Although there are a lot of audio recording programs out there claiming to record almost any sound play on computer, the fact you should always keep in mind is that only a few of them promise capturing high quality audio. Therefore, if you care much about the quality of your recordings, choosing a proper high-powered audio recorder could really matter. Are you just looking for such recording tool but with a low budget? Luckily, among the numerous audio recording software available on internet, we are glad to see most of them are offered for free. To help you quickly pick up the best free streaming audio recorder online, we complied a list of top 5 most popular free audio recording programs that can record streaming music, radios, in-game sound, music in videos, and any other sound play on Mac and Windows with high quality.

1. Macbook Record Screen With Sound
2. Obs Studio
3. Free Screen Recorder With Audio Mac Version
4. Free Screen Recorder With Audio For Mac
5. Screen Recorder Free

• The first audio recorder is capable to grab and download any audio stream on Mac, while QuickTime Player and Voice Memos can record audio on Mac with headphones and microphones only. Well, why not download and start the Vidmore Screen Recorder free trial? You can record audio on Mac for free up to 3 minutes to have a try within the program.
• Feb 24, 2020 Select New Screen Recording; Choose the Internal Microphone in the list of audio input options; Open FaceTime to make your call (or use Handoff to transition a call from an iPhone to your Mac) Click the Record button and Screen to record the full screen, or click and drag the capture option to limit the recording to the call screen.

Top 1. Audacity (Mac & Windows)

Jun 23, 2021 Step 3: Open Audacity. Go to the Audacity preferences and set soundflower (2ch) as your recording device. Step 4: Click Record and use Audacity to record computer audio on Mac for free. Step 5: Stop recording and save the Mac audio file in MP3 format.

As a well-known open source free audio recorder, Audacity is capable of recording and editing anything you throw at it, including audio through microphone and sound card all in a few clicks thanks to the clean interface. It also allows users adjust pitch, bass, and treble, or normalize noise and add effects like reverb and phasing to the recordings. In addition, it supports multi-track capturing to save a lot of time for you. And unlike most other free audio recorders which are free for a limited time or free with locked features, Audacity is a real free of charge audio recording application offered in full free version. Overall, Audacity offers one of the most robust packages available among free recording programs.

Pros:

1. Totally free and extremely easy to use;
2. Support recording any sound on computer;
3. Edit recorded audio's quality with many effects;
4. Support multi-track recording.

Cons:

1. Require plugins to accomplish optimal functionality;
2. Can't export audio recordings to MP3;
3. Effect editing is destructive to original audio track.

Top 2. Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder

Differing from Audacity or other free audio streaming recorder, Apowersoft Audio Recorder is a free online recording solution that needs no plug-in on Windows or Mac. It allows you record any sound from system sound card and microphone in high quality within 3 steps only. It fully supports capturing streaming music, radio stations, music in games, voice chats, etc. playing via devices like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, iTunes, Tablets, Chromebook, Android smartphones, iPhone, Windows Phone and more. Besides, it offers additional recording functions like converting audio records to MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, OGG, adding ID3 tags, sharing recorded audios online, playing recordings in real time, etc.

Pros:

1. Free and no need to install setup file on computer;
2. Support any sound sources;
3. Save recordings in multiple popular formats;
4. Support extensional functions for recording.

Cons:

1. Can't edit output audio quality;
2. Multi-track recording not supported.

Top 3. Ardour (Mac & Windows)

Ardour DAW is another great open-source audio recorder with professional music recording features and no cost. Developed by Paul Davis, Ardour is aiming at providing powerful recorder for studios who are at low budgets. Featuring highly versatile multi-track audio recording, Ardour can record and edit audios non-destructively or destructively. Its use of Jack, an underlying sound server, makes it compatible with a number of outside applications as well. With the release of third edition, Ardour is supposed to import video for film scoring purpose and record, edit MIDI without a hassle. However, unlike most of other free DAWs, Ardour comes with a confusing graphical user interface which is inaccessible for beginners. It's more like a professional tool developed for musicians or audio engineers.

Pros:

1. Free and professional;
2. Support multi-track recording;
3. Edit recorded tracks non-destructively.

Cons:

1. It's complex and difficult for newbie;
2. No built-in effects or instruments.

Top 4. Aktiv MP3 Recorder (Windows)

If you are looking for a free streaming music recorder that can convey CD, tape, DVD, live performance, TV, Internet radio, streaming music, video games and any other sound source into popular audio formats like MP3, WMA, OGG, VOX, AU, AIFF, then you can't miss Aktiv MP3 Recorder. As a full-featured audio recorder, the big difference between Aktiv and other free recording tools is that it comes with recording scheduler which provides you the ability to record streaming audio at certain times according to your requirements.

