10 Best Screen Recorders For Linux

Take a look at the best screen recorders available for Linux. Learn its key features, pros, and cons.
Warp Terminal

Often we need to record our desktop screen for various purposes, like showcasing gaming clips on video platforms, making video tutorials, sending it to someone etc.

Regardless of your use-case, let us learn about the best screen recording applications for Linux available right now.

In this list, you will find options to:

  • Record the screen as a video.
  • Recording the screen as a GIF.

All the software mentioned here is free and open-source (FOSS). In fact, you could also call it a list of free screen recorders for Linux.

πŸ“‹
The list below is in no particular order of ranking.

1. Kazam

kazam screenshot
βœ… Simple and minimal.
βœ… Easy to use.
βœ… Low storage footprint.
❌ Doesn't support Wayland.
❌ Hardly any options for tweaking configuration settings.
❌ Lack of webcam recording support.

Kazam is a minimal and nifty tool for screencasting. It includes screenshot support and OCR capabilities. It is suitable for beginners and for getting the task done quickly without getting too caught up in different options.

⭐
Features a simple and compact user interface. Supports multiple video output formats along with the ability to record a single window or a selected screen area.

How to install?

Open a terminal window and enter the following command:

sudo apt install kazam

2. GNOME’s Screen Recorder

a screenshot of gnome's screen recorder
βœ… Minimal user interface.
βœ… Low storage footprint.
❌ Not available as a standalone app.

Starting with GNOME 42, the built-in screenshot tool now includes the feature to record your screen.

So, if you are using a Linux distribution with GNOME 42, you can enable the screen recording with a toggle without needing to install a third-party tool.

You can only select an area or a screen to record without any configuration options for sound/cursor/frame rate, etc. The recording may be limited to a specific duration on Ubuntu. I did not have a limit with Fedora Linux 36 on GNOME 42.4.

You can follow our GNOME screen recorder guide to remove/change the limit if that's the case.

⭐
If you are using GNOME desktop, you may not want to install anything else other than this if you do not require annotation and editing.

Suggested Read πŸ“–

Using GNOME Screen Recorder in Linux
GNOME offers a built-in screen recorder that supports both Wayland and Xorg. It is limited in features but simple for screen recording.

3. Kooha

a screenshot of kooha
βœ… Wayland support.
βœ… Hardware acceleration.
βœ… Option to delay your recording.
❌ You might encounter issues such as a green screen in recorded videos (that was the case for me).
❌ No webcam support.

Kooha is one of the first screen recording software that added support for Wayland. It is an easy-to-use tool with almost zero setup hassle. You can start recording the screen in a few clicks.

While it may not be the most actively maintained software, it is a simple app for the job.

⭐
A no-nonsense screenshot and screen recording app with Wayland support.

How to install?

Kooha is only available as a Flatpak. You can follow our detailed guide on using Flatpak. Once your system is configured, you can use the given command to install Kooha:

flatpak install flathub io.github.seadve.Kooha

You can also grab it from the Flathub store.

4. Open Broadcaster Software Studio (OBS Studio)

a screenshot of obs studio
βœ… Flexible for various use cases.
βœ… Wayland is also supported.
βœ… Webcam support.
❌ Learning curve

OBS Studio is, undoubtedly, the most feature-rich and advanced screencasting cross-platform application available for Linux.

If you have the time to learn things to adapt to your workflow, this is a great option to try.

⭐
OBS Studio is a versatile screen recorder for personal and professional use cases.

How to install?

OBS Studio is available for Ubuntu via its PPA. You can enter the following commands in the terminal to install it:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg obs-studio

You can also utilize the snap store or the Flatpak package to get the latest OBS studio version.

5. SimpleScreenRecorder

a screenshot of simplescreenrecorder
βœ… Supports multiple video output formats.
βœ… Sufficient tweaking options to fine-tune the output video.
βœ… Granular controls
❌ No Wayland support
❌ No Webcam support
❌ Not a minimal UI

SimpleScreenRecorder – as the name implies – is a simple application for screen recording on Linux. You get all the essential options to change the frame rate, choose your desired format, mute/enable audio, and more.

This can be the perfect option for those who love to tweak the defaults, but are overwhelmed with OBS Studio.

You can read this tutorial to find out how to use SimpleScreenRecorder on Ubuntu.

