Why Choosing the Right Async Video Tool Matters in 2026
A two-minute screen recording can explain a bug, walk a client through a proposal, or hand off a project better than a long email thread. Loom made async video mainstream.
But Loom has changed. Atlassian agreed to acquire Loom in October 2023, and since August 2025 Atlassian has been moving Loom workspaces onto Atlassian accounts on a rolling basis. The free Starter plan now caps you at 25 videos per person and 5-minute recordings. Business costs $18 per user per month on monthly billing, and the AI features sit in a separate Business + AI tier at $24. Some teams also want things Loom does not focus on: sales analytics, polished demos, heavy editing, or a cheaper tool for occasional use. The alternatives below are strong, and they are not all trying to be Loom.
This guide compares Loom, Vidyard, Zight (formerly CloudApp), Tella, Descript, ScreenPal and Screen Studio. Every price and plan limit below was checked on the vendor's own pricing page or help center in October 2026. Prices are in USD. We note whether each price assumes annual or monthly billing, because the gap is large for several of these tools.
One thing to watch above all else: free plan recording limits. They range from 5 minutes (Loom, Zight) to 15 minutes (ScreenPal) to 30 minutes (Vidyard, capped at 5 videos a month). Tella and Screen Studio have no free plan at all. If your team records long walkthroughs, the free tier you pick matters more than any feature list.
Loom review
Loom is the default async video tool. You record your screen and camera, and the link is ready to paste as soon as you stop. Viewers watch in the browser without an account.
Key features
- Screen and camera recording from the Mac app, Windows app, Chrome extension or iOS app, with custom recording areas and up to 4K on paid plans
- Camera bubble customization, backgrounds and filters
- Transcripts and closed captions in 50+ languages, plus comments, emoji reactions and tasks on videos
- Basic editing: trim, stitch, waveform editing, text, arrows and boxes
- Viewer insights, privacy controls and password-protected videos on paid plans
- Loom AI (Business + AI): auto titles, summaries, chapters, tasks, filler word and silence removal, editing by transcript, and meeting notes with recap emails
- Integrations with Slack, Google Workspace, Jira, Figma and Salesforce (the Salesforce integration is listed on Enterprise)
Pricing
- Starter (free): 25 videos per person, 5-minute recordings, 720p video, up to 50 members, one all-company space. Screenshots and meeting length are unlimited.
- Business: $18 per user per month. Unlimited videos and recording length, up to 4K, branding removal, uploads and downloads, password protection and priority support.
- Business + AI: $24 per user per month, with a 14-day free trial. Adds the Loom AI features above plus admin insights.
- Enterprise: contact sales. Adds SSO and SCIM, Salesforce integration, a 99.95% uptime SLA, unlimited spaces and advanced admin controls.
Loom's pricing page lists the monthly per-user prices and says annual billing saves up to 17%. It does not list the exact annual per-user figure, so confirm it at checkout. Teams that buy through Atlassian are charged by user tier rather than by exact user count, which can change the math for growing teams. Loom's free "Creator Lite" role lets some people record a limited number of videos without taking a paid seat, though Atlassian notes this role is not supported for paid accounts already integrated with Atlassian.
Pros
- The fastest path from "record" to "shareable link" of any tool here
- Viewers do not need an account, and almost everyone already knows how Loom works
- Strong AI summaries, chapters and transcript editing on the AI tier
- Fits well into Atlassian tools and Jira workflows
Cons
- The free plan is tight: 25 videos and 5 minutes per recording
- AI features cost an extra $6 per user per month over Business
- Editing is basic compared with Tella or Descript
- The move to Atlassian accounts and tier-based billing adds some admin work
Who should use it
Teams of any size that send lots of internal updates, code reviews, design feedback and handoffs, and want something everyone can use on day one. It is especially sensible if you already pay for Jira or Confluence.
Who should avoid it
Sales teams that need deep CRM analytics (Vidyard is stronger), creators who need a polished final video (Tella, Descript or Screen Studio), and budget-conscious teams that record occasionally and could live on a cheaper plan.