Pros:

1. Free streaming audio recorder;
2. Support most popular output formats;
3. Provide schedule recording tasks.

Cons:

1. Available for Windows only;
2. Installer contains some extra software.

Top 5. Traverso DAW (Mac & Windows)

Traverso DAW is another cross-platform free multitrack audio recording and audio editing suite with support for CD mastering and non-linear processing. Traverso is different with other in UI as it offers a unique user interface using both the mouse and the keyboard together for precision and speed. In addition, Traverso includes non-destructive editing, the ability to use plugins and make edits without changing the actual recorded sample. Also it is offering full support for ALSA, Jack and PortAudio, and lockless real-time audio processing.

Pros:

1. Fullfeatured free recording app;
2. Innovative keyboard and mouse shortcuts;
3. Support non-destructive audio editing.

Cons:

1. Take some time for users to get used to the shortcuts;
2. Need plugins to edit audio non-destructively.

More Professional Audio Recorder for Low Budget - TunesKit

Of course, no piece of free software is without its shortcomings. So do those free audio recorders. They are not as advanced as other paid software in functionality. In case you are searching for such paid recording products with reasonable price, we highly recommend a best free sound recorder to you. The renowned program is called TunesKit Audio Capture. It's available for both Mac and Windows platforms. It costs $19.95 but with more powerful features, including multi-track lossless recording, automatically fulfilling ID3 tags, editing output quality, splitting or merging recorded tracks, etc. You can download the free trial versions as below to test it out by yourself. For complete tutorial, visit this user guide.

Conclusion & Suggestion

As you can see, all the above recording tools are free of charge to meet most of your recording needs with options of recording audio, adding effects, and cutting waveforms, as well as other basic recording tasks. To conclude, if you are referring an all-in-one application that combines easy operation and high performance, Audacity and Aktiv MP3 Recorder could be the best audio recording software. But if you concern more about the professionalism and quality, you are suggested to go for Ardour or Traverso DAW that are more professional oriented. Or alternatively, Apowersoft Audio Recorder could be a great choice if you don't want to install any software on your computer. If you still have no idea which one to choose, simply try them out one by one and decide which works best for you.

Nick Orin is a review writer, software geek and Mac OS enthusiast. He spends all his free time in searching useful software and gadgets to share with others.

There are many reasons why you need a screen recorder app on Mac. Video lessons, for example, are a good way to deliver knowledge and information while keeping attracting the attention of students. Small business and developers are able to present their products and apps with screen recorder software. Vloggers can make video tutorials and monetize on social media.

However, what is the best screen recorder for Mac? It is impossible to research each app and identify the most appropriate tool. The review is based on our lab research and hundreds of users’ reports. Therefore, this article will share the top list below.

Part 1. Top Picks of Screen Recorder on Mac

Top Picks of Screen Recorder on Mac

• The flexible design can 100% meet your various need on screen recording on Mac.

• Although the free version has some limit, it can meet your basic need of screen recording

• It enables you to record up to 5 minutes without paying a penny or installing software.

• It integrates both a standard screen recorder and a video editor into a single package.

Part 2. Best 7 Mac Screen Recorder Review

Top 1: Icecream Screen Recorder

System Requirement: macOS 10.9 or later

Price: Free version, $14.99 for Pro version

Macbook Record Screen With Sound

As a screen recorder app for Mac, Icecream Screen Recorder has been around for years. It allows you to record any region on your display. It is an easy way to create video tutorial, gameplays, app guide, live stream, and more. You just need to click the record button, select the desired area and the screen recording will begin. Plus, you can decide the output quality, format, and other options. While recording screen, you can add text, shapes, and arrows directly or add watermark logo for sharing on social media. The webcam overlay enables you to capture webcam while recording gameplay or video tutorial. However, you can only get full features and remove the limits in the Pro version.

Top 2: Loom Screen Recorder

System Requirement: All macOS

Price: Free for personal use and $8 per user per month for business use

Loom Screen Recorder is not an independent screen recorder for Mac, but the extension for web browsers, like Google Chrome. It offers two kinds of accounts, free and business. Once you install the screen recorder to your browser on Mac and sign up an account, you can use it immediately. It provides three modes, screen only, camera only, as well as screen and camera. Plus, you can also decide to record full screen, custom region or a specific window. Of course, the free account has several limits, like up to 100 videos and screenshots, and each screen recording is no more than 5 minutes. To create an account, you have to associate with your email and private information.

