Loom does one thing better than almost anything else in creator software: it turns "let me explain" into a link. You hit record, talk over your screen with your face in a bubble, stop, and the share link is already on your clipboard. The person on the other end clicks it and watches in a browser. Nobody downloads anything, nobody opens an editor, and you get a notification when they've watched. For a creator who works with clients, sponsors or a small team, that loop is worth paying for.
The question this review answers is narrower than most Loom reviews ask. Loom is built and sold as a workplace tool, and it is now part of Atlassian, which completed its acquisition in November 2023. Since August 2025, Loom workspaces have been moving into Atlassian accounts and Atlassian billing on a rolling basis, according to Atlassian's support documentation, and Loom's pricing now appears on atlassian.com as well as loom.com. Most of what Atlassian is building points at product and engineering teams: Jira bug reports from a video, Confluence embeds, the Rovo AI assistant. None of that is why a creator opens Loom. So we judged it on the jobs creators actually hire it for.
Where Loom fits a creator's week
Three use cases stand out from the documentation and feature set.
Client walkthroughs. If you sell services (editing, design, strategy, a done-for-you newsletter), a five-minute Loom walking through the draft replaces a 30-minute call. On Business, you can add a call-to-action button that points to your invoice, booking page or approval form, and password-protect the video. Viewer insights, included on every plan, tell you whether the client watched before you chase them.
Sponsor deliverables. Brands ask for proof: a draft cut, a walkthrough of the integration, a recap of results. A Loom link is the format a marketing manager already knows how to open, and transcripts (available in 50+ languages on every plan, per Loom's support documentation) make the video skimmable for the person who won't press play.
Async course updates. A course creator can send students a quick "here's what changed in module 3" video, or answer a common support question once and reuse the link. This is where Loom's limits start to show, which we cover below. For the course itself, see our best tools for course creators.
The free plan is a trial in practice
Loom's Starter plan is free, but the limits are tight for anyone using it weekly. Each recording stops at five minutes, with a countdown timer that ends the recording automatically. You get 25 videos per person, and archived videos count toward that total, according to Atlassian's Starter plan FAQ. When you hit the cap, your existing videos stay, but you can't record more until you delete some or upgrade. Recording tops out at 720p. And free users cannot download their videos at all.
There is no burned-in watermark documented on free videos, but the player carries Loom branding and a "Get Loom for Free" prompt. Removing those, and adding