Is Loom Free? Starter Limits and When to Upgrade
Yes. Loom offers a free Starter plan for recording and sharing videos. Its published limits include 25 videos per person and five minutes per screen recording, which is enough for a short explanation or an occasional update. Someone who records frequently, or needs a longer screen walkthrough in a single capture, should check whether a paid plan fits.
Loom's pricing page lists unlimited meeting recording length on a separate row from ordinary screen capture. The meeting recording guide says the feature requires a connected calendar and a role with recording access. A standard screen walkthrough still has the screen cap; confirm the mode before a session you cannot afford to lose.
Loom Starter at a glance
| Feature | Free Starter | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $18 per user/month on monthly billing; $180/year for one user in the pricing calculator |
| Videos | Up to 25 per person | Unlimited |
| Screen recording length | Five minutes per video | Listed as unlimited; check the account limit |
| Meeting recording length | Listed separately as unlimited | Listed separately as unlimited |
| Workspace | Up to 10 users when Atlassian-integrated; up to 50 Creator Lite members on other workspaces | Creator and Creator Lite roles available |
| Video quality | Up to 720p | Up to 4K |
| Editing | Limited compared with Business | Basic waveform editing |
These rows come from Loom's plan comparison and its Starter FAQ. The workspace cap differs for Atlassian-integrated accounts. Read the account offer before inviting a team.
How do the free recording limits work?
The video count and the screen-recording length are separate ceilings. A walkthrough longer than five minutes exceeds the free screen-recording limit even when video slots remain, and short clips can exhaust the per-person count while each one stays inside the length cap. Pay if you need one continuous capture, because splitting a long story spends videos faster.
At one new video each working day, a creator starting with an empty library would reach 25 recordings in five five-day workweeks. At two new videos each working day, it takes twelve and a half working days. This is arithmetic, not a prediction about account behavior or a claim that an allowance resets monthly. Toolradar data: As of October 28, 2026, our screen recording category tracks 116 tools; that count describes the directory, not Loom's free allowance.
At the slower pace the free allowance lasts a short run of workweeks, and at the faster pace it runs out after a much shorter stretch of working days. The creator then stops, deletes with care, or pays.
Loom's screen recorder FAQ puts the cap on each member. Its Starter FAQ says archived videos still count. It also describes a combined video and screenshot limit, while the pricing comparison lists unlimited screenshots; confirm how the allowance works in your workspace before relying on either description. Leave a video people still open in place until you know what deleting it will do to the shared link.
A bug report, one design question, or a short handoff fits the length cap, while a training session or a detailed product demonstration usually does not. Compare free screen recording software and screen recording software when that cap, or the size of the library, is why Starter fails.
What can you do without paying?
On Starter, Loom's pricing page lists personal, shared, and team libraries, plus comments, emoji reactions, video transcription, and closed captions. Showing the problem and getting a reply on the video, instead of booking a call, is the job this plan is good at. If you only need a file in a folder, a simpler recorder is a closer fit.
A designer can narrate a revised layout, and a support agent can show the clicks that reproduce a bug. The clip works when the title says what you need back, and a vague title leaves the task open.
Check who can open a recording before you share it. The frame can include customer information, private messages, or a tab that was not meant for that audience, so close unrelated windows. Starter lists video privacy controls, while password protection appears on paid tiers, so a clip that must sit behind a password is already a paid-plan job.
720p is Starter's listed maximum, enough for many talking-head updates and often too soft for small text in a complicated interface. Enlarge on-screen text if the viewer struggles, and do not treat the higher resolution on Business as settled until you watch it on their screen.
Is it free for a team?
Loom's workspace guide says Starter workspaces integrated with Atlassian are limited to 10 free users. Its pricing and support pages also list up to 50 Creator Lite members for other Starter workspaces. The video allowance is per person, so check the account type and role before inviting a team. The Starter FAQ says accounts created after February 2026 are integrated, as are migrated legacy accounts.
Occasional creators can stay on Starter while many colleagues only watch and comment. A team that records through the workday hits the ceiling one person at a time, and the workspace still looks free after the work has stopped. Downloads, a library that outlasts the project, and paid editing tools sit outside Starter, so price them before the habit forms.
The screen recorder FAQ describes paid Creators beside free Creator Lite members, which keeps a viewing group off the invoice and bills the people who record. Confirm that mix in the workspace before you quote it, because roles and billing differ by purchase path.
If the video replaces a meeting, record the issue, name who should respond, and link the clip to the task that holds the outcome. The task is what someone can still find after the context fades. Compare free task management apps and note-taking apps for that written side of the work.
