Looking for CloudApp alternatives but not sure what’s right for your screen recording needs?
Then look no further! We’ve put CloudApp through its paces along with four competitors, each of which is tailored to a specific niche where it excels.
Check out the section below if you’re in a hurry for an at-a-glance summary, or read on for the definitive CloudApp comparison!
Best CloudApp Alternatives
- CloudApp: A solid online and offline screen recorder, but it’s outclassed by alternatives that have focused on their own niches
- Sendspark: Browser extension-based screen and webcam recording app tailored for video messaging as part of your sales and marketing strategy
- BombBomb: Expensive for what you get, but mass messaging and multi-browser compatibility for the web app will appeal to many
- Screencast-O-Matic: Great video editing capabilities at such a low price, you’ll want to overlook the outdated UI
- Vidyard: If you’re videoing presentations, Vidyard’s in-recording effects will spice up dull slides a treat!
CloudApp - What it’s good at
CloudApp is a tool for taking screenshots and recording simple videos. It’s in a similar category to Droplr Snagit, and Numbus.
You can use CloudApp either as a browser extension in Chrome or as a downloadable desktop app. This is quite handy as you have the best of both worlds: convenience with the extension; and offline recording from the desktop app. Team users can share their videos with colleagues in a cloud-hosted workspace.
Source: getcloudapp.com
The recorder is simple enough to use, but it’s a shame that the webcam bubble can’t be moved or resized.
Users can organize their recordings into collections, and there is a good range of sharing options available - as well as the ability to download files.
The “Add Button” feature adds a call to action to the landing page that viewers are directed to when you share the link. This makes it possible to use your CloudApp recordings as part of a video marketing funnel.
One of the best features CloudApp provides is preset templates or the ability to customize your own landing page template.
Source: getcloudapp.com
This is a time-saver, although as we’ll see, the customization options are somewhat limited.
CloudApp - What it’s not so good at
While CloudApp provides a free version, it’s not really a viable long-term solution like the free versions of Sendspark, Vidyard, and Screencast-O-Matic are. For example:
- Recordings are limited to 90 seconds. Sendspark has no limit and Screencast-O-Matic has 15 minutes. Vidyard has a total of 60 minutes per month
- Recordings are limited to 25 a month
- No landing page customization
CloudApp's free plan is effectively just a demo for the paid version.
When you do use the Pro version, you’ll soon find out that the customization options are fairly minimal. Here’s what the landing page for the video above looks like with the “Sales Intro” template applied:
Source: getcloudapp.com
Can you spot the differences?
- A “Book A Meeting” call to action - of which you can’t change the position or color
- A video title, in the top left, next to the CloudApp logo
Source: getcloudapp.com
Finally, while CloudApp offers a lot of native social media sharing options, it’s limited when it comes to email.
Source: getcloudapp.com
Click on the email or Google sharing icon and CloudApp simply creates a blank message with the URL and the subject line “Drop shared from CloudApp”. That’s fine if you’re sharing video internally, but it does very little to encourage people from outside your organization to view it.
As we’ll see, other apps on this list - particularly Sendspark and Vidyard - go much further to provide effective solutions for sales and marketing video messaging.
How much does CloudApp cost?
CloudApp’s Pro version costs $9.95 per month, but as you are locked in for a year the more relevant price to quote is $119.40 per user per year.
If you opt for three or more licenses, the price per user drops to $8 per month or $96 per year.
Source: getcloudapp.com
And if you sign up for the Free package and try to use the “Add Button” or “Apply Template” features, CloudApp will kindly give you a 7-day free trial of Pro.
If you’re thinking annually, that pricing makes CloudApp quite an appealing budget option.
CloudApp Competitor #1 - Sendspark: for video messaging
Up first is Sendspark - a browser extension-based screen and webcam recorder that has been designed for video messaging, in sales, marketing, and customer success contexts.
Source: sendspark.com
Sendspark has been streamlined to be terrific at its primary purpose, without unnecessary features that don’t contribute to that. So, there’s no screenshotting, no video editing, and no special effects - but then CloudApp doesn’t have any of the last two either…
How does Sendspark outperform CloudApp?
Let’s break this comparison down.
In the Recorder
As the screenshot above shows, Sendspark lets you move your webcam bubble anywhere with the Sendspark Chrome Extension or Desktop Application. Plus, the new spotlight feature allows an enlarged webcam to take center stage for tailored intros and outros! CloudApp’s bubble is fixed in one place.
