Last updated: 2026-01-13

For most people in the U.S. who want clean, presenter-led screen recordings that are automatically saved in the cloud, StreamYard is the easiest place to start. If you mainly need async one‑off clips for teammates or deep local‑only control, Loom or OBS can play a supporting role.

Summary

• StreamYard records your screen, camera, and guests in a browser studio and stores the recordings in a built‑in cloud library with plan-based storage hours. (StreamYard Help)
• Loom focuses on quick async screen snippets, saving every video to its own cloud workspace, with strict limits on the free tier and higher caps on paid plans. (Loom Pricing)
• OBS is a powerful, free desktop recorder that saves files locally; any cloud storage requires you to upload recordings to Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service yourself. (OBS Guide)
• For most creators and small teams, StreamYard’s browser-based studio plus cloud storage is the most efficient balance of quality, collaboration, and low setup time.

What do people really mean by “screen recording with cloud storage”?

When someone searches for “screen recording software with cloud storage integration,” they’re usually asking for three things bundled together:

1. Hit record fast. No wrestling with encoders, drivers, or complex scenes.
2. Record the whole story. Screen, voice, camera, maybe even guests.
3. Have it waiting in the cloud. As soon as you stop, the recording should be safely stored and easy to share or download.

In other words, you’re not hunting for another folder on your C: drive. You want a recording workflow that automatically lands in a space your team can rely on.

That’s exactly how our studio at StreamYard is built: you record in the browser, and the session is saved into a cloud video library that uses a simple “hours of storage” model by plan. (StreamYard Help)

How does StreamYard handle screen recording and cloud storage?

Inside StreamYard, you join a browser-based studio, share your screen, and decide how everything is laid out—full screen, picture‑in‑picture with your camera, or more advanced layouts for demos and webinars. Presenter-visible screen sharing means you always see exactly what’s going out in the recording, including overlays, logos, and lower‑thirds you add live. (StreamYard Pricing)

When you finish, the recording appears in your online video library and consumes storage based on its duration. Free workspaces have 5 hours of storage, while paid workspaces start at 50 hours and go up to 700+ hours on higher tiers. (StreamYard Help)

A few details that matter for most screen‑recording workflows:

• Local multi-track recording: Each participant can be recorded locally, giving you separate audio/video files that editors love for polishing later. (StreamYard Help)
• Independent audio control: You can manage screen audio and mic audio separately, so background system sounds don’t overpower your voice.
• Landscape and portrait from the same session: Handy if you want a wide tutorial for YouTube and vertical clips for Shorts or Reels.
• Multi‑participant recording: Bring in multiple guests, allow them to share their own screens, and capture everything in one session.
• Storage model you can reason about: When you hit your storage hours, you either delete older recordings or add storage; there’s no guessing about undisclosed “fair use” limits. (StreamYard Help)

For teams, one subtle but important angle is pricing: StreamYard plans are priced per workspace, not per user, which often keeps costs lower than per‑seat tools as your group grows. (StreamYard Pricing)

How does this compare to Loom for cloud‑based screen recordings?

Loom is tuned for quick async communication: hit record, talk through a design or a bug, then send a link. Every recording lives in Loom’s own cloud, organized into workspaces and folders. On paid plans, Loom markets unlimited recording time and storage; on the free Starter plan, you’re capped at 25 videos and 5‑minute screen recordings. (Loom Pricing)

That makes Loom a strong fit when:

• You mostly record solo clips for teammates.
• You want comments, emoji reactions, and light analytics around who watched.
• Your videos rarely need live guests, custom layouts, or production‑style branding.

There are two important nuances if “cloud storage integration” is your lens:

1. Loom’s cloud is its own silo. To move Loom recordings into Google Drive, Dropbox, or another cloud, you download the file from Loom first, then upload it to your chosen service. (Loom Support)
2. The free plan is intentionally constrained. If you create tutorials or recurring series, you’ll hit the 25‑video and 5‑minute limits quickly unless you upgrade. (Loom Help)

By contrast, StreamYard leans into presenter‑led, often multi‑participant sessions that you might also want to broadcast live or repurpose across platforms. For many creators and marketers, that studio‑style workflow provides more long‑term value than a stream of short async clips.

Where does OBS fit if it doesn’t include cloud storage?

OBS lives at the other end of the spectrum: it’s a free, open‑source desktop application for video recording and live streaming. You can capture your display, mix scenes, and tweak encoders in depth. But every recording is saved to a local “recording path” on your machine; there’s no built‑in cloud library. (OBS Guide)

In practice, that means:

• You manage your own storage. If you want files in Google Drive or Dropbox, you configure those syncing clients or upload manually.
• Hardware matters a lot. OBS performance and stability depend on your CPU/GPU and disks rather than a managed browser studio. (OBS System Requirements)
• Setup time is higher. Scenes, audio routing, and output formats all require more configuration.

OBS can be perfect if you’re doing gameplay capture or want total control over encoding, and you’re comfortable with local‑file workflows. Most business users, though, are simply trying to get a reliable screen recording into a shared space without babysitting settings—where a browser‑based tool with built‑in cloud storage is usually a better default.

Does StreamYard export recordings directly to Google Drive or Dropbox?

Today, StreamYard’s core model is to store your recordings inside your StreamYard video library using plan-based storage hours. (StreamYard Help) From there, you can download files on paid plans and upload them wherever you like—Google Drive, Dropbox, an LMS, or your editing pipeline. (StreamYard Help)

That’s functionally similar to Loom’s approach: Loom also expects you to download a video before you upload it to most external cloud tools. (Loom Support)

So while you don’t get a “one‑click send to Drive” button in these tools, you do get:

• Automatic cloud capture during the session.
• A single place to find and manage recordings.
• The ability to export full‑quality files for long‑term archival or editing in another system.

Which option should you pick for typical U.S. workflows?

Imagine you’re leading a weekly product demo with a rotating group of guests. You want:

• A branded layout with your logo and lower‑thirds.
• Screen shares from you and a guest.
• A high‑quality recording you can clip for social or send to prospects.

In that scenario:

• StreamYard lets you run the whole session in the browser, capture everyone, and store the recording in your cloud library with predictable storage hours.
• Loom can record your own screen and camera, but isn’t designed as a multi‑guest live studio.
• OBS can absolutely record the call if you route everything through your computer—but you’re responsible for all the layers, audio routing, and post‑upload to the cloud.

For most teams and creators, the fastest path to “hit record → share the outcome” runs through a browser‑based studio with built‑in cloud storage and simple download/export, which is exactly where StreamYard is focused. (StreamYard Pricing)

What we recommend

• Default choice: Start with StreamYard if you care about presenter-led demos, guest interviews, and recordings that are automatically stored and easy to reuse.
• Async add‑on: Layer in Loom if your team also wants lots of short, link‑based async videos for internal communication.
• Power‑user niche: Use OBS when you specifically need deep local control, have strong hardware, and don’t mind managing your own file‑to‑cloud workflow.
• Team budgets: If you’re cost‑sensitive and have multiple collaborators, a per‑workspace StreamYard plan often pencils out better than stacking per‑user recording seats. (StreamYard Pricing)