Unclaimed: Are you working at Loom?
Loom Reviews: 4.7/5 — Highly Rated
Loom is a video-making platform that is designed to help businesses facilitate better and more efficient workplace communication through video and screen recording. It empowers users to use a web-based interface that supports screen recording and screen capture, shared via a link for easy viewing.
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
|
|---|---|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Desktop Mac, Desktop Windows, Mobile Android, Mobile iPhone |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Loom Pros and Cons
- Dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS
- Quick screen recording with handy webcam overlay
- UI is clean and easy to navigate
- Loom Chrome extension has multiple recording options
- Transcripts aren’t always accurate
- The free version restricts videos to five minutes
With remote and hybrid work now standard across industries, the way teams communicate has fundamentally shifted.
The distributed nature of the workplace today means companies need to invest in new tools to keep their staff aligned and connected. Whether you’re sharing messages in Slack, or video conferencing in Microsoft Teams, you’re probably already investing in tools that will support the change landscape of work.
Loom is quickly emerging as one of the most valuable platforms in remote and asynchronous work. It focuses on allowing users to capture video content, screenshots, and other information for recipients to watch whenever they choose. This can be a lot easier for teams looking to communicate when other staff members aren’t available for a real-time video call.
Today’s Loom review will explore everything you need to know about leveraging this video and screen-capture tool for the age of asynchronous and remote work.
Loom Pros and Cons
Loom Features
Loom is the leading video communication platform for asynchronous work. In October 2023, Loom was acquired by Atlassian, expanding its integration with tools like Jira and Confluence. Designed for speed and simplicity, the solution allows you to record, share, and interact with videos. Millions of users across hundreds of thousands of companies use Loom to work more collaboratively.
The primary features of Loom include:
- Screen recording: Record your camera, screen, or both simultaneously to share useful insights with your colleagues wherever they are.
- Chrome extension and desktop app: You can record videos with up to 4k quality with a desktop app, or leverage 1080p recording with the Chrome extension.
- Video stitching: If you need to record multiple videos for a tutorial or guidance for another employee, you can stitch them together into a full video.
- Screenshot: If videos aren’t necessary to share contextual information with a co-worker, you can take a simple screenshot and share that through the cloud instead.
- Automatic transcriptions: Using AI technology, Loom can transcribe your video, making it easier to access to a wider range of viewers.
- Filler word removal: If you’re worried about the number of “uhs” and “umms” included in your video content when sharing with a manager or supervisor, remove them with one click.
- Video hosting: Cloud-based video hosting is included with Loom, so you can store your content in an easily-searchable place. This is ideal for sharing the same video with more people, or checking back over previous videos.
- Backgrounds and frames: Add some personality and branding to your looms with custom backgrounds and designs. This can be a great way to make your videos more fun.
- Comments and reactions: Your colleagues can react to your looms with emojis, or leave comments and annotations to keep the conversation going.
How to Get Started with Loom
One of the things that makes Loom so compelling to modern workforces is how easy it is to use. It only takes a few seconds to sign up with Loom using your Google, Slack, or Apple ID. You can also create an account with an email address or SSO.
Once you’ve created an account, you can simply install your application onto your device. Downloads are available for Windows and Mac, and you can get the iOS or Android app directly from respective app stores. There’s also a Chrome extension for Loom.
Mac OS app allows to record videos straight from the menu bar
After installing the application, you’ll have to make sure you enable permissions for recording from your microphone, webcam, and screen. The desktop application will appear in your system tray or menu bar, so you can start recording with one click. There’s also the option to set up keyboard shortcuts.
When you’re fully setup, you can start recording your videos instantly. By default, the app records your screen with a webcam overlay, but you can also choose to record your face or screen individually. The iOS version of Loom does not allow for recording both your webcam and your screen at once, however.
Before you begin recording, you’ll be able to reposition and resize the webcam overlay, and choose whether you want to capture a portion of your screen or the whole thing. You can also decide whether to record system audio alongside your voice.
When you’re done recording, the entire video will automatically upload to the Loom cloud environment, and be accessible through your account. Here, you can edit the video in various basic ways, such as stitching different pieces of content together, cutting out the parts you don’t need, and adding “call to action” buttons which popup for users after the video finishes.
