| Fact |  iShowU Studio 2Record and edit in one app, on a genuine perpetual licence |  OBS StudioFree screen recording and live streaming with no limits or watermark |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 | Free |
| Licence | PerpetualUpdates included, forever | Open sourceNothing to buy; source published |
| The catch | $79 covers Studio 2 only — the quicker iShowU V6 recorder is a separate $89 app | No editor and no official support — scenes and macOS audio routing are yours to set up |
| Against a subscription | 3 monthsAgainst Descript at $288 a year | Replaces Loom Business$216 a year |
| Seats | 1 Mac | not established |
| Developer account | None needed | None needed |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Silicon | Native | Native |
| Free trial | Yes | does not apply |
| On Setapp | No | No |
| Minimum macOS | not established | macOS 12 |
| Buy direct | Get it |
Both prices read 22 Sep 2026, on the pages these buttons open. App Store rating is not established for either app, so that row is left out.
In their own right
iShowU Studio 2
Records the screen with audio and then gives you an editor for trimming, zooming, cursor highlighting and callouts in the same app. Sold as a perpetual licence with no annual option at all.
OBS Studio
OBS Studio records and streams anything on a Mac: scenes built from window, display, camera and audio sources, filters, and a large plugin ecosystem. Free under the GPL, with no watermark, no length limit and no account.