Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most people running webinars in the browser, StreamYard is the best starting point because you get presenter-led screen recording, multi-track local files, and simple layouts without complex setup. If you need deep encoder control on a powerful PC, consider OBS, or if you mostly share short async clips with your team, look at Loom.

Summary

• StreamYard is the most practical default for webinar-style screen recordings: browser-based studio, layout control, and local multi-track recording.
• OBS is a powerful free desktop app for advanced, hardware-tuned local recordings, but it demands more setup and technical comfort.OBS
• Loom works well for quick async screen shares; its free plan is time-limited, with full-length recordings on paid tiers only.Loom
• For US teams that care about multi-presenter webinars, branded visuals, and reusable recordings, starting in StreamYard usually means less friction and more flexibility.

What makes webinar screen recording software "best" for most people?

When you search for the "best" screen recorder for webinars, you are usually not trying to win a specs contest. You want:

• Fast, no-drama setup that works on typical laptops.
• Clear presenter-led screen recordings where slides, demos, and faces look good.
• Easy ways to share the replay, chop it up, and reuse it.
• Reliability with guests who are not technical.

That is why browser-based studios have become a default for webinar recording. At StreamYard, you enter a studio from the browser, share your screen, invite guests, and record locally and to the cloud without installing heavy desktop software.StreamYard

If you compare that to traditional desktop recorders, the trade-off is simple: you give up some deep hardware tuning, but you gain speed, collaboration, and less to babysit during a live webinar.

How does StreamYard handle webinar screen recording?

For webinar-style recording, StreamYard focuses on giving presenters control without making them engineers:

• Presenter-visible screen sharing with controllable layouts. You can bring in your screen, camera, and guests, then switch layouts so your slides, app demo, and faces stay framed the way you want.
• Independent control of audio. Screen audio and microphone audio are controlled separately, so you can keep background system sounds down while keeping your voice clear.
• Local multi-track recordings. Local recordings create separate audio and video files for each participant, which is ideal if you edit your webinar into clips afterward.StreamYard
• Landscape and portrait from the same session. You can plan for widescreen webinar replays and vertical social clips in a single recording workflow.
• Branded overlays and logos applied live. Instead of fixing everything in post, lower thirds, logos, and frames are added as you record.
• Presenter notes visible only to the host. You can keep talking points on screen without sharing them with your audience.
• Multi-participant screen sharing. Multiple presenters can share screens, which is handy for product walkthroughs or panel-style webinars.

On paid plans, local recording is effectively unlimited, and you can capture Full HD (1080p) with local files for each participant, which gives editors plenty of quality and flexibility.StreamYard

A simple scenario: You host a 60-minute demo with two teammates and a guest. You record locally and in the cloud, then hand separate audio tracks to your editor to create a polished replay, soundbites for social, and a trimmed version for your onboarding hub—all from one session.

StreamYard vs OBS — which fits my webinar workflow?

OBS Studio is a strong option when you want maximum control and have the hardware (and patience) to match.

What OBS brings to the table

OBS is a free and open-source desktop application for video recording and live streaming.OBS It lets you:

• Build detailed scenes that mix display capture, window capture, images, webcams, and more into your recording.OBS
• Run recording-only workflows, often recommended for tutorials or gameplay captures.OBS
• Adjust encoders, bitrates, and formats with fine-grained control, including multiple audio tracks in one file.

For a technical user, that level of control is valuable. But there are trade-offs:

• You must install and maintain the app on each machine.
• Reliability and quality depend entirely on your CPU/GPU, disk speed, and configuration.OBS
• There is no built-in cloud storage or collaboration; you manage big local files yourself.
• Multi-guest webinars require stitching in separate call tools (e.g., Zoom, meet apps) as sources.