‘Looms’ are stored in the cloud making them easily available for your team
Notably, every video created with Loom is automatically made “public”. You can share the link to anyone, and they’ll be able to watch it without signing up for an account. The share button also offers one-click sharing for social media, and access to code for embedding videos on a website. The Chrome Extension will also automatically convert videos into embedded content for Google Doc, JIRA, Gmail, and GitLab.
Users viewing your video can speed up playback, react with emojis throughout the viewing process, see an automatic transcript, and leave comments.
Get started with Loom for free
Loom Pricing
Loom’s pricing structure is relatively straightforward. There are multiple plans to choose from, starting with an attractive free package. Visit Loom’s pricing page for current rates.
Starter
Loom offers a free plan with basic recording capabilities, including screen recording, cam bubbles, privacy controls, viewer insights, and unlimited transcriptions.
Business
The Business plan comes with all the free features of Loom plus unlimited creators and recording lengths. You also get high-def recording up to 4k, drawing tools, custom branding, filler word removal, engagement insights, closed captions, and security features.
Enterprise
Designed for companies with specific recording needs and privacy requirements, the Enterprise plan gives you more advanced admin and security settings, including SSO, SCIM, custom data retention policies, activity log reports, and priority dedicated support.
Loom for Education
If you’re a teacher in the digital world, you can access a specialist plan specifically for education. Loom offers qualified educators access to premium features and unlimited recordings for free.
Loom Alternatives: Your Other Options
Loom is an excellent tool for rapidly creating and sharing video content and screens with your colleagues. It’s easy-to-use, packed full of useful features, and relatively affordable compared to some other options. However, there are other solutions out there.
Some of the most compelling alternatives include:
Slack Clips
Slack Clips is the native screen recording feature built into Slack. If you’re already using the Slack service for asynchronous collaboration, it might make sense to choose this product over Loom. With Clips, you can not only capture screen information, but also add voice overs to something, and implement your webcam too.
The Slack Clips feature doesn’t work outside of Slack, so you will need an account to start using the service. Clips can also only be shared in channels or through Slack direct messages. There’s also a five minute limit with no way to increase your recording options.
You’ll also need a paid account with Slack to access this service. Clips is not included as part of the Slack free package.
Dropbox Capture
If you’re using Dropbox for storing and managing files in the remote working world, you can also tap into one of the most recent features introduced by Dropbox. “Dropbox Capture” automatically uploads the videos you create directly into your Dropbox folder, which makes it ideal for sharing with distributed team members.
Though still relatively new to Dropbox, the Capture function offers many of the same features as Loom, including the option to take a screenshot, record your screen, or combine your screen recording with a view of your webcam. You can also record audio, or make a gif this way.
All of the content you produce will be saved to the Capture folder in your Dropbox account. You’ll also be able to hover over the capture to collect an URL to share with colleagues. The “Markup” feature allows you to draw on your content and add annotations.
Asana
Another option for those who already have a dedicated productivity and collaboration tool in place with their team, Asana comes with a range of “add-on” features for screen recording and video. One of the most common options is the “Coview” service, which allows you to create detailed videos and screen recordings with a couple of clicks.
You can also use Coview as part of your customer service strategy, allowing customers to capture information and code-level insights into any problem they’re having. All of the content is stored to your Asana account, where you can export screenshots and recordings as Asana tasks.
While the features aren’t exactly the same as the ones you’ll get from Loom, they’re pretty straightforward, and ideal for customer service teams.
Mac and Windows Screen Recording Tools
If you want to avoid adding any more apps to your workplace, or you need to keep your budget as low as possible, Mac and Windows devices also have some of their own screen capturing options. You can capture an entire screen, window, or portion of a screen on a Mac by pressing shift, command, and 3 together on your device.
The QuickTime player on Mac also allows you to capture video recordings of your computer screen. Simply open the QuickTime player, then click on “File”, then “New Screen Recording”. You’ll be able to control exactly which portion of the screen you want to record, and decide whether you want to include your pointer in the recording.
On Windows, the best way to capture screen recordings is with the “Game Bar”, built for Xbox consoles. You can access this feature by going into “Settings > Gaming > Xbox Bar”. From there, enable the Xbox Game Bar, and you’ll be able to start recording videos or taking a screenshot with the click of a button. You can also trigger the game bar with shortcuts.