Vidyard review
Vidyard is video for revenue teams. It records screen and camera, but the real product is everything around the video: hosting, branded pages, viewer tracking tied to your CRM, and AI avatars for personalized video at scale.
Key features
- Video messages for prospecting and deal follow-up, with notifications showing who watched
- Video hosting with folders, permissions and analytics tied to leads and pipeline
- Vidyard Hubs: branded pages that group videos, public or private
- CRM and marketing automation integrations, including Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Gong and Salesloft (CRM/MAP integrations start on the Teams plan)
- Video Agent add-on with AI avatars and automated, personalized video creation and delivery
- Password-protected videos, CTAs and custom backgrounds on paid plans
Pricing
- Free: $0, no credit card. 5 recorded videos per month, each up to 30 minutes, plus 15 AI videos and 3 custom AI avatars. The pricing page lists the free plan without video hosting, and integrations are limited.
- Starter: $59 per seat per month billed annually, or $89 billed monthly, with a 14-day trial. Unlimited recording, full video analytics, branded sharing page, CTA templates and password protection.
- Video Agent add-on (Starter): $24 per seat per month billed annually, or $29 monthly.
- Teams: custom pricing, aimed at teams of 5 or more. Adds CRM/MAP integrations, advanced analytics, fully custom CTAs and captions.
- Enterprise: custom pricing. Adds unlimited integrations, SSO and custom security options.
Vidyard's pricing page says annual billing saves about 30%.
Pros
- The best analytics and CRM connections here for sales use
- AI avatars and automation for high-volume personalized outreach
- The free plan allows 30-minute recordings, the longest free limit in this guide
- Built-in hosting and branded pages for marketing and post-sales video
Cons
- The most expensive per seat by a wide margin, and CRM integrations need a custom-priced plan
- The free plan is capped at 5 recordings a month
- A lot of product for teams that only want quick internal updates
Who should use it
Sales, business development and customer success teams that send video to buyers and want to know who watched, for how long, and how it ties to pipeline.
Who should avoid it
Internal teams that just need quick explainers. You would pay for analytics and outreach features you will not use.
Zight review
Zight started life as CloudApp, a file and screenshot sharing tool, and rebranded in April 2023. It still feels like a capture toolkit first: screenshots with annotation, GIFs, screen and webcam recording, and instant share links. For support and QA teams it has one standout feature, Request Video.
Key features
- Screen recorder, webcam recorder, screenshots with annotation, and a GIF maker
- Request Video: send a link that lets a customer or colleague record their screen, with console logs attached, without creating an account
- Meeting Recorder that joins calendar meetings and returns notes and action items
- Step-by-step guides and SOPs generated from recordings
- Redaction and blurring, including automatic PII blurring in the Chrome extension
- Integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Jira, Zendesk, Intercom and Salesforce Service Cloud (help desk integrations are on Scale), plus MCP support so AI assistants can read recordings and transcripts
Pricing
- Share (free): 1 user, recordings up to 5 minutes at up to 720p, 1 GB storage, history limited to your last 50 captures, 5 Video Requests per month, GIFs up to 15 seconds.
- Create: $9.95 per user per month billed annually. Unlimited recording length, up to 4K, transcription, captions, redaction, annotations, 5 AI actions per month, 5 GB storage and 10 Video Requests per month.
- Collaborate: $12 per user per month billed annually. Unlimited AI actions and storage, 50 Video Requests per month, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance, custom branding and domain, admin roles and up to 100 users.
- Scale: contact sales. Premium help desk integrations, SSO/SCIM, HIPAA with a BAA, custom retention, a 99% uptime SLA and a dedicated CSM.
Monthly billing is available and costs more: Zight says annual billing saves 20%. The pricing page does not name a trial length, but it says you can talk to sales about a team trial or start on the free plan.
Pros
- The most complete capture toolkit: screenshots, GIFs and video in one app
- Request Video is a real time saver for support and bug triage
- Low annual prices for paid plans
- HIPAA option on Scale, which few tools here offer
Cons
- The free plan has the same 5-minute limit as Loom and only keeps your last 50 captures
- The free plan is single-user, so it is not a team trial
- No mobile recording app is listed
- Help desk integrations are reserved for the top tier
Who should use it
Support, QA, IT and product teams that send lots of annotated screenshots and short recordings, and teams that need customers to show them what went wrong.
