Participating in a collaborative workplace, especially when this work is remote and virtual, means that the key to being productive is all in communication.
While real-time communication is often the preferred method of getting things done, for example, conversations on programs like Slack, there are now other methods of communication gaining traction in the workplace.
The Loom web app has started to gain attention for being a piece of software designed for online communication in the workplace which is designed to be asynchronous and does these using video recordings.
This means that instead of talking to coworkers and collaborators in video meetings or messages, you talk to them using video messages which can be consumed whenever is best for the recipient and can then be easily replied to.
These video messages can be customized to either include just your computer screen, or a face recording as well.
This is designed to make showing what you are working on simple and make impromptu presentations simple and convenient.
This is not the first program which is designed to record screen recordings, and it is not even the first to video record your screen while also presenting the recording, or having a simultaneous face-cam as well, but it is the primary one that is focused on sharing and communication using this.
The selling point to use Loom video is its implicit simplicity and how you are able to record videos and your presentations with little guidance and then upload and share videos with whoever you need them to.
But, with very similar tools already existing, for much less of a price tag, is Loom worth investing in for the sake of productivity?
Let’s dig deep dive into the Loom review and know more about this app!
What Is Loom
Loom aims to use for screen recording as well as capturing video and is made for you to be able to do this easily while also sharing your recordings with other people.
Because of this Loom advertises itself by focusing on being used as a screen recording tool for communication.
Loom is designed to be easy as well as quick to use which is a significant selling point since while there are other cheaper screen recorders available, a lot of them are difficult to use making them inappropriate for a workplace where certain people may have limited technological literacy.
Loom is designed as a collaboration tool for giving quick feedback, or having conversations surrounding work and assignments in an efficient way.
The process of commenting and responding to loom videos is quick and allows users of the service to network in a simple environment.
Quickly record video recording in an effective way.
Loom has become quite widely used having 14 million separate users over the span of 200,000 separate companies to make collaboration as simple as possible.
This is a tool that, while it can be used as just a screen recorder, is focused on communication and feedback.
There is both a basic version and a premium version of Loom, with the paid version of course designed to be superior with key features like higher video quality recording, unlimited videos, as well as password protection.
Pros Of Loom Screen Recorder
- It is very easy and simple to set up a screen recording using the software, as well as having a webcam overlay attached as well to make presentations
- Lets you instantly upload videos without having to deal with third party software
Cons Of Loom Screen Recorder
- There are other services available that offer similar, but powerful features without costing as much
- The videos recorded on this platform will be set to be public as a default
How Much Does Loom Screen Record Cost?
As mentioned in the introduction, there is a free version of Loom offered which makes it so you are allowed to upload up to 25 videos a maximum of 5 minutes long each.
There are both monthly and annual subscriptions plan available.
This will make it so you are able to get an impression of what using the desktop app will be like, but this is not intended to be a permanent solution, and to get anything done with Loom you will need to upgrade to the premium plan.
The paid version of Loom will be a monthly cost of $10 per user if you are using a business plan, but you can get this slightly discounted if you are paying an annual rate.
If you are using the paid subscriptions of Loom you will be able to upload videos with no limit on length.
There will also be other customization options like adding custom branding, adding password protection onto certain videos, as well as even embedding links into recorded videos.
You can also use the Enterprise tier for the option of custom pricing. This will give you even more advanced key features for security, as well as native Salesforce integration.
How Does The Pricing Of Loom Screen Recorder Compare?
The cost of Loom is similar to applications that have similar features like video messaging, and arguably it includes more than some of its competitors.
A common rival brought up to Loom is Slack which will let you send video clips which will let you screen record and then share this with your team.
This is part of the paid version of Slack which costs a little less than Loom at $8 monthly per person.
While Slack does a lot more than just screen sharing recorded videos, there is no way to share these videos outside of your own group, however, if you are already paying for Slack, many people are hesitant to pay for Loom as well to get arguably unnecessary bonus new feature which may not be needed.
Asana is another program that is brought up quite often and this has a built-in video messaging tool as well which is quite similar to the offering on Loom.
This is quite a worthy rival since Asana has a free version as well, as this free version gives you much more than the lite version of Loom giving you unlimited storage with the only payment needed is signing up for a costless Vimeo account.
