Top 10 GIF Recorders for Windows/Mac/Linux (Why You Should Choose)
GIF is a unique format between image and video. You can create a GIF with still images or animated images. It is also supported to use a GIF recorder to record screen video and save as GIF format. But GIF is not a video format. By the way, you cannot get sound on GIFs.
Because GIF is small in file size, many people use GIF for easy sharing, uploading and more. GIF is also a top choice for screen recording. More and more GIF screen recording software is compatible with GIF format.
This article collects 10 top-rated GIF recorders. If you have no idea which one to choose, just read and compare. Now, let’s see which tool does a great job in capturing a GIF.
Part 1: Top 10 Best GIF Recorders
Here’re the recommended GIF screen recorders for multiplatform. With the help of this GIF recorder review, you can get the real user experience of each GIF recorder.
Top 1: WidsMob Capture
If you are looking for a powerful and easy to use GIF recorder, you can take a look at WidsMob Capture. It is a simple GIF screen recorder with multiple editing and annotation tool. You can make a GIF recording file with any streaming video or image. Or you can record a webcam video as GIF as well. Moreover, you can add text, mark pen and other drawing effects to your GIF capture directly. Both beginners and experts can make an animated GIF with ease.
Price: Free trial/$19.99
OS: Mac
Pros:
1. Screen record gameplay, webcam, YouTube video and more as GIF files.
2. Use hotkeys to control the entire GIF screen recording process.
3. Text, draw, outline and apply more effects to your GIFs.
4. Fast, lightweight and user friendly.
Cons:
1. There is no the GIF recorder for Windows version yet.
2. The trial version allows users to make a GIF no more than 3 minutes.
Top 2: ScreenToGif
The ScreenToGif portable package is in a small file size. ScreenToGif is consisted of a built-in GIF recorder and editor. You can record screen, webcam and sketch board as GIF or other compatible formats.
Price: Free
OS: Windows
Pros:
1. It is a free and open source GIF recorder for Windows users.
2. Contain no ads.
3. Regular updates for screen recording.
Cons:
1. ScreenToGif GIF screen capture doesn’t show in the Start menu.
2. It may be a little buggy because of the user interface.
Top 3: Gyazo
Gyazo is a straightforward screen GIF recorder for both portable and desktop users. The recorded GIF file will stay safe and private until you share GIF to the Internet.
Price: Free trial/$3.99 annually
OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Pros:
1. Record and share GIFs in one stop on your mobile phone or computer.
2. Access the captured GIFs and images easily with the chronology tool.
Cons:
1. Need to upgrade to Pro or Team version to unlock annotations of GIF capture.
2. The GIF sharing links are long and not editable, unless you pay for this feature.
Top 4: Recordit
Recordit is a fast screencast tool that offers GIF and Twitter support. You can record GIF on Windows and Mac for sharing directly. But if you want to change video bitrate up to 12 FPS, you need to upgrade to its full version.
Price: Free trial/$29.00
OS: Windows, Mac
Pros:
1. The GIF screen capture software is integrated with the top task bar.
2. Hold and drag the mouse cursor to screen capture a GIF with custom region.
Cons:
1. The recorded video will be uploaded to the Internet without your permission.
2. Recordit GIF recorder for Windows version lags heavily.
Top 5: Capture to a GIF
Capture to a Gif is a free GIF recorder Chrome extension. You can capture an animated GIF from your Google Chrome browser. After recording, the Chrome GIF recorder extension will generate a GIF picture automatically.
Price: Free
OS: Google Chrome
Pros:
1. Record a GIF on any page within Chrome.
2. Generate and re-generate a GIF with the built-in options based on your need.
Cons:
1. The interface of Capture to a Gif is confusing for most users.
2. Slow down the browser speed while generating a GIF file.
Top 6: Peek
Peek is a simple animated GIF recorder for Linux, which is based on the GIF89a file format. You can capture a GIF with a user-defined screen area. The GIF screen capture can be saved or shared freely.
Price: Free
OS: Linux
Pros:
1. Focus on creating silent GIF animations with extended features.
2. Set a delay timer to record GIF on Linux.
Cons:
1. Peek provides limited features.
2. No native support for Wayland display server protocol.
Top 7: Screencastify
Screencastify is also a popular Google Chrome GIF recorder you can try. With the integration of YouTube and Google Drive, you can upload GIF files online in one stop.
Price: Free
OS: Google Chrome
Pros:
1. Screen record GIF offline without the Internet.
2. Save GIF recording files to Google Drive automatically.
Cons:
1. If you use Safari, Firefox or other browsers, Screencastify GIF screen recorder is useless.
2. User errors occur frequently.
Top 8: GIPHY
GIPHY is not only a large platform for looping GIFs, but also a free GIF recorder and maker online. If the GIF searching results are not satisfying, you can record unique GIFs by yourself.
Price: Free
OS: Online
Pros:
1. Create GIFs online with local images and videos.
2. The GIPHY GIF recorder allows users to trim video length and add captions to GIFs.
Cons:
1. Need to create a GIPHY account before using the online GIF maker.
2. The animated GIF should be less than 15 seconds.
Top 9: Getkap
Getkap is an open source GIF recorder for Mac tool. You can record screen as GIF, MP4, WebM and other popular formats. It is supported to share GIF animations on GIPHY as well.
Price: Free
OS: Mac
Pros:
1. Record GIF and export to GIPHY, ZEIT or Streamable.
2. Offer highlight clicks and trimming tools.
Cons:
1. macOS 10.12 or later is required to run the open source GIF recorder properly.
2. Overlarge package download size.
Top 10: Fraps
Fraps is a screen recorder with a long history. You can record screen video as MP4 or AVI format. Then you can change the file extension to .gif manually. Fraps allows users to record a GIF with full-size or half-size. Moreover, you can set a specific frame rate for GIF recording.
Price: Free trial/$37.00
OS: Windows
Pros:
1. Record GIF from streaming gameplay.
2. Work with Nvidia and AMD Radeon graphic cards.
Cons:
1. There is no direct GIF format support in Fraps.
2. Fraps has no available GIF recorder for Windows 10 and Windows 8.
Part 2: How to Record a GIF on Mac
For Mac users who want to make a GIF looping with text overlay, WidsMob Capture does a great help. You can add text, arrow, line, shape and other annotations to GIFs with custom color and size. No matter you want to record a GIF from video game, streaming video and any other media sources, you can get the high-quality GIF screencasts here.
Step 1: Free download, install and launch WidsMob Capture on your Mac computer.
Step 2: To record screen to GIF on Mac, click Record Screen to access the screen recorder.
Step 3: In the Screen Area section, you can click the three-line icon on its lower right corner. Set the GIF screen size from Full screen, Fixed region or Custom region.
Or you can drag on the Mac screen with your mouse to set GIF screen capture area freely.
Then disable Microphone and Webcam to record a screen video with Mac screen.
Step 5: Click the red REC icon to start recording Mac screen. You can click the Edit icon to add drawing effects.
Step 6: After screen recording, you can find the file in Media Library. Just find it and change with file extension as .gif.
All the aforementioned GIF recorders are available for GIF capture and editing. You can choose any GIF screen recorder for Windows, Mac or Linux. The Chrome GIF capture tool is also available. But there is not any GIF recorder with sound. Actually, it is a short video. If you really want to make a loop GIF with sound, you can convert to other video formats with smaller file sizes as well.