Who should avoid it
Teams that mainly want face-to-camera updates with rich engagement features, or sales teams that need CRM analytics.
Tella review
Tella is for people who want async video to look good without becoming video editors. Screen and camera are recorded as separate tracks, and backgrounds, zooms and captions are added automatically.
Key features
- Record in the browser with no download, or use the Mac app, Windows app or Chrome extension
- Screen and camera captured as separate tracks; switch between side-by-side, picture-in-picture and full screen after recording
- Clips up to 6 hours each, combined into one video, and videos that do not expire
- Edit by transcript: delete mistakes, filler words and silences
- Studio sound that removes background noise and echo
- Share links, embeds in email or Slack, viewer analytics, and exports up to 4K at 60 FPS
Pricing
- Free plan: none. New workspaces get a 7-day free trial, and owners can extend it by one more week, once per workspace. Trials do not include AI credits.
- Pro: $13 per user per month billed annually ($156 per year), or $26 billed monthly. 3,000 credits per user per month, unlimited videos, 4K export and analytics.
- Premium: $19 per user per month billed annually ($228 per year), or $39 billed monthly. 6,000 credits per user per month, custom domain, domain restriction, branding removal, 4K sharing, 60 FPS export and advanced analytics.
- Enterprise: custom. SSO and SCIM, a shared Slack channel, onboarding and a SOC 2 Type II report.
Viewers are free and do not take a seat. Extra AI credits can be bought by workspace owners (10,000 credits for $10) and do not expire.
Pros
- The best-looking default output of the team tools here
- Layouts and camera size can be changed after you record
- Very long clip limit (6 hours) and no video expiry
- Annual pricing is half the monthly price
Cons
- No free plan, only a trial
- Monthly billing is expensive ($26 for Pro)
- AI features run on credits, which adds a usage limit to watch
Who should use it
Product marketers, founders, educators and customer success teams who record demos, onboarding videos and tutorials that will be watched many times.
Who should avoid it
Teams that need a free tier for occasional users, or that send dozens of throwaway updates a day.
Descript review
Descript is a video and podcast editor that also records. Its signature idea is editing by text: Descript transcribes your recording, and deleting words in the transcript cuts them from the video.
Key features
- Screen and camera recording plus a full editor
- Text-based editing, filler word removal and Studio Sound for audio cleanup
- Underlord, Descript's AI assistant, with limited access on Free and full access on paid plans
- AI speech and voice clones, clip creation for social video, and translation on Business
- Web link sharing (up to 1 hour on Free and Hobbyist, 3 hours on Creator and Business) and local export up to 4K
- Team features on Business, including a team-wide Brand Studio; SSO/SCIM and audit logs on Enterprise
Pricing
Descript's pricing page shows two prices per plan, per person per month, and says annual billing saves up to 35%. Based on that, the annual and monthly prices are:
- Free: $0. 1 media hour per month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p export with a watermark, 5 GB storage.
- Hobbyist: $16 annually or $24 monthly. 10 media hours per month, 400 AI credits per month, 1080p, no watermark, 100 GB storage.
- Creator: $24 annually or $35 monthly. 30 media hours, 800 AI credits, 4K export, 1 TB storage and unlimited stock media.
- Business: $50 annually or $65 monthly. 40 media hours, 1,500 AI credits, 2 TB storage, Brand Studio, translation and priority support.
- Enterprise: custom pricing.
Note that Descript limits are measured in media hours and AI credits per month, not in video count. Each paid seat is billed separately.
Pros
- Far more editing power than any other tool here
- Text-based editing makes cleanup fast for non-editors
- The free plan is enough to learn the editor
Cons
- The free plan adds a watermark and exports at 720p
- Much more complex than Loom for quick messages
- Media hour and AI credit limits need watching on busy teams
- Paid seats cost more than most async video tools
Who should use it
Teams that turn recordings into finished content: training videos, tutorials, webinars, podcasts and marketing clips.
