Screen recording is very popular these days among the users as it helps to record important stuff while you are working on your system. Screen recording is used for many purposes, you can record video tutorials, you can record your gaming sessions, and broadcasting videos online.
Recording can be done in gif or video format. The best Linux apps that also support gif recording are; Simple screen recorder, and Byzanz record. There are many Linux screen recording apps that are available online but choosing the best screen recorder for Linux is a time-consuming task. If you are a Linux user then you must be wondering what is the best screen recorder for Linux? In this article, we will help you in choosing the best free screen recording app for Linux.You can use any of them to record your Linux desktop.
Note: Apps in this List are not in order of preference. You can use any of them that you find best.
How To Record Screen on Linux: Use Best Screen Recorders for Linux.
1: Kazam
Kazam is a very simple and easy screen recording app for Linux, even a novice user can use it. This tool also provides screenshot support. You can record the video on your screen and play it with any of the video players of your choice.
Why Kazam?
- User-friendly Interface
- Screenshot Support
- Support for various output formats
- Audio Recording
- Support for Delay Timer
Pros
- Delay timer support
Cons
- Lacks Webcam recording feature
- Fewer configuration settings options
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt install kazam
2: Simple Screen Recorder
Simple screen recorder is another handly to use tool for new users who have not done screen recording before. It also provides many features. Various customizable options are also provided in order to facilitate the users.
Why Simple Screen Recorder?
- Pause and Resume Recording functionality
- Either record your entire screen or part of the screen
- Simple User Interface
- Video frame rate reduction functionality for slow machines
- Perfect audio-video synchronization
Pros
- Free and open source
- GIF creation support
- Pause and resume recording
- Video frame rate reduction ability
Cons
- Lacks built-in Webcam recording
- User Interface is not attractive
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maarten-baert/simplescreenrecorder
sudo apt update
sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder
3: RecordMyDesktop
Record My desktop is a powerful tool that allows its users to choose audio and video quality. It has a pretty simple and lightweight user interface. Moreover, this tool has a limitation it can only output two formats Theora video and Vorbis audio format.
Why Record My Desktop?
- Command line interface for recording and encoding
- HD Video recording
- Simple User Interface
- Support for choosing audio-video quality
Pros
- Easy command line usage with recordmydesktop command
- Records HD videos
Cons
- Lacks webcam recording
- User Interface is not much attractive for users
- No other output formats available
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt install gtk-recordmydesktop
4: VokoScreen
VokoScreen is considered as the best screencast creator for Linux. It has a user-friendly interface and the ability to record video and audio in multiple formats help this app stand out from the others.
Why VokoScreen?
- Various audio-video format support
- Audio Recording functionality
- Single screen or selected area recording support
- Support for delay timer
- Magnification functionality
- Webcam access while recording video
Pros
- Multilingual versions
- Webcam recording feature
- Hotkeys support
Cons
- Occasional lack of audio synchronization
- Currently supports only PPA installation
- Manual webcam/microphone selection in case its other than the default
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt install vokoscreen
5: ScreenStudio
ScreenStudio is easy to use screen recording app that is by keeping in mind all the requirements of a basic user. This app allows you to record HD videos by providing text overlay functionality. You can customize the settings to fit your video recording requirements.
Why ScreenStudio?
- Various video output format support
- Cross-platform application
- Support webcam recording
- Text overlay support
- Advanced configuration features
Pros
- Cross-platform application – Can be used on any platform
- Webcam recording
Cons
- JRE 8.0 required
- Large dependency size
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:soylent-tv/screenstudio sudo apt update sudo apt install screenstudio
6: Shutter
Shutter is a perfect screen recording tool if you are also looking for image editing feature along with screen recording. This tool allows is an all in one package that is designed specifically for those users who have not used any screen recording before. You can take the screenshot of a specific area, a window, entire desktop, and web pages. You can also apply effects to your screenshots directly from this app using an embedded drawing tool.
Why Shutter?
- High-quality video recording
- Supports Image editing
- Supports capturing full screen/part of a screen
- Easy to use
Pros
- Hotkeys support
- Provides screenshot effect feature
- Session collection (screenshots, copies to the clipboard, prints/deletes screenshots
Cons
- The higher number of dependencies
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install shutter
7: Byzanz Record
Byzanz Record is a screencasting app that is designed for those users who love working with the terminal in Linux. Contrary to the GUI based apps we have mentioned above this is a terminal based app.

Why Byzanz Record?
- Animated GIF file Recording
- Supports recording full screen/part of a screen
- Command Line functionality
- Panel applet available for those who prefer GUI
Pros
- Supports GIF recording
- Lightweight tool
Cons
- Requires manual option entering
- Users can’t drag and select the screen area
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install byzanz
8: Freeseer
Freeseer is a free screen recording cross-platform app that is used during conferences. Another good feature of this app is that it allows developers to add new features using different plugins that keep on enhancing the functionality of the app.
Why Freeseer?
- Both audio video support
- Easy configuration
- Handy keyboard shortcuts
- Supports editing on the go
Pros
- Conference recording
- Talk editor
- Youtube uploader
- Report editor
Cons
- Only supports Ogg output format
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y build-essential git wget python2.7-dev python-gst0.10 python-gst0.10-dev \ qt4-qmake python-qt4 python-qt4-dev python-qt4-sql pyqt4-dev-tools libqt4-dev libqt4-sql libqt4-sql-sqlite \ gstreamer0.10-plugins-good gstreamer0.10-plugins-base gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio gstreamer0.10-alsa
9: Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
Open Broadcaster Software is an open source screen recording app with cross-platform capabilities. This app allows you to control background noise. This app also allows its users to use advanced features like changing color, image concealing etc. You can customize your settings for each screen recording session.
Why Open Broadcaster Software?
- Encoding support
- Multiple scenes and input sources support
- Supports two output formats i.e MP4, FLV
- Supports webcam access during recording
- Customized Plugin creation by developers
Pros
- Cross-platform availability
- Its a complete package for screen recording
- Webcam recording support
Cons
- Terminologies understanding is time taking
- Difficult to use for new users
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio sudo apt update sudo apt install obs-studio
10: VLC Best Screen Recorders for Linux
VLC is not just a media player it is also a free opensource screen recorder that is available for multiple platforms like Linux, Windows , and MacOS. It is considered as one of the best desktop screen recorders that is available in multiple languages.
Why VLC?
- Cross-platform Support
- Multiple languages Support
- Supports for various audio video formats
- Customizable skins
- Ability to preview changes
Pros
- Supports multiple output formats
- Multilanguage support
- Various output formats
Cons
- Unable to record audio and video at the same time
Installation on Ubuntu
sudo apt install vlc
Have you used any other Linux screen recording app? Which one do you like the most? Let us know in the comments section below.
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- Best Linux Distro for Hacking.
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