Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Loom VS OBS Studio

Compare Loom VS OBS Studio and see what are their differences

Loom logo Loom

Loom is a screen recording extension for Chrome that gives people the ability to create and share media. Create your own videos using your camera, screen view, and audio. Read more about Loom.

OBS Studio logo OBS Studio

Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming for Mac, Windows and Linux.
  • Loom Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-13
  • OBS Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-12

Loom features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Loom offers a highly intuitive interface that makes recording, sharing, and managing videos easy, even for users who are not tech-savvy.
  • Speed
    Loom allows for quick video recording, instant sharing, and embedding, which can greatly save time, especially for team communication and support tasks.
  • Integrations
    Loom integrates with various tools like Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub, providing seamless workflow enhancements.
  • Viewer Analytics
    Loom provides video engagement analytics, including viewer activity and completion rates, which helps understand the effectiveness of the content.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Loom is available on multiple platforms, including Chrome, Windows, Mac, and mobile devices, making it versatile for different user environments.
  • Team Collaboration
    Loom offers features specifically geared towards teams, allowing for shared libraries, comments, and real-time notifications.

Possible disadvantages of Loom

  • Limited Editing Features
    While Loom allows some basic editing, it lacks the advanced editing capabilities found in more robust video editing software.
  • Bandwidth Usage
    Recording high-quality video can be demanding on internet bandwidth, which might be an issue in areas with slower internet speeds.
  • Cost
    The free version of Loom has usage limits and fewer features compared to its paid plans, which might be a constraint for budget-conscious users.
  • Data Privacy
    As with any cloud service, there are potential concerns about data privacy and security, which may not be suitable for highly sensitive information.
  • Video Length Limitations
    The free tier imposes restrictions on the maximum length of videos, which could be a hindrance for users needing to create longer content.

OBS Studio features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    OBS Studio is completely free to download and use, and its source code is openly available, allowing users to modify and contribute to the software.
  • Cross-Platform
    OBS Studio is available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users regardless of their operating system.
  • High Customizability
    The software allows for extensive customization through scenes, sources, and various settings, enabling users to tailor their streaming or recording setup precisely to their needs.
  • Plugin Support
    OBS Studio supports a variety of plugins, allowing users to add extra functionality such as additional sources, filters, and integrations with other platforms.
  • Active Community
    The OBS community is very active, offering a wealth of tutorials, forums, and support channels where users can find assistance and share knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of OBS Studio

  • Steep Learning Curve
    While powerful, OBS Studio can be intimidating for beginners due to its myriad of options and settings, requiring a significant amount of time to learn.
  • Resource Intensive
    OBS Studio can be quite demanding on system resources, particularly CPU and GPU, which might not be ideal for users with lower-end hardware.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Users sometimes report crashes or bugs, especially when using certain third-party plugins or on less common hardware configurations.
  • Limited Built-In Features
    While highly customizable, OBS Studio itself is relatively barebones without plugins, which means users often need to seek out and install additional software for specific functionalities (e.g., advanced effects, in-depth analytics).
  • Complex Configuration for Advanced Features
    Configuring advanced features, such as setting up a green screen or integrating with third-party tools, can be complex and time-consuming.

Loom videos

Loom: Full Review 2019

More videos:

  • Review - Classic Review - LOOM
  • Review - Loom Video Recorder Review 2019

OBS Studio videos

Open Broadcaster Software Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Loom and OBS Studio)
Screen Recording
47 47%
53% 53
Screenshot Annotation
48 48%
52% 52
Video Recording
0 0%
100% 100
Video Maker
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Loom and OBS Studio

Loom Reviews

The 9 Best Vimeo Alternatives on the Market in 2024
Loom helps employees, sales professionals, and teams communicate better and faster. With Loom, you can coordinate asynchronously, empower customer support to meet customer expectations and needs, improve customer success metrics, and give and receive feedback quickly and easily. The communication and collaboration features in Loom make it easier for anyone to share ideas and...
Source: www.loom.com
Top 8 Best Free Screen Recorders in 2024
Loom is a modern, user-friendly screen recording app designed for diverse platforms and areas of use. Perfect for business settings, Loom lets you create and fine-tune screen recordings to be easily shared with your team.
Source: mixilab.com
Top 15 Free Alternatives to OBS | Online Free Screen Recorder for PC
This is an easy-to-use OBS alternative for Chromebooks and Macs. Loom can choose different recording styles according to the voice & face you want. At the same time it provides cloud storage and can share videos directly through their portal. It's suitable for team use, bringing the entire team together for recording and collaboration easily.
12 Best Free Chrome Screen Recorder with audio 2022
Loom is one of the most popular screen recording tools on the Google market. Loom records quickly, shares and collaborates easily. Since it has been loved by users, Loom has recently been updated, and many features have now been limited to charging, such as: only the first 100 recorded videos can be accessed. Access to more videos requires an upgrade purchase; free users can...
Best Screen Recorder For PC In 2022
Give Loom a try if you need to quickly record something and share a link. When it comes to recording, Loom isn’t overly complicated: you can choose whether to record just your screen, your screen with webcam video, or just your webcam.

