The Best Free Webcam Software for Windows 10

Logitech Capture is available for both Windows and Mac, and it’s designed to work specifically with Logitech’s own webcams. There are lots of useful features here, including multi-source recording, not just desktop or window plus webcam, but two webcams if you have them, and vertical video capture for mobile-focused content. It enables you to livestream and to add live text overlays, and you can customize your settings and save up to six camera profiles if you like different looks for different kinds of video. It’s very capable, although it’s the kind of app you’ll want to spend some time learning to appreciate what it can do. I found the multi-source setup surprisingly flexible once I got the hang of it.

Many webcam recorders can make videos, but can they make you look good too? YouCam can. Its Live Makeup feature can make subtle enhancements to your skin tone to make sure that every side is your good side. I liked how natural the adjustments looked when I tested them.

It is also one of the most feature rich options here and a strong candidate for anyone looking for the best camera app for Windows with presentation tools and visual effects. The app includes a wide range of playful additions you can use with friends and family, but it also works well for more serious tasks. There is a dedicated presentation mode that helps you turn slides into something more engaging, and a solid set of video enhancement tools that help you get the best from your recordings. There is a 30 day free trial, so you can put the app through its paces and see quite a lot of pop up messages urging you to buy the whole thing.

Webcam recording doesn’t get much simpler than this. You open your browser, head to Screencapture.com, give it permission to use the webcam and microphone, and that’s pretty much it. One click and the recording starts. There are no editing tools waiting for you, nothing fancy on the screen, just a stop button. When you’re done, the site hands you an MP4 file to download. I liked how bare and immediate it felt, almost like switching on a light.

ManyCam is the kind of webcam application we’d turn to in education or training, thanks to the inclusion of a whiteboard that’s ideal for sketching, scribbling, and doodling. I found the whiteboard tools surprisingly smooth when I tried them. It can handle multiple simultaneous video sources and stream live to Facebook and YouTube. It enables you to use multiple layers and adjust their opacity, replace the background of your feed with a virtual location, and there’s also chroma key support for green or blue screen effects. Not all of these features are available in the Standard edition, though. If you want virtual backgrounds, chroma key, and the ability to record in 4K, you’ll need one of the higher tier plans such as Studio or Premium.

YawCam gets its name from Yet Another Webcam Software, and it’s a Windows webcam app written in Java. It’s a fairly simple freeware app in terms of what it does. If you’re looking for multi-camera footage with all kinds of special effects and other goodies, this is not the webcam program for you. But YawCam has its own built-in web server, the ability to upload to FTP sites, motion detection and an online scheduler. You can also use it to make time-lapse movies. What it can’t do is output in any of the video formats you’d expect: the output options here are JPG, GIF, and PNG images, although you can stream live to the internet. That means YawCam is best suited to applications such as public webcams or security cameras rather than making video podcasts or game speed runs. When I tried it, the interface felt dated to me but the core features worked reliably. There is also a newer AI based version that is even more focused on video surveillance.

You can tell that SplitCam has been around for a while: older marketing materials made great play of its compatibility with services like ICQ and MSN Messenger, although those days are long gone. SplitCam is still actively developed, and the latest Windows release is part of the 10.8 series with support for current Windows systems. There is also a Mac version, and it is available as version 1.19. The big draw here is multistreaming, which lets you push one video source to several live platforms or apps at once. SplitCam includes virtual webcam tools too, so you can blend your camera with your screen, media files, or other applications. Desktop sharing works cleanly, and the built in audio mixer helps keep different inputs from turning into a mess. The whole thing looks like paid software, yet it remains free to download and use. I liked how smoothly the multistreaming behaved when I tested it. In the latest update, SplitCam introduced new filters such as Render Delay and Scroll and added an option that hides its windows during screen capture.

This Windows Camera app is Microsoft’s own image and video tool, and it works neatly with OneDrive, so your shots are easy to reach across different devices. When I tried it, the interface felt simple in a good way and I could get started almost immediately. The recording feature includes a pause and resume option, which lets you stop for a moment, pick up again, and end up with one continuous clip.

Windows Camera keeps things light. It focuses on straightforward capturing rather than layers of editing features or heavy compression settings, and that makes it feel quick and uncluttered. In the latest version the app introduced new scan modes that make whiteboards and documents far clearer. It also gained specialised Whiteboard and Document modes that clean glare, tighten edges and make the final image easier to read.