You should be able to record activity in most windows and applications with Game Bar, and there are various tools for allowing you to adjust your recordings, adding audio, and reducing the size of your screen.
Loom Review: Finishing Thoughts
For capturing asynchronous video messages, screenshots, and screen recordings, Loom is one of the simplest tools on the market. It’s ideal for beginners who want to be able to capture quick videos to share with colleagues in an instant. The fact that other people don’t need an account to watch your videos can make it much easier to collaborate with Loom.
Share your experiences with the Loom app in the comments below, and let us know if you prefer any of the alternative options available today.
Loom works well to quickly record and share videos.
The constant desktop app notifications to udpate (daily) interrupted my focus, hijacked my computer inputs, and drove me crazy to the point that I uninstalled the desktop app. Now I probably won't use it as much because I used the features that were *only* available on the desktop app. I was using Loom to record a video maybe once or twice per week, but the daily interruptions on my computer to update the software (interruptions which can't be turned off or configured) are so annoying that I've uninstalled the app. It's doing more harm to my focus and workflow than good. I hate being in the middle of typing an email or document, or trying to browse code, and being forced to update some completely unrelated software.
It's a fast solution to record and share recordings.
The Loom application and integrations make it very easy to make a video recording on the fly from a variety of starting points: the UI ensures that you're never more than a few clicks away from recording a video.
When something goes wrong with Loom (recording issues, sound quality, zoom, editing a completed video), it is VERY difficult to figure out what is going on. Despite testing the mic and audio function using several meeting platforms and another recording software, I have several times made a complete video and found that no audio was picked up. There is no sound meter to advise that nothing is coming through, and the support knowledge base on their website is unintuitive and lacking in depth. The audio troubleshooting page has links that don't work - how incredibly frustrating when you're already searching for a solution to an issue.
It is often quicker to record a quick video response or tutorial than to write a lengthy email and trying to capture applicable screenshots, and one video can serve several purposes. A video clip garners and keeps recipients' attention much better then text, and it's easy to show our internal Product team an issue when a recording is available.
Nice shared workspace for recorded items
Doesn't integrate with our software (Mural) at all. When we try to loom over a Mural, the video disappears. We've tried desktop and app. Very frustrating. Clunky for screen shares too--video on one side and window disappears so there's no ability to manage talking points and a visual while recording yourself speaking toi t.
Async comms
I LOVED and needed the transcript feature for Loom. As someone with brain fog secondary to my disability, having access to recordings and transcripts that are easily searchable is IDEAL. The price was also extremely reasonable!
I work in Social Media, and use a Chromebook, which has constant bugs. Using the Windows laptop doesn't seem to be much better, and using chrome and desktop app to record the same meeting still often yields no video and/or no transcript. I needed to get a transcript for a 2 minute news spot for a client that took me 7 times recording before I had a video with a transcript, and then I had to take the transcript out of Loom and in to Google Docs to edit acuratley-- I would have spent less time to replaying the video and doing it myself. It's simply become unreliable, and I am sadly looking at other alternatives because of the number of issues I have had. I *REALLY* wish there were not so many bugs because I *WANT* to rave about this product!
Accessing issues because of memory issues connected to a disability, recording traniings, conferences and meetings.
Makes tasks a lot quicker for communication and education with clients
Stuffs up all the time. Freezes mid video, doesn't work with headphones/AirPods, camera stops working, randomly only uploads 95% of a video making it unwatchable
Time
The ease of use with the extension on Google Chrome
The limit of free video when most of my videos are under 2 min to help navigate a problem. I probably used 25 videos on trying to make 5 actual videos.
Helping my team navigate through software or results of an online marketing campaign
It's simple to record a video or screen. The ability to share video links. Affordable price for small businesses.
Extremely slow customer support response times. Zero resolution for technical issues. The audio either doesn't record or doesn't sync. Edited videos download in original video format. I've tried Loom over the years off and on thinking the product quality and support would improve, however, it hasn't so I won't be returning back. Lack of video editing options. Right now, you can only trim videos.
I used Loom mainly for my educational videos for my social networks.
Easy to use.............................................
Zero customer support, constantly broken features
send communication faster as opposed to email
When it works. That's the only thing I like about loom is when it works.