OBS Studio Reviews

Top Live Video Streaming Software, Tools, and Platforms for Professional Streaming
OBS Studio is an open-source software that’s popular among both beginner and professional streamers. It’s completely free to use and offers extensive customization options, including support for multiple video sources, transitions, and custom graphics. OBS Studio is great for live streaming to platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.
Source: medium.com
ScreenRec vs OBS: A Comprehensive Comparison of Screen Recording and Streaming Software
ScreenRec and OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) are two popular screen recording and streaming software used by content creators, professionals, gamers, educators, and businesses worldwide. Both tools offer unique features and functionalities to capture and share screen content effectively.ScreenRec is a user-friendly screen recording software known for its simplicity and...
Source: screenapp.io
Selecting the Best Screen Recorder for Windows 11: A Thorough Exploration
Selecting the right screen recorder for Windows 11 hinges on your specific needs and the level of complexity you’re comfortable with. ScreenRec offers a balanced mix of ease of use and functionality, making it an excellent choice for most users. However, those with more specialized needs might find OBS Studio, Camtasia, Bandicam, or ShareX to be better suited to their...
Source: medium.com
Screen Recording Unveiled: ScreenRec and Other Notable Choices for Capturing Zoom and Google Meet Sessions
The modern age has brought forth the necessity for tools that can accurately capture on-screen activities, specifically virtual meetings and educational sessions. ScreenRec excels for its ease of use, while OBS Studio and Camtasia offer more advanced functionalities. Knowing how to record Zoom and Google Meet sessions is crucial, and with tools like ScreenRec at your...
Source: medium.com
10 Proven Screen Recorders for Mac [Updated in 2023]
OBS is a free and open source screen recording software for Mac, which allows users to record video and live streaming media. In fact, this is also one of the Mac screen video recorders that can't be missed. It supports real-time source and device capture, scene synthesis, encoding, recording and broadcasting.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OBS Studio seems to be a lot more popular than Loom. While we know about 1069 links to OBS Studio, we've tracked only 19 mentions of Loom. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Loom mentions (19)

  • UAT: A Quick Overview
    Loom is a video recording tool that allows users to capture screenshares with voiceovers. In UAT, it’s used to show an application workflow, whether successful or buggy. Instead of listing steps to replicate a bug/workflow, you can record it firsthand and save everyone some time. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • How to Stand Out When Asking for a Job
    Telling somebody, “I want to work for you” is only as good as the reasons you give them. If you show them that you can identify value that they need created and can create it, you take a lot of that work off of their plate. Loom is a good tool for walking people through what you can create. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Walkie-Talkie for Badass Developers
    Async meetings are pretty great), http://loom.com is pretty great. (don't work there, not even a paying customer, but even then it's transformed the way I work.). - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Animation for software guides/snippets
    While not animation software, both loom.com and scribehow.com are a version of this. Loom is pure video and audio, Scribe is a combo of screenshots and written steps. It 'watches' what you do, then makes an instructional guide that can be edited later. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [need feedback] New landing page for upcoming SaaS!
    I'm not on mac, so I use loom.com as an alternative to screen.studio 😉. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

OBS Studio mentions (1069)

  • A single line of code cost $8000
    FWIW, OBS is ~150 MB, not an electron app and actually open source. https://obsproject.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 days ago
  • A M.2 HDMI capture card
    Https://magicmusicvisuals.com/ combined with https://obsproject.com/. And possibly OBS all by itself. - Source: Hacker News / 10 days ago
  • How to Set Up a Free RTMP Server with Open Source Red5
    ./red5.sh # for Linux or Mac Red5.bat # for Windows You should see console output indicating the server has started successfully, typically on `localhost:5080`. 2. To test if your RTMP server is live, open your web browser and go to `http://localhost:5080/`. You should see the Red5 landing page. ### Step 4: Configure RTMP Applications Red5 supports RTMP out of the box. You can now create and configure RTMP... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Phased Array Microphone
    You might look into OBS and/or VoiceMeeter to see how streamers selectively route audio while livestreaming/recording video/audio streams. https://obsproject.com/ https://voicemeeter.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • How to Set Up a Free RTMP Server with Open Source Red5
    Download and Install OBS: If you haven’t already, download and install OBS from obsproject.com. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Loom and OBS Studio, you can also consider the following products

Camtasia - Camtasia 2018 makes it easy to record your screen and create polished, professional-looking videos.

Snagit - Screen Capture Software for Windows and Mac

ShareX - ShareX is a free and open source program that lets you capture or record any area of your screen...

AWS Snowball - AWS Snowball is a petabyte-scale data transport service that uses secure devices to transfer large amounts of data into and out of the AWS cloud.

BandiCam - Bandicam is a screen recording platform built to accommodate the needs of a wide variety of different users.

XSplit - Live stream and record your content with ease & share it to streaming services like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Mixer, etc. Start your broadcast today.