A screen recorder with no subscription.
No monthly fees. No annual renewals. No "your subscription has expired" pop-ups. Notch is free for personal and commercial use, with no license to buy.
Publishing links is free up to 5 GB. Pro, coming soon, will be an optional cloud subscription for more storage and more Link tools. The app works without it.
The subscription problem
Screen recording software used to be something you bought once. That changed. Screen Studio dropped its lifetime license in 2025 and moved to a subscription ($108/yr or $29/mo). Camtasia plans start at $39/yr. Even basic recorders like Bandicam now charge $33/yr.
For a tool you use a few times a week, paying hundreds every year doesn't make sense. You shouldn't have to worry about whether your screen recorder will stop working next month.
Notch is free, and a handful of tools still offer a one-time purchase. We compared them below so you can make an informed choice.
Screen recorders without a subscription
Notch, plus tools that still offer a one-time purchase option. Subscription-only tools (Screen Studio, Camtasia, Snagit) are excluded. OBS Studio is free.
| Name | Price | Platforms | Auto-zoom | Annotations | Multi-take recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notch | Free | macOS, Windows | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CursorClip | $59 | macOS | ✓ | — | — |
| FocuSee | $70 | macOS, Windows | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Movavi Screen Recorder | $55 | macOS, Windows | — | — | — |
| ScreenFlow | $169 | macOS | — | ✓ | — |
*OBS is free but has no editing, auto-zoom, or annotation features. Prices verified 2026-04-18.
Why Notch is the best value
Free for work too
Client work, business videos, and content that makes money. No license key to buy.
Cross-platform
Most affordable recorders are Mac-only. Notch runs on both macOS and Windows, free on both.
Record, edit, export
Auto-zoom, annotations, multi-take recording, captions, webcam overlay, backgrounds, and 4K export — included, not upsold.
Stop renting your screen recorder.
Download Notch free, for personal and commercial use. No account needed to record.