From recording meetings and webinars to documenting training sessions and gameplays, screen recorders are versatile for a variety of purposes.
Lightweight screen recorders are software tools designed to record your computer screen without impacting system resources. They are ideal for low-end PCs or users who need to record their screens without slowing down other tasks.
In this article, we’ll dive into six free and easy-to-use screen recorders, highlighting their key features, pros and cons, app size, interface, and cursor highlighting effects to help you choose a screen recorder that’s right for you.
6 Best Easy Screen Recorders
The table below compares the app size, interface, and availability of cursor highlighting effects among 6 easy-to-use screen recorders.
| Screen Recorders | App Size | User-friendly Interface | Highlight mouse pointer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandicam | Lightweight (110.7 MB) | ★★★★★ | O |
| ScreenRec | Normal (293.2 MB) | ★★★★☆ | X |
| Movavi | Bad (236 MB) | ★★★★☆ | O |
| EaseUs RecExperts | Normal (227.3 MB) | ★★★★☆ | O |
| Action | Heavy (417 MB) | ★★★☆☆ | O |
| OBS Studio | Heavy (659.8 MB) | ★★☆☆☆ | X |
- App Size: The amount of storage space needed to install the application
- User-Friendly Interface: The rating is based on whether the user interface is easy and convenient
- Highlight Mouse Pointer: Check if the software supports a feature like mouse highlighting
These features can help you choose an easy-to-use and lightweight screen recording program.
1. Bandicam
Bandicam is a user-friendly and lightweight screen recorder for low-end PCs. It has a lower system resource footprint than other screen recording tools. Bandicam comes with essential features like mouse effects, a drawing tool, and a webcam overlay. The software allows you to capture your screen effectively and seamlessly with its variety of features.
Key Features
- Supports major file formats
- Provides different preset settings profiles
- Allows recording webcam and microphone together
- Low memory footprint
- Offers multiple modes to switch between recording full screen or a single application window without starting and stopping a screen recording session
Pros
- Intuitive user interface that makes it easy to navigate and set up
- Offers multiple recording modes for capturing your computer screen, gaming, and webcam
- Requires minimal system resources and supports 4K screen recording
Cons
- Restricted to 10 minutes of recording time with the free version
- Only compatible with Windows operating systems
2. ScreenRec
ScreenRec is a simple screen recorder that saves your video files in MP4. It is designed for software developers, customer service teams, and designers. This program offers secure sharing, a 2GB private cloud, and HD-quality videos. You can use ScreenRec to record screencasts, live streams, tutorials, and virtually anything on your screen. It automatically provides a private, shareable link to post and share your videos and images with anyone anywhere for secure team collaboration.
Key Features
- Offers recording in HD quality
- Saves recording in MP4
- Offers free private cloud storage
- Convenient hotkey to start screen capture immediately
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Allows instant private sharing
Cons
- No live drawing tools
- Restricted to 5 minutes of recording time
- No option to pause while recording
3. Movavi
Movavi Screen Recorder is an easy-to-use screen recorder available on Windows and Mac. It allows both beginners and professionals to easily record their screen, microphone, and system audio and save it in high quality. With its integrated tools, you can edit videos and even set up a scheduled recording to completely automate the process.
Key Features
- Captures every detail, such as keystrokes and button clicks
- Captures video recording in Full HD and 4K
- Provides the option to record webcam and audio either simultaneously or separately
- Allows users to schedule recordings
- Allows users to edit screenshots by adding text, arrows, and frames
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Allows users to share videos on social media and Google Drive
Cons
- No free version available
- Lack of support for the HEVC codec
- Movavi is just a screen recorder and not a video editor, so it offers limited customization
4. EaseUS RecExperts
EaseUS RecExperts is a powerful, multi-function screen recording tool. EaseUs can be easily used on Mac or Windows computers to capture the entire screen, a specific region, or a webcam, depending on your preferences. This simple screen recorder lets you record system sounds or your voice through an integrated USB microphone. It comes with many user-friendly and professional screen-capture features, and you can effortlessly customize your recording settings.
Key Features
- ‘Record Screen’ feature with a drawing board: edit your actions while recording
- ‘Flexible Capture’ feature: record a specific part of your screen
- ‘Record Video and Audio Simultaneously’ feature: simultaneously record background sounds and your microphone
- Supports MP4, AVI, ASF, FLV, WMV, and MOV video formats; MP3, Wac, and AAC audio formats; and PNG, BMP, JPG, TIFF, and GIF image formats
- Enables you to include pictures from a variety of photo formats
Pros
- Captures any area of a PC screen with customized settings
- Allows users to schedule screen recordings to start automatically at a set time
Cons
- Restricted editing features
- The free trial restricts recording time to 2 minutes and puts a watermark on your videos
5. Action! Screen Recorder
Action! Screen Recorder is a beautiful, easy-to-use screen recorder and video streaming software that enables users to record and stream DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulcan games and applications. This user-friendly recorder has numerous editing features that can help you record a selected application, desktop region, or full screen with audio and 4K webcam support. This software produces high-quality video files, allows smooth and lag-free recording of Vulcan graphics technology games, and offers up-to-date HUD options that tell users about the recording status.
Key Features
- User-friendly and stylish interface
- Records webcam or USB/HDMI Capture devices
- Records gameplay in HD
- Allows users to share live stream gameplay and screen activity to popular platforms
- Records screen and gameplay in 4K
Pros
- Supports both live streaming and screenshot capture
- Records high-resolution videos, including 8K, in certain situations
Cons
- Does not allow you to customize the frame rate for the video you are recording
- The trial version has multiple limited features
- Does not allow you to adjust the bit rates for the video from within the software
6. OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a free and simple screen recorder for live streamers and HD gameplay recordings. It easily records video and audio streams and allows users to capture full-screen gameplay, a browser window, or a webcam. You can also utilize professional capture cards to record gameplay from consoles. The software’s various features, such as overlays, hotkeys, and sound effects, allow you to customize your recordings.
Key features
- Offers live streaming and on-screen recording features
- Customizable interface with hotkeys and layers
- Integrated video and audio editing
- Offers special effects and transitions
- Records gameplay, YouTube, game streaming, and Twitch
Pros
- Optimized software for gameplay, YouTube, game streaming, and Twitch
- Offers frequent updates
Cons
- Difficult for beginners due to its complex interface
- Does not support highlighting mouse pointer
Related FAQs
Q1. What is the most lightweight screen recording software?
Bandicam is the most lightweight screen recorder that captures your PC screen and produces HD videos. It takes up only 110.7 MB of disk space compared to other programs. Also, its simple interface makes it easy to use for beginners, while still producing professional results.
Q2. How can I record my screen easily?
You can capture your screen using any of the screen recorders introduced in this article. Among them, Bandicam is an easy-to-use screen recorder that can record PC screens with audio on Windows. You can follow some straightforward instructions for screen recording with a high compression ratio that maintains the quality of the original work in your final video.
Summary
This blog post featured some of the best free and lightweight screen recorders. You can choose the program that best suits your recording needs. We recommend Bandicam Screen Recorder, a fast and easy-to-use screen recorder that provides high-quality screen, webcam, and audio recording, as well as a wide array of essential editing tools.
