openscreen README

The project's README from github.com/siddharthvaddem/openscreen. As one markdown file: README.md.

[!Note] OpenScreen is now archived and no longer maintained. For continued maintenance and development, a community-driven spin-off led by one of the core contributors is available here: https://github.com/EtienneLescot/openscreen

[!WARNING] This started as a side project that blew up; not production grade and you'll hit bugs, but hopefully it covers what you need. This project will soon be archived.

OpenScreen Logo

siddharthvaddem%2Fopenscreen | Trendshift

OpenScreen

OpenScreen is your free, open-source alternative to Screen Studio.

If you don't want to pay $29/month for Screen Studio but want a version that does what most people seem to need - quick, polished product demos and walkthroughs you'd post on X, Reddit or Youtube. OpenScreen does not offer every Screen Studio feature, but covers a lot of the core functionality.

Screen Studio is an awesome product and this is definitely not a 1:1 clone. If you just want something fully free and open source, this project should cover most of your needs.

100% free for both personal and commercial use. Use it, modify it, distribute it. Please respect the License.

[!NOTE] Software should be accessible. OpenScreen has no paid tiers, premium features, upsells, or functionality locked behind a paywall.

Core Features

Installation

Download the latest installer for your platform from the GitHub Releases page.

macOS

The easiest way to install on macOS is via Homebrew:

brew install --cask siddharthvaddem/openscreen/openscreen

Brew automatically picks the right build for Apple Silicon or Intel, and verifies the download against a notarized signature so Gatekeeper won't block it.

To update later: brew upgrade --cask openscreen To uninstall: brew uninstall --cask openscreen (add --zap to also remove app data)

Manual install (if you prefer)

If you'd rather grab the .dmg directly from the Releases page and encounter Gatekeeper blocking the app, you can bypass it by running the following command in your terminal after installation:

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Openscreen.app

Note: Give your terminal Full Disk Access in System Settings > Privacy & Security to grant you access and then run the above command.

After running this command, proceed to System Preferences > Security & Privacy to grant the necessary permissions for "screen recording" and "accessibility". Once permissions are granted, you can launch the app.

[!NOTE] Upgrading from an older version and hitting permission issues? If you already had OpenScreen installed and the new version won't record (Screen Recording or Accessibility keep failing even after you grant them), uninstall the old version, remove OpenScreen's existing entries under System Settings > Privacy & Security (both Screen Recording and Accessibility), then do a fresh install and grant the permissions again when prompted.

Windows

Install via winget:

winget install SiddharthVaddem.OpenScreen

To update later: winget upgrade SiddharthVaddem.OpenScreen To uninstall: winget uninstall SiddharthVaddem.OpenScreen

If you'd rather grab the .exe installer directly, download it from the Releases page.

Linux

Three packages are published to the Releases page for each version. Pick the one that matches your distro:

Debian / Ubuntu / Pop!_OS (.deb)

sudo apt install ./Openscreen-Linux-latest.deb

Arch / Manjaro (.pacman)

sudo pacman -U Openscreen-Linux-latest.pacman

Any distro (.AppImage)

chmod +x Openscreen-Linux-*.AppImage
./Openscreen-Linux-*.AppImage

NixOS / Nix (flake)

Try without installing:

nix run github:siddharthvaddem/openscreen

Install into your user profile:

nix profile install github:siddharthvaddem/openscreen

For a NixOS system config (flake):

{
  inputs.openscreen.url = "github:siddharthvaddem/openscreen";

  outputs = { nixpkgs, openscreen, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.<host> = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        openscreen.nixosModules.default
        { programs.openscreen.enable = true; }
      ];
    };
  };
}

For Home Manager, use openscreen.homeManagerModules.default with the same programs.openscreen.enable = true;.

You may need to grant screen recording permissions depending on your desktop environment.

Sandbox error: If the AppImage fails to launch with a "sandbox" error, run it with --no-sandbox:

./Openscreen-Linux-*.AppImage --no-sandbox

Platform differences

Everything in the editor and export is the same on macOS, Windows, and Linux: zooms, backgrounds, motion blur, crop/trim/speed, blur regions, annotations, auto-captions, projects, export, and all languages. The differences are in capture, where macOS and Windows use a native pipeline that Linux doesn't have:

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. By using this software, you agree that the authors are not liable for any issues, damages, or claims arising from its use.

openscreen (siddharthvaddem/openscreen)

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39.9K ·GitHub
Openscreen
archived
What is this?OpenScreen is a free, open-source alternative to Screen Studio for making polished screen-recording demos and walkthroughs, with no subscriptions or watermarks.
Is this a desktop app or a web tool?It is a native desktop app built with Electron, with capture, editing, zoom, annotations, and export all done locally.
Do I need any accounts or extra software to use it?No accounts, API keys, or paid tier are required; on Linux you just need PipeWire for system-audio capture to work.
Is it still being maintained?No, the project is archived and no longer maintained; it started as a side project and the README itself warns it is not production grade and you may hit bugs.
Does it work the same on macOS, Windows, and Linux?The editor and export are identical everywhere, but capture differs: macOS and Windows use native capture pipelines with full cursor-theme and native webcam support, while Linux records through the browser pipeline and only captures cursor position, not shape or clicks.
Are the automatic captions sent to a server?No, captions for voiceovers are generated on-device and work fully offline, with nothing uploaded.
What editing features does it have besides recording?It supports crop/trim/speed control per timeline segment, auto or manual zooms that follow the cursor, motion blur, custom wallpapers/backgrounds, webcam picture-in-picture, and text/arrow/image annotations with animation presets.
What export formats and languages are supported?You can export to MP4 or GIF in multiple aspect ratios and resolutions, and the UI/captions support 13 languages including Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
If I hit a Gatekeeper block on macOS, what do I do?If you install the .dmg manually and macOS Gatekeeper blocks it, you run a bypass command in Terminal (after granting it Full Disk Access) and then enable Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions in System Settings.
Why was this built instead of just paying for Screen Studio?The author wanted a fully free tool covering the core demo-recording workflow most people need, without Screen Studio's $29/month subscription, while acknowledging it's not a 1:1 feature clone.
What are similar projects?Recordly, Drift, ScreenToGif, Captura, screenity, Cap, Kap, Concat
Which topics is it in?pixijs, mp4, screen-recorder, video-production, radix-ui, winget, annotations, webcam, gif, nix, screen-capture, appimage
Creator
siddharthvaddem
Size
166.2 MB
Stars
39.9K
Updated
CommitOct 17Releasev1.5.0Jun 06
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days