It never works. Buggy as hell. The chrome app goes down, I have to uninstall & re-install for every other video I make. So I said F it, I'll just use the web app instead. Now when I go to record the recording will sometimes randomly stop. I'll be 5 seconds into a video & it just ends as if that's all I wanted to record. Then I RAGE QUIT, & have to go back 4 minutes later to try again.
Makes it easy to share detailed info very quickly without booking a meeting.
The library. I like the library. Folders.
The usability and lack of HD on Mac app without Chrome. Not seeing a simple 'stop' icon somewhere.
I'm fed up of exchanging loads of emails with Loom about the same issue. The Mac app does not record and upload as HD. I'm also fed up of filling in this review already.
I like that Loom offers AI features that make it easier to title and transcript videos. The convinence of sharing videos in a cloud workspace is nice as well.
The Loom desktop app constantly crashes. This is a problem after multiple updates. The Loom Chrome extension only works in Chrome (so if you prefer Firefox forget it), is cumbersome once you need to do more than just a simple video, and for whatever reason can not recognize my mic even though it works fine in other applications.
At this time Loom doesn't solve the business problems I have because half of the time it is not reliable. When it is, Loom is great. When it is not (which is frequent), I wonder why I keep using it.
It's a screen recording tool and inexpensive.
Glitchy in both the desktop and Chrome extension Fails during recordings Reported issues to customer service are treated like user errors and not software errors
Internal work tools tutorials for team members
Easy to use and to to share. That you can switch the cam to full screen mode.
It crashes, you can see the recording time and buttons on the recording. Custom Shortcuts for Pause and resume don't really work. The standard shortcut is inconvinient.
It makes it easy for me to give technical feedback for powerlifting movements, aswell as highlight program channges for my powerlifting coaching clients.
The concept. In theory, if the tech worked it'd be amazing.
The functionality and the inability to actually function the way they claim it to. Tech support is inefficient, might get an email response once per day and they don't even read the email. Took an entire week for them to address one actual concerns because they didn't understand what I said and tried to solve a problem I wasn't haven't and said I didn't have. Every time I attempt to use the desktop app I'm having to uninstall and reinstall the app. The phone app will not always upload the videos. and the chrome extension records the best but my video gets corrupted and I can't use it. I freaking love the concept, but the tech glitches are atrocious. Put money into developing and maybe start with one then open the other options as you perfect them. 3 half baked tools doesn't equal one useful. I'm told it's not just me and not account specific then told "almost all of our users are happy" math doesn't add up.
It's currently causing more but I like the concept to go over documents with client and explain them to them as if I were on the phone and they can watch on their own time.
Share the link, so I don't need to attach anything.
Several times I did the whole recording and when I went to watched the video has a bug.
Sending videos to facebook. only time I use it.
Easy to use and easy to start recording.
It has terrible reliability. It freezes my computer. Sometimes, it loses sound, and I have to record myself from the beginning. Today, the installed version did not even recognize my password, I am serious. I had to reboot my computer. I cannot believe how terrible the reliability is. The customer service is bad as well.
Meeting, customer service.
I love the editing feature of it worked, and how easy it is to use, if it worked!
All the glitches, the slow response of up to a few days to hear from support, and the same response from support to clear caché every time.
It is great for recording quick videos and sharing them easily, and adding them to courses. the editing features also great if they worked. It's great that you can use it online.
Not one thing.... This app freezes my computer every single time I try it and you are impossible to get a refund from... Then you hit me for extra users that I didn't even ask for.... I am going currently in the process of disputing the unauthorized charge you hit me with and have canceled my account that I never got any use of.... however, it is making me fufill my term to March even though this app is USELESS TO ME... Thiefs... you are thiefs....
It freezes my computer everytime I try to use it AND they hit my card for users no one in my company authorized.... There is absolutley no way to get any support to get a refund. This is the absolute worst app experience I have ever had.... Zoom does the same thing and works WAY BETTER and doesn't charge my card fraudulantly.....
None - absoltely none.. Loom sucks
Chrome integration. Speech to text. It's a web service.
The bugs. The local app seems to be mostly useless. Simple video editing (just trimming the starting few seconds) is totally broken.
Share software demos.
Unable to see the progress of files uploading. I was unable to locate files locally and lost all the recordings I put so much effort into...
Unable to see upload progress in PC software.