Starter versus paid Loom plans
The pricing comparison lists unlimited videos and recording time, basic editing, and upload and download on Business. A separate Loom support page describes recording length up to six hours, so check the actual limit for your recorder and workspace. Business + AI adds enhanced editing and video-to-text automation, and Enterprise offers additional administrative and security controls.
When one creator needs a longer screen recording, price that role before you upgrade everyone else. A company-wide move is the expensive way to fix a single recorder. Password protection and administrative controls are a separate decision from recording length, so match the quote to the actual gap.
On October 28, Loom's pricing calculator showed Business at $18 per user per month with monthly billing. For one user, its annual selection showed $180 per year. At the displayed monthly rate, twelve months would cost $216, or $36 more, before tax and assuming the rate does not change. Business + AI showed $24 per user per month on monthly billing. Annual billing differs between Loom.com and Atlassian.com: one path uses distinct paid users and the other uses user tiers. Check the workspace quote and currency before purchase.
Starter is the plan that stays free, while a trial is temporary access to a paid plan. Loom's page describes a 14-day Business + AI trial, and a feature you use during it can disappear when the trial ends. Before anyone starts it, check what remains, who may upgrade, and whether a cancellation step or billing details are required.
Screen recording and meeting recording are different
The comparison caps Starter screen recordings and, on another row, lists meeting recording length as unlimited. It is wrong to say every Loom recording stops at the screen cap, and wrong to assume a meeting recording lifts that cap on a normal screen capture. Pick the mode for the job, then check what it keeps and who can open the file.
Before you record a meeting, confirm the product, the integrations, access, and retention in the workspace. Tell people the recording is running, follow consent rules and company policy, and review the notes before you send decisions, because a wrong owner recreates the work the meeting was meant to finish. See AI meeting assistants and free AI meeting assistants, or taking meeting notes without a bot when you want the notes without an automated participant.
When should you choose an alternative?
Switch when the screen cap cuts off normal work, when you need a storage model Starter does not offer, or when the privacy control you need sits only on a plan you will not buy. Compare duration, how many videos a person can keep, export, access, and which roles are billed. Unlimited length does not help if you still cannot download the file or restrict who sees it.
Our Loom alternatives guide compares other recorders on those points. Free project management software is where the follow-up task belongs, and AI note-taking apps cover tools that stay in writing. Before you move, list the videos that matter, their owners, and the links in your docs, then confirm the export still works. A migration that breaks onboarding links can cost more time than the switch saves.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Loom without paying?
Yes. Loom lists a Starter plan at $0 for recording and sharing inside the published limits, and that plan continues, unlike a trial of a paid tier that ends.
How many free videos can I record?
Loom lists up to 25 videos per person on Starter, and its FAQ directs anyone who needs a larger library to Business. Check how your account treats archived and deleted videos before you count on a deletion to free a slot.
Does the Starter length cap apply to every recording?
The published five-minute limit applies to Starter screen recordings. Meeting recording length is listed separately as unlimited, but the feature requires a connected calendar and recording permission. Check the mode in your workspace before you depend on a long recording.
Can a team use Loom Starter for free?
The cap depends on the account: Loom support says Atlassian-integrated Starter workspaces are limited to 10 free users, while other Starter workspaces can have up to 50 Creator Lite members. Each person who records has a separate video allowance; check your workspace and each invite role.
Are transcripts and captions included?
Loom's plan comparison lists video transcription and closed captions on Starter, so a viewer can read the clip without playing audio. Confirm your language and that the feature is available in the account you use.
Can I password-protect a video on Starter?
Video privacy controls are listed on Starter, and password-protected videos are listed on paid tiers. The free controls can limit an ordinary internal clip, but they are not a password, so review the sharing settings and move to a paid tier before you send anything that must stay behind one.
Is a paid-plan trial the same as Starter?
No. Starter is the free plan, while the 14-day Business + AI trial opens paid features temporarily. Loom's trial FAQ says an account automatically returns to Starter after the trial unless a card was added during it. Check your workspace and billing terms before starting.
How much does a paid workspace cost?
On October 28, Loom's calculator showed Business at $18 per user per month on monthly billing and $180 per year for one user on its annual selection. The bill depends on the plan, paid roles, purchase path and tax. Loom uses different annual billing models on Loom.com and Atlassian.com, so check your workspace checkout.
How we checked
Limits in this article were checked on October 28, 2026, against Loom's official pricing comparison, Starter and workspace support pages, and screen recorder FAQ. The Toolradar count was checked on the same date. The workweek example is arithmetic using the stated video limit, and it does not imply a reset schedule. We did not open a Loom account, and this page does not report a product test. Plan details and billing can change, so read the offer in your workspace before you upgrade.
Cite this: Dupple, "Is Loom Free? Starter Limits and When to Upgrade", October 2026.
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