Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most people in the U.S. who search for a “screen recording app with cloud backup,” the fastest, lowest-friction place to start is a browser-based studio like StreamYard that records your screen and camera and automatically backs sessions up to the cloud on paid plans. If you only ever share quick async clips or insist on managing all storage yourself, tools like Loom or OBS can play a specific role alongside (or instead of) StreamYard.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you a browser-based studio for presenter-led screen recordings with automatic cloud backup on paid plans and local multi-track files for editing. (StreamYard pricing)
• Cloud storage is measured in hours: about 5 hours on the free plan and around 50 hours on most paid tiers, with higher limits on business-focused tiers and optional add-on storage. (StreamYard storage help)
• Loom is tuned for quick async messages, with strict caps on its free tier and unlimited storage on business plans, while OBS stays entirely local and relies on you to upload recordings to the cloud. (Loom plans)
• For most non-technical users on typical laptops, StreamYard balances ease of use, cloud backup, and quality better than installing heavyweight desktop software.

What are you really asking for when you say “screen recording with cloud backup”?

When someone types this phrase into Google, the underlying need is usually simple: “Record my screen and voice, don’t lose the file, and make it easy to reuse or share.”

That breaks down into a few must-haves:

• Clear presenter-led recording – screen plus your camera and mic, with layouts that look good without editing.
• Automatic cloud backup – so a dead laptop or bad local file doesn’t wipe out your work.
• Reasonable storage without babysitting files – you don’t want to think about drive space constantly.
• Runs on normal laptops – no GPU tuning, no codec spreadsheets.

StreamYard was built around exactly this pattern: you join a browser studio, share your screen, hit record, and on paid plans your session is automatically archived to the cloud and also available as local multi-track files for deeper editing later. (Local recording help)

Which screen recorders auto-save to cloud storage?

Let’s map the main options to that “hit record, it’s in the cloud” requirement:

• StreamYard – On paid plans, live streams and studio sessions are automatically recorded to StreamYard’s cloud, and storage is metered in hours per workspace. (StreamYard blog)
• Loom – Every recording is created directly into Loom’s cloud library; free workspaces are capped at 25 videos with a 5‑minute limit per recording, while business tiers state unlimited recording time and storage. (How long can I record?)
• OBS – Everything is local. OBS never touches the cloud; your recordings go to a folder you choose, and you’re responsible for syncing them to Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, or anything else. (OBS risk assessment note)

For most people who want cloud backup without extra steps, StreamYard or Loom are more natural fits than OBS. The difference is that StreamYard gives you a live-production-style studio (multiple participants, branded layouts, portrait or landscape outputs) rather than a simple “camera bubble plus screen” recorder.

How many cloud recording hours does each StreamYard plan include?

StreamYard thinks about cloud storage in hours of recordings per workspace, not in raw gigabytes.

From the help center:

• The free plan stores up to 5 hours of recordings at a time.
• Core, Advanced, and Teams plans store up to 50 hours of recordings at a time.
• Business-level plans go into the hundreds of hours, and there are optional storage add‑ons if you outgrow the defaults. (StreamYard storage help)

When you hit your storage cap, your next streams simply won’t be recorded until you either delete older content or add more storage. (StreamYard storage help)

For a typical creator or small team, 50 hours of permanent cloud storage is enough to keep several months of webinars, product demos, or training sessions available without constant cleanup.

What makes StreamYard strong for screen recording plus backup?

Beyond the raw storage numbers, the workflow is what matters.

With StreamYard you get:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing – You can see your slides or app, plus your own camera and guests, while you record, instead of guessing what’s on screen.
• Simple audio control – Independent control over screen audio and microphone audio makes it easy to mute system sounds or keep background music low.
• Local multi-track recordings – Each participant can be recorded locally, giving you separate audio and video files for post‑production or repurposing content into shorts, reels, or podcasts. (Local recording help)
• Landscape and portrait from one session – You can design layouts that work for 16:9 YouTube videos and 9:16 vertical clips in the same recording session.
• Live branding while you record – Overlays, logos, lower thirds, and on-screen elements go on live, which reduces editing and keeps everything on-brand.
• Presenter notes for you only – You can keep prompts and talking points visible without putting them in the recording.
• Multi-participant screen sharing – Great for collaborative demos and panel-style walkthroughs where more than one person needs to share.

All of this runs in the browser, so you’re not fighting drivers, GPU compatibility, or OS‑specific quirks. Many users find that this simplicity is worth far more than obsessing over every codec knob.

How does pricing with cloud backup compare to Loom and OBS?

Because pricing is sensitive, it’s useful to look at the shape of the plans rather than every dollar.

• StreamYard – Plans are priced per workspace, not per user. For U.S. customers, the Core plan is typically around $20/month (billed annually for the first year for new users) and Advanced around $39/month on similar terms, and there is a 7‑day free trial plus frequent new‑user offers. This structure often makes StreamYard more economical for teams, because you don’t pay separately for every person who might join the studio.
• Loom – Pricing is per user per month. Free Starter workspaces are limited to 25 videos and 5‑minute recordings; Business and above unlock unlimited creators, recording time, and storage. (Loom pricing)
• OBS – The software itself is free and open source with no plan tiers, but you are entirely responsible for storage costs and any cloud infrastructure you use. (OBS Studio site)

If your priority is team-friendly pricing plus live-quality screen recordings and cloud backup, a per‑workspace model like StreamYard’s often ends up cheaper than per‑seat tools once you have several collaborators.

When would Loom or OBS be a better fit than StreamYard?

There are real cases where another app might be the right call:

• Loom is helpful when your entire workflow is short, async updates: “Here’s a 2‑minute walkthrough, here’s the link.” Its business plans include unlimited storage and AI summaries baked into the viewing experience. (How long can I record?)
• OBS is a strong choice when you want absolute control over encoding, formats, and advanced scenes, and you are comfortable managing your own local files and cloud sync. It keeps everything on your machine until you upload it somewhere. (OBS help)

In practice, many teams treat these as adjacent tools: StreamYard for anything live, multi-participant, or brand-heavy; Loom for quick internal messages; OBS as a specialist tool for power users.

How do you actually work with your StreamYard cloud recordings?

Once your recording or live session ends, StreamYard saves it into your dashboard as long as you still have storage hours available. From there you can:

• Download the full file in common formats on paid plans (owners and admins control access). (Download recordings help)
• Grab individual audio tracks (on higher tiers) if you want cleaner podcast edits. (Cloud individual tracks help)
• Trim, repurpose, and upload to YouTube, social platforms, or your LMS.

Because the files live in the cloud first, you get peace of mind even if your laptop misbehaves mid‑session.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if you want presenter-led screen recording, automatic cloud backup on paid plans, and easy multi-participant sessions without installing heavy software.
• Layer in Loom if your team sends lots of quick async updates and needs link-based sharing more than live production.
• Use OBS only if you specifically need deep encoder control, have solid hardware, and are prepared to own your entire cloud-backup pipeline.
• As your library grows, keep an eye on StreamYard’s storage hours and add storage or archive older sessions so your most important recordings are always backed up in the cloud.