Superluminous vs Loom: Why We Built a Better Screen Recorder
If you're searching for a Loom alternative, you're not alone. Loom pioneered the async video category and deserves credit for that. But as the platform has grown, it has become bloated with enterprise features, aggressive upsells, and a pricing model that punishes small teams. We built Superluminous to get back to what screen recording should be: fast, simple, and affordable.
No extension. Just record.
Loom offers a desktop app, a Chrome extension, and a web-based recorder at loom.com. But most of Loom's recording features still rely on its extension or desktop app for the full experience. Superluminous runs entirely in any modern desktop browser with zero extensions. Open the page, click record, and you're done. There is nothing to install, nothing to update, and nothing running in the background when you're not using it.
Pricing that makes sense
Loom's Business plan is priced per user per month (pricing has evolved since Atlassian's acquisition), and its Enterprise tier hides pricing behind a sales call. Features like transcription, engagement insights, and custom branding are locked behind higher tiers. Superluminous starts free with full local recording capabilities. Our Basic plan is $10/mo (or $9.17/mo billed annually) and includes cloud storage, shareable links, HD transcoding, and view analytics. The Pro plan at $20/mo (or $15/mo billed annually) adds AI transcription, AI summaries, and multiple share links per video.
No artificial limits
Loom's free plan has recording limits (which have changed over time since Atlassian's acquisition), and adds Loom branding to the player page on free-tier videos. Superluminous' free tier lets you record as many videos as you want at full quality and download them locally with zero branding. When you upgrade, there are no per-video limits or hidden caps.
Faster, lighter, more focused
Loom has added workspaces, comments, reactions, tasks, integrations with dozens of tools, and even a basic video editor. If you need all of that, Loom might be the right choice. But most people just need to record their screen and share a link. Superluminous is purpose-built for that workflow. Fewer features means a faster product, a simpler interface, and fewer things that can break.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Superluminous | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| No browser extension required | ||
| Browser-based recording | ||
| Webcam overlay | ||
| Microphone audio capture | ||
| Cloud storage & processing | ||
| Shareable links | ||
| View analytics (Basic+) | ||
| HD transcoding | ||
| AI transcription (Pro plan) | ||
| AI video summaries (Pro plan) | ||
| Global CDN delivery | ||
| Free tier with local download | ||
| No per-video limits on paid plans | ||
| No branding on free-tier recordings |
The bottom line
Loom is a mature product with a large team and a broad feature set aimed at enterprise buyers. If you need deep integrations, workspace-level permissions, and an army of admin controls, it might be worth the price. But if what you actually need is a fast, reliable way to record your screen and share a link — without installing an extension, without navigating a complex pricing page, and without paying for features you'll never use — Superluminous is the better tool for the job.