TapeBoothA free Screencastify alternative
Screencastify is a popular screen recorder for Chrome, widely used by teachers. Its free plan limits how many videos you keep, how long they run, and what you can export. If you mostly record on your own computer and share the file yourself, TapeBooth does that for free. Here is an honest comparison, including what TapeBooth doesn't do.
Where the two differ
Screencastify has about 9 million users on the Chrome Web Store, with a 3.9-star rating from 11.7K ratings. It has a free plan and three paid plans: Starter at $7 per user a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), Pro at $10 per user a month billed yearly ($25 monthly), and Enterprise & EDU by quote.
TapeBooth is free with no paid plan, makes no network requests, and keeps every recording on your computer.
| Feature | TapeBooth | Screencastify |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid plan | Free plan; Starter $7, Pro $10 per user a month, billed yearly |
| Number of videos | Unlimited, as many as your disk holds | 10 per account on the free plan (deleting one doesn't free a slot); unlimited on paid plans |
| Length per video | No limit | 30 min free, 60 min Starter, 180 min Pro |
| Watermark | None | On the free plan, per Chrome Web Store reviews (September 2026); removed on paid plans |
| Highest quality | Up to 4K, if your screen has it | 1080p on free and Starter; 4K on Pro |
| MP4 and GIF export | Free | Not on the free plan since 2022 |
| Editing | Free: trim, split, cut out a middle part, blur areas. No text, boxes, crop or merging | Paid plans: trim, merge, text, box and blur; crop and pen per its Store listing |
| Recording modes | This tab, window or screen, camera only | Browser tab, desktop, webcam only |
| Audio | Mic, tab audio, system audio when sharing the screen | Mic, tab audio, system audio in desktop mode |
| Drawing and clicks | Pen, highlighter, arrow, rectangle, eraser; optional click rings. Tab mode only | Pen, rectangle, stickers, eraser; click circles, spotlight, highlight and fireworks |
| Captions, translation, AI tools | Not offered | Pro plan |
| Interactive questions | Not offered | Starter plan and up |
| Share links, cloud library, Google Drive and Classroom | Not offered: you share the downloaded file | Offered |
| Admin, LMS and single sign-on | Not offered | Enterprise & EDU plan |
| Warning when you add it | None | “Read and change all your data on all websites” |
Who should pick which
- Pick TapeBooth if you record lessons, feedback or walkthroughs on your own computer or Chromebook, want unlimited, uncapped recordings with no watermark, and are happy to share the file yourself through email, a drive or your learning platform.
- Stay with Screencastify if you rely on share links, a cloud library, Google Classroom posting, captions, interactive questions, or district admin and single sign-on. TapeBooth has none of these, because they need a server.
Switching takes a few minutes
- Save anything you want to keep from your Screencastify library first.
- Add TapeBooth to Chrome and allow your camera and microphone on the welcome page.
- If you use keyboard shortcuts, check they don't clash: TapeBooth's are Alt+Shift+R to start and stop and Alt+Shift+P to pause, and you can change them in Chrome.
- Record, edit and export. The webcam guide and the Chromebook guide walk through it.
TapeBooth can't open videos made elsewhere: its editor works on its own recordings.
Sources
- Screencastify on the Chrome Web Store: users, rating, editing tools, permissions, checked October 12, 2026; and its user reviews from August and September 2026, including one saying the free plan “puts a watermark on everything” (September 2026).
- Screencastify pricing: plans, prices, length per video, quality, watermark removal on paid plans, AI features, admin.
- Screencastify's FAQ on its free plan: export on the free plan.
- Screencastify's record toolbar guide: modes, audio, drawing and mouse effects.
- Common Sense Education teacher review: deleting videos doesn't free a slot.