The paid version of Asana has even more bonus features and just costs a little more than Loom being $10.99 monthly, but the paid version is not a necessity for video sharing.
You may already use a program like Prezi which lets you make videos having a webcam video overlaid just like on Loom, and you can also add other types of graphics to the screen as well.
Prezi is mainly used as a tool for presentations and it only costs about $60 yearly for the premium version.
The fact Prezi includes so much more than Loom in the base cost, you can see why people are not easily convinced to change to Loom if they already use one of these programs.
Dropbox also has its own offering called Dropbox Capture which will be free with a Dropbox account and has very similar features to what is offered by Loom, with videos being very easy to share on the app.
You will be stuck paying if you go over the 2GB of free storage, however, this is a lot more than what Loom offers for free.
You can go up to a much more generous 2TB of storage for $9.99 monthly, which is less than the unlimited storage on Loom, but of course, Dropbox and Dropbox Share offer more features than what you will be getting on Loom.
Setting Up Loom Screen Recorder
The process of setting up Loom will luckily not take too much effort and all you have to do to get started is go to the Loom website and then make a loom account.
You can link your account or set it up using other platforms which you are likely already using like Slack, Apple, Google, SSO, or simply an email.
Once you have successfully set up an account you will have the ability to install the app onto whatever device or devices you plan to use it on.
You will have the option to download loom software for the Mac and Windows version from the site, or you can get the mobile app for Android or iOS systems using your preferred app store.
You also have the option of using a Loom Chrome extension if this is something you would prefer.
After you have set up the application on whichever device you prefer, you will need to enable permissions for all the devices that will need them for recording.
You will also get the option to make customizable shortcuts on your keyboard which are very useful for doing things smoothly while you are recording videos without having to lose time.
After you have made these customizations as well as set up everything you need, you will be able to start recording immediately.
There are some default settings you may want to change however, this is because the default will make it so you will be simultaneously be recording your face using your front-facing camera or webcam, as well as recording your screen.
This can be customized to be just one of these cameras depending on your preference.
It is worth noting that the only version of this app which will not be able to simultaneously record the front-facing camera and the screen is the iOS version which will make you choose which one to prioritize.
You will be given the option to resize as well as reposition the window for the overlay of the face cam, and you are also able to customize which parts of your screen you are recording to cut out any parts of your screen you may want to avoid showing!
The process of recording is seamless and easy to do, and once you have finished your video will then immediately be uploaded onto Loom which will be shown on your browser.
This will then let you begin the editing and then the video editing features can also add on CTAs which will pop up after the video is finished which is another feature that helps Loom stand out.
Sharing Using Loom Screen Recorder
The default setting for Loom is that once you have created a video it will be shared with the whole world right away, meaning that you can easily copy a link to it, and anyone will be able to access the video using their browser.
While this default can not currently be changed, you are able to turn off public sharing on specific videos.
The player for the videos also has some useful customization new features like changing playback speed, adding comments, and using reaction emojis. There is also an automatically generated transcript of the video which is a useful add-on.
The share button also works well and will let you embed the video link on other apps and websites easily.
If you are using Loom’s Chrome extension you will also have the option to convert Loom links to embedded videos on certain sites like Docs, Gmail, and GitLab.
The ease of sharing videos is arguably what Loom extension does best and is part of why it has been able to gain a good amount of traction in workplaces.
Loom Screen Recorder And Screenshotting
While Loom does have a screenshot tool as well, at the moment it is still in its beta form, and because of this it is not the easiest or most effective screenshot tool to work with and this should not be a reason to choose Loom.
The tool gives you no option for annotating and once you screenshot you will be stuck with an automatically opened window which is more frustrating than helpful.
While it is unfair to judge the service on something in beta, it should definitely be improved soon.
The Problem With Loom – Summary
The main issue you will find with Loom is that most of the features it offers under its $10 monthly fee (since the free version is not worth considering being a glorified trial) is that all its features can be Frankenstein-ed using other mostly free services.
This is part of the appeal of Loom, however. What would require multiple services, now only needs one, and it is all tied together in a sleek package.
So, assessing whether this upgrade is worth the cost of entry depends on what you are trying to achieve with your workplace and how much effort you are willing to put in.
