Clarcut vs Bandicam: which one should you choose?

Clarcut vs Bandicam at a glance

Public prices as of November 2026, excluding any taxes. They may change.

Bandicam, a proven Windows recorder

Bandicam has been around on Windows for a long time and made its name with gamers: a game mode that detects the running game, lightweight recording up to 4K and 480 fps, and support for NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync and AMD hardware encoders. It also records an area, the full screen, a webcam or an external device, lets you draw on screen while recording (pen strokes, arrows, shapes, text), and can start a recording at a scheduled time.

Version 2027, released in October 2026, adds tutorial-oriented features: Smart Zoom, which zooms in and out automatically based on your clicks (in area or fullscreen mode, applied after recording), basic trimming of the start and end, blurring up to 3 areas, a virtual webcam background, and AI transcription, some of which may require credits.

Clarcut, built for demos and tutorials

Clarcut isn't trying to record games. It records your screen, webcam and mic while separately logging mouse, clicks and keystrokes, then delivers an edited video: zooms on clicks, a recomputed smooth cursor, background noise removed, background and frame, and a webcam that moves out of the cursor's way. The editor lets you cut silences in one click, speed up typing sections, blur an area, and add styled captions transcribed locally (Pro).

The differences that matter

• Use case: Bandicam covers gaming and long raw recordings very well. Clarcut focuses on a software video that's ready to publish.
• Free version: Bandicam's free version caps each recording at 5 minutes and adds a watermark to videos trimmed in its editor. Clarcut's free version has no time limit, with a small watermark at 1080p.
• Editing: Bandicam trims the start and end and applies Smart Zoom. Clarcut goes further: silences, speed-ups, blur, cursor styles, backgrounds, vertical and square formats.
• Mac: Bandicam for Mac is a separate app, on subscription, with its own feature set (Smart Zoom is presented as a Windows feature). Clarcut has the same editor and license on Windows and Mac.
• Commercial use: on Windows, Bandicam separates personal and business licenses ($49.46/year for one PC). Clarcut has a single Pro license.

Cost over 1 and 3 years

When to pick Bandicam instead of Clarcut

• You record games and want high frame rates using your graphics card's encoder.
• You need to draw on screen while recording or schedule a recording.
• You want to record a capture card, a console or another external source.
• You want to remove or replace your webcam background.

Recording a 2-minute software tutorial in each, step by step

1. 1

   Bandicam: record

   Choose Rectangle (a selected area) or Fullscreen mode, since Smart Zoom only works on those. Add your webcam overlay if you want one, and draw on screen with pen strokes, arrows or text as you explain. On the free version, keep it under 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Bandicam: edit

   Open the recording in Bandicam's built-in editor, trim the start and end, and turn on Smart Zoom. Preview the zooms and adjust them if needed. Bandicam 2027 can also blur up to 3 areas at once if something sensitive is visible.

3. 3

   Bandicam: export

   Export the video. On the free version, a trimmed export carries a watermark; a license removes it.

4. 4

   Clarcut: record

   Pick the screen, a window or an area, turn on the webcam and mic, and start (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows). There's no time limit, even on the free version.

5. 5

   Clarcut: edit

   Zooms on your clicks, a smoothed cursor and noise removal are already applied. Cut silences in one click, speed up typing sections, blur a password from the moment it appears, and turn on on-screen keyboard shortcuts if your tutorial relies on them.

6. 6

   Clarcut: export

   Export to MP4 or GIF in the format you need. Pro adds captions transcribed on your computer, 4K and 60 fps.

Bandicam's strength in this scenario is live drawing: if you like circling things as you talk, Clarcut can't do that. Clarcut's strength is everything after the recording: silences, cursor, typing speed-ups, captions and a background, with no time cap.

Switching from Bandicam to Clarcut

If you used Bandicam for tutorials, install Clarcut for free (no admin rights needed on Windows) and redo a recent tutorial: compare the time spent and the result. You can keep Bandicam for games. Coming from Bandicam, the code TCHAO15 gets you 15% off Clarcut Pro.

Our verdict by profile

• Gamer or gaming content creator: Bandicam.
• Instructor, product or support team recording software: Clarcut.
• Moving between Windows and Mac: Clarcut, with one license and the same editor on both.

Frequently asked questions