Camtasia vs. iMovie vs. Snagit

Camtasia is so easy to use that I recommend it over Adobe Premiere, Captivate, Storyline, and other tools. The only problem is the price. Due to the fact that I purchased this for education purposes, and educational prices have gone up exponentially, it has been difficult even at $179 to upgrade, as an educator and the organization is not always willing to reimburse the purchase, it would have been more economical. It was less than $100 (Black Friday) when I bought our updated version in 2019. Camtasia profile accounts aren't the best setup, however. My profile account does not reflect when I was a user or show past invoices, and I wanted to see how long ago I was a user.

Incentivized

iMovie is a great editing tool for beginners and users with little to no experience. If you are looking for a simple, straight forward way to edit your videos without having any training, this is the tool for you. If you are looking for a robust and very advanced editing platform, you may wish to look elsewhere.

Incentivized

I have recommended Snagit several times. Discussion of screenshot programs is not something that often arises often, in my work environment. When such a situation does arise, I make it clear that Snagit is my go-to solution for anything related to screenshot capture. It opens the captured image directly into an editor window for quick and easy manipulation.

Incentivized

• Very intuitive controls. You don't need to be a pro at video editing
• Seamless control of assets (separates video from still images)
• Great library of annotations and gestures
• Easy to integrate audio/video edits
• Custom formats that suit my needs (web, mobile, tablets)

Incentivized

• iMovie allows users to upload their own clips and edit them together. You're able to add in more clips as you're working on your project which is great as some film editing software don't allow add ons of video clips once you've begun the editing process.
• iMovie continually saves as you're working on your project and syncs with your devices so you can work on your project from other like computers.
• iMovie is quick to update changes which allows time to be saved during the editing process. It's very helpful when you need to adjust 1-2 things and don't want to spend hours waiting for the changes to go through.

Incentivized

• Being able to take screen captures quickly and with just a keystroke is a prime feature. I took several screenshots just yesterday to show folks, which saved me from taking the time to meet with [...] everyone.
• Obviously recording and sharing video is Snagit's strength. It does this as well as any product I have used. It is not an editor but there are a lot of capture features that cover just about any situation.
• One great feature that Snagit has is the ability to pull text from a capture. We don't use this a lot but when it is needed it is a huge time saver.
• The settings and tools within Snagit are intuitive and easy to find.

Incentivized

• USB Microphones can sometimes cause a problem if they become accidentally unplugged during a recording session. This can corrupt some of the files that the Camtasia Recorder application uses to capture directly to .avi mode.
• You'll sometimes get a message when you next try to record that .avi mode isn't available and the only way to fix this is by completely uninstalling and reinstalling Camtasia (with a reboot in the middle of these two actions).
• This bug only manifested after Camtasia 8 was released, but still seems to cause an issue right up to and including Camtasia 2021.
• I'd like to see more standard Annotation options. The existing ones are pretty good, but variety is a little lacking.
• More 'Behaviours' would also be really welcome as these are a great feature and make Callouts a bit more interesting and lively. I've not seen any new Behaviours over the past few versions (since Camtasia 2018).

Incentivized

• Audio for video editing is a bit limiting. A pro user would feel limited, but the average person can pretty well do what they need in iMovie and that's what matters for this platform.
• The design of the UI could use some updating so it doesn't feel so bubbly. This may purely be an aesthetic concern, and maybe the old style makes it more approachable, but i'd prefer to see a more slick design so you don't feel like you are using a kids program.
• If you ever want to share the project or manually manage files, it can be a bit difficult to figure out. Fortunately Apple allows you to import a project from iMovie into FCPX if you ever want to be upwardly mobile.

Incentivized

• Image merge - I wish there was an easier way to merge two images in one.
• Scrolling capture - even though this is one thing I love, sometimes the text gets wonky when I use this feature.
• The shortcut - this feature feels super unnecessary. And it can be annoying when every time I move my mouse to the right of the screen it pops up.

Incentivized

Each release of Camtasia has added just enough functionality to justify the upgrade to the new version. I like that Camtasia is not a subscription-based product as we have more flexibility and control over our spend on the product. We can also purchase support packages that include the next version when released.

