Wisp
Wisp is a free, open-source Windows game clip recorder for saving recent screen and audio.
What Wisp is
Wisp is a free, open-source Windows game clip recorder for saving recent screen and audio. It keeps a buffer continuously or while a game is running, then can save that buffer after a hotkey press or kill detection. A second press while a clip is fresh can join clips together, with a marker at each press. Kill detection uses official local APIs for League of Legends and CS2; detection for Valorant and Overwatch 2 is experimental and reads on-screen kill confirmations. Wisp captures with Windows Graphics Capture, with Desktop Duplication and GDI as fallbacks, and uses hardware encoding on NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPUs when available. System sound and microphone can be mixed independently, and voice chat such as Discord can have its own track. An optional voice trigger runs a bundled speech model locally. The clip browser shows thumbnails, duration, and file size, and supports playback, search, sorting, renaming, and deletion. Plugins can add themes, overlays, timeline markers, export layers, clip actions, and tray menu items. Wisp runs on Windows 10 version 2004 or newer and is licensed under GNU GPL version 3.0 or later.
Good
- Free software under GNU GPL version 3.0 or later
- Buffers clips continuously or while a game runs
- Hardware encoding supports NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs
- Optional voice trigger runs locally
- Clip browser includes search and sorting
Watch out
- Windows only
- Valorant and Overwatch 2 detection is experimental
- Anti-cheat vendors provide no written guarantee
Who it suits
Wisp suits Windows gamers who want to save recent gameplay clips using a hotkey or game-event detection. It may also suit users who want separate voice-chat audio tracks or local voice-trigger processing.
Verdict
Wisp combines instant clip capture with separate audio controls and a searchable clip browser. Its game-event detection is more limited for Valorant and Overwatch 2, where support is experimental.
Plans and prices
From Wisp's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Wisp | Free | Free software under GNU GPL v3.0 or later |
The facts
Each one read from Wisp's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Anti-cheat approach
- The maker says Wisp does not inject into game processes, read game memory, or hook game rendering; it also says anti-cheat vendors provide no written guarantee.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- Windows 10 and Windows 11checked 20 Sep 2026
- Supported Windows versions
- The README says Wisp runs on Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) and newer.checked 11 Oct 2026
What it does
- Audio
- System audio and microphone can be mixed independently, and voice chat apps such as Discord can be isolated onto their own track.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Capture
- Screen capture uses Windows Graphics Capture, with Desktop Duplication and GDI as fallbacks.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Capture and encoding
- Wisp uses Windows Graphics Capture, with Desktop Duplication and GDI as fallbacks, and supports hardware encoding on NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Clip capture
- Wisp buffers continuously or while a game is running and can merge the buffer into a clip in under a second after a hotkey press.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Clip chaining
- Pressing the hotkey again while a clip is fresh chains the clips together with a marker at each press.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Clip library
- The clip browser displays duration, file size, and thumbnails, and supports playback, renaming, deletion, search, and sorting.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Discord audio
- Wisp can isolate voice chat apps such as Discord onto a separate audio track.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Encoding and audio
- Wisp automatically uses hardware encoding on NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPUs when available, and can mix system audio and microphone input independently.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Game detection
- Kill detection supports League of Legends and CS2 through their official local APIs, and experimentally supports Valorant and Overwatch 2 by sampling their on-screen kill confirmation UI.checked 11 Oct 2026
- GPU encoding
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Instant replay
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Kill detection
- Kill detection uses each game's official local API for League of Legends and CS2, and experimental on-screen detection for Valorant and Overwatch 2.checked 11 Oct 2026
- License
- Wisp is free software licensed under GNU GPL version 3.0 or later.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Offline voice trigger
- An optional voice trigger runs a bundled speech model locally without using the internet.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- Wisp plugins can add themes, player overlays, timeline markers, export video layers, clip actions, and tray menu items.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The maker says Wisp has no ads, account, or telemetry; its only network connection is GitHub for update checks, which can be disabled.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Wisp is a Windows game clip recorder that buffers screen and audio and saves clips when you press a hotkey or enable kill detection.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Recording modes
- multi-modechecked 20 Sep 2026
- Security support
- The security policy asks users to report vulnerabilities by email and says reports will be acknowledged within a few days.checked 11 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- Wisp runs on Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or newer.checked 11 Oct 2026
Money
- License and cost
- Wisp is free software under GNU GPL version 3.0 or later.checked 11 Oct 2026
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