Open Broadcaster Software as a popular encoding option. (Facebook Help Center) That means you have a lot of choice—but also a lot of ways to overcomplicate things.

A practical way to decide:

• If you value speed, reliability, and easy layouts → start with StreamYard.
• If you want full control over bitrates and custom scenes and have a powerful machine → consider OBS alongside StreamYard.
• If your “Facebook content” is mostly quick explainer clips you upload later → Loom can be a helper tool, while StreamYard stays your live and multi-guest studio.

How does StreamYard handle Facebook screen recording?

At StreamYard, we built the studio around exactly these Facebook-style use cases.

Core capabilities that matter for Facebook:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing with layouts – You can mix your screen, camera, and guests in layouts that keep the presenter visible instead of hiding you behind slides.
• Independent audio control – Screen audio and microphone audio can be controlled separately, so you can lower a demo’s background audio while keeping your voice clear.
• Local multi-track recordings – Each participant can be recorded locally with their own audio/video track, which is ideal for repurposing a Facebook Live into polished clips later. (StreamYard local recording)
• Landscape and portrait from one session – You can design your layouts so the same session works for horizontal Facebook Live and vertical reels/shorts cutdowns.
• Branded overlays and logos – You apply logos, lower thirds, and overlays during the recording, so the video leaves the studio looking “ready to post,” not like a raw screen capture.
• Presenter notes visible only to you – Keep launch notes, talking points, or a simple run-of-show on screen without broadcasting them to Facebook.
• Multi-participant screen sharing – Multiple guests can share screens for collaborative demos, product walkthroughs, or panel-style Facebook Lives.

On top of that, StreamYard supports screen sharing for both hosts and guests, which makes it easy to run interview shows or multi-presenter launches directly to Facebook. (Share a Screen)

How easy is it to capture system audio for Facebook?

One of the big gotchas with Facebook screen recording is system audio—viewers need to hear your demo, not just your microphone.

In StreamYard, screen sharing with system audio is supported when you share a Chrome tab. That means if your Facebook Live is a slide deck, browser-based product, or web app, you can share that tab with audio so the sound routes cleanly into your stream or recording. (Share a Screen)

A simple approach that works well in practice:

1. Put your demo or slides in a Chrome tab.
2. Share that tab in StreamYard with audio enabled.
3. Keep your mic on its own input so you can mix your voice and system sound.

This avoids the complexity of virtual audio cables or OS-level routing that desktop tools often require, while still giving Facebook viewers a clean experience.

StreamYard vs OBS: which is better for Facebook?

OBS Studio is a powerful desktop app for serious tinkerers. It’s free and open source, built for video recording and live streaming, and lets you build complex scenes made from multiple sources such as windows, displays, webcams, and images. (OBS)

When OBS can be useful for Facebook:

• You want to fine-tune encoders, bitrates, and GPU usage for maximum control.
• You’re running from a dedicated streaming PC with strong hardware.
• You like to build intricate scenes (multiple cropped windows, animated overlays) and you’re comfortable configuring them manually.

Where StreamYard is often the better default for Facebook:

• Setup time – With OBS, you install software, configure scenes, and test encoding. With StreamYard, you open a browser and enter the studio.
• Reliability trade-offs – OBS recordings are limited only by your hardware and storage, but performance depends heavily on CPU/GPU configuration. (OBS system requirements) For many creators on typical laptops, browser-based processing plus StreamYard’s local recording is more predictable.
• Built-in Facebook flow – StreamYard is designed to connect to Facebook as a destination, share your screen, add guests, and record in one place, without worrying about RTMP URLs.

A lot of teams end up using OBS as a specialized tool—for example, gameplay capture—and StreamYard as the everyday studio that feeds Facebook Lives, launches, and webinars.

StreamYard vs Loom: which fits Facebook content better?

Loom takes a different angle. It’s designed for quick, async screen + camera clips you share via links—status updates, bug reports, quick walkthroughs—rather than full Facebook productions.

On the free Starter plan, you get up to 25 videos per person with a 5-minute recording limit, and recordings cap at 720p quality. (Loom Starter limits) Paid business plans move to unlimited videos and longer recordings, with HD/4K options. (Loom pricing)

Loom can make sense when:

• You’re sending short clips to teammates or clients and don’t need to go live.
• Most of your work happens inside tools like Slack or Jira, where Loom’s link-based sharing is handy.

Why StreamYard tends to fit Facebook workflows better:

• StreamYard is built for live and pre-recorded shows, not just quick clips.
• You get a studio with multi-participant video, local multi-track recordings, and branded overlays that feel like a mini TV control room.
• Pricing is per workspace rather than per user, so a team of multiple presenters can share one subscription instead of paying per seat, which often ends up being more economical than per-user tools like Loom for Facebook-focused teams. (Loom pricing)

In practice, many creators treat Loom as a supplemental async tool and StreamYard as the main environment for anything that eventually hits Facebook.

How does pricing compare for real Facebook teams?

Since the question is “best” software, cost per workflow matters:

• StreamYard has a free plan plus paid options, and pricing is per workspace, not per user. That means a team of multiple Facebook presenters can share one subscription instead of multiplying seats.
• Loom’s free Starter plan is $0 but limits you to 25 videos and 5-minute screen recordings before you need to upgrade. (Loom Starter limits) Paid plans are billed per user per month in USD. (Loom pricing)
• OBS is free to download and use; the “cost” comes from the time and hardware required to configure and maintain it. (OBS)

For a typical small business, church, or creator brand running Facebook Lives with 2–4 presenters, that workspace-based pricing plus built-in studio often makes StreamYard the most economical option once you factor in time, training, and the number of people involved.

Example workflow: from screen recording to Facebook Reel

Here’s a simple, realistic flow many US creators use:

1. Open StreamYard in your browser and enter a studio.
2. Share your screen (or Chrome tab with audio) and walk through your demo while your camera stays on.
3. Record the session with local multi-tracks enabled so you have separate files for each person.
4. Download the recording, trim it in your editor of choice, and export:
   • A horizontal version for your Facebook Page.
   • A vertical version for Reels, using the same high-quality source.
5. Upload directly to Facebook or schedule via your social tools.

You never had to juggle RTMP settings, debug encoders, or worry about five-minute caps.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your primary screen recording and live studio for Facebook—especially if you care about multi-guest shows, branded layouts, and easy recordings.
• Add OBS only if you have a strong machine and need fine-grained control over encoding or highly customized scenes.
• Use Loom for short, async clips or internal walkthroughs, not as your main Facebook production tool.
• Focus your setup on reliability and speed to publish; the most “advanced” stack is rarely the one that gets the most Facebook content shipped.