Incentivized

I think that the tool is excellent for what it is being used for. I particuarly like the ability to capture content from the screen whilst using the scroll wheel on my mouse. It is very annoying when your try to capture something with grab and you can't scroll which leads to multiple images

Incentivized

I haven't used another video recording and editing tools that is as comprehensive and straight-forward as Camtasia. Typically, if you want a user-friendly video editing tools for novice users, you have to compromise on features. Camtasia solves this problem by offering extensive editing features in a simplistic, user-friendly environment. Highly recommend

Incentivized

Once again, iMovie is a fast application. It's easy to use and navigate through. It has never frozen or glitched. There is an auto-save feature which helps you to easily close and re-open the software and continue from where you left off. Being an Apple product I do believe there is a level of superiority that surpasses Windows as well.

It's button centric for easy access to every feature. Everything allows undo! It works like any other standard Windows application. Everyone can be a professional without having to select every feature yourself by using the built in styles with just one click of a button in most cases. Every button is clearly labeled too.

Incentivized

With the latest version (Camtasia 2020), I actually had problems with an Imac with HighSierra, but from the first moment they answered and guided me to solve the problem, even before making the purchase (with some doubts I had). And they have support in English and Spanish, I really liked that.

Apple does a great job supporting its products. I have never encountered trouble that could not be solved through chat or email. The knowledgebase section of the website, video tutorials online and various user forums also help with most issues. If after using all of these avenues you still have an issue, it may be time for you to outsource your project to a professional!

Incentivized

I've actually never had to contact support as the tool is easy to use. One aspect is that they upgrade and send email notifications of the upgrades. They don't charge extra for upgrades and their enhancements fall in line with the way we use the tool. We haven't had to submit any upgrade requests as the tool already does what we need it to do.

Incentivized

It's a simple next next finish install. The SnagIt Library in the user profile should probably be backed up to make sure they have access to their old screen captures. We frequently will go back to previous captures and add context bubbles etc. when software changes to show the "old" vs "new". Also, go to SnagIt's website and download the additional Stamp Sets for the user. These are terrific. I wish there was one download to get them all, but you have to download and install them one set at a time. It's worth it - especially for training how-to's.

Incentivized

I've tried several freeware recorders, too. If all you want to do is literally record your screen, and nothing else, you don't need Camtasia. There are literally dozens of apps that will do that. If you want an app that will record your screen while capturing mouse clicks, follow you, record your voice while you capture, and annotate when you're done, Camtasia has no equal. Plus, it doesn't stop there. You can add professional intros and outros (many already created to choose from), lower thirds, etc., leading to videos with very high production value. This is THE program to buy if you want to produce training videos of very high quality.

Incentivized

Not as easy to use as iMovie, and a similar cost structure. iMovie is easier for Apple users / and MS users, to both get proficient at. Movie Maker isn't bad, it just isn't as slick as iMovie. We actually used MovieMaker for a couple of years before migrating most users over to iMovie. We have not regretted the move.

Incentivized

Windows free snipping tool - Con: had to save each screen shot before I could take another screen shot and couldn't draw nice circles/rectangles around the area of the screen shot to bring attention. Chrome plugin options - Con: editing tools were lacking.

Incentivized

• Many faculty members used it because it was easy to use and accomplish what they needed.
• No need for a lot of training or follow-up training due to it being very to use.
• Account management within our system and assigning permissions required a few steps when granting access.

Incentivized

• iMovie is a very inexpensive alternative to other video editing software.
• It's very easy to train new users on iMovie, so time is saved there.
• We started a project where we were tasked to create a new 5 minute video every week. We started with little to no knowledge of video editing, but iMovie was so easy to pick up and use that we were able to start filming and putting together videos right away. If we had to learn a more complex program, like Premiere Pro, it would have pushed our timeline back considerably.

Incentivized

• Snagit isn't a very expensive product in general so it has been a huge ROI for us
• It saves me countless amounts of time each day
• I'm able to share instructions much easier and allows for more time spent on other tasks

Incentivized