GIF Screen Recorders for Desktop and Mobile
GIF is memorable and universally accepted. This is why they make the best memes. But have you ever wondered how they are made? Or do you have something happening on your screen right now that you just know will make the perfect GIF? A GIF screen recorder is the best way to turn whatever on your screen to the best GIF.
But an on-screen GIF recorder needs to have the best features if you are going to use it to create the perfect GIF. This is why we’ve decided to test and review some of the different free GIF screen recorders and paid GIF recorders to help you find the best one. Let’s begin with the best Windows screen recorder GIF makers.
GIF Screen Recorders for Windows
The following are the top screen recorders that you can use to create a GIF on PC.
Fraps
Released more than 18 years ago, Fraps is probably one of the oldest screen recorders in the business. One of its biggest advantages is that it is very easy to use. It works with both Nvidia and AMD Radeon graphics cards. It doesn’t support GIF and therefore the only way to use it would be to record the screen in MP4 or AVI format and then convert the video to GIF format later. The free version of Fraps will also only allow users to record up to 30 seconds of video.
GIF Screen Recorder
GIF to screen recorder is another great tool that you can use to capture GIF on your screen. It is also very easy to use, allowing you to begin the screen recording in just a single click. The user interface is pretty straightforward, allowing even the beginner user to find and use the various tools easily. It also comes with features that allow users to edit the captured GIF to make them more attractive.
Gyazo
Gyazo is a free lightweight tool that is designed to make it easy for users to capture GIF on their devices. Available for most devices including Android and iOS, Gyazo is highly functional, allowing users to capture multiple GIF at the same time. It is also very easy to use; all you have to do is to drag the cursor to set the screen size that you want to record and the recording will begin immediately.
Wondershare DemoCreator
Wondershare DemoCreator is one of the most promising and feature-rich screen recorders that you can use. It offers a wide range of screen recording options to choose from including the ability to very easily capture videos and GIFs on your screen. One of its main advantages is that apart from being very easy to use Wondershare Democreator also comes with a wide range of editing options that allow users to edit the GIF any way they want. For example, you can trim and cut the GIF as needed or add annotations.
Secure DownloadSecure DownloadGIF Screen Recorder for Mac
The following are the best GIF screen recorders that Mac users can use;
Recordit
Compatible with most platforms including Mac, Recordit is a fast and easy to use screen recorder that you can use to create GIF. It can also be used to record various sections of the screen in video format and then share the link from directly within the program. It is also one of the best apps to use when you want to record a demonstrative video of how a certain app on your computer works thanks to its great editing features. It comes with a free version that you can download and start to use immediately.
Kap
Kap is an open-source GIF screen recorder that you can use to create GIFs on your Mac. It is almost a free GIF screen recorder, easy to download and a very useful screen capture tool for GIF, videos and images. It supports numerous output formats including GIF, MP4, Web-M and APNG. It also has an in-built editing suite that can be very useful for trimming the GIF and videos to the required size and even highlighting some sections using annotations.
CloudApp
CloudApp is another easy to use GIF recording tool for Mac. Its major benefit is that it comes with its Cloud service that makes sharing the resultant GIF much easier. It also has a free version that is not as limited and it is very easy to use. To create a GIF, all you have to do is select the GIF icon and then choose the area you would like to record.
GIFox
Like CloudApp, GIFox also makes it very easy for you to share the resultant GIF once it has been created. It also makes the whole creation process very easy. It has numerous options for capturing the GIF including the ability to select a section of the screen to capture and select the output quality of the resultant GIF or video. You can also easily select the elements that you would like added to the screen recording and select exactly how you would like to record the screen.
Android GIF Screen Recorder
The following are the best tools to choose of you would like to create GIFs on your Android device;
Camera MX
As the name suggests Camera MX is a camera app that also doubles as a GIF creator. In fact, it can turn all the photos you take on your device into GIF. Since it comes with one of the best cameras of any camera apps we’ve seen, it is a great way to take photos. The GIF tool is known as the live shot feature in the app and it is quite easy to use. The app has a free version, although there is a paid version at $1.99.
Giphy Cam
Available for free on the Google Play Store this Android GIF screen recorder is a new app that hasn’t been around for too long. But in the short time that it has been around, Giphy cam has cemented its place as one of the best Android screen recorder GIF makers, particularly because you can use to add special effects and filters to the GIF that you create.
GroupMe
GroupMe is another free Android app that you can use to create GIFs. Although it is completely free to use and comes with fairly useful features, it can’t be used to create a GIF from scratch. Instead, you can use it to edit an existing GIF in numerous ways including by adding text. There are also some features of the app that you have to pay to access.
Motion Stills
Motion Stills is a free and easy to use GIF maker developed by Google. You shoot short videos with the app that you can then turn to GIF. The app also allows you to share the short videos you shoot as looping GIF or as video. Although it is completely free to use and quite easy to navigate, it still has some bugs that you may find a bit off.
Screen Recorder GIF for Chrome
The following are some of the best GIF screen recorder online tools;
Screencastify
Screencastify is an easy to use Chrome plugin that can be used to capture GIF and video easily. Easily downloaded from the Chrome web store. Screencastify is an easy to use solution that comes with a feature-packed but simple user interface. You can use it to capture both screenshots and videos that can be converted to GIF. The free version does however limit the number of videos you can record to 50 a month and just 10 minutes per video.
Chrome Capture
Chrome Capture is another free online GIF maker screen recorder that is easy to use and available on the Chrome web store. It is very easy to use, particularly because it allows users to utilize easy to remember hotkeys to start and end the recording process. Aside from creating GIF, you can use Chrome Capture to capture short videos and then use the in-built editing features to edit videos and GIFs in numerous ways.
Animated GIF Capture
Like all other Chrome screen recorder GIF makers, this one is also available on the Chrome web store for free. It is also very easy to use; all you have to do is install it to your browser and click on its icon when you need to capture the screen. This plugin will easily and automatically convert the image or video to an animated GIF.
Capture to a GIF
This screen recorder GIF Chrome plugin is also a very simple tool to use when you want to capture GIF from your browser. Once it is installed on your browser, all you have to do is click on its icon to begin the recording process. The recording process is made easier by the ability to use hotkeys to start and stop the recording process.
Conclusion
The above tools are some of the best programs we could find to help you create GIFs on various devices. Each of the tools is designed for this purpose will work to produce the desired GIF. The only difference is in the degree of quality that each tool promises and how easy it is to use. You will notice that the free programs are more likely to be limited in function and therefore if you want high-quality GIF or the ability to edit the GIF as much as you want, we recommend choosing one of the premium programs.