Where StreamYard is usually a better fit

If your goal is a live or simulated-live webinar with remote guests, StreamYard’s browser studio is more straightforward:

• Guests join via a link in the browser instead of installing software.
• Layouts, overlays, and screen shares are managed visually.
• Multi-track local recording is built into the studio, with per-participant files ready for editing.StreamYard

Use OBS when you specifically want to squeeze every bit out of your local hardware and are comfortable spending time on configuration. For most webinar hosts and marketing teams, StreamYard’s speed and collaboration benefits matter more than OBS’s deeper tuning.

Loom recording limits and which plan supports full-length webinars

Loom is designed first for async communication—quick clips you share as links inside tools like Slack or Jira.Loom You hit record, capture your screen and camera bubble, then share a link.

For webinars, the key detail is recording length:

• Starter (free): Screen recordings are capped at 5 minutes per video, with a limit on the total number of videos in your workspace.Loom
• Business / Business + AI / Enterprise: These plans allow effectively unlimited recording time, removing that 5-minute cap.Loom

That means Loom’s free plan is not suitable for full-length webinars. To record an hour-long session end to end in Loom, you would need a paid plan.

Even on paid tiers, Loom focuses on single-presenter or simple meeting-style recordings, not a full webinar studio with multiple presenters, controlled layouts, and live overlays. For teams whose main need is live or live-style webinars with multiple presenters, StreamYard usually lines up better with the actual workflow.

Recording separate audio tracks — OBS and StreamYard workflows

If you plan to edit your webinar replay heavily—removing crosstalk, cleaning up audio, or creating short clips—separate audio tracks per speaker can save a lot of time.

Two tools stand out here:

• StreamYard local recordings. Local recording captures separate audio and video files for each participant, which editors can bring into their NLE of choice to isolate voices, fix levels, and build a polished replay.StreamYard
• OBS multi-track recording. OBS can be configured with multiple audio tracks in a single recording file; each track can be mapped to different sources (e.g., mic, system, guest app audio).Hollyland

With OBS, you need to wire your audio routing carefully and ensure your hardware can handle the load. With StreamYard, you invite guests into the studio, enable local recordings, and get individual participant files without building a custom routing setup.

4K local recordings — which platforms and plans support it?

Resolution matters most if you plan to crop, punch in, or reuse webinar footage across many formats.

• On StreamYard, paid plans support Full HD (1080p) local recordings by default, and higher tiers offer up to 4K local recording for even sharper source files.StreamYard
• Loom’s Business+ plans list recording up to 4K, which can help when you are sharing detailed app interfaces or small text.Loom
• OBS can record at 4K and beyond, as long as your hardware, encoder, and storage can keep up; there is no vendor-imposed resolution cap documented.OBS

For the majority of webinar use cases—slides, camera, and screen demos viewed on laptops or phones—1080p local recordings from StreamYard are already more than enough. Unless you know you will crop heavily or display on large 4K screens, higher resolution mainly adds file size and hardware pressure.

Browser-based webinar recording tools for non-technical guests (StreamYard, Loom)

One underrated factor in choosing webinar recording software is how easily non-technical guests can join.

Both StreamYard and Loom run in the browser, but they solve different problems:

• StreamYard is built for live and live-style shows. You send a link, guests join in the browser, and you control layouts, overlays, and recording—including multi-participant screen sharing and local multi-track records.
• Loom is optimized for one person hitting record, then sharing a link. Guests usually do not join a “studio”; they watch after the fact.Loom

For webinars with panels, interviews, or co-presenters, StreamYard’s studio approach is usually easier for guests: they see what is live, you handle the production, and they simply talk.

StreamYard pricing also scales differently: plans are priced per workspace, not per user, which can end up being more affordable for teams than tools that charge per seat.StreamYard

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if you want an easy, browser-based webinar recorder with multi-participant support, layouts, and reusable local multi-track files.
• Choose OBS if you are comfortable with advanced configuration, need maximum control over encoding, and are primarily focused on single-machine local recordings.
• Use Loom alongside StreamYard if your main need is quick async clips for internal communication, not full webinar production.
• If you host recurring webinars with guests in the US, set up a StreamYard studio once, then reuse it as your default recording room for every session.