AI Tools · AI Video Creation

Camtasia

Camtasia is TechSmith's screen recorder and video editor for Windows and Mac; the Editor is free with a watermark and paid plans are billed yearly.

Our take: TechSmith's store makes the ladder easy to read: Starter at $39.00 a year is for capture and keeps the watermark, Essentials at $179.88 is where watermark-free editing starts, and Create and Pro add AI voice and avatar tools.

Best forScreen recording and editing

ReviewedNov 2026Freemium

6.95 criteria · see breakdown

Try Camtasia$39.00/yr (Starter); Editor free with watermark

TechSmith Corporation makes Camtasia, a screen recorder and video editor for Windows and Mac. TechSmith lets you use the full Camtasia Editor free with a watermark on exports, and its store lists yearly plans in US dollars: Starter at $39.00, Essentials at $179.88, Create at $249.00 and Pro at $599.00 per year, plus a Business license at $198.00 per user per year (checked 5 November 2026). TechSmith says Snagit now joins the suite as Camtasia Snagit, and that Camtasia moved from perpetual licenses to subscriptions in 2025.

The bottom line

Free to try with a watermark; Essentials at $179.88 a year removes it, and current plans are subscriptions, not one-time licenses.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isTechSmith's screen recorder and video editor, sold as a yearly subscription suite (Camtasia Editor, Audiate, Snagit, Screencast and assets) with a free Editor that watermarks exports.

Our takeTechSmith's store makes the ladder easy to read: Starter at $39.00 a year is for capture and keeps the watermark, Essentials at $179.88 is where watermark-free editing starts, and Create and Pro add AI voice and avatar tools.

The free Editor includes all editing features and its trial has no time limit, so a first test costs nothing; the question is whether the work you do needs the paid tools.

Why we rate itStrong recording and editing coverage and a free Editor, held back on value by a watermark below Essentials and by AI tools placed in the upper tiers.

The catchFree Editor and Starter exports are watermarked; plans are yearly and individual plans cannot be transferred; AI voice tools start at Create and avatars at Pro.

Best / not good for

Best for

Training and how-to video made from screen recordings
Educators and students, who have listed discounts
Teams of up to 99 using the Business license

Not good for

Buyers who want a one-time license for the current version
Anyone who needs watermark-free exports at the lowest price
Computers below TechSmith's minimum requirements (Windows 10 20H2 or macOS 14.0)

Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

Time to value
Download the Editor free and record at once; individual plans use a TechSmith account sign-in and no software key.
Scale breakpoint
Individual plans cannot be reassigned, so a team moves to the Business license ($198.00 per user per year, up to 99 users) or an Enterprise quote.
Walled garden
Premium assets, 200+ voiceover options and avatars sit behind Create and Pro, and ElevenLabs premium voices come only with eligible plans bought directly from TechSmith's store.

Still a fit?

If none of these block you, start on the free plan.

Try Camtasia

Camtasia plans and prices (US dollars, billed yearly)

Plan	Price	What TechSmith's store lists
Starter	$39.00/yr	Camtasia Editor with watermarked exports and Camtasia Snagit; blur and redact images, SOP and guide creation, background noise removal and webcam background removal
Essentials	$179.88/yr	Adds Camtasia Audiate: text-based video editing, filler word removal, speech-to-text transcription, captions, quizzes and SCORM export; exports without the watermark
Create	$249.00/yr	Adds script generation, voiceover generation with 200+ voiceover options and multi-language support
Pro	$599.00/yr	Adds avatar generation (49 styles), script translation, audio dubbing, image generation, 100 million+ premium stock assets and unlimited Screencast sharing
Business license	$198.00/user/yr	For teams of up to 99 users: Camtasia Editor and Camtasia Snagit, transferable licenses, phone and chat support, a discount from 10 users
Enterprise	Custom quote	For enterprises or large teams: a flat annual fee that covers every user and pricing locked in for 3 years, per TechSmith
Educator license	$162.36/user/yr	This is a discount from $198.00 for teachers, professors and instructional staff at accredited institutions.
Student plan	$45.00/yr	This is a discount from $179.88 for verified full-time students in the US, UK and Canada through Student Beans.

From TechSmith's Camtasia store pages (individuals, teams and business, education), read on 5 November 2026. Each figure is printed as US$ and billed yearly. All plans include a 14 day money-back guarantee, Camtasia Online access and live chat support, and individual plans cannot be transferred. Education and student prices are discounted prices shown on the education page. Third-party price pages are not used.

