Short answer: OBS Studio is the best free recorder there is: open source, on Windows, macOS and Linux, and built for streaming, scenes and long recordings. What it does not do is edit. There is no automatic zoom on clicks, no cursor smoothing and no timeline, so a product demo recorded in OBS still needs an editor afterwards. Girato records and does that edit for you: a zoom on every click, a backdrop, click and typing effects and an export in any aspect ratio.
Side by side (checked 29 Oct 2026)
| OBS Studio | Girato | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source (GPL v2 or later) | Free; Pro $12/mo or $8/mo billed yearly; $99 lifetime |
| Platforms | Windows 10/11, macOS 13+, Linux | Windows 10/11, macOS 12+, and the browser with no install |
| Built for | Streaming and recording with scenes and sources | Short, polished demos and tutorials |
| Auto-zoom on clicks | No; third-party scripts zoom on a hotkey | Yes in the desktop apps, editable on the timeline; by hand in the browser |
| Editor (trim, cut, speed) | No | Yes |
| Backgrounds and padding | Build it yourself with sources | 26 backdrops, one click |
| Captions and transcript | No | On your device, free; edit the video by its words |
| Live streaming | Yes | No |
Decided?Start free in your browser or get lifetime, $99 once
Where OBS wins
It is free with no limits, it streams, and it handles complex setups (several cameras, scenes, overlays) that Girato is not built for. If you stream, or record hour-long sessions you never edit, OBS is the right tool.
Where Girato wins
The edit. Girato knows where you clicked and typed, so the camera zooms to each click, the cursor glides, and keystrokes can play as sound and typing animation. You can cut a phrase by deleting it from the transcript, add a step title, blur an email and export 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5 from one recording. In OBS each of those is a manual job in another app.
Can I use both?
Yes. Girato imports existing videos, so you can record in OBS and finish in Girato. You lose the automatic click zooms (OBS does not record your clicks), but titles, captions, cuts, blur and formats all work.
Frequently asked questions
Does OBS have auto-zoom?
- No. OBS Studio has no built-in automatic zoom.
- Community scripts such as obs-zoom-to-mouse zoom on a held hotkey.
- None zoom automatically on clicks (checked 29 Oct 2026).
Is OBS better than Girato?
- For streaming and long, complex recordings, yes.
- And it is free.
- For a short product demo, Girato is faster.
- It looks finished without a separate editor.
Can Girato edit an OBS recording?
- Yes. Import the video into Girato.
- Add titles, captions, cuts, blur and formats.
- Automatic click zooms need a recording made in Girato.
- OBS does not save your clicks.
See it on your screen
- Record and edit in your browser, nothing to install
- Desktop apps zoom on every click
- Free to start, no time limit