Screen recordings that stay on your computer
Screentastic is a free Chrome extension for walkthroughs, bug reports and async updates. Camera bubble, an instant review page and AI transcripts, with no account and no upload.
Private by design
Screen, camera & voice in one click
Pick a tab, a window or your whole screen. A floating camera bubble keeps your face in frame, with Pause and Stop always within reach.
A review page the moment you stop
Your video is already saved to Downloads/Screentastic. Watch it back, reveal it in its folder, or drop it into Google Drive in one drag.
AI transcripts, captions & summaries
Your narration becomes timestamped, clickable lines, on-video captions and a summary with chapters. It runs on your own OpenRouter key, and free models work.
Saved to your disk
Every recording lands in Downloads/Screentastic as an MP4. Nothing is uploaded, ever.
Mic & system audio
Your voice and tab or system sound, mixed into one clean track.
Pause & resume
Take a breath mid-recording. The paused time never shows up in your video.
Captions & notes files
Transcripts save as a .vtt caption file and summaries as Markdown, right next to your video.
Drive in one drag
Opens Google Drive and highlights your file. No sign-in or extra permissions needed.
Free, no strings
No account, no paywall and no recording limits. It's a small tool that does its job.
// Privacy
Under review for the Chrome Web Store. Until then, it's a zip you can read.
You install the exact same extension with Chrome's built-in Developer mode. Here's precisely what it can and can't do.
Runs entirely on your computer
Recording, saving and playback happen inside your browser. There's no Screentastic server, so there's nowhere for your videos to go.
Minimal permissions
downloads saves videos, storage remembers settings, and openrouter.ai powers the optional AI. It can't read your tabs or other websites.
No tracking, no accounts
No analytics or telemetry. The extension makes zero network requests on its own, and even its fonts are bundled.
Plain, readable code
About 1,200 lines of unminified HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Open manifest.json and see every permission.
// Install
Up and running in two minutes. Five steps, once.
Download the zip
112 KB. Works in Chrome, Edge and Brave on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Download screentastic.zipChrome may occasionally remind you that developer-mode extensions are on. That's a generic notice for anything installed outside the store, so dismiss it to keep Screentastic. Keep the unzipped folder where it is, because Chrome runs Screentastic from it.
- Unzip screentastic.zip. You'll get a
screentasticfolder. - Open
chrome://extensionsin Chrome. - Turn on Developer mode (top-right switch).
- Click Load unpacked and select the
screentasticfolder. - Pin Screentastic from the puzzle-piece menu and hit Start recording.
// FAQ
Questions? Answered.
Is Screentastic really free?
Yes. There's no server to pay for, because your videos never leave your computer. The AI features use your own OpenRouter key, and OpenRouter has free models.
Where do my recordings go?
To Downloads/Screentastic on your computer, as MP4 files. Captions (.vtt) and notes (.md) are saved next to them when you generate them.
Why isn't it on the Chrome Web Store yet?
It's currently under review. Until it's approved, the zip is the same extension, and because it's plain unminified code, you can read exactly what you're installing.
Is Developer mode safe?
Yes. It's a built-in Chrome setting that lets you load extensions from a folder. It doesn't lower Chrome's security for websites. It only lets you install extensions you choose, like this one.
Can Screentastic see my other tabs or data?
No. It asks only for downloads, storage and access to openrouter.ai for the optional AI. When you record, Chrome's own picker asks what to share, every time.
Does it work on Mac and Linux?
Yes, anywhere desktop Chrome runs. One macOS limit: Chrome can't capture system sound when you record the whole screen. Tab audio and your mic work fine.