⭐
A tried and tested screen recorder that works across multiple desktop environments.

How to Install?

SimpleScreenRecorder is available for Ubuntu. Run the following commands in a terminal:

sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder

For other distros, I suggest you head over to the official website.

Suggested Read πŸ“–

How to Record Your Screen in Ubuntu With SimpleScreenRecorder
Have you ever seen some cool videos that are using Linux? Have you ever wondered how those people record their screen in Ubuntu or other Linux distribution? Have you also ever tried to do the same? And has it ever happened that you were unable to find some software to

6. recordMyDesktop

a screenshot of recordmydesktop
βœ… Light on system resources.
βœ… Easy to navigate commands.
βœ… Can be used through the terminal.
❌ No Wayland support
❌ The β€œCapture window” only adjusts the recording area to the window size and is often overlapped by other windows.
❌ No GUI front-end for GTK4.

β€œA paradise for terminal geeks”, that was my initial impression when I used recordMyDesktop for the first time.

In the past, it used to have a GTK front-end, but it is no longer maintained. But after having a resource-friendly experience with minimal dependencies, it can be a good choice for terminal-focused users.

⭐
If you want a terminal-focused solution with basic functionalities and file format support, this is a nice option to have.

How to install?

recordMyDesktop is available for installation from the official Ubuntu repository.

Just run the following command to get it installed:

sudo apt install recordmydesktop

7. vokoscreenNG

a screenshot of vokoscreenng
βœ… Offers plenty of useful features.
βœ… Easy to use with advanced features on board.
βœ… Can be used through the terminal.
❌ Some quirks with Wayland experience

With a modern Qt-based user interface and a set of essential features, it is a nice option.

vokoscreenNG also includes Wayland support but it may not be perfect. So, you can test it out if you’re curious.

⭐
Looking for an old-school looking screen recording with Wayland support? This is the one for you.

How to install?

You can easily install it from the official repositories. Just use the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install vokoscreen-ng

8. Blue Recorder

a screenshot of blue recorder
βœ… Minimal UI and built using Rust
βœ… Support for Wayland.
❌ While selecting the window or making a selection to record the screen may get you crash or glitches.

The Blue Recorder is based on the discontinued Green recorder app, and it has out-of-the-box support for Wayland on GNOME.

As you can notice in the screenshot above, it's quite straightforward to use.

⭐
An actively maintained simple screen recorder with multiple file formats and Wayland support.

How to install?

Blue Recorder is available as a Snap, and also on the Flathub store.

You can also use this command to get it installed:

sudo snap install blue-recorder

9. Gifine

a screenshot of gifine
βœ… Feature-rich
❌ Not so intuitive UI

Gifine is a GIF recording tool for Linux. You can use it for recording and stitching together short GIFs or videos.

How to install?

Installing Gifine is a bit of a lengthy process. Open a terminal window and carefully enter the following commands for installing Gifine on Ubuntu:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lolilolicon/xrectsel.git
cd xrectsel
./bootstrap && ./configure
sudo make install
sudo apt install gifsicle luarocks libgirepository1.0-dev

And you’re done. For running Gifine, enter the following command:

gifine
⭐
A screen recorder with GIF support and editing capabilities right before saving the file.

10. Peek

a screenshot of peek
βœ… A modern and sleek interface.
βœ… Integrates well with most distros.
❌ No Wayland support.

Peek is a simple tool for recording animated GIFs from your desktop screen. I use it occasionally for recording quick short videos of my desktop.

Key Features:

  • Frame rate setting.
  • Delay timer support.

How to install?

For installation, .deb packages are available on its GitHub repo's release page. You can also install it from its official PPA with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:peek-developers/stable
sudo apt update
sudo apt install peek

Conclusion

As a bonus suggestion, you could take a look at asciinema if you want to record your terminal screen:

asciinema: Record & Share Linux Terminal Session
Record and share your Linux terminal session using asciinema. The commands and outputs can be copied too.

There are also web-based screen recorders that work from a browser. You may give them a try if the above tools do not suffice your need.

Did I miss listing your favorite Linux screen recorder app? Which desktop recorder do you use on Linux?

Do share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments below. πŸ“

About the author
Ankush Das

Ankush Das

A passionate technophile who also happens to be a Computer Science graduate. You will usually see cats dancing to the beautiful tunes sung by him.

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