CamStudio

About

CamStudio is a free and open-source screen recording software, originating from the United States, primarily for Windows and PortableApps.com. Its core functionality allows users to record their computer screen with audio input from microphones or speakers, displaying mouse clicks, and saving recordings as AVI or exporting as SWF. Key features include screen recording, video capture, and portability, making it suitable for presentations. While the open-source code base dates back to 2005 or earlier, and it was once considered a "very good tool" known for its "low CPU load" during recording, its development has been fraught with issues. Reviews highlight that the software "very rarely gets updated" and that later official releases, particularly post-2012, have been controversially bundled with "malware," "spamware," and "viruses," leading to a significant decline in trust and usability. Users are frequently advised to seek older, clean builds (e.g., from early 2012) or compile from a 2011 GitHub fork to avoid these issues. Functionally, it is a "pretty basic software" that performs its main job well, though it may experience audio/video synchronization issues and is not recommended for recording fullscreen 3D games, for which alternatives like FRAPS are suggested. Due to these significant problems, its market position has been undermined, with users often recommending competitors such as Bandicam, Snagit, and ShareX. Information regarding specific founding year, revenue/financials, leadership, or employee count is not available.