Video Sharing
Sendspark doesn’t limit you to sharing URLs or file attachments.
Source: sendspark.com
While it has both of these options, it also enables you to:
- Embed the video in marketing automation platform message templates (including MailChimp, HubSpot, Intercom, etc)
- Create and customize an animated GIF preview of your video that can be rendered in the majority of email clients. This visual taster (which can have text and a logo added) will ensure higher click-through!
- Request videos from your contacts - with one click, email them a link that will open the Sendspark recorder (no installation required)
Landing Page Customization
CloudApp’s landing pages look very basic, even when templates are applied. Sendspark gives you far more freedom to design a great landing page experience:
Source: sendspark.com
You can use your own logo and your own color scheme - while the headline and description are far more prominent than in CloudApp’s version. On Sendspark’s Business package, you can even use CNAME to host recordings on a custom domain, providing a white-labeled solution.
Analytics
While CloudApp just shows you video views, Sendspark provides in-depth insights.
Source: sendspark.com
You can see the number of plays per viewer, their locations, clicks, interactions, etc.
Not only that: with Sendspark’s heatmaps, you can even see which parts of your videos viewers are watching.
How do Sendspark and CloudApp compare on price?
Unlike CloudApp, you can buy Sendspark on a monthly or annual basis, with the per month effective price being lower when you pay annually.
Source: sendspark.com
At $144 per year for a single Pro license, Sendspark is only slightly more expensive than CloudApp. And of course, you can try Pro for a month for a total outlay of just $15. If you want a month of CloudApp, you have to pay the full $119.40 for a year!
But let’s compare like-for-like: for an extra $25 per year, Sendspark customers get:
- Advanced landing page customization
- A wider range of email sharing options, including customized animated GIF previews
- Request Video functionality
As a video messaging platform, Sendspark has a lot more to offer than CloudApp.
CloudApp Competitor #2 - BombBomb: for video account-based marketing
BombBomb is not just a browser extension - it’s also a web app.
The advantage here is that you can run it on Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc. The disadvantage is convenience: you have to open BombBomb up in a new tab, log in, and navigate to the recorder before you can get started.
Source: bombbomb.com
The recorder allows you to set a virtual background by uploading a photo (see above) and to change the screen format to widescreen.
Strangely, the browser extension version forces you to download the software before you can use it.
Source: bombbomb.com
And then, this prompt pops up. It can be dismissed and prevented from reappearing, but it hampers the convenience that usually comes with browser extensions, and it just adds to the sense that this is an older tool than some of the more modern apps, like Sendspark and Vidyard.
How does BombBomb outperform CloudApp?
BombBomb is definitely more effective for sharing videos than CloudApp. When you click on the share button, you have the option to copy an animated GIF preview (“Copy for email”) or the hosted URL.
Source: bombbomb.com
Plus, if you click on the edit function, you can choose precisely which part of the recording is used for the animated GIF or upload an alternative made elsewhere.
BombBomb templates are an interesting extra feature. These allow you to mass-mail your video to up to ten contacts, and build out complex HTML email templates, as shown in the builder app below.
Source: bombbomb.com
This puts BombBomb somewhere between pure video messaging apps like Sendspark, video tools that incorporate CRM elements like Bonjoro, and email automation platforms like ActiveCampaign.
While the analytics capabilities offered by BombBomb don’t match those that come with Sendspark or Vidyard, integration with a contacts list makes this a good tool for account-based marketing, where you will be nurturing a set of leads for a long time.
How do BombBomb and CloudApp compare on price?
At $29 per month per user ($299 per year - you have the choice of monthly or annual subscriptions, but there are no refunds for early cancellation) for the entry-level Essentials package, BombBomb is around three times more expensive than CloudApp and double the price of Sendspark 😱😱😱.
Source: bombbomb.com
And if you want to use BombBomb for bulk video messaging with templates, you’ll need to opt for the $49 per month Plus package.
CloudApp Competitor #3 - Screencast-O-Matic: for low-cost video recording and editing
Like BombBomb, Screencast-O-Matic is a web app rather than a browser extension. It’s also available as a download, making it suitable for offline recording (although videos are stored in the cloud).
The lack of an extension makes both Screencast-O-Matic and BombBomb less useful for off-the-cuff recording than CloudApp, Sendspark, or Vidyard. With those apps, you can start creating video without leaving your current browser tab.
