Open Source Camtasia AlternativesTop Video Editors & Screen Recorders like Camtasia

The best open source alternative to Camtasia is OBS Studio. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Camtasia and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Camtasia are Kdenlive, Shotcut, OpenShot and Olive Video Editor.

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Camtasia alternatives are mainly Screen Recorders but may also be Screenshot Capture Tools or Video Editors.  Other popular filters includes Windows + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Camtasia.
Camtasia iconCamtasia
  231
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Create stunning HD videos with compact file sizes using this intuitive tool with presets for YouTube, HD display, and Screencast.com platforms.

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Camtasia alternatives page was last updated Feb 17, 2025
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Alternatives
  1. OBS Studio icon

    OBS Studio

     1210 likes
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    A robust cross-platform application offering seamless screen recording and live-streaming capabilities across Mac, Windows, and Linux. It supports advanced features like H264 encoding, multiple scenes, customizable themes, and direct streaming to platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

    185 OBS Studio alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    • FreeBSD
    OBS Studio screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Live Streaming
    2.  Screen Recording
    3.  Capture Video
    4.  Live Broadcasting
    5.  Ability to select a source
    6.  Game Streaming
    7.  Audio Recording
    8.  Low CPU usage
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Virtual camera output
    11.  Record desktop activity
    12. Twitch icon  Twitch Integration

    OBS Studio VS Camtasia

     
    Comments about OBS Studio as an Alternative to Camtasia
    Comment summary: Camtasia and OBS Studio serve different purposes; Camtasia is both a screen recording and video editing software, while OBS Studio is focused on broadcasting and recording without editing capabilities. Users appreciate OBS Studio for its ease of use, open-source nature, and the ability to capture screen activities and stream live. However, OBS lacks complex editing features available in Camtasia, which integrates recording with editing and annotation tools.
    Top Positive Comment
    Niittymaa
    Feb 21, 2017
    0

    Great open source with useful features!

    Top Negative Comment
    gautambjain
    Mar 30, 2016
    17

    I installed OBS. It simply records the display, but doesn't allow any annotation and several other features that Camtasia Studio, FlashBack and others provide. Its purpose is different, since it is a broadcasting software.

    Most Recent Comment
    Sascha A. Carlin
    Negative •Feb 14, 2024
    0

    OBS is a live producing tool, Camtasia is a screencast recorder and editor.

    Show more comments
    3 of 21 comments
    Camtasia Icon
    OBS Studio icon

    • Most users think OBS Studio is a great Camtasia alternative.

    • OBS Studio is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Camtasia.

    • OBS Studio is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Camtasia.

    • OBS Studio is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
    • OBS Studio is CustomizableCamtasia is not according to our users
  2. Kdenlive icon

    Kdenlive

     805 likes
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    Free, open-source multi-track video editor supporting multiple platforms and formats. Features include chroma key, color grading, 4K rendering, keyframe animation, and customizable workspaces. Offers privacy focus, offline use, and hardware acceleration without ads or registration.

    114 Kdenlive alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Logging

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Visual Editing
    2.  Sync Audio & Video
    3.  Split videos
    4.  Keyframe Animation
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Watermark free
    7.  Non linear editor
    8.  MultiTrack
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    11.  Add subtitles
    12.  GPU Support

    Kdenlive VS Camtasia

     
    Comments about Kdenlive as an Alternative to Camtasia
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative •Oct 23, 2019
    4

    This software does not record screen, it just edits video.

    Guest
    Negative •Oct 15, 2020
    1

    Kdenlive is a video editor, not a screen recorder

    Guest
    Positive •Feb 27, 2020
    1

    Kdenlive is a good option, record the screem and audio, and you can edit the files easy. Also you can add new transitions to the software from setting...

    Camtasia Icon
    Kdenlive icon

    • Most users think Kdenlive is a great Camtasia alternative.

    • Kdenlive is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
  4. Shotcut icon

    Shotcut

     430 likes
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    Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform, non-linear video editor.

    123 Shotcut alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    Text filter settings

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  No Watermark
    2.  Video filters
    3.  Video Converter
    4.  Keyframe Animation
    5.  CPU&GPU Rendering
    6.  Visual timeline
    7.  Trim video
    8.  Low CPU usage
    9.  Portable
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Timeline
    12.  Works Offline

    Shotcut VS Camtasia

     
    Comments about Shotcut as an Alternative to Camtasia
    Guest
    Positive •May 13, 2020
    0

    I'm using it and tried some others. This one is very cool, but with a learning curve that ask some work. It worth it :)

    Camtasia Icon
    Shotcut icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Shotcut is a great Camtasia alternative.

    • Shotcut is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Shotcut is LightweightCamtasia is not according to our users
  5. OpenShot icon

    OpenShot

     547 likes
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    OpenShot is a free and open-source video editor for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS, designed to be easy to use and quick to learn.

