Screencast-O-Matic vs. Screencastify (2024) | Which One Should You Use?

Finding lightweight and affordable software for recording your screen can be a tedious job, there is a lot of good software out there but they are either expensive or not good enough, we all hate watermarks and short videos, some of us like to record his screen only and the others like to record both their face and screen at the same time. 

The options are endless, so today I’m going to compare two lightweight tools that are not expensive and can get the job done easily, and have a low learning curve. 

I’m going to compare Screencast-O-Matic vs. Screencastify. 

Screencastify

Screencastify is a Google Chrome extension that you can use easily to record your browser tabs or desktop, they have approximately 10 Million weekly users from 189 countries. 

You don’t have to install any additional software to make it work so you can get started right away. 

They are being used by major brands like Twitter, Spotify, Yelp… etc. 

Screencastify pricing

Advantages 

• Free.
• Works offline.
• Lightweight.
• You can share it easily with your friends. 
• You can save it to your local disk. 
• Highlight specific areas using your mouse. 
• Drawing tools while recording. 
• You can’t export the video in an MP4 format. 

Disadvantages 

• The free version is limited to 5 minutes only.
• The free version lets you record up to 50 videos per month. 
• The free version puts a watermark on the recorded video. 
• No refunds, so you should be careful and make sure to try the lite version first. 
• They don’t have a version for iOS or Android.

Video Size

I record a quick video, which was nearly 30 seconds or less.

Screencast-O-Matic

I’ve known and used Screencast-O-Matic for a long time, not on a daily basis but I know it more than I know Screencastify, it’s new to me. 

I’ve used it to record short review videos for my channel on YouTube and it was awesome. 

Pricing

Advantages

• Free.
• Lightweight.
• You can trim videos. 
• The free version lets you record up to 15 minutes while Screencastify allows you to record a maximum of 10 minutes only. 
• You can record as many videos as you want. 
• The paid version has an automated Speech to Text feature. 
• Costs less than Screencastify.
• Has way more features than Screencastify. 
• You can export the video in an MP4 format. 
• They have an iOS version (free) so you can use it on your iPhone or iPad and send the recorded video to your desktop computer for editing. 

Disadvantages

• You can’t draw while recording, unlike Screencastify. 
• The free version records up to 15 minutes. 
• Editing is limited in the free version.
• No refunds, they recommend trying the free version first before purchasing the paid one. 

Video Size

I record a quick video, which was nearly 30 seconds or less.

You can get this software through this link

UPDATE:

Screencast-O-Matic finally released a version for both iOS and Android so you can enjoy using the same software almost everywhere.

The table below shows you the pros and cons of each tool in a more organized manner, so you can better understand the differences between both tools.

Screencast-O-Matic vs. Screencastify

Software	Advantages	Disadvantages:
Screencast-O-Matic	Free. Lightweight. You can trim videos.  The free version lets you record up to 15 minutes while Screencastify allows you to record a maximum of 10 minutes only.  You can record as many videos as you want.  The paid version has an automated Speech to Text feature.  Costs less than Screencastify. Has way more features than Screencastify.  You can export the video in an MP4 format.  They have an iOS version (free) so you can use it on your iPhone or iPad and send the recorded video to your desktop computer for editing.	You can't draw while recording, unlike Screencastify.  The free version records up to 15 minutes.  Editing is limited in the free version. No refunds, they recommend trying the free version first before purchasing the paid one.
Screencastify	Free. Works offline. Lightweight. You can share it easily with your friends. You can save it to your local disk. Highlight specific areas using your mouse. Drawing tools while recording. You can't export the video in an MP4 format.	The free version is limited to 5 minutes only. The free version lets you record up to 50 videos per month. The free version puts a watermark on the recorded video. No refunds, so you should be careful and make sure to try the lite version first.

What do I think about both tools?

• Both tools provide the ability to record your screen for free, but Screencast-O-Matic beats Screencastify at this point because the first tool lets you record for up to 15 minutes while Screencastify lets you do the same for 5 minutes only.

• Screencast-O-Matic just added two versions for both iOS and Android which is amazing while Screencastify has a browser version only.
• The price difference isn’t huge, almost the same but Screencast-O-Matic offers way more features for the same price while Screencastify asks you to pay more to get more features.
• Both tools let you edit the vide you recorded for free but Screencast-O-Matic adds a short video or a credit at the end if you’re using the free version while Screencastify doesn’t add any credits at the end of your video.
• If you care a lot about the video size and I think you do then I found both videos I recorded to be almost equally sized.
• When it comes to drawing while recording, some teachers really need this feature, both tools provide this feature but I found Screencast-O-Matic to be providing a better set of annotation tools like pens and rectangles while Screencastify only provide a very limited set of annotation.

Both tools are great, I may look a bit biased because I have used Screencast-O-Matic for a long time but the truth to be told is you can use any, the differences are not that huge.

Both tools provide tutorials to teach you how to use them. 

That was a quick comparison guide for Screencast-O-Matic vs. Screencastify.

How to record a high-quality video?

The recording software is not everything, it’s just a part of the production process, you need to make sure you have a high-quality camera and mic to eliminate any noise or distraction to provide the best user experience ever, don’t spend too much on fancy tools or equipment if you don’t have to. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Screencast-O-Matic good?

I’ve been using Screencast-O-Matic for some time and it was fine, for a video that’s less than 15 minutes, but lately had some issues while using it, I can’t recall now what they were but overall it was a good option to use for some time.

How long can you record on Screencast-O-Matic?

For the free plan, you record up to 15 minutes, the paid plans you can record for as many minutes as you like.

Does Screencast O Matic record sound?

Yes, it does, you can record your own voice or your computer sound.

What can you do with Screencast-O-Matic?

You can do a lot of things, you can:

• Record your screen
• Edit videos
• Take screenshots
• Host and share content

How do I get Screencast-O-Matic for free?

You can either use the web version or the offline version which you can download on your computer from here 

Is Screencast-O-Matic free?

Yes, it is, It was one of my favorite software to record my computer screen, I highly encourage you to give it a try.