OBS Studio vs ShareX
Both are free screen capture & recording tools. Here is how they actually differ.
OBS Studio and ShareX at a glance
| Feature | OBS Studio | ShareX |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | OBS Project | ShareX Team |
| Licence | Open Source | Open Source |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | No |
| Linux | Yes | No |
| Mobile | No | No |
| Source code | Public | Public |
OBS Studio: what it's good at
OBS Studio is the tool essentially every streamer and course creator uses: unlimited scenes and sources, live compositing of cameras, screens and overlays, and direct streaming to YouTube, Twitch and other platforms.
- Unlimited scenes and sources
- Live compositing with overlays
- Streams direct to major platforms
- High-performance recording
ShareX: what it's good at
ShareX captures any region, window, scrolling page or screen recording, then runs it through a configurable pipeline — annotate, watermark, save, upload and copy the link automatically. Unmatched in the free space.
- Region, window and scrolling capture
- Screen recording to video or GIF
- Automated post-capture workflows
- Built-in annotation and effects
Which should you choose?
Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.
Both run on Windows. Only OBS Studio supports macOS, Linux. Both are open source, so neither locks you in.
We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio better than ShareX?
Neither is universally better. OBS Studio the standard software for live streaming and screen recording, while ShareX the most capable free screenshot and capture tool. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.
Are both really free?
OBS Studio is open source and ShareX is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.
Can I install both?
Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.