Loom

Loom is a screen recorder built around sharing video messages at work, best suited to teams that want people to explain, respond and act asynchronously. It is a strong fit once five-minute recordings or the Starter video quota become restrictive, but those limits make the free plan a short-term or light-use option.

Overview

Loom combines screen capture with webcam, microphone and system-audio recording, then gives teams a way to share or embed the resulting videos in workplace tools. Its editing tools can trim and stitch clips and add backgrounds, text, arrows and box overlays; viewers can respond with emojis and comments, or use tasks and calls to action. That makes Loom more useful for work handoffs and explanations than a recorder that stops at capturing a file.

Transcripts and captions are available in more than 50 languages, and the maximum video quality is high-definition up to 4K. Loom supports web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, as well as a Chrome extension for capture. Founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, Loom was acquired by Atlassian and is integrating its systems.

Key features

Recording and follow-through

Recording screen activity alongside a webcam, voice and system audio gives a presenter several ways to explain what a viewer is seeing. Trimming, stitching and annotation tools help shape a message without requiring a separate editor. The tradeoff is that the most generous recording limits require a paid plan: Starter caps each recording at five minutes, while Business and higher plans allow unlimited recording length.

Workplace sharing and AI

Sharing and embedding across workplace tools, plus integrations including Slack, Jira, Confluence, GitHub and Gmail, suit teams that already coordinate work in those services. Loom AI can create titles, summaries, chapters and tasks, and remove filler words, but access to those tools starts with Business + AI rather than the lower-cost Business plan.

Pricing

Starter is suitable for occasional, brief recordings, but 25 videos per person and five minutes per video can constrain regular team use. Business removes those video and time caps, making it the practical step up for teams that record often; it does not include the AI tools. Business + AI costs more per user and is the fit for teams that will use those features. The 14-day trial is attached to that plan.

Annual payment saves 17 percent compared with monthly billing. Deactivated workspace members forfeit fees and access for the rest of the billing cycle, so removing a seat does not recover its current-cycle cost. Enterprise is aimed at organizations needing advanced controls: it adds SSO, SCIM, custom retention policies and privacy settings, Atlassian Guard Standard and EBA Compliance, dedicated support, an account manager and the uptime SLA. Business includes priority support.

Platforms

Loom supports web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, with Chrome extension capture also supported. This range makes it workable for teams recording from computers and mobile devices, rather than limiting capture to one desktop platform.

Who it's for

Loom is best for teams that need to replace some live explanations with shareable recordings and want viewers to respond or take action in the same workflow. Starter can serve a small team with light needs, while Business fits ongoing recording without per-person video quotas or length caps. Organizations with stricter security and compliance requirements have a more suitable tier in Enterprise. It is less compelling for someone who only needs occasional clips within the free caps or wants AI features without moving to the $24 a month per user plan.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Screen, webcam, microphone and system audio capture support detailed explanations; paid plans remove video-count and recording-length limits.
• Pros: Comments, reactions, tasks, calls to action and workplace embedding connect a recording to follow-up.
• Pros: Captions and transcripts cover more than 50 languages, and capture spans desktop, mobile, web and a Chrome extension.
• Cons: Starter's five-minute cap and 25 videos per person limit regular or detailed use.
• Cons: Loom AI requires the higher-priced Business + AI tier, rather than the $18 a month Business plan.
• Cons: Enterprise requires custom pricing, so teams must contact sales to assess its cost.

Alternatives

Choose ScreenPal if its free plan's 15-minute recordings and 10 hosted videos better suit your needs than Loom Starter's five-minute recordings and 25-video allowance; its listed Deluxe plan is 4.00 USD. Screencastify is another freemium option, with a free plan capped at five members and 10 recordings. Dadan offers a free plan with 25 videos, 2 GB storage and 720p resolution. OBS Studio is free, with no watermarks or usage limits and commercial use allowed. Vidyard has a free plan with limited AI videos, recording, editing, sharing and integrations. Cap is an alternative that says it is fully open source under the AGPL license, with public and auditable code. Zight has a free Share plan with five-minute recordings, 1 GB storage and one included user. Jumpshare has a Basic plan with 25 uploads, five-minute recording time and a 250 MB maximum file size per upload.

For a category comparison, browse Screen Recording Software, AI Screen Recorders or Video Messaging Software.

Verdict

Choose Loom if your team wants screen recordings to function as shareable work messages, with viewer responses and follow-up built in. Business is the clearest choice for sustained use because it removes Starter's video and time limits; look elsewhere if you only need a lightweight free recorder or need Loom AI at a lower price.