Recording screen on Linux: the state of things in 2026

Recording screen on Linux: the state of things in 2026

If you have ever tried to record your screen on Linux, you already know the landscape is fragmented. Some tools only work on X11, others work on Wayland but lack basic features, and a few try to do everything and end up with a setup process that takes longer than the recording itself.
I have been building a screen recorder for Linux for the past year, and I have tested every option I could find along the way. This is where things stand right now.

The built-in option: GNOME screen recorder

If you are on Ubuntu or Fedora with GNOME, you already have a screen recorder built in. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R and it starts recording, press it again to stop.
The problem is that it is extremely limited. There are no audio controls, no webcam overlay, no zoom, and no cursor effects. The output is a WebM file that you will probably need to convert before sharing anywhere. It works for quick bug reports but it is not a tool for making content that people actually want to watch.

OBS Studio

OBS is the one everyone knows. It is free, open source, and works on Linux with full support for live streaming to Twitch and YouTube, multi-source scenes, capture cards, browser overlays, and advanced audio routing. If you need any of those things, OBS is the right choice and nothing else comes close.
But OBS was built for streaming, and when you use it for tutorial recording you end up doing a lot of setup that has nothing to do with the content you are trying to make. You configure scenes, add sources, set up audio devices, and tweak output settings before you can even hit record. If you want smooth zoom effects you need plugins or scripts, and if you want cursor emphasis you need more plugins or post-production editing.
OBS is the best free tool for streaming and complex productions, but it is not the best tool for recording a quick tutorial on Linux.

SimpleScreenRecorder

SimpleScreenRecorder does what it says on the tin. It records your screen on X11 with a simple interface and minimal resource usage, and it is reliable and lightweight for what it does.
The catch is that it only works on X11, which means no Wayland support at all. There are also no zoom effects, no cursor overlay, and no editing capabilities. If you are on a modern Linux desktop running Wayland, which is now the default on both Ubuntu and Fedora, SimpleScreenRecorder simply will not work.

Kazam

Kazam is another simple recorder built for GNOME with a clean interface and webcam overlay support that works for quick clips.
The problem is that Kazam has not seen meaningful development in years. Wayland support is partial at best, there are no zoom effects or cursor styling, and codec options are limited. It works for basic recording but it has not kept up with what Linux creators actually need in 2026.

VokoscreenNG

VokoscreenNG has more features than Kazam with scheduled recordings, multiple capture modes, and cross-platform support for both Linux and Windows, all open source.
The tradeoff is that the UI feels dated, there are no zoom or cursor effects, and the community around it is small. It is a step up from Kazam if you need scheduling but it is still a basic recorder that does not go beyond raw capture.

Kooha

Kooha is worth mentioning because it is one of the few recorders that was built for Wayland from the start, using PipeWire for screen capture which is the correct modern approach on Linux.
The tradeoff is that Kooha is minimal to a fault. There are no zoom effects, no cursor styling, and no editing tools. It records your screen and saves a file, and if you just need a clean Wayland recording with no fuss then Kooha works well. But if you need anything beyond raw capture you will need another tool to make the output look presentable.

Screenix

I built Screenix because none of these tools did what I needed. I wanted to record a tutorial on Linux and have it look polished without spending time in an editor afterward.
Screenix records your screen with automatic smooth zooms that follow your cursor. You click somewhere and it zooms in, you move to another area and it follows, and when you stop recording the zoom effects are already baked into the video with no keyframes or plugins or post-production required.
It also handles cursor styling with 15 themes, click emphasis, camera overlay with transitions, clip cutting, speed adjustments, blur and highlight zones, and a screenshot editor that lets you capture, beautify, and export screenshots in one click.
It works on both X11 and Wayland through PipeWire, with support for Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 40+, Arch, Manjaro, CachyOS, and Linux Mint. You install it, hit record, and the output is ready to share.
The downside is that Screenix is paid software. There is a 7-day free trial with full exports and no credit card required, but after that it requires a license. It also does not support live streaming, and it is Linux only with no Windows or macOS build.

Where things stand

The Linux screen recording landscape in 2026 breaks down pretty clearly. OBS Studio is still the answer for streaming and complex productions, and nothing else comes close for that use case. SimpleScreenRecorder is lightweight and reliable if you are still on X11. Kooha and the GNOME built-in recorder work for basic Wayland capture but they are limited to raw recording with no polish. And Screenix is the only option on Linux that handles zoom, cursor effects, and editing in one workflow for people making tutorials and demos.
The gap that still exists is between free tools that do raw capture well and paid tools that handle the post-production workflow. Most Linux creators end up recording with one tool, editing with another, and spending time on zoom effects and cursor highlighting that should not require manual keyframes in 2026.
If you want to try Screenix, the free trial is at screenix.studio. No credit card required, full exports for 7 days.