Record, edit, and share video from all sources.
Bandicam Review: Is It Still Worth Using & Real Performance
Posted by Ethan Brooke to Record Video Aug 07, 2026
Bandicam has been around for years and still remains a popular choice for recording gameplay and desktop screens. Many users like its low CPU usage and no-lag recording performance. Bandicam works smoothly on older PCs. However, the Bandicam disadvantages are also troublesome. Its free version adds a watermark, the interface feels dated, and basic editing tools are missing. If you're thinking about buying it, it's worth knowing both its strengths and weaknesses first. This Bandicam review covers its features, pricing, pros, cons, and whether it's still worth using today.
Guide List
What Is Bandicam Bandicam Main Features Bandicam Performance Bandicam Pros and Cons Best Alternative: Bandicam vs 4Easysoft Screen RecorderWhat Is Bandicam
Bandicam was originally built with gamers in mind, since capturing gameplay at high frame rates without lagging your PC is harder than it sounds. Over time, it grew into a general-purpose recorder for regular users, teachers, and businesses.
At its core, Bandicam does two things well: it records whatever is happening on your screen, and it compresses that footage into a manageable file size without losing much quality. People use Bandicam for gameplay recording, online meetings, tutorials, streaming preparation, software demonstrations, and more. If you want to record something and export without overlarge file size, you can record with Bandicam.
Bandicam Main Features
Screen Recording
This is where Bandicam started, and it still does the basics really well. You can record your entire screen, pick a custom area if you only need part of it, or lock onto a single window without capturing anything else on your desktop. There's also a scheduled recording option. Thus, you can set it to start and stop Bandicam recording automatically.
The screen recording mode works best for tutorials, presentations, and software demos. In short, you can get a clean, focused recording without extra clutter in the frame by using Bandicam.
Game Recording
Game recording is where Bandicam performs best. It uses GPU hardware acceleration to accelerate the entire process. So, most of the recording workload goes to your graphics card instead of your computer's CPU. That helps keep games running smoothly while recording.
Bandicam supports DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. Thus, it is compatible with most modern PC games. Bandicam can also record high-frame-rate gameplay with stable performance. If your priority is smooth gameplay capture rather than built-in editing tools, Bandicam is a strong choice.
Webcam Recording
Bandicam also lets you record just your webcam. Or you can overlay it on top of your screen recording, like a small box in the corner. The Bandicam webcam recording is a simple feature, but a useful one.
This comes in handy for online courses where students want to see the instructor's face, reaction-style videos, and recorded meetings where seeing people's expressions actually matters.
Audio Recording
Bandicam gives you several audio recording options. You can record your computer's sound, your microphone, or combine both into one file. That's enough for most tutorials, gameplay videos, and online presentations, without setting up another audio tool.
Bandicam Performance
Bandicam's biggest strength is GPU-based hardware encoding (NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD VCE). It keeps CPU load low even during demanding recordings.
By the numbers:
- Record videos in up to 4K UHD (3840×2160).
- Set the frame rate as high as 1,000 FPS ( In most cases, 60-120 FPS is enough for most gameplay recordings).
- Keep file sizes much smaller than uncompressed recordings.
What holds up well:
- Gameplay stays smooth during fast-action scenes based on the Bandicam GPU hardware acceleration.
- The built-in FPS counter shows real-time performance while you play.
Where it struggles:
- Pay attention to codec choices. It is suggested to choose H.264 or HEVC while recording on low-end computers.
- Default recording settings are not always optimized. Some users end up with unexpectedly large 4K files.
Bandicam Pros and Cons
Bandicam Pros
- Excellent game recording performance. Get smooth capture even during fast gameplay based on the GPU-based hardware encoding (NVENC, Quick Sync, AMD VCE).
- Lightweight compared to many competitors. Many Capterra and Trustpilot users consistently mention that it doesn't slow down their PC or games while recording.
- Supports hardware acceleration. It offloads encoding to the GPU instead of hammering the CPU.
- High-quality recordings. Bandicam provides sharp video with compressed file sizes. Therefore, you're not stuck with massive files after a long session.
Bandicam Cons
- Contain watermark and recording limits in the free version. The free tier caps sessions at 10 minutes and stamps a visible watermark in your recording video.
- Limited built-in video editing and annotation tools. Bandicam can trim clips. But there are no timeline editor, transitions, text overlays or other advanced editing tools.
- Licensing frustrations. The major version upgrades require an extra fee, since free updates typically run out after about a year.
- No cloud or sharing shortcuts. Recordings are saved locally only. Newer Bandicam alternatives offer instant links or one-click uploads. But you still need to upload recordings to YouTube or Drive yourself manually.
Best Alternative: Bandicam vs 4Easysoft Screen Recorder
Bandicam is made with gamers in mind. But not everyone needs that. If you just want to record your screen for work, study, or teaching, 4Easysoft Screen Recorder helps you get started much faster.
Record screen, webcam, game, program window, and phone screens flexibly.
Capture system audio and microphone from multiple sources.
Draw and annotate while recording with floating bars.
Schedule and set custom record length for automatic recording.
100% Secure
100% Secure
Step 1Open 4Easysoft Screen Recorder. Choose the recording mode. Or you can start with the default video recorder. Set the capture area first.
Step 22.Switch on the toggles buttons before "System Sound" and "Microphone" buttons based on your recording needs.
Step 3Click the "REC" button to start recording. You can use the floating toolbar to add text, line, and shapes to your recording video.
Step 4Click the "Stop" button to finish it. In the Preview window, you can trim, compress, merge, and edit metadata if necessary. At last, find your video in the right panel in Recording History.
Conclusion
Bandicam Screen Recorder is still one of the best choices for game recording, especially with its DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support. But if you want an easier recorder for everyday use, 4Easysoft Screen Recorder is worth a look. It offers more annotation tools, scheduled recording, phone recording, window recording (include or exlcude any program window) and a cleaner interface that takes less time to learn. You can also get its built-in game recorder for high-quality gameplay capture.
100% Secure
100% Secure
