OpenScreen
Free, open-source screen recorder and demo editor for polished product walkthroughs.
- Stars
- 40k
- Forks
- 3.2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 20 days ago
- Type
- App
This repository is archived and no longer maintained.
What it is
OpenScreen is a desktop app for recording your screen and editing the result into a polished demo or walkthrough. It adds features like auto-zoom that follows your cursor, backgrounds, annotations, and export to MP4 or GIF. It is described as a free alternative to the paid app Screen Studio, though the README says it does not include every Screen Studio feature. The project is archived and no longer maintained.
- Record a single window or the whole screen with microphone and system audio
- Create auto-zoomed walkthroughs that follow the cursor
- Add a webcam picture-in-picture overlay with a styled background
- Trim, crop, and change the speed of segments on the timeline
- Export a recording as MP4 or GIF in several aspect ratios
Great for
- People who want a free screen recorder for product demos or walkthroughs
- Creators posting short tutorials to X, Reddit, or YouTube
- Users who want to avoid subscriptions and watermarks
- Users who need offline, on-device captions for voiceovers
- Users comfortable with occasional bugs in a non-production tool
Not ideal for
- Teams that need a maintained tool, since the README says the project is archived and no longer maintained; the README points to a community fork at github.com/getopenscreen/openscreen
- Users who need every Screen Studio feature, since the README says it is not a 1:1 clone
- Linux users who want full cursor customization, since cursor themes and click effects are not available on Linux
- Production workflows, since the README warns it is not production grade
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Install on macOS with Homebrew
brew install --cask siddharthvaddem/openscreen/openscreenInstall on Windows with winget
winget install SiddharthVaddem.OpenScreenInstall on Debian/Ubuntu from the .deb file
sudo apt install ./Openscreen-Linux-latest.deb - 2
Run it
- Install the app for your platform using the README instructions or the Releases page.
- On macOS, grant Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions in System Settings when prompted.
- Open OpenScreen and choose a window or your whole screen to record.
- Record with microphone and optional system audio.
- Edit zooms, backgrounds, and trims on the timeline, then export to MP4 or GIF.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use auto or manual zooms with adjustable depth, duration, and easing to highlight key actions
- Add text, arrow, or image annotations and text animation presets
- Use the on-device automatic captions for voiceovers, which work offline
- Customize keyboard shortcuts for faster editing
- Use timeline snapping guides and the audio waveform to trim more precisely
Downloads
Strengths
- Free under the MIT license, with no paid tiers or watermarks according to the README
- Covers many core demo-editing features such as zooms, backgrounds, annotations, and captions
- Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux with the same editor and export
Trade-offs
- The README says the project is archived and no longer maintained, so bugs may not be fixed
- Capture quality and some options differ by OS, with Linux missing native capture and cursor data
- System audio depends on OS version or PipeWire on Linux
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| openscreen (this) | 40k | App | beginner | 20 days ago | People who want a free screen recorder for product demos or walkthroughs |
| Kap | 19.4k | App | beginner | 2.0 years ago | Mac users who want to record part of their screen quickly from the menu bar |
| Captura | 10.9k | App | beginner | 6 months ago | Windows users who want a free screen recorder with no ads or paid tier mentioned in the README |
| VidBee | 11k | App | beginner | 5 days ago | People who save videos or podcasts from supported sites and want them organized in one library |
| marktext | 63.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor |
| PicGo | 27.5k | App | beginner | 17 days ago | Bloggers and note-takers who paste screenshots into Markdown editors |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.