BobbinQuick answer
- No time limit, no watermark, no account: Bobbin, Screenity, or your Chromebook's built-in Screen capture.
- Inside your LMS: Classroom's Record (5 minutes, Education Plus or Teaching and Learning add-on) or Canvas's webcam recorder.
- Share links, comments and view counts: Loom (educator discount) or Screencastify (free plan has a watermark and 30-minute cap).
At a glance
| Tool | Free time limit | Watermark (free) | Account | Webcam with screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobbin (Chrome) | None | None | None | Yes, bubble |
| ChromeOS Screen capture | Not stated | None | None (built in) | Yes, Front Camera |
| Screenity (Chrome) | None stated | None | None for local recording | Yes |
| Screencastify Free | 30 minutes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google Classroom Record | 5 minutes | None | School account; paid edition | Screencast or video |
| Canvas media recorder | Shorter recommended (15 min+ upload instead) | None | School account | Webcam only, no screen |
| Loom Starter | 5 minutes, 25 videos | None | Yes | Yes |
1. Bobbin
A Chrome extension that records your screen with a floating webcam bubble and saves an MP4 on your computer. Free has no time limit, no watermark, no video limit and no account, records up to 1080p, and works on school Chromebooks, Windows and Mac. Your microphone, tab audio, and whole-screen system audio on Windows and ChromeOS. Weakness: Bobbin doesn't host videos or make share links, and it has no editing, transcripts, comments, viewer analytics, team workspace or mobile app. Drawing tools are planned for a later Pro update, not available now.
2. ChromeOS Screen capture (built in)
Every Chromebook can record the screen with microphone, device audio and the front camera (Shift+Ctrl+Show windows). Saves .webm to Downloads. Best when you're on a Chromebook and don't need MP4 files. How to use it.
3. Screenity
A free, open-source Chrome recorder that saves locally, with drawing, blur, a cursor spotlight and trimming. Its cloud editor is the paid part. Best when you want to annotate while you teach.
4. Screencastify
Popular in schools. Screencastify Free gives you up to 10 videos (plus 5 per friend you invite, up to 20), recordings up to 30 minutes, a Screencastify watermark, up to 1080p, and MP4/MP3/GIF exports for 5 videos. Starter is $7/month billed annually ($19 monthly) with 60-minute recordings; Pro is $10/month annually ($25 monthly) with 180 minutes (checked 22 October 2026). Best when your school already licenses it.
5. Google Classroom Record
Records audio, video or a screencast straight into an assignment, up to 5 minutes, if your school has Google Workspace for Education Plus or the Teaching and Learning add-on. Best for quick feedback without leaving Classroom. For longer lessons, record a file and attach it: step by step.
6. Canvas media recorder
Records your webcam and microphone in the Rich Content Editor. It doesn't record your screen, and Instructure suggests uploading media longer than 15 minutes from an external tool. Best for short face-to-camera announcements and feedback.
7. Loom (with the educator discount)
Loom's legacy free Education plan is closed to new applicants; verified educators can apply for a discount on paid plans. The free Starter plan caps recordings at 5 minutes and 25 videos at up to 720p. Best when you want instant share links, comments and view counts.
Checked on 23 October 2026: Classroom Help: Create an assignment · Instructure: record media using the Rich Content Editor. Checked on 22 October 2026: Chromebook Help: Take a screenshot or record your screen · screenity.io/extension · screencastify.com/pricing · Loom help: education discount verification · Loom help: How long can I record? · Loom help: Starter plan FAQ. Plans change; check the linked pages.
Loom, Vidyard, Tella, Tango, Screencastify, Screenity, Zoom and Slack are trademarks of their respective owners. Bobbin is not affiliated with them. Prices and plan limits from their public pages as of 22 Oct 2026.