Camtasia vs. Media Composer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Camtasia
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Some video solutions on the market are super-easy to use, but deliver lackluster results. Others deliver professional quality video, but the learning curve is extreme. Camtasia aims to enable anyone to quickly start creating pro-quality videos in minutes with no video experience needed. Camtasia can capture everything happening on the screen with just a few clicks, and offers drag-and-drop editing and visual effects features to transform screen recordings into polished software…
$299
one-time fee per user
Media Composer
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Avid Technologies offers Media Composer, the company's professional class video editing software supporting high res and advanced video creation needs.
$23.99
per month
Pricing
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Editions & Modules
Education
$212.99
one-time fee per user
Government & Non-Profit
$269
one-time fee per user
Business
$299.99
one-time fee per user
Monthly
$23.99
per month
Month-to-Month
$34.99
per month
Yearly
$239
per year
Students & Teachers Perpetual
$295
per license
Media Composer Perpetual
1,499
per license
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*Discounts available for purchases supporting a large volume of users.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Considered Both Products
Camtasia
Chose Camtasia
Not able to select, but used the free version of Avid Media Composer which is much more complicated to use than Camtasia and doesn't offer that many additional features. Filmora only has 2 video layers limitation and 2 audio layer limitation, VEGAS Pro is also more complicated …
Media Composer

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Small Businesses
Sendspark
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Score 10.0 out of 10
Descript
Descript
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Loom
Loom
Score 9.2 out of 10
iMovie
iMovie
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Snagit
Snagit
Score 9.1 out of 10
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(73 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(14 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CamtasiaMedia Composer
Likelihood to Recommend
TechSmith
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.
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Avid Technology
I've cut my own video content on Media Composer, and also worked on a network television show with it - it performed excellently in both situations. The bins are a great way to find and store content and the timeline is easy to understand. In my experience, crashes were few and far between (although they're a part of the job no matter what DAW you're using).
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Pros
TechSmith
  • 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)
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Avid Technology
  • Manage Longform Media
  • Edit video and sound
  • Script Based editing
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Cons
TechSmith
  • 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).
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Avid Technology
  • A faster update track
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Likelihood to Renew
TechSmith
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.
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Avid Technology
No answers on this topic
Usability
TechSmith
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
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Avid Technology
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
TechSmith
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.
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Avid Technology
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
TechSmith
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.
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Avid Technology
We [utilize] premiere for our VFX and animation curriculum due to tight integration with after effects and [photoshop]. we utilize resolve for DIT and color correction and finishing Media composer is the heart of our editorial workflow to align with the industry and give students a leg up to get jobs
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Return on Investment
TechSmith
  • 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.
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Avid Technology
  • It's saved time by being easy to learn (well, easy to start. It takes a long time to learn)
  • Because everyone in the industry uses or has used it, collaborating is easier
  • It's saved us money because we don't have to change products
  • It integrates well with Pro Tools
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ScreenShots

Camtasia Screenshots

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