Who should avoid it
Anyone who wants to record a quick update and paste a link. Descript can do it, but it is not built for speed.
ScreenPal review
ScreenPal, formerly Screencast-O-Matic, is the budget workhorse of screen recording. It runs on more platforms than any tool here and costs a fraction of Loom, with a free plan that allows 15-minute recordings.
Key features
- Screen and webcam recording with annotations, on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS and Android
- Video editor with trim, cut, text, overlays and music
- AI transcripts, captions, chapters and summaries, plus text-to-speech and translation into 100+ languages
- Interactive quizzes, polls and buttons inside videos
- Cloud hosting, link sharing, embedding and analytics
Pricing
- Free: $0. Recordings up to 15 minutes, 10 hosted videos, basic editing and 5 video quizzes.
- Deluxe: $4 per month billed annually. Unlimited recording and hosting, full editor, AI captions and standard stock media.
- Max: $10 per month billed annually. Adds AI tools (transcription, text-to-speech narration, a video generator), premium stock and unlimited quizzes and polls.
- Team Business: $8 per user per month billed annually, for 3 or more users. Adds team management, collaboration, advanced integrations and SSO with SAML.
Monthly subscriptions are available for the Solo plans and Team Business at higher prices than the annual rates.
Pros
- The lowest paid prices in this guide
- Longer free recordings than Loom or Zight
- Works on Chromebooks and phones, which matters in schools
- Quizzes and polls make it useful for training and teaching
Cons
- The free plan only hosts 10 videos
- The interface and output feel less polished than Loom or Tella
- Fewer workplace integrations than Loom, Zight or Vidyard
- SSO is only on the team plan
Who should use it
Teachers, schools, trainers and small businesses that want unlimited recording for very little money, especially on Windows or Chromebook.
Who should avoid it
Teams that want Loom-level polish and integrations, or sales teams that need buyer analytics.
Screen Studio review
Screen Studio is a Mac app that makes screen recordings look professionally produced, with automatic zooms, smooth cursor movement and clean backgrounds.
Key features
- Automatic zoom on clicks and smooth cursor animation
- Shareable links that play in 1080p at 60 FPS for videos up to 30 minutes, with access control and timestamped comments
- Exports to MP4 in 720p, 1080p or 4K at up to 60 FPS, and GIFs up to 1080p
- Editable project sharing, so a teammate can keep working on a recording
Pricing
- Monthly: $29 per month.
- Yearly: $9 per month on the yearly plan (Screen Studio says this saves 69%).
- Both plans include the same features. Students and educators get 40% off.
There is no free plan listed and the pricing page does not mention a free trial. There is no separate team plan: each person needs their own subscription.
Pros
- The best-looking screen recordings here with the least editing
- Shareable links with comments included in the price
- Simple pricing with one feature set
- Good value on the yearly plan
Cons
- macOS only, so it does not work for Windows users
- No free plan
- Shareable links top out at 30 minutes
- No team admin, analytics or workspace features
Who should use it
Mac-based founders, developers, designers and product marketers who record demos and launch videos and want them to look great.
Who should avoid it
Mixed Mac and Windows teams, and anyone who needs team administration, viewer analytics or integrations.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Free plan limits
This is where the tools differ most. Loom's free plan allows 25 videos per person at up to 5 minutes. Zight also caps free recordings at 5 minutes, at 720p, and keeps only your last 50 captures. ScreenPal allows 15 minutes but hosts only 10 videos. Vidyard allows 30 minutes per recording but only 5 recordings a month. Descript's free plan is measured in media time (1 hour per month) and adds a watermark. Tella and Screen Studio have no free plan.
For long free walkthroughs, Vidyard and ScreenPal go furthest. For many short free videos, Loom is the most generous.
Ease of use
Loom is still the easiest: install, record, paste. Zight and ScreenPal are close behind. Vidyard is simple for recording but has more to configure for sales use. Tella and Screen Studio take a little more setup per video because the output is more polished. Descript has the steepest learning curve because it is a full editor.
