Loom vs Scribe (2026): Video Messages or Written Guides?
Vorec Team · 2026-07-16 · About 6 min read
Pick Loom when you need a video of you talking over your screen, and Scribe when you need a written step-by-step guide with screenshots; choose the format first and the tool follows. On pricing pages read 15 to 21 October 2026, Loom Starter is $0 (25 recordings per person, 5 minutes, 720p) and Business is $18 per user monthly. Scribe Basic is $0 for web capture, and Pro Team is $29 per seat monthly with a 5-seat minimum. For five people on annual billing, Loom Business costs $900 a year and Scribe Pro Team $1,380.
"Should we get Loom or Scribe?" usually comes from a team that has a screen recording problem and has not yet decided what format the answer should take. The two tools barely overlap: Loom is built around a shareable video of you talking over your screen, Scribe around a written step-by-step guide with screenshots. Pick the format first and the tool follows.
Sources: Loom's pricing page (monthly prices and Starter limits read 21 October 2026, annual prices 6 October) and Scribe's pricing page, help centre and product announcements (read 15 October 2026). We did not run a hands-on test of either tool.
The 30-second verdict
- Pick Loom for quick, personal communication: async updates, design feedback, "here's what I mean" replies.
- Pick Scribe for repeatable process documentation: numbered steps with screenshots that people follow and search later.
- Neither is mainly a narrated training-video tool. For a library of narrated how-to videos, see the last section.
What each tool is
Loom records your screen and camera and gives you a shareable link. Its pricing page lists auto titles, transcription and closed captions on every tier, with transcription in 50+ languages.
Scribe captures a workflow and generates a written guide with screenshots. Basic captures web apps in Chrome or Edge; desktop and mobile capture start on Pro Personal. Scribe is not text-only: every plan can present a guide as a "Movie" (a shared or embedded walkthrough with motion, voice and visual cues), and paid plans can import an existing video and turn it into a guide.
| Loom | Scribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Main output | Video of you talking over your screen | Written guide with screenshots |
| Other formats | Transcript, captions | "Share as video" Movies on all plans; PDF, HTML, Markdown and Word export on Pro |
| Your face and voice | Central to the format | Not needed |
| Skimming | Transcript on every tier; the video itself plays in sequence | Steps and screenshots can be scanned |
| Editing after recording | Trim, stitch and waveform editing on Business; transcript editing on Business + AI | Edit steps, text and screenshots |
| Existing recordings | It is the recording | Video import (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV; up to 30 minutes and 500 MB) on Pro, Pro Team and Enterprise |
Head-to-head
Making one
A Loom is finished when you stop recording, so its cost is the take itself, plus any retakes you decide you need. A Scribe guide is generated from your clicks, so there is no narration to redo; you edit the steps afterwards.
Teaching motion versus steps
Video shows movement: drags, loading states, what happens after a click. A screenshot guide is better for form-filling and click-by-click tasks where the reader works at their own pace. Choose by the task, not the tool.
Keeping it current
When an interface changes, a Scribe guide can be fixed by editing or re-capturing the affected steps. A Loom can be trimmed and stitched on Business, but new spoken content means recording again.
Finding it later
Scribe guides are text and screenshots, which knowledge-base search can index. Loom adds titles and transcripts on every tier, so spoken words are searchable through the transcript.
Pricing
| Free plan | Paid from (monthly billing) | With annual billing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loom | Starter $0: up to 50 members, 25 recordings per person, 5-minute screen recordings, 720p | Business $18 per user; Business + AI $24 | Business $15 (shown as $180 a year) |
| Scribe | Basic $0: web capture, link sharing, embeds | Pro Personal $35; Pro Team $29 per seat with a 5-seat minimum | $25; $23 |
For five people on annual billing, Loom Business is $900 a year (5 × $15 × 12) and Scribe Pro Team is $1,380 (5 × $23 × 12).
Quick answers
Should I create guides or videos from my screen recording?
Make a written guide when people follow steps at their own pace and need to search for them; make a video when motion or tone matters. If you already have the recording, Scribe's paid plans can import it (MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV, up to 30 minutes and 500 MB) and turn it into a guide; Scribe says silent videos work.
Is Scribe better than Loom for SOPs?
For written standard operating procedures, Scribe is built for the job: numbered steps, screenshots, and PDF, HTML, Markdown or Word export on Pro. Loom suits explaining a process once to a few people.
Does Scribe make videos?
Scribe can share any guide as a "Movie", a walkthrough with motion, voice and visual cues, on all plans. Its documentation does not say whether you can download that as an MP4, so we do not claim either way.
Is Loom free?
Loom Starter is $0 for up to 50 members, with 25 recordings per person and screen recordings up to 5 minutes at 720p. Paid plans remove the recording count and length limits.
Where a narrated-video tool fits
If the real goal is a library of narrated how-to videos for onboarding or support, both formats leave work. Loom needs someone to record their voice for each video. Scribe's core output is the written guide, and we did not confirm AI narration on its plans.
Vorec takes a different route. Record with its macOS recorder or upload a recording; Vorec drafts narration matched to the captured workflow and generates the voiceover, so nobody records their voice. Freeze-sync can hold the frame while an explanation finishes, a written step-by-step guide can be generated from the same capture, and narration can be regenerated in other languages (3 on Starter; all supported languages on Pro and Business). When an interface changes you still record a new take, but you do not record a new voiceover. The free trial needs no credit card; paid plans start at $9 a month.
Who should pick what
Choose Loom if you mostly need async communication, your face and voice matter (sales, feedback, leadership updates), and most videos are short-lived.
Choose Scribe if your team reads documentation in a knowledge base, you need many SOPs quickly, and screenshots are enough.
Choose a narration tool if you want durable narrated videos without anyone recording a voiceover.
Bottom line
Loom is for talking someone through your screen; Scribe is for writing down how a process works. Each fits its job; for narrated, maintainable training videos, look at a tool built for that.
For the wider field, see the best Loom alternatives in 2026, Scribe alternatives, Loom pricing, Loom vs Guidde, Guidde vs Scribe, Scribe vs Tango and Loom video prompts.
Want the narrated video and the written guide from one recording? Record with Vorec, or upload one you already have. Start your free trial, no card needed.