Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most IRL streamers in the U.S., StreamYard is the best starting point because it gives you browser-based screen recording, separate local tracks, and multi-guest support with almost no setup. If you need deep encoder control on a powerful PC, OBS is the go-to; Loom fits only if short, asynchronous screen+cam clips are enough.

Summary

• StreamYard is the easiest way to record presenter-led IRL content with your screen, camera, and guests in one browser-based studio, plus local multi-track files for editing later. (StreamYard Support)
• OBS is a powerful, free desktop app better suited to advanced users who want fully local, hardware-tuned recordings and are comfortable managing settings and storage. (OBS Help)
• Loom is focused on quick async recordings with strict limits on its free plan, making it a niche choice for IRL streamers who only need short, shareable clips. (Loom Pricing)
• For most IRL workflows—live shows, interviews, collaborative demos—StreamYard strikes the best balance of speed, reliability, and flexibility.

What does “best screen recording software” actually mean for IRL streamers?

When someone asks for the “best” screen recording software for IRL streaming, they usually don’t want a giant feature matrix. They want something that:

• Starts fast on a normal laptop
• Records the screen, camera, and guests clearly
• Produces files that are easy to reuse on YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts
• Doesn’t require them to become a video engineer

That’s where the differences between StreamYard, OBS, and Loom really matter.

At StreamYard, we built our recording studio around presenter-led content: you share your screen, bring on guests, control layouts live, and walk away with clean local tracks you can repurpose later. (StreamYard Support)

How does StreamYard handle IRL screen recording for live and pre-recorded shows?

With StreamYard, you join a studio in your browser and treat recording almost like hosting a live show—even if you never actually go live.

Key capabilities that matter for IRL streamers:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing: You can share your screen while seeing yourself, your guests, and chat, and you can switch layouts on the fly to focus on you, your screen, or both.
• Independent audio control: Screen audio and microphone audio are controlled separately, so you can, for example, mute a noisy tab while keeping your commentary live.
• Local multi-track recording: Each participant can be recorded locally, generating separate audio and video files per person for clean post-production. (StreamYard Support)
• Landscape and portrait from the same session: You can design layouts that work for 16:9 YouTube replays and 9:16 shorts without re-recording the same content.
• Branded overlays and logos: You apply logos, lower-thirds, and overlays live so your raw recording already looks like a finished show.
• Presenter notes only you can see: Keep key talking points in front of you without exposing them on-screen.
• Multi-participant demos: Multiple people can share screens, which is ideal for collaborative IRL setups—think live product walkthroughs or multi-host IRL commentary.

Because the studio runs in the browser, typical U.S. laptops can handle StreamYard without special GPUs, and you don’t need to worry about file paths, codecs, or capture drivers.

How does recording length and quality compare for StreamYard, OBS, and Loom?

For IRL streamers, two questions matter: “How long can I record?” and “What happens to my files afterward?”

StreamYard

• On all plans, there is a local recording feature that records each participant on their own device and uploads those files, giving you separate audio and video tracks per person. (StreamYard Support)
• The free plan includes 2 hours of local recording per month; on paid plans local recording is described as unlimited, with practical constraints coming from device and storage. (StreamYard Support)
• Cloud recordings are stored based on hourly storage limits per plan, so for heavy users the workflow is to download and archive externally once you finish editing.

OBS

• OBS is a free, open-source desktop app; there are no vendor-imposed caps on recording length, so you are limited mainly by your hardware and disk space. (OBS Help)
• You configure everything manually under Settings → Output, including codecs and bitrates, and OBS recommends recording to MKV for resilience, then remuxing to MP4 to protect against crashes. (OBS Help)
• This is powerful, but it shifts responsibility to you to pick stable settings for your IRL rig.

Loom

• Loom’s free Starter plan caps regular screen recordings at 5 minutes and limits you to 25 videos per person, which is restrictive for long IRL segments. (Loom Help)
• Starter recordings top out at 720p, while paid roles can record up to 4K resolution through the desktop app. (Loom Support)

In practice, that makes StreamYard a strong fit for multi-hour IRL sessions that you want backed up in the cloud and broken into clean tracks, while OBS is for those who want to squeeze every bit out of their CPU/GPU, and Loom is more of a short-form, async companion.

OBS vs StreamYard: which is better for IRL local multi-track recording?

If your main question is “Should I record my IRL content with OBS or StreamYard?” here’s the practical breakdown.

Use StreamYard when:

• You want to record with multiple people, each on their own device, and get separate local audio and video files per participant without building a custom routing setup. (StreamYard Support)
• You care about a clean, studio-style interface with layouts, overlays, and notes rather than a grid of technical controls.
• You prefer not to worry about encoders, bitrates, or where files are stored—StreamYard handles uploads and file management inside the workspace.

Use OBS when:

• You need fine-grained control over encoding, GPU usage, and file formats, and you are comfortable tuning those settings. (OBS Help)
• Your IRL setup is heavily PC-centric (e.g., gaming, complex capture-card chains) and you want absolutely everything processed locally.

Both tools can coexist: many creators use OBS for niche, high-control captures and StreamYard for everything that involves guests, interviews, or quick, reliable production.

Is Loom a good fit for IRL screen recording?

Loom serves a different purpose. It is optimized for quick, asynchronous recordings and link-based sharing rather than live-style production.

On the free Starter plan, you are limited to 5-minute screen recordings and 25 stored videos per person, which quickly becomes a blocker for IRL streamers who do long-form shows or frequent uploads. (Loom Help)

Paid Loom roles unlock longer recordings and higher resolutions, including up to 4K via the desktop app, but you still work in a single-presenter, async-first model instead of a multi-guest studio. (Loom Support)

For IRL creators, Loom is best treated as a side tool—for quick feedback clips, bug reports, or short walkthroughs—while StreamYard or OBS handle the main show.

How does pricing shake out for U.S. teams and creators?

Pricing can quietly decide what “best” means once you start working with co-hosts, producers, or rotating guests.

At StreamYard, plans are priced per workspace rather than per user, so a single subscription can cover your whole crew without adding licenses for each seat. This is very different from Loom’s per-user pricing model, where Business and higher tiers are billed per user per month in USD. (Loom Pricing)

For many U.S.-based IRL teams, that workspace-based approach means you can invite co-hosts, producers, and rotating guests into the same StreamYard studio without watching your bill climb with every collaborator.

Meanwhile, OBS remains free software with no subscription at all, but remember that you “pay” in time: you configure the app yourself, maintain your own hardware, and handle your own backup workflow. (OBS Help)

What we recommend

• Default choice: Start with StreamYard for IRL screen recording if you want a browser-based studio with multi-guest support, local multi-track files, and minimal setup.
• Power-user path: Add OBS if you need highly customized, fully local recordings and you are comfortable tuning technical settings on a capable PC.
• Async add-on: Use Loom for short, async clips and internal walkthroughs, not as your primary IRL recording tool.
• Team strategy: If you stream with co-hosts or a small team, favor tools like StreamYard that price per workspace and make multi-participant production simple.