ActivePresenter vs. OBS Studio

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ActivePresenter
Score 0.0 out of 10
N/A
N/A
$0
OBS Studio
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, featuring real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Users can create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards.N/A
Pricing
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Editions & Modules
ActivePresenter Standard
$0
ActivePresenter Pro
$0
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Considered Both Products
ActivePresenter
Chose ActivePresenter
It's simply easier to use and has more features than the one in the list. Added to that, the license price of ActivePresenter is so much more affordable than others on the market.
OBS Studio
Chose OBS Studio
Only one reason which is that OBS studio is free and open source and we had team members capable of using it effectively. Other softwares have great prebuilt features which make it super easy to go live for small streams and individual streamers.
Chose OBS Studio
I've tried both Meld and Bandicam in the past. But OBS seems like the best to me. I've been using OBS for a few years now, it's nice that it's free :) not opposed to paying for good software, but OBS seems to be the best of the bunch and it's free, so I've stuck with it …
Chose OBS Studio
I've used Zoom to capture my screen on video. Although the tool is obviously not primarily built to fulfill that function. To capture basic tasks on video, zoom could do the trick but as soon as it gets a bit complex or lengthy, or you need to use multiple video inputs, I would …
Chose OBS Studio
OBS is far more customizable and user-friendly than any other broadcasting software I have found. It keeps things simple while allowing you to customize your layout exactly how you want it - there are more user-friendly options, but none with the customizability of OBS. I would …
Chose OBS Studio
I have also used TinyTake by Mango Apps and I prefer OBS studio because the video quality results are better and OBS allows you to record an unlimited length of the video. OBS also lets you record an entire screen instead of manually having to draw your parameters, which can …
Chose OBS Studio
I first was recommended beta version of mmhmm but it was not available for Windows OS. I tried it when it became available but it was too late for me to switch and I stayed with OBS. OBS did everything I needed and it is free
Chose OBS Studio
I have never use anything like OBS Studio. This is very easy to use. I just saw some reviews online and downloaded OBS Studio. This is free for download, easy to run, no virus and no watermark.OBS Studio is a great programme for advanced users and there are no time limits.
Chose OBS Studio
OBS is the only robust screen capture with a stable graphical user interface that works on Linux (that I could find). That's why I originally chose it. Since the program is cross-platform, I have been able to keep using it. I could switch back to Panopto, now that I am on …
Chose OBS Studio
We checked out a lot of alternatives, which were simply too expensive for us when we are just in the startup stage of livestreaming.
Chose OBS Studio
The fact that it's free is helpful and it is so unique with the level of technology it provides for such a low cost that it is worth trying. Now that we use it every day, why know that there is a paid professional version that offers even more features.

I didn't do a hard …
Chose OBS Studio
Webex has its uses, particularly when meeting viewers need to participate, but we always use OBS Studio when they don't need to interact (just view).
Chose OBS Studio
OBS takes a lot more work to get started with than Google Hangouts, but you get a much more high quality output from it. It even works better with YouTube than Hangout, which is odd since it is also owned by Google. You can not set a poser image on a YouTube live stream when …
Chose OBS Studio
Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder (obsolete, clunky and not always clear what's wrong when it was giving us issues)
Wirecast (too pricey for what we needed)
Best Alternatives
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Small Businesses
Sendspark
Sendspark
Score 10.0 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Snagit
Snagit
Score 9.3 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Snagit
Snagit
Score 9.3 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ActivePresenterOBS Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
ActivePresenter is designed for professional trainers, educators or teachers. So, it's best to use it for educational purposes like creating training videos, eLearning lessons, interactive training videos. You can also use it as a tool for content creation like making tutorial videos for YouTube or other social video sharing platforms. Making online courses for local training or selling online is also a great fit of ActivePresenter.
Read full review
From simple streaming to bigger events, OBS has been able to handle all of it with full confidence from us. Have never questioned if it was going to be unreliable in a specific situation, even with minimal training. Software identified the external input source easily and had no issues setting that up (Blackmagic Mini Recorder), and great for pulling in separate audio from the computer input.
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Pros
  • making tutorial videos with screen recording and video editing.
  • Creating interactive eLearning lessons.
  • Creating software simulation
  • Making demo videos for software products
  • Design complete responsive eLearning courses
  • Export eLearning courses into SCORM or xAPI for uploading to an LMS
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  • Free software for live telecast
  • Open source project for video recording
  • Powerful video recording
  • Written in C and C++
  • Totally virus free and free download
  • Collaborates with Facebook live and YouTube live streaming.
  • Computer screen recording
  • A hub for collectting source and broadcast
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Cons
  • it could be more helpful to have built-in library
  • AI features like Auto captions
  • Improve transition effects and video effects
  • more built-in templates for Text
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  • OBS can be a little clunky sometimes, the lots of features can be a bit overwhelming
  • I can multitask with it, but can't run heavy software like Premiere alongside it
  • No way to make adjustments to file after it's done, have to use After Effects or Premiere for that
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Usability
It's easy to use like MS PowerPoint . The UI looks similar to what I've been using for over decades. I am an old man, and I can use it to create so many different types of content. Great one! No excuse buying the software.
Read full review
Very usable because it is free and has had a lot of people helping to suggest improvements and sponsors have allowed the product to grow in sophistication and suitability across a variety of situations and use needs. It is very logical to use once you get started, although the dashboard can seem intimidating at first.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
For a free product, a range of support is available. There are plenty of ways to find out answers to questions, because there are probably thousands of people using the product who are willing to share what they have learned. It usually works as designed, so needs for support are limited.
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Alternatives Considered
It's simply easier to use and has more features than the one in the list. Added to that, the license price of ActivePresenter is so much more affordable than others on the market.
Read full review
Only one reason which is that OBS studio is free and open source and we had team members capable of using it effectively. Other softwares have great prebuilt features which make it super easy to go live for small streams and individual streamers.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • It's one time purchase license.
  • It's the best desktop app for eLearning in 2025.
  • Pay one time, use forever is a great point of ActivePresenter
  • Their support team is absolutely the most responsive and nice people on earth in my opinion.
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  • It was great to have a platform that is free that I can experiment with without having to use our business capital on.
  • It took time to learn, but it helped me understand a lot of things, so it was a great learning experience.
  • It was a great balance of cost and time with the high-quality product we got from it.
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ScreenShots