Open source screen recorders, built and launched

Screen recorders and screenshot tools you can run yourself. The list is ordered by whether each project came up when Argusic installed it fresh, with the recording of that attempt one click away.

Tested 2026-09-30. Each row shows its own test date; a project can change after that day.

1 of 1 tested projects run. 12 more waiting for a test.

In short: 1 of the 1 tested project started as-is on a fresh machine: skill-recorder.

Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence.

#	project	verdict	Argusic Score	language	stars	tested on
1	skill-recorder	Runs	100 / 100	TypeScript	4,204	2026-09-30
	Desktop app that records your on-screen work session and uses the GitHub Copilot SDK to reconstruct it as an intent + ordered steps, then builds a reusable... What the test found: npm ci installs all dependencies, npm run build produces dist/ and dist-electron/ output, the 266-test suite passes, and the Electron app launches under Xvfb with --no-sandbox printing its main capture message. 3 minutes.
-	wcap	Not yet tested	-	C	1,324	-
-	MFCMouseEffect	Not yet tested	-	C++	850	-
-	screen_capture_lite	Not yet tested	-	C	726	-
-	kiri	Not yet tested	-	Rust	584	-
-	Kiri	Not yet tested	-	Rust	584	-
-	windows-capture	Not yet tested	-	Rust	514	-
-	libvlc-go	Not yet tested	-	Go	510	-
-	CatchMe	Not yet tested	-	Python	508	-
-	meridian	Not yet tested	-	Rust	413	-
-	jietuba	Not yet tested	-	Python	376	-
-	screenREC	Not yet tested	-	TypeScript	290	-
-	screencapturekit-rs	Not yet tested	-	Rust	242	-

runs installed and started with its real dependencies. runs with mocks started after stand-ins replaced external services such as a database or a third-party API. could not verify neither the standard agent nor the stronger one got it running within the time limit; the log shows where it stopped.

How we tested

On this list as of the latest test: 1 project ran as-is, 0 with mocks, 0 could not be verified, 12 still waiting. Languages tested: TypeScript. Every attempt used a clean single-use machine, the subject at a pinned version, and a 45-minute limit; the complete procedure is on the methodology page.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How is this list ranked?

By measurement, not opinion: projects Argusic installed and launched on a fresh machine come first, then those that ran with mocks in place of external services, then those it could not verify. Ties go to the Argusic Score, then how popular it is on its own source.

Why are some projects unranked?

12 projects are still waiting for a test or for a finished attempt. They are listed without a rank until Argusic has measured them.

Where is the evidence?

Every row links to the project's Argusic page, where each run has a full log and a terminal recording stored with a sha256 fingerprint. The same pages exist for every one of the tested projects, on this list or not.

More lists in this category

All lists: Best. All tested projects: subjects.