Screenshot Tools That Also Record Video (2026 Guide)
Most people don't actually want two tools. They want one icon in the tray that grabs a quick still when a still is enough, and rolls a short clip when a picture won't explain it. A bug report, a hand-off to a colleague, a how-to for a teammate, a clip to drop into an AI assistant — half the time you decide which one you need after you've already started capturing.
So this guide is narrow on purpose. Not "best screen recorders" and not "best screenshot apps" — but the smaller set of tools that do both, so you can stop juggling. We'll cover Maxisnap, ShareX, Snagit, Monosnap, and the macOS built-ins, with a link to each official site.
This page is published by Maxisnap. It is not an independent review.
Why one app for both beats juggling two
Running a dedicated screenshot tool next to a separate recorder sounds harmless until you live with it. You end up with two tray icons, two sets of hotkeys to remember, two output folders, and two different "share" flows. Worse, the muscle memory collides: you reach for your screenshot hotkey mid-recording, or you start a recording when you only needed a crop.
A single tool fixes the seams. The same hotkey language ("region" vs "fullscreen") applies to both stills and clips. Captures land in one place. The annotation editor you already know for screenshots is right there, and the trim controls for video sit in the same result window. Less context-switching, fewer apps loading at startup, one thing to update.
The shortlist: tools that do screenshots AND video
Maxisnap (Windows + Mac) — the lightweight both-in-one
As of v2.4, Maxisnap records screen video on 64-bit Windows 10 (1903+) and Windows 11. Stills use Ctrl+Alt+5 (region), Ctrl+Alt+6 (fullscreen), and Ctrl+Alt+7 (region + upload). Video adds Ctrl+Alt+3 for a selected region and Ctrl+Alt+4 for the full screen. Every hotkey can be changed.
The recording side is deliberately driver-free: it captures system/desktop audio and your microphone, mixed into one track by default, using WASAPI loopback — no virtual audio cable, no Stereo Mix hunting. Hardware encoding (NVENC / Intel QuickSync / AMD AMF) is optional with a libx264 software fallback, and ffmpeg ships inside the installer, so there's nothing else to download. A small badge shows while you record and is excluded from its own capture. When you stop, a result window opens with an inline player, Save / Copy / Upload / Drag-out, start/end trim, and export formats: MP4, GIF, WebM, and an AI-optimized MP4 (~1280px, 24fps, CRF28, mono) that produces a tiny aioptimized_*.mp4 built to drop straight into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Recording is free, with no watermark and no time limit. The still-image workflow includes 12 annotation tools, undo/redo, OCR, Pin to Desktop, multi-monitor support, and a 112 MB Windows installer. A Mac version is also available, for macOS 13 or later.
ShareX
ShareX is a free and open source screenshot tool for Windows that combines screen capture, screen recording, file sharing and productivity tools.
getsharex.com · Maxisnap vs ShareX
Snagit
Snagit is TechSmith's screen capture and recording software for Windows and Mac, sold by annual subscription, with scrolling capture, step-by-step guides and annotation tools.
techsmith.com · Maxisnap vs Snagit
Monosnap
Monosnap is a screenshot tool for Mac and PC from Monosnap Inc., with its own cloud storage, video and GIF recording, and an image editor.
Monosnap's cross-platform support and Cloud workflow may fit users who need both Windows and macOS.
macOS built-ins (QuickTime + Cmd+Shift+5)
Screenshot is Apple's capture app included with macOS, opened with Shift-Command-5, for taking screenshots and recording the screen.
QuickTime Player is Apple's macOS app for playing, recording and editing movies and audio; its screen recording command opens Screenshot.
Apple's guide, read in October 2026, says the built-in screen recorder can include system audio in macOS 27 or later (choose Include System Audio); for earlier versions, its instructions cover choosing a microphone. On earlier versions, app sound can be routed in through a virtual audio device such as BlackHole.
What Maxisnap Includes
| Capability | Maxisnap |
|---|---|
| Screenshots | Yes |
| Video recording | Yes |
| GIF export | Yes |
| System audio (no extra driver) | Yes |
| Annotation editor | 12 tools |
| Watermark-free recording | Yes |
| Price | Maxisnap pricing |
For Maxisnap, this table describes the Windows app. A Mac version is also available, for macOS 13 or later.
Picking by use case
You're on Windows and want both. Maxisnap is the recommendation: one tray app, the same region/fullscreen logic for stills and clips, no watermark, no time limit, and an AI-optimized export when you need to feed a clip into a chatbot. Start at the screenshot-and-recorder overview or jump to the download.
You mostly need quick async videos to send people. Loom is Atlassian's video messaging tool: it records your screen and camera, takes screenshots, and shares each one through a link.
You're on a Mac right now. Record with Cmd+Shift+5 or QuickTime Player. Maxisnap for Mac records system audio without a driver, on macOS 13 or later.
Where Maxisnap's free recorder fits
Maxisnap is our pick for Windows because of the combination: a small app that does fast annotated screenshots and clean, watermark-free, no-time-limit recording with mixed system + mic audio and no driver fuss, and then hands you a tidy result window to trim and export. For most "just capture my screen" moments — still or moving — that's the whole job, done in one place. See the free Windows screen recorder page for the recording specifics.
Frequently asked questions
Below are the questions people ask most when they're trying to consolidate down to a single capture tool.
Which screenshot tools also record video?
On Windows, Maxisnap, ShareX, Snagit, and Monosnap all do both. On macOS, Apple's Screenshot app (Cmd+Shift+5) takes screenshots and records the screen. Maxisnap is the lightweight Windows pick that adds recording on top of a fast annotated-screenshot workflow.
Is there a free tool that does screenshots and screen recording?
Yes. Maxisnap and ShareX are both free on Windows and do stills plus video. On Mac, Apple's Screenshot app (Cmd+Shift+5) is included with macOS and does both.
Does Maxisnap record video on Mac?
Yes. Maxisnap for Mac records a region or the whole display with system audio, on macOS 13 or later; recording your microphone needs macOS 15 or later.
Why use one app instead of a separate screenshot tool and recorder?
One app means one set of hotkeys, one output location, one share flow, and one program loading at startup. You also avoid the muscle-memory collisions that happen when stills and clips live in different tools — handy because you often decide which you need after you've started capturing.
Can these tools capture system (desktop) audio?
On Windows, Maxisnap uses driver-free WASAPI loopback and mixes desktop audio with your mic into one track. Snagit can record microphone audio and system audio. Apple's guide, read in October 2026, says the built-in screen recorder can include system audio in macOS 27 or later (choose Include System Audio); for earlier versions, its instructions cover choosing a microphone. On earlier versions, app sound can be routed in through a virtual audio device such as BlackHole.
Maxisnap is not affiliated with the other products named on this page. They are described as their official sites presented them in October 2026; check each official site for current features, pricing and platforms.