Editing and polish
Descript is in a league of its own for editing. Tella and Screen Studio produce the best-looking results with the least work, Tella with layouts and transcript editing, Screen Studio with automatic zooms. Loom's editing covers trimming and stitching, plus transcript editing on Business + AI. Zight, ScreenPal and Vidyard cover the basics.
Pricing value
For a team of 10 on annual billing, ScreenPal Team Business ($8 per user) and Zight Create or Collaborate ($9.95 or $12 per user) are the cheapest team options. Tella Pro ($13 per user) and Loom Business ($18 per user on monthly billing, with up to 17% off annually) sit in the middle. Descript seats cost $16 to $50 a month annually depending on plan. Vidyard Starter at $59 per seat annually is the most expensive, and it is priced for sales teams where one won deal pays for the year.
Screen Studio at $9 a month on the yearly plan is cheap per person, but it has no team plan.
Integrations
Vidyard leads for sales stacks (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Gong, Salesloft). Zight leads for support stacks (Zendesk, Intercom, Jira, Salesforce Service Cloud). Loom is the best fit for Atlassian and general workplace tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Jira and Figma. Tella, Descript, ScreenPal and Screen Studio rely more on links, embeds and exports than deep integrations.
Security and admin
SSO is on Loom Enterprise, Vidyard Enterprise, Zight Scale, Tella (as an add-on on paid plans, or included on Enterprise), Descript Enterprise and ScreenPal Team Business. Zight Scale offers HIPAA with a BAA. Screen Studio has no team admin features.
How to Choose: Decision Framework
Ask these questions
- Who watches the videos? Colleagues, customers or prospects?
- How long are your recordings? If most are over 5 minutes, Loom's and Zight's free plans will not work. Check paid limits too: Screen Studio links top out at 30 minutes.
- How many people record, and how often?
- What operating systems do you use? Screen Studio is Mac only. ScreenPal is the only tool here that lists Chromebook and Android support.
- Do you need analytics? Who watched and for how long matters a lot in sales, less for internal updates.
- Which tools must it connect to? CRM, help desk, Jira or Slack? Pick the tool whose integrations match your stack.
Red flags
- Choosing a tool on its free plan, then finding the recording limit breaks your normal workflow
- Comparing an annual price from one vendor against a monthly price from another
- Buying AI tiers before checking whether your team will use summaries and chapters
- Ignoring credit or media-hour limits on Tella and Descript
- Paying for sales analytics when you only need internal video
What to test in trials
- Record your longest typical video and see whether it fits the plan's limit
- Share a video with someone outside your company and check that they can watch without signing up
- Test transcripts and captions on your own accent and product terms
- Check the admin side: adding and removing users, and where videos go when someone leaves
- Export a video and check quality, so you know how hard it would be to move later
The Verdict: Final Recommendations
1) Loom: Best overall for team async video
Loom remains the easiest way to get a whole team using async video. Most teams should plan for Business, and the AI tier is worth it if you want summaries and transcript editing.
2) Vidyard: Best for sales teams
If your videos go to buyers, Vidyard's analytics, CRM integrations and AI avatars justify the higher price. For anything else it is too much tool.
3) Zight: Best for support, QA and bug reports
Screenshots, GIFs, recordings and Request Video links in one app, at low annual prices. A strong Loom replacement for technical and support teams.
4) Tella: Best for polished demos and tutorials
The best balance of polish and speed for videos that get watched many times. Pay annually, because monthly billing doubles the price.
5) Descript: Best for heavy editing
Choose Descript when the recording is raw material for a finished video. Do not choose it for quick daily updates.
6) ScreenPal: Best budget pick
The cheapest way to get unlimited recording, with the widest platform support. Ideal for schools and small teams.
7) Screen Studio: Best for Mac product videos
Beautiful recordings with almost no editing. Mac only, and no team features.
Conclusion
Loom is still the benchmark for async video, but its free plan is tight, AI costs extra, and it now runs on Atlassian accounts and billing.
Start with what your videos are for. For internal updates, Loom or Zight. For sales, Vidyard. For polished demos, Tella or Screen Studio. For real editing, Descript. For the lowest cost, ScreenPal. Then check the recording limit, compare prices on the same billing basis, and run a short trial with the people who will record most often.
Sarah Chen