Top 3: Capto

System Requirement: macOS 10.10.5 and later

Price: $30 for single user and $80 for family pack

Capto expands on the abilities with a more robust set of tools for capturing screen or websites and recording on Mac. Unlike other screen recorders for Mac, Capto is a one-stop solution. After screen recording, you can also edit it within the built-in video editor. The screen recordings can be easily shared with other applications and popular cloud services. With the intelligent file manager, this screen recorder app on Mac is perfect for teachers, vloggers and small business. Before purchasing a license, you can get the basic features during 7-day free trial. The advanced features, like video editing, can only be unlocked in the formal app. Moreover, the export functionality requires improvement.

Top 4: ScreenFlow

System Requirement: macOS 10.14.0 or later

Price: $129.99

Obs Studio

As a robust screen recorder and video editor, ScreenFlow is popular among creative professionals, small business and studios. It allows users to capture everything taking place on their screen along with computer audio, microphone and camera. When screen recording is done, you will be taken to the video editor window. Then you can add annotations, shapes and do other editing to the recording on the timeline. It enables users to create demos, high-quality tutorials, app review and guide, and presentations. In addition to screen, it is also able to record extra devices, like iPhone, online videos, gameplay and more. Besides MP4, you can also export the recording as animated GIF or other popular video formats. However, the cost is very high and not affordable for average people.

Top 5: Screenflick

System Requirement: macOS Catalina or later

Price: $29

Free Screen Recorder With Audio Mac Version

If you just need a screen recorder on Mac, Screenflick is a good choice. It features high performance screen capturing for smooth. You can capture fluid motion up to 30 FPS in screen recording mode. It also provides a game recording mode to produce higher quality with up to 60 FPS . Screenflick supports full screen or custom region recording with audio from internal or external microphone and the system audio. You can decide to highlight mouse clicks and cursor track or hide them during screen recording. Another important functionality is to compress your recordings multiple times by changing resolution, quality and more. It supports the built-in FaceTime camera and external webcam or connected camera too. However, you still need an extra video editor to retouch your recordings.

Top 6: Screenium

System Requirement: macOS 10.10 or later

Price: $26.99

As screen recorder apps become better and easier to use, there are more and more live videos produced by Mac users on YouTube, Twitch, and more. Screenium has long been one of the best screen recorders for Mac users who hope to record video and audio from their display. It lets you capture full screen, a single window or prescribed area. According to research, it is available to streaming videos and microphone audio. You can also create the picture-in-picture effect with iSight or other camera. This screen recorder has built in a video and audio editor too, although it is very simple and almost useless. After recording, you can upload the video to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr directly. Therefore, it is an easy way to share your screen recordings on Mac.

Top 7: AnyMP4 Screen Recorder

System Requirement: macOS 10.10 and later

Price: $29.25 per license per year, $44.25 for lifetime

AnyMP4 Screen Recorder is one of the best high quality screen recorder for Mac users. It lets you choose the recording sources for different purposes, like screen, online video, app, system audio, microphone audio, webcam. Moreover, you can enable multiple sources at the same time. Another important functionality is to take schedule. You can set the start time, duration and recording based on your event. Then the app will start working automatically. That makes AnyMP4 Screen Recorder a perfect tool to save live stream and gameplay on Mac computers. Unlike other screen recorders, this app enables you to edit the recording while capturing screen, such as add text, annotations, shapes or arrows at specific frames. At important moment, you can take screenshots with the toolbar too. According to our research, it is the most cost-effective screen recorder for Mac users.

Part 3: Comparison of Top Screen Recorders on Mac

• Icecream Screen Recorder
• Loom Screen Recorder
• Capto
• ScreenFlow
• Screenflick
• Screenium
• AnyMP4 Screen Recorder

Record screen and webcam	Record screen with system audio	Record screen with microphone	Highlight mouse	Record multiple screens	Hide cursor	Add annotations	Real time preview	On screen markup	Video resolution	Schedule recording	Output formats
1080p	WebM and GIF
1080p	MP4, AVI, or FLV.
1080p	H.264
Up to 4K	MP4, MOV, M4V
1080p	MP4, MOV, FLV, GIF
Up to 4K and 5K	MP4, MOV, FLV
Yes, add annotations while recording	Up to 4K	MOV, M4V, GIF, WMV and MP4, etc.

Conclusion

This article has reviewed and shared the top 7 best screen recorder apps for MacBook Pro and other Mac computers. It is well-known that QuickTime Player is the built-in screen recorder on Mac. However, it has several downsides, like cannot record screen and webcam at the same time, limited output format, only support audio recording through microphone and more. Obviously, it is not the best way to record screen on Mac. The apps shared above all have unique benefits and advantages, such as built-in video editor, excellent output quality, etc. They help you to convert your idea, presentation and more into visual content in order to attract audiences’ attention.

Free Screen Recorder With Audio For Mac

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