Cross-platform screen recording and editing workspace used for testing ScreenPal
If you go looking for Screencast-O-Matic today, you’ll land on a site called ScreenPal instead — and no, you haven’t been redirected somewhere sketchy. The company rebranded, and it’s worth clearing up before anything else in this review, since a fair number of people searching for the old name assume the product got discontinued.
The short version: Screencast-O-Matic is now ScreenPal — same team, same core product, new name and a broader feature set than the name implied. It combines browser-based and downloadable recording, a genuinely capable editor, and pricing that’s more affordable than most competitors in the “record plus edit” category. If you remember it as a simple screen recorder, it’s grown considerably since.
The rebrand, explained plainly
Screencast-O-Matic launched in 2006 as a straightforward screen recording tool. Over the years the product expanded into video editing, image annotation, and hosting — enough that the original name stopped describing what it actually did. The company rebranded to ScreenPal to reflect that broader scope. Functionally, if you used Screencast-O-Matic before, ScreenPal is that same product, evolved, not a replacement you need to learn from scratch.
What it actually covers
ScreenPal works both as a browser-based recorder (launch and record without installing anything) and a downloadable desktop app, which is a genuine convenience most competitors don’t offer both ways. Recording covers screen, webcam, and audio in combination, with the editor handling trim, annotations, stock media, and basic effects afterward — all in the same product, similar in spirit to Movavi or Camtasia‘s combined approach, but with a lower price floor.
What’s included across the core workflow:
- Browser-based recording with no install required, or a downloadable app for more control
- Screen, webcam, and audio capture, individually or combined
- Built-in editor: trim, annotations, stock image/video library, basic effects
- Direct publishing to YouTube or ScreenPal’s own hosting
⚠️ What actually breaks:
The free tier caps recordings at 15 minutes, and while that’s generous compared to some competitors, it’s a real ceiling for anything longer — a full webinar recording or an extended tutorial will hit that limit and need the paid tier to continue.
ScreenPal vs. Loom
Both offer the “record and get a shareable result fast” workflow, but they diverge in what happens after recording. Loom optimizes purely for the instant-link, async-communication use case with minimal editing. ScreenPal’s built-in editor is meaningfully more capable — closer to a light video editor than Loom’s trim-only approach — which matters if you’re producing anything beyond a quick team update.
Pricing, current as of this review
Solo plans start around $3/month (billed annually) for the Deluxe tier, scaling up to roughly $10/month for the Max tier with the full editing and hosting feature set. This positions ScreenPal considerably cheaper than Camtasia or Snagit‘s subscription pricing for anyone who mainly needs record-plus-basic-edit rather than the deeper course-creation tools those products offer.
Who it’s actually for
People who want recording and editing in one place, at a lower price than Camtasia or Movavi’s bundles, and who’d benefit from the option to record entirely in-browser without installing anything. Education and training use cases in particular get purpose-built features (flipped classroom tools, quizzes on video) that general recorders don’t offer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Screencast-O-Matic still available, or was it discontinued?
It wasn’t discontinued — it rebranded to ScreenPal. The same company and core product continue under the new name.
Is ScreenPal free to use?
Yes, with a 15-minute recording cap on the free tier. Paid plans start around $3/month (billed annually) and remove that limit.
Is ScreenPal better than Loom?
Different strengths — Loom is faster for pure async video messaging, ScreenPal’s built-in editor is more capable for anyone doing actual post-production on their recordings.
Related reading: Loom review · Movavi Screen Capture Pro review · Best free screen recorders with no watermark