    129 OpenShot alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    OpenShot screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No Watermark
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  3D animated titles
    4.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  32-bit support
    7.  Non Destructive Editing
    8.  Photo effects
    9.  Layer Movement
    10.  Geometry editing
    11.  Edit screenshots
    12. Blender icon  Blender Integration

    OpenShot VS Camtasia

     
    Comments about OpenShot as an Alternative to Camtasia
    Guest
    Negative •Jul 3, 2017
    -10

    Camtasia is for recording screen activity. but openshot is video editing program

    Camtasia Icon
    OpenShot icon

    • This alternative is disputed. OpenShot is a legitimate Camtasia alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • OpenShot is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
    • OpenShot is Lightweight and Privacy focusedCamtasia is not according to our users
  6. Olive Video Editor icon

    Olive Video Editor

     143 likes
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    Olive is a free non-linear video editor aiming to provide a fully-featured alternative to high-end professional video editing software.

    112 Olive Video Editor alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Olive Video Editor screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Non linear editor
    2.  Multitrack editing
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Multi Platform
    5.  Node Based
    6.  Custom layouts
    7.  Support for Unicode
    8.  Offline Data Collection

    Olive Video Editor VS Camtasia

     
  7. Natron icon

    Natron

     201 likes
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    Natron is an open source, cross platform nodal compositing application. It is built around industry standard open source tech such as OpenFX, OpenEXR, OpenColorIO and OpenImageIO. The feature set includes realtime playback/RAM cache, multi-threaded rendering, 2d tracking...

    20 Natron alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Natron screenshot 1

    Top Natron Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Open FX Support
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Video filters
    5.  Nodal Compositing
    6.  Portable
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    10.  Support for 4K
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required

    Natron VS Camtasia

     
  9. SimpleScreenRecorder icon

    SimpleScreenRecorder

     140 likes
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    SimpleScreenRecorder is a Linux screen recorder that supports X11 and OpenGL. It is easy to use, feature-rich, and has a Qt-based graphical user interface. It can record the entire screen or part of it, or record OpenGL applications directly.

    135 SimpleScreenRecorder alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    SimpleScreenRecorder screenshot 1
    SimpleScreenRecorder screenshot 2

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Screen Recording
    2.  Capture Video
    3.  Record videos
    4.  Record HD screen
    5.  Live Screen Recording
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Support for Gestures
    8.  Legacy Firefox Addon

    SimpleScreenRecorder VS Camtasia

     
    Comments about SimpleScreenRecorder as an Alternative to Camtasia
    Guest
    Positive •Feb 8, 2018
    0

    It has tons of settings and works reliable.

    Guest
    Negative •Feb 3, 2020
    0

    Is only screen recording, not editing. Cannot add annotations, etc.

    Camtasia Icon
    SimpleScreenRecorder icon

    • Most users think SimpleScreenRecorder is a great Camtasia alternative.

    • SimpleScreenRecorder is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SimpleScreenRecorder is LightweightCamtasia is not according to our users
  10. Open Video Editor icon

    Open Video Editor

     21 likes
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    Open Video Editor lets you edit your videos. It supports HDR and allows to apply filters. With this app you also can trim, scale, and rotate your videos or even grayscale them. It is also possible to use this app to extract audio from a video, to convert a HDR video to SDR, or...

    62 Open Video Editor alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
    Open Video Editor screenshot 1
    Open Video Editor screenshot 2
    Open Video Editor screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Crop video
    2.  Trim video
    3.  Rotate Video
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Support for Layers
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Change resolution

    Open Video Editor VS Camtasia

     

    • Open Video Editor is the most popular Android alternative to Camtasia.

    • Open Video Editor is Free and Open SourceCamtasia is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Open Video Editor is Lightweight and Privacy focusedCamtasia is not according to our users
  11. VokoscreenNG icon

    VokoscreenNG

     65 likes
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    VokoscreenNG is a user friendly screencaster for Linux and Windows. It is a continuation of the now discontinued Vokoscreen project that has been totally rewritten from scratch using Qt and GStreamer.

    164 VokoscreenNG alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VokoscreenNG screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Screen Recording
    2.  Audio Recording
    3.  Record videos
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    8.  No Tracking
    9.  Text Overlays

    VokoscreenNG VS Camtasia

     
  12. CamStudio icon

    CamStudio

     178 likes
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    Record your computer screen with audio input from Mic or Speakers. Also shows mouse clicks in addition to the regular cursor. Simple interface with ability to record in AVI or export as swf.

    154 CamStudio alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Main interface
    Warning

    As described on VirusTotal comment (https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/1ddb733efb11769a05cc735d555e9a4df92c4cdf29fa47ea3864e57e67dcf884/analysis/1411383540/): if you download CamStudio from SourceForge.net, the VirusTotal results are 0/53. After installing this SF version, it immediately says that there is an update available. When the link is clicked, it takes you to camstudio.org, which has a zip file that, scanned with VirusTotal, gives you 15/53 result. So do NOT download and install the "update": it's a malware. Installer as of 09/22/2014.

    CamStudio Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Capture Video

    CamStudio VS Camtasia

     
10 of 46 Camtasia alternatives