What is free or on trial

Product	Free access	Limit	Where
Camtasia Editor	Free download	No time limit; exports carry a watermark until you buy Essentials, Create, Pro or a Business license	Support article; product page
Camtasia Audiate	7-day trial	No content limit	Support article
Camtasia Snagit	15-day trial	No content limit	Support article
Camtasia Assets	Starter assets	No premium assets	Support article
Screencast	Free hosting	25 videos; 12 months for inactive content or accounts	Support article
Camtasia Online	Free browser recorder	1080p with no watermark, but 5 minutes per scene	Screen recorder page

From TechSmith's support article "Can I Try For Free Before Purchasing a Camtasia Plan?", its Camtasia product page and its screen recorder page, read on 5 November 2026.

What TechSmith calls the parts of Camtasia

Name	What TechSmith's pages say	Where
Camtasia Editor	The desktop recorder and multitrack video editor for Windows and macOS	Product page
Camtasia Audiate	Text-based editing, transcription and AI voiceover, included from the Essentials plan	Store page
Camtasia Snagit	Snagit "formally joining the Camtasia portfolio as Camtasia Snagit", included in every Camtasia plan; Snagit Individual is still sold on its own at US$39.00 per user per year	Support article; Snagit store page
Screencast	Private video hosting with timestamped comments and reactions, up to 25 videos on most plans	Store page
Camtasia Assets and Snagit Assets	Royalty-free stock media; a starter library on every plan and 100 million+ premium assets on Pro	Store page
Camtasia Online	A browser-based tool for recording, simple editing and sharing at 1080p, included with every plan	Store page

Names as listed on techsmith.com on 5 November 2026. The Conversion Gems review of Snagit is a separate page.

Licenses, devices and system requirements

TechSmith's support page says Snagit and Camtasia moved to subscription models in 2025: a version bought before 2025 is a perpetual license with the updates for that version, and an active subscription includes the latest version. Individual plans use a TechSmith account sign-in with no software key, while a Business license uses a software key.

TechSmith's product page says each Camtasia license can be used on two devices by the same user, and its store says a Business license runs on one machine at a time. The product page lists Windows 10 (64-bit) 20H2 or later or macOS 14.0 as the minimum, while the Business and Education store pages say macOS 13+.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Camtasia free?

Partly. TechSmith says you can download and use the full Camtasia Editor for free with all editing features, and the only limit is a watermark on exported videos until you move to an Essentials, Create or Pro plan or a Camtasia Editor Business License. Its support page lists no time limit on the Editor trial and gives 7 days for Camtasia Audiate and 15 days for Camtasia Snagit. Camtasia Online, the browser recorder, is described as free with no watermark and limits recordings to 5 minutes per scene (checked 5 November 2026).

How much does Camtasia cost?

TechSmith's store lists four individual plans billed yearly in US dollars: Starter at $39.00, Essentials at $179.88, Create at $249.00 and Pro at $599.00 per year. Starter includes a watermarked Camtasia Editor and Camtasia Snagit. The Business license is $198.00 per user per year for up to 99 users, with a discount from 10 users; Enterprise is custom; educators pay $162.36 and verified students $45.00 per year (checked 5 November 2026).

Is Camtasia a one-time purchase?

Not any more, according to TechSmith. Its support page says that starting in 2025 Snagit and Camtasia transitioned to subscription-based models, and that a version bought before 2025 is a perpetual license with the updates for that version. The store prices current plans per year, billed yearly, and a TechSmith support page says it does not offer monthly subscriptions for Camtasia Editor or Audiate (checked 5 November 2026).

How does Camtasia relate to Snagit?

TechSmith's support page says Snagit is formally joining the Camtasia portfolio as Camtasia Snagit, and the store includes it in every Camtasia plan, from Starter up, although a TechSmith support article on individual subscriptions names only Essentials, Create and Pro. TechSmith's store also still sells Snagit on its own as Snagit Individual. Conversion Gems reviews Snagit separately (checked 5 November 2026).

What is Camtasia used for?

TechSmith describes Camtasia as a way to record your screen, webcam, system audio and microphone on separate tracks, then edit and share the result as tutorials, training videos, software demos and presentations. Its site lists use cases such as customer education, how-to videos, knowledge capture, technology training and editing a meeting recording. It runs on Windows 10 (64-bit) 20H2 or later or macOS 14.0 or later and works offline, though some cloud-sharing and AI features need an internet connection (checked 5 November 2026).

How do I log in to Camtasia?

Conversion Gems is a review site and cannot sign anyone in. TechSmith's Sign in link opens https://www.techsmith.com/signin, which goes to login.techsmith.com and asks for an email address or Google or Apple sign-in; it says one account covers Camtasia, Audiate, Screencast, Snagit and more. TechSmith says an individual subscription has no software key, so you sign in with your TechSmith account.