Debut looks a bit dated when you first open it, almost like something from an older era of Windows, but once it starts running it shows itself to be a steady and uncomplicated screen recorder. It has scheduled recording, a long list of export options and support for multiscreen setups. It can also tap into IP cameras, which is handy if you want to peek at a security feed without switching tools every two minutes. It works with a range of sources, though it still records only one at a time. You can place your webcam over your desktop capture through its virtual webcam feature, and that setup feels surprisingly natural once you settle into it. When I tested it, I stumbled for a moment looking for the right settings panel, then found the rhythm of it and moved along without much trouble.

There is a good amount of control here for anyone who likes to nudge their footage into shape. You can adjust resolution, video size, aspect ratio and frame rate, and the brightness and contrast sliders respond quickly, which feels nice when you are trying to fix a dull shot. The program is free for personal use, with a paid license needed only if you plan to use it commercially.

Webcam Toy’s name is a bit of a giveaway. This is a webcam app that’s designed for having a bit of fun rather than doing anything serious. So, while it enables you to add all kinds of special effects while you clown for the camera, there’s no video recording facility here. Instead, the app takes one or more still images that you can share to your socials or download to your computer or mobile device, and it can save them in formats beyond just JPEG.

MyCam is a webcam application that enables you to apply a range of artistic filters to your video, with a library that includes filters to distort, blur, recolour and transform the footage from your webcam. I particularly like the ones that make the video look like it’s hand drawn or painted. These filters are possible because unlike some of the apps I have looked at here, MyCam can take advantage of the power of your PC’s graphics card to apply its effects. It’s not the most comprehensive webcam application I have tested, but its filters and effects are fun. When I tried it, some of the sketch style filters looked surprisingly smooth to me. The free version is fully featured but watermarks your projects; you can get rid of the watermarks by getting the paid version, which isn’t very expensive.

Bandicam is designed specifically for recording PC screens or webcams, and to capture games that use DirectX, OpenGL or Vulkan graphics technologies. It can record 3D games at up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, it can shoot video at up to 480fps, and it can also record external connected devices such as your game console or an IP camera. It uses a very high compression ratio that makes its video files much smaller than many rivals, and it has a range of advanced features, including chroma key, scheduled recording and narration recording. When I tested it, I found the recording setup felt robust and able to keep up even when I pushed it. In version 8.2.1 the app added an option to capture audio exclusively from a specific process, and the main window now hides when selecting the recording area.

Photo Booth Pro is very like MyCam in that it’s really a webcam application for messing around in real time rather than a dedicated screen recorder. Video recording is a very recent addition to the app, which was previously focused on producing static images and photo strips, and it’s as straightforward as the photo effects: find a filter you like, record it and then save it or share it to your socials. It’s fun to play with, but limited in what it can do. While I worked with it, some of the photo-strip layouts felt playful and easy enough to throw together. In version 6.9.4 the app added 4K support, the ability to open photos in File Explorer and improved error messages.

As you’d expect from a web grabber, Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder enables you to record all kinds of on screen activities: demos, online calls, streaming videos and more (but not games). But it also has an extra useful feature, which is the ability to edit your recordings in real time. When I tried it, the whole process felt quick and lightweight, almost like the tool stayed out of the way.

Unusually for a browser based editor, Apowersoft has extensive file exporting options comparable to a desktop app. You can upload your recording to Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube or Vimeo, which covers the essentials for most people. This is a superb option, not least because it doesn’t have time limits or watermarks, although to run it you will need to install a browser plugin.

OBS Studio is a free Windows 10 tool that gives you plenty of control over webcam recording. It brings in multiple video and audio sources, and you can arrange them in simple scenes or build something more layered. The filters clean up the picture, and the controls for resolution, bitrate and format are easy to change. It also handles long recordings without trouble. When I used it, the interface felt a bit tight, but after moving a few panels it became much clearer.

The program has real depth. You get chroma key tools, a solid audio mixer and plugin support, so there is room to experiment. Nothing is locked behind paid features, and it stays stable even with several inputs running. It takes a little patience at the start, but once you get used to it, it fits into your routine. In version 32.0 the app added a built-in plugin manager along with new NVIDIA RTX effects and Hybrid MOV support.

If you use webcams for security, IP Camera Viewer enables you to monitor four of them simultaneously and supports over 2,200 different camera models from all the leading names, including stand alone IP cameras and USB webcams. You can make per camera adjustments to improve the picture, and if your camera supports it, you can also control pan, tilt and zoom. The app also includes video recording, so you do not need a separate paid program for that feature. In version 4 the app improved stability with better CPU and memory use, added automatic detection for ONVIF cameras and expanded support with 19 new IP camera models.