The best Chrome screen recorder extensions in 2026
A Chrome extension is the quickest way to record your screen, because there's nothing to install beyond the browser and the best ones hand you a share link the moment you stop. There are dozens in the Chrome Web Store, though, and most look alike until you hit a limit on video length, a cap on how many recordings you can keep, or a price that doubles when your team grows.
We compared seven well-known options on the prices and limits each company lists today, all checked on 17 October 2026.
What to look for in a Chrome screen recorder
Before comparing tools, it helps to know which features matter for the way you'll use it.
- What it can record. Most extensions can record a single tab, a window or your whole screen. Recording a tab is useful because it captures that tab's sound and hides your other tabs and notifications.
- Your camera on screen. A small camera bubble over your screen makes a walkthrough feel personal, and some tools also offer camera-only recording.
- How you share it. The best tools upload as you go and give you a link straight away. Others save a file you then have to upload somewhere yourself.
- What viewers need. Check that people can watch in their browser without signing up, especially if you send videos to customers.
- Limits on the free plan. Free plans usually limit how long each video can be, how many videos you keep, or the resolution.
- Price per person. Almost every tool charges per person, so multiply the price by your team size before deciding.
The seven extensions compared
| Extension | Free plan | Cheapest paid plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Vids Screen Recorder | Free, up to 30 minutes per recording | No paid tier for the extension | Free recording if you use Google accounts |
| Loom | 25 videos, 5 minutes each, 720p | $18 a month, up to 17% off yearly | Teams that want transcripts, comments and AI |
| Screencastify | 10 videos, 30 minutes each | $7 a month yearly, $19 monthly | Teachers and schools |
| Awesome Screenshot | 20 cloud recordings at 720p | $6 a month yearly, $8 monthly | Screenshots and recordings together on a budget |
| Zight | 5-minute videos at 720p, 1 GB storage | $9.95 a month yearly, $12.95 monthly | Screenshots, GIFs and video in one tool |
| Vidyard | 5 videos a month, 30 minutes each | $59 a month yearly, $89 monthly | Sales teams sending video to prospects |
| Seedling | 14-day trial without a card | $8 a month, $79 a year | Recording and sharing work walkthroughs simply |
Google Vids Screen Recorder
Google released the Vids Screen Recorder extension in April 2026, and it's free for anyone with a Google Workspace or personal Google account. According to Google's announcement, recordings can run for up to 30 minutes, and the Chrome Web Store listing describes screen, screen with camera, camera-only and audio-only modes, with a link you can share after previewing. Recordings open in Google Vids if you want to edit them further.
It's the strongest free choice if you already work in Google's tools. The trade-offs are the 30-minute limit and sharing that follows Google's normal file permissions, so anyone outside your organisation needs a link that's open to them. There are no notifications when someone watches.
Loom
Loom is the best-known tool in this category and the most complete for team communication. Its free plan includes transcripts in more than 50 languages, captions, comments and viewer insights, but limits you to 25 videos of 5 minutes each at 720p. Business costs $18 per person per month and removes those limits, adding 4K, password protection and custom branding, while Business + AI at $24 adds automatic titles, summaries and chapters. Loom also has desktop and mobile apps.
The main drawback is cost as your team grows, which we cover in detail in our Loom pricing breakdown.
Screencastify
Screencastify grew up in schools and is still the education favourite, with questions and polls inside videos, video collection from students and LMS integrations on its Enterprise and EDU plan. The free plan allows 10 videos of up to 30 minutes, Starter costs $7 per user per month billed yearly ($19 monthly) with a 60-minute limit, and Pro at $10 yearly ($25 monthly) adds captions, transcripts and AI tools. Self-serve plans are limited to five members. Our Screencastify alternatives page compares it with Loom and Seedling for work use.
Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot combines a screenshot tool with a screen recorder and is one of the cheapest paid options. The free plan keeps up to 20 recordings in the cloud at up to 720p, and the Professional plan costs $6 a month billed yearly or $8 monthly for unlimited recordings at up to 4K. It's a good fit if you capture screenshots more often than video and want both in one extension.
Zight
Zight, formerly CloudApp, handles screenshots, annotated images, GIFs and video in one app, with a desktop app for Windows and Mac alongside the extension. The free plan limits videos to 5 minutes at 720p with 1 GB of storage. Create costs $9.95 a month billed yearly for individuals, and Collaborate costs $12 per user per month billed yearly with unlimited AI summaries, step-by-step guides and branding. We compare it with Loom in Loom vs Zight.
Vidyard
Vidyard is a sales platform first, with video analytics, branded sharing pages, calls to action and CRM integrations, plus AI avatars that can send personalised videos automatically. The free plan allows 5 videos a month of up to 30 minutes. Its Starter plan is much pricier than the rest of this list at $59 per seat per month billed yearly or $89 monthly, which is worth it for sales teams who use the analytics and integrations and hard to justify otherwise. See Loom vs Vidyard for a closer look.
Seedling
Seedling is our own tool, and it's deliberately small. You record a tab, a window, your whole screen or just your camera, your camera sits in a bubble you can drag anywhere, and the share link opens as soon as you stop. You can cut out mistakes afterwards, you get an email the first time each new person watches, viewers don't need an account, and there's no limit on recording length. It costs $8 a month or $79 a year, with a 14-day free trial that doesn't need a card.
Which Chrome screen recorder should you choose?
Most people record for the same few reasons, and for the everyday ones Seedling is the strongest pick.
| If you… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Record walkthroughs for teammates or customers | Seedling | The link opens the moment you stop, and anyone can watch without an account |
| Regularly need more than 5 minutes | Seedling | No length limit and unlimited videos for $8 a month, where Loom charges $18 |
| Want to know when a customer has watched | Seedling | You get an email the first time each new person watches |
| Pay for a Loom plan full of features you never use | Seedling | $79 a year per person, compared with about $180 for Loom Business |
| Record a team of ten for a year | Seedling | $790 in total, against roughly $1,800 for Loom and $7,080 for Vidyard |
| Only record now and then and need it to be free | Google Vids Screen Recorder | Free with a Google account, up to 30 minutes |
| Want AI summaries and desktop apps | Loom Business + AI | $24 per person per month |
| Teach in a school | Screencastify | Quizzes, polls and LMS integrations |
| Sell with video and track it in your CRM | Vidyard | CRM integrations on its Teams plan |
Frequently asked questions
Does Chrome have a built-in screen recorder?
The Chrome browser doesn't include one on Mac, Windows or Linux, so you need an extension or your operating system's recorder. ChromeOS on Chromebooks has a built-in screen recorder in its Screen capture menu, and Google's free Vids Screen Recorder extension adds one to Chrome on any computer.
What is the best free screen recorder for Chrome?
Google's Vids Screen Recorder is free with up to 30 minutes per recording. Screencastify's free plan also allows 30-minute videos but only 10 of them, and Loom's free plan allows 25 videos of 5 minutes each.
Can a Chrome extension record my whole screen, not just the browser?
Yes. Every extension on this list can record your entire screen or a single window as well as a browser tab, using Chrome's built-in screen sharing picker.
Is it safe to give a screen recorder extension access to my browser?
Screen recorders need broad permissions to capture tabs and show a camera bubble on any page, so install them only from developers you trust. Chrome always asks before an extension starts capturing your screen, and it shows a sharing indicator while it's recording.
Last updated 17 October 2026
Loom is a trademark of Atlassian, and the other product names on this page are trademarks of their owners. Seedling is an independent product and isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Prices and features are taken from each company's own website on the date shown and may have changed since.