The short answer
- Moving from Loom Business to OBS Studio at 1 seat saves $166 in the first year, after setup and upkeep time (Stackcut's model: modeled, not measured).
- OBS Studio's community guide covers setting up, but nothing carries over from Loom automatically; 4 things stay behind. Details
- 3 public accounts of making this switch: 1 switched, 1 went back, 1 evaluated. Read them
What Loom and OBS Studio cost
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loom Business | $18/user/mo | not shown | Unlimited videos and recording time, basic editing, no Loom branding |
| Loom Business + AI | $24/user/mo | not shown | Business plus Loom AI (summaries, chapters, text-based editing, meeting notes); 14-day free trial |
- Loom free plan: Starter: up to 25 videos per person, 5-minute limit per screen recording, unlimited meeting recording length loom.com
- OBS Studio free plan: Free obsproject.com
OBS Studio's plans aren't in the Stackcut catalog yet; check OBS Studio's own site.
Moving from Loom to OBS Studio
What OBS Studio's importer carries over, what it leaves behind, and any help it offers switchers.
To OBS Studio
Community guide callandret.com · Tools: OpenAI Whisper (CLI), Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve, Keycaster (macOS) and Locaal background-blur plugin
Doesn't move: Loom video library; Loom share links and viewer pages - OBS produces local files you must host yourself (e.g. Google Drive, YouTube); Comments, reactions and view analytics; Transcripts and chapters - regenerate captions with Whisper and embed via Handbrake. callandret.com
Watch out for:
- Starter Free Loom users cannot download videos, so export before downgrading or cancelling callandret.com
- No instant share link: OBS writes local files, so you need your own hosting and sharing path callandret.com
- No built-in captions, auto-zoom or editing - plan on Whisper/Handbrake and an editor for polished output callandret.com
From each destination's own migration docs and switching pages, plus community write-ups where no official guide exists, each checked against its page. Confirm terms on the linked page before you rely on an offer.
People who moved from Loom to OBS Studio
3 public accounts of leaving Loom: 1 went back, 1 evaluated, 1 switched. Summaries are ours; each links the original, and each was checked against its page before it appeared here.
Part of the same XDA review: the author had switched from OBS to Loom because OBS felt clunky for quick recordings, later landing on Cap - an account of leaving OBS (relevant as a warning for Loom users weighing OBS as a destination). XDA Developers
Hands-on Medium review ranking five Mac recorders: OBS is ranked fourth of five, called 'free and unlimited, but only worth it if you're already a streamer' - a negative evaluation for typical Loom-style async use. Article pushes affiliate links to a competing paid recorder. Medium
Detailed write-up of replacing Loom with an OBS-based workflow for workplace training videos: OBS scenes and hotkeys, noise suppression, Whisper captions and Handbrake embedding, with finished videos uploaded to his own storage instead of Loom links. Joshua Callandret
How to leave Loom
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave Loom
Export first
- Videos: Library → the video → the menu above it → Download (MP4). Creators on the free Starter plan can't download. No bulk download is documented, so do it one video at a time before you downgrade. support.atlassian.com
What you lose
- Downloading your own videos, once you're on Starter
- Recording new videos while you're over the Starter limit
Cancel
- Download the videos you want to keep while you're still on a paid plan (see export).
- Atlassian Admin → Billing → Subscriptions → Loom → Manage → Deactivate, then choose Downgrade or Cancel subscription.
- Older Loom accounts: Workspace Settings → Plan & Billing → Manage Subscription → Downgrade to Starter.
- Takes effect
- At your next renewal date; you keep full access until then.
- Refunds
- No prorated refund for the rest of the billing period.
- After you cancel
- On Starter you keep access to all your videos, even over 25, but can't record new ones until you're back under the limit or upgrade.
FAQ
Is OBS Studio cheaper than Loom?
Modeled, not measured: moving from Loom Business to OBS Studio at 1 seat saves $166 in the first year, after setup and upkeep time at $50/hour. It depends on your plan, seats and usage. the math
Can I move my Loom data to OBS Studio?
It doesn't move: Loom video library; Loom share links and viewer pages - OBS produces local files you must host yourself (e.g. Google Drive, YouTube); Comments, reactions and view analytics; Transcripts and chapters - regenerate captions with Whisper and embed via Handbrake. callandret.com
What do I lose when I leave Loom?
Per Loom's own pages, leaving or downgrading loses: Downloading your own videos, once you're on Starter; Recording new videos while you're over the Starter limit. support.atlassian.com
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find_alternatives({"vendor": "Loom"})