15 Best Linux Screen Recorder Tools: Experts’ Recommendation

Screencasting provides multiple benefits for many people, such as making video tutorials and presentation creation, compiling how-to guides, conducting software reviews, and even streaming while playing PC games. Many people are now earning money for themselves by posting how-to guide videos on sites like YouTube and Facebook. Although there are many Linux screen capture and video streaming software available, I will only share the best of the best that can be installed on Ubuntu and other Linux distros.

Best Linux Screen Recorder

I understand that not everyone will agree with the order of this list, and I apologize in advance. Please keep in mind that all features and information are taken directly from each official website.

1. Kazam Screencaster

Kazam Screencaster is one of the best lightweight screen recorders for Linux desktops. It’s great for quickly capturing content and turning it into a video file. Kazam requires little configuration, making it ideal for new users.

Additionally, Kazam supports audio recording and various video file formats. Additionally, Kazam also has annotation features to help users create professional-looking videos. It’s an excellent choice for classrooms, tutorials, and gaming recordings.

Its intuitive interface makes it easy to get up and run with screen recording on Linux quickly. With its robust feature set and simple setup process, Kazam is a great choice for anyone looking for a lightweight screen recorder.

With Kazam, users can create videos quickly and easily without any additional hardware or software. Whether you’re a Linux beginner or an experienced user, Kazam is the perfect tool for capturing your Linux desktop activity.

Kazam also has a wide range of features to help users customize their recordings. Users can adjust video settings such as brightness, contrast, and color. They can also add a text overlay or change the recording frame rate.

Finally, Kazam makes it easy to export recordings in a variety of popular formats, including AVI and MP4. This gives users flexibility when sharing their screen recordings with others.

Install on Ubuntu

Run the following command into the Terminal:

sudo apt install kazam

New Version With Broadcast Feature Instruction from Mark Button ( Admin of FB Ubuntu Group page)

I have 3 different PPAs for Kazam; 2 of the 3 are basically the same. The 3rd one is by a different developer that adds ‘broadcast’ as one of the features. It might be worth looking into; however, I forgot to grab the URL while searching on launchpad.

New Version With Broadcast

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:sylvain-pineau/kazam
sudo apt update
sudo apt install kazam
sudo apt upgrade

How to Remove Kazam

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:sylvain-pineau/kazam
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

We can perform all tasks in the steps mentioned above from a command line and Shortcut Keys.

• Use the below keys to Start the Recording

SUPER-CTRL-R

• Use the below keys to Finish the recording

SUPER-CTRL-F

• Use the below keys to Pause the recording

SUPER-CTRL-P

• Use the below Keys to Quit the recording

SUPER-CTRL-Q

Note: SUPER key refers to the windows key, which is available in most computers.

2. SimpleScreenRecorder

SimpleScreenRecorder, as its name suggests, is a light and user-friendly screen recording software for Linux. It employs the Qt framework and can record videos in various formats while also capturing audio. Although it’s lightweight, this software runs smoothly even on older systems.

Install on Ubuntu

This Ubuntu screen capture software is available via PPA. Run the following command one by one into the Terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maarten-baert/simplescreenrecorder
sudo apt update
sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder

3.  RecordMyDesktop

RecordMyDesktop is a video recording app that captures selected areas or your entire screen, with the added option of synchronized audio. It’s a Linux screen capture app that you can use from the command line. It’s written in C, and it has two different GUIs: one based on GTK and one based on QT4. You can also pause and resume the recording at any time, as well as highlight sections you deem important.

Install on Ubuntu

It’s available on the Ubuntu official repository. So just run the below command:

sudo apt install gtk-recordmydesktop

4.  Vokoscreen

Vokoscreen is a Linux screen capture app that makes screencasting easy. With multiple video output formats and audio input support, Vokoscreen can record your desktop or just a specific area.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo apt install vokoscreen

5.  Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

OBS is the most advanced and feature-rich Linux screen recorder available out there. This screencasting application can stream directly via Youtube, Twitch, DailyMotion, and much more.

Open Broadcaster Software, a full-fledged best screen capture software for Ubuntu Linux. It’s suitable for advanced users who really need to do some tech videos or live game streaming. But anyone can use it after knowing all the plugins and configuration settings.

Install on Ubuntu

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

6.  Peek

Peek is a simple tool that lets us create an animated gif for the desktop screen. The main features of this app are that it lets you set up the frame rate and delay time. It offers a modern and sleek graphical user interface.

Install on Ubuntu

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

7.  ScreenStudio

ScreenStudio is yet another easy-to-go but powerful screencasting software for Linux. It provides a simple option for recording the desktop as a video format, which, later on, can be directly streamed through Youtube, Twitch, or any other video host services.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:soylent-tv/screenstudio
sudo apt update
sudo apt install screenstudio

8.  Byzanz

Byzanz is a CLI-based screencasting app for Linux. This tool can record video and audio in OGG and FLV formats. It also can be used to create an animated gif.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fossfreedom/byzanz
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install byzanz

9.  Gifine

Unlike Peek, Gifine is a screencasting tool for Linux used to record and stitch together small animated gifs or videos. It supports both GIF and MP4 video output.

Install 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
sudo luarocks install --server=https://luarocks.org/dev gifine

For running gifine, type the following command:

gifine

10.  VLC

There might be none who have not heard the name of VLC – the most powerful and popular Linux Multimedia Player. It comes prepacked with lots of features, and screencasting is one of them. In the options setting, you need to change the capture mode to desktop mode. You can also save the recording video or live-streaming it online.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install vlc

11.  Wink

Wink is mainly used for creating interactive tutorial content. This Linux screen capture software comes with very competitive features for screen recording. It also supports all the major OS platforms, including Windows, Linux, and other Unix-based systems.

12.  Freeseer

Freeseer is created to make distant conference streaming simple and easy. Both video and audio streaming are supported simultaneously. It’s a free screencasting app and offers cross-platform resources.

Install on Ubuntu

Download App Package  Quick Start Guide

13.  Shutter

Shutter is one of the best Linux screen recorders but yet simple and offers a modern user interface. It also provides an image editing tool that can be used for customizing the captured image. You can capture the entire portion of the desktop screen or just a selected area.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:shutter/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install shutter

14.  Krut

Though the interface of Krut doesn’t look nice, it’s one of the lightest Linux screen recorders available in the market. This Linux screen capture software is developed with Java, and that’s why it is portable and simple to use on other systems. You can do all the tasks that a full-fledged Linux screen recorder should do without any hassle.

Download

15.  Green Recorder

Screen Recorder is an essential productivity tool to record your screen. There are several screen recorder apps for Linux that work really well. But, at present, Green Recorder will provide you with some great features which will blow your mind. It is a simple screen recorder app that supports Xorg as well as Wayland – Gnome Session. It’s built on top of Python, GTK+ 3, and ffmpeg.

Install on Ubuntu

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fossproject/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install green-recorder

Final Thought

It ultimately depends on the user’s specific needs as to which Linux screen recorder is best. However, we highly recommend you test out each app from our list for yourself before deciding which one suits your requirements the most.

If I’m missing any great Ubuntu screen capture software, please let me know. What do you use to record your desktop? Have you tried any of the awesome screen capture tools on this list? Let me hear from you in the comments.