Screencast-O-Matic works on Windows and Mac. Still, even without paying, Screencast-O-Matic's video recording alone makes it more powerful than Microsoft’s free Windows Snip & Sketch, which lacks the feature. Max has even more add-ons like advanced analytics and video quizzes. Premier gives you more storage and backup options, along with business-friendly branding and advertising features. Upgrading to Deluxe unlocks many extra features, most notably unlimited video recordings. You can take and edit screenshots, record up to 15 minutes of watermarked video, lightly edit videos, and share to online platforms.

Naturally, the free version has limitations.

Screencast-O-Matic subscriptions are billed annually, so you could use the app for a year and still ultimately pay about the same price as Snagit or Ashampoo. For comparison, one-time purchases for Snagit and Ashampoo Snap cost $62.99 and $39.99, respectively (and that doesn’t include the price of upgrading to the next year’s versions). Those prices also get slashed in half for education customers. Those prices increase depending on how many team members need access. For solo users, the Deluxe tier costs $4 per month, with the Premier and Max tiers costing $6 per month and $10 per month, respectively. You can also choose between two different premium subscriptions. Whereas Snagit and Ashampoo Snap only offer free trials, Screencast-O-Matic's basic version is free to use forever. Although Screencast-O-Matic's paid version lacks the chops to top Snagit, the PCMag Editors’ Choice pick for screen-capture utilities, it gives you robust image-snipping flexibility. Screencast-O-Matic bridges the gulf between the two extremes with a generous, free version that easily surpasses its no-cost rivals, and a subscription tier that offers cool, unique features. Free utilities take standard screenshots just fine, but they lack many advanced features that power users enjoy. Premium screen-capture utilities offer professionals many useful features, but they can feel like overkill to casual users.

Screencastomatic tutorial