Loom
FreemiumVideo messaging for work
About Loom
Loom is a screen and camera recording tool for async video messaging. The core use case: record a short video instead of writing a long email or scheduling a meeting. Free tier gives 25 videos with a 5-minute cap; Business at $15/user/mo unlocks unlimited recordings and team features. The recorder works as a Chrome extension or desktop app on Mac and Windows. Features include automatic captions, viewer engagement tracking (who watched, replay count), and embeds that work in Notion, Slack, GitHub, and most project management tools. AI summaries and filler word removal are on paid plans. Main Reddit complaints: the 5-minute free cap is too restrictive to evaluate real use cases, and $15/user is expensive for async video. Loom was acquired by Atlassian in 2023 for $975M. It competes with Vidyard (more enterprise), Screencast-O-Matic (cheaper), and Tella (better production quality). For software teams doing async code reviews, product demos, and cross-timezone communication where a two-minute video beats a wall of text, Loom is the default recommendation.
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Verified April 2026Starter
- Up to 25 videos
- 5 min per video
- Screen + camera
- Instant sharing
Business
- Unlimited videos
- Unlimited length
- AI features
- Custom branding
- Analytics
Enterprise
- SSO/SAML
- Advanced security
- Dedicated support
Pros
- Dead simple to use
- Great for async communication
- Viewer reactions
- AI transcripts
Cons
- Limited free tier (25 videos)
- 5 min limit on free
- No advanced editing
Best For
- Software teams doing async code reviews and product walkthroughs
- Remote teams replacing standup meetings with short async video updates
- Sales teams sending personalized video demos to prospects
Not Ideal For
- Teams that need long recordings -- 5-minute free cap is too restrictive
- Budget-conscious teams -- $15/user/mo is expensive for async video messaging
Potential Deal Breakers
- 5-minute recording cap on the free plan makes proper evaluation difficult
- $15/user/mo pricing is steep for what is essentially a video messaging tool
- Acquired by Atlassian in 2023 -- product direction and pricing trajectory are less predictable
Data & Privacy
Acquired by Atlassian in 2023. Loom AI features transcribe and summarize videos but Atlassian states customer content is not used for model training. Videos stored on AWS. Recordings downloadable as MP4. SOC 2 Type 2 certified. AI features can be disabled.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested May 2026
Signup Experience
Email, Google, or SSO signup. Free tier activates immediately — install the desktop app or browser extension and start recording within two minutes. The recorder shows a floating toolbar with options for screen-only, camera-only, or both. First recording is complete and shareable via link in under five minutes. The viewer page shows a waveform, transcript, and comment thread. No credit card needed for the free tier.
For Home Users
Excellent for remote workers and freelancers who need to explain things without scheduling a call. The free tier allows 25 videos up to 5 minutes each — enough for occasional use. Sending a Loom instead of writing a long email is genuinely faster for visual explanations, bug reports, and design feedback. For home users wanting to record longer tutorials or gameplay, OBS or Screenflow are better fits since Loom is optimized for short async communication rather than long-form recording.
For Business Users
Business at $12.50/user/mo removes the 5-minute cap, adds unlimited storage, engagement analytics showing who watched and for how long, custom branding, and team workspace features. Business Plus at $16.50/user/mo adds Salesforce integration and advanced privacy controls. Remote and distributed teams use Loom to replace synchronous meetings for status updates, code reviews, design walkthroughs, and onboarding. The analytics showing viewer drop-off are useful for sales teams tracking prospect engagement. The main limitation is discoverability — finding an older Loom in a large library requires good naming discipline.
Our Verdict
Loom solves a real problem: async video communication is genuinely better than long Slack threads for explaining complex things. The free tier is too limited at 5 minutes to evaluate it properly. At $15/user/mo, it is expensive relative to the value delivered for most teams.
Price History
Loom free plan cut from unlimited videos to 25 video limit
Atlassian (which acquired Loom in 2023) cut the free tier significantly — previously unlimited videos, now capped at 25. Recordings over 5 minutes also restricted to Pro. Many indie hackers and solo creators switched to Tella, Cap, or Loom alternatives.