You can't, leave the business for our betterment.
Interesting concept - easy way to come up with watermark-free demo videos.
Need to select the "record button" 3-4 times before it actually starts recording. Have to manually adjust settings each time you record - i.e. select "Screen only" each time I record - would be nice to have my settings saved.
Creating demo videos.
Ease of use, speed of upload and ability to save videos in separate folders.
The most recent update has caused no end of problems, from delayed camera, to unstable video to sound merge, and the app version is just not working when trying to switch between different windows, tabs and documents in one video recording.
It was ticking all the boxes until last week and now I'm losing time because it's crashing and I'm having to reboot.
It produces recorded video and audio with relatively little effort.
The ugly growth hack they deploy that attempts to get everyone with your email domain to force paid adoption. Not so much that they do it, rather the level of announce as a result of their tactics.
Nothing 100 others aren't equally pursuing.
Circle of myself where the size can be varied.
Continuous bugs in desktop app make it unusable.
It was helping me educate employees on difficult-to-navigate processes. It helps me multiply my time by giving one explanation and then sending out to hundred of people. The video upload was quick and easy too. Too bad the desktop app is so buggy that I can't use the tool. I use OBS now even if the video upload is more of a pain, the software works every time instead of MAYBE 10% of the time with Loom.
Ability to quickly create and post videos
Too many app updates. Every time I go to create a video, the version of loom that I downloaded a few days ago is unsupported. It doesn't automatically update correctly - it's stuck downloading. Quitting and relaunching fixes it but it's slow to download. All of the benefits of quick video creation are lost because I have to update the software a few times a week. They need to support the version that was downloaded 72 hours ago and fix the automatic updating for loom to be usable.
quick videos that save time over writing out long instructions
That it is a free tool, as I would not want to be paying for such a bug-filled piece of software =(
The entire interface is less than ideal, however the main issue is with the lack of error reporting before recording. We've lost so many videos due to looms terrible software, hours and hours of videos have been lost over the years. It is now banned in our business, we dont allow our team members to use loom due to the headaches it causes. None of their support team have been able to fix the issue either.
None, loom causes more problems in our business the more that we use it. Not suggested.
I actually do use this product but am considering not after the lack of customer service I have received.
I have reached out to Loom's customer service over a billing issue two separate times now, with no response. I was essentially charged for a yearly subscription twice and no one has tried to rectify this situation. I also cannot find a phone number for them anywhere. I'm hoping that maybe someone on their team will actually see this and try to help me. I'm very frustrated.
I have reached out to Loom's customer service over a billing issue two separate times now, with no response. I was essentially charged for a yearly subscription twice and no one has tried to rectify this situation. I also cannot find a phone number for them anywhere. I'm hoping that maybe someone on their team will actually see this and try to help me. I'm very frustrated.
I'm struggling with what to say here as I've had a large number of issues that have materially damaged my business.
Bugs! The product constantly crashes, and is full of weird bugs and quirks. New ones seem to be introduced regularly. The problem with this is you can easily lose 30 mins of work with one software crash. In one week I've lost several hours of work before. I'm now looking for an alternative but I'm locked into paying as all my videos are hosted in loom.
Video roasting websites
The design of it is great, I like they have both a desktop version and chrome extension for it.
I've been using loom on a paid plan for quite a while. Where do I begin? - When it does work the audio does not sync with the video - It crashes my PC constantly - You never know if it's worked or not, you'll do a 20-minute video and half the time there's no audio at all - You have to uninstall and reinstall it constantly for it to work only 20% of the time - It's just super frustrating, it would be such cool software if it worked. - Your face freezes on the video, sometimes seconds in sometimes minutes. Really disappointed, I've tried to persevere for months with this software but they just can't get their sh*t together...
None
Loom is the easiest to use on your desktop. It takes 1 second to set up
It literally never records the full video. I just sat down to record for an hour and 5 seconds recorded. This has happened to me 80% of the time the past few months. I've wasted countless hours and now I'm realizing I'm just dumb for trying to make it work this long. Their software is not reliable. I tried literally every version - desktop, their website, etc... and it still stops recording after 5 seconds but doesn't tell you. It says you're recording the entire time to guarantee you waste your time but then when you click finish, it's not there. I have never felt so frustrated in my life!!
Recording for courses
