The ActivePresenter alternative for Windows.
ActivePresenter: Screen recording for e-learning, with quizzes. Sceed is a screen recorder and editor for Windows 10 and 11 that finishes the video for you. It records without the cursor and draws a smooth one back, eases zooms in and out where you place them, adds a camera look, a frame and a background, and exports 4K at 60 fps straight to disk. Nothing is uploaded.
ActivePresenter records the screen and turns it into e-learning: a timeline with zoom and pan, cursor effects, captions, quizzes, interactions and SCORM export, on Windows and Mac. It is built for courses that run in an LMS. Sceed is built for a finished video.
Why people switch
- You want a video, not a course package.
- The cursor, zooms and camera should look produced by default.
- You want a small, fast app with no project set-up.
What you would give up
- You publish interactive courses to an LMS.
- Quizzes, branching and SCORM are requirements.
- A free edition for personal use matters.
Sceed and ActivePresenter, feature by feature
| Sceed | ActivePresenter | |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | ||
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows, Mac |
| Price | Free plan; Pro monthly or yearly | Free edition, or one-time |
| Recordings live | On your disk | On your disk |
| Works without an account | Free account | |
| Capture | ||
| Window, area or monitor | ||
| System audio and mic | ||
| Webcam | ||
| Live streaming | ||
| Editing | ||
| Editor built in | Full timeline | |
| Cursor redrawn after recording | ||
| Cursor smoothing and looks | Effects | |
| Zooms | Numbered points, eased | Manual zoom and pan |
| Camera looks | Many looks | |
| Frames and backgrounds | Frames and backgrounds | |
| Region effects | Many kinds | Annotations and animations |
| Sections between clips | Many styles | Slides |
| Text and lower thirds | ||
| Captions made on the machine | Manual and speech to text | |
| Privacy blur | ||
| Keystroke overlay | ||
| Output | ||
| 4K export | 4K at 60 fps | |
| GIF export | Planned | |
| Share link | HTML5, SCORM, upload | |
Compiled from each product's public pages, checked September 2026. Read the full Sceed vs ActivePresenter comparison →
Moving from ActivePresenter
- 01
Download Sceed
Free, with a free account and no card. Windows 10 and 11.
- 02
Record one take
Pick a window, an area or a monitor. The cursor is not recorded, so it can be fixed later.
- 03
Let the defaults work
Frame, background, cursor smoothing and a camera look are already on. Drop a zoom point where it matters.
- 04
Export
4K at 60 fps, straight to disk. What you scrubbed is what you ship.
Questions
- Can Sceed export SCORM or quizzes?
- No. Sceed exports MP4. For interactive e-learning, ActivePresenter is the right tool.
- Does ActivePresenter smooth the cursor?
- It records the cursor path and can restyle and highlight it. Sceed smooths it with an adjustable amount and offers several looks.
- Which is cheaper?
- ActivePresenter has a free edition and one-time paid editions. Sceed has a free plan, and Pro is $25 a month or $115 a year.
Sceed and ActivePresenter as a list
- Runs on: Sceed Windows 10 and 11; ActivePresenter Windows, Mac.
- Price: Sceed Free plan; Pro monthly or yearly; ActivePresenter Free edition, or one-time.
- Recordings live: Sceed On your disk; ActivePresenter On your disk.
- Works without an account: Sceed Free account; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Window, area or monitor: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- System audio and mic: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Webcam: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Live streaming: Sceed No; ActivePresenter No.
- Editor built in: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Full timeline.
- Cursor redrawn after recording: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Cursor smoothing and looks: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Effects.
- Zooms: Sceed Numbered points, eased; ActivePresenter Manual zoom and pan.
- Camera looks: Sceed Many looks; ActivePresenter No.
- Frames and backgrounds: Sceed Frames and backgrounds; ActivePresenter No.
- Region effects: Sceed Many kinds; ActivePresenter Annotations and animations.
- Sections between clips: Sceed Many styles; ActivePresenter Slides.
- Text and lower thirds: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Captions made on the machine: Sceed No; ActivePresenter Manual and speech to text.
- Privacy blur: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter Yes.
- Keystroke overlay: Sceed Yes; ActivePresenter No.
- 4K export: Sceed 4K at 60 fps; ActivePresenter Yes.
- GIF export: Sceed Planned; ActivePresenter No.
- Share link: Sceed No; ActivePresenter HTML5, SCORM, upload.