Source: screencast-o-matic.com
Screencast-O-Matic also has quite an old-fashioned look to it.
But having said that, it has some excellent features that the other CloudApp alternatives lack - and it’s very cheap.
How does Screencast-O-Matic outperform CloudApp?
Screencast-O-Matic has some great editing features.
Source: screencast-o-matic.com
As well as all these functions, you can insert multiple sources, sound effects, stills, and music (paid subscribers get access to a stock library). It also enables you to splice recordings together.
One nice touch with Screencast-O-Matic is the ability to pause and restart your recording - great for when you’re filming a long presentation! You can also add drawing and text effects during recordings, and you can define hotkeys to provide fast access to chosen functions.
Where Screencast-O-Matic is weak is in the area of video messaging and sharing. Even though files are stored in the cloud, there’s no option to share a link so that others can view them. You would have to upload the file, either to a third-party host or as an attachment. Either way, that seriously reduces Screencast-O-Matic’s use for the video messaging function.
One other gripe. Screencast-O-Matic takes considerably longer to process recordings than any of the other CloudApp alternatives we’ve looked at.
How do Screencast-O-Matic and CloudApp compare on price?
Screencast-O-Matic starts at $4 per month (in fact $48 per year - there’s no monthly option) for business users. Teachers and schools can get it for just $2.25 per month ($27 per year).
Source: screencast-o-matic.com
With all those editing tools (and access to stock media assets at the Solo Premier tier) it’s exceptionally good value for users looking to create polished-looking videos on a tight budget.
However, Screencast-O-Matic’s video sharing and messaging capabilities are simply not as powerful as any of the other apps we’ve looked at.
CloudApp Competitor #4 - Vidyard: for quick videos with in-recording effects
Vidyard comes as either a browser extension or a downloadable desktop app, putting it in direct competition as a CloudApp competitor.
It offers a wide range of editing and messaging functionalities, and while it’s simple to get to grips with the basics, the UI has a few quirks that make Vidyard tricky to get the best out of.
Source: vidyard.com
How does Vidyard outperform CloudApp?
The two apps’ interfaces look very similar, but Vidyard has more functionality:
- Recordings can be trimmed at the beginning and end
- Like Sendspark, Vidyard can generate still or animated previews to enhance the appearance of email shares
- You can add clickable calls to action that overlay the videos themselves (Vidyard calls them “Actions”), rather than appearing as buttons outside the video windows
Landing page customization options are comparable to CloudApp’s, but it’s in-recording where Vidyard stands out.
The drawing tool is very useful, as what you draw fades after a few seconds. This is great for highlighting elements of what you’re presenting.
The Notes function is a good idea as well.
Source: vidyard.com
Whenever you pause the recording, your notes will reappear on screen, giving you a chance to collect your thoughts and remember what you wanted to say next!
Analytics are comparable to what Sendspark provides, but as a messaging app, Vidyard is not as well-designed. The workflows for sending messages are not always obvious - different channels are accessed from different parts of the UI.
In fact, being confusing is a complaint that’s often leveled at Vidyard. That seems unfair when they provide so much help material, but it’s certainly true that the navigation options could be simplified.
How do Vidyard and CloudApp compare on price?
Vidyard does offer a free-forever basic version, but when you sign up, you’ll get a 14-day trial of the Pro package.
This sells for $19 per month or $180 per year, and it gives you access to all of Vidyard’s most important features - except for custom branding, which requires you to buy a Teams license
Source: vidyard.com
If you need that, the price jumps up to $300 per month ($3,600 a year - it has to be bought annually) for three users.
The bottom line
CloudApp is a solid if unspectacular webcam and screen recording tool, which certainly has its devotees and committed users.
But it’s outclassed on messaging, on in-recording effects, and on post-production editing by these competitors. Plus, Sendspark is comparable on price and Screencast-O-Matic is much cheaper!
Let’s recap on what those CloudApp competitors are best at:
- Sendspark: Ideal for sales and marketing messaging and the widest range of landing page customizations
- BombBomb: Good for managing video messaging across a team, but with a high price tag and clunky looks
- Screencast-O-Matic: Best video editing capabilities for the price available
- Vidyard: Good for capturing live presentations, with basic editing capabilities and in-recording effects
Sendspark makes it easy to create or import videos and distribute them across email, social, and the web. Sign up now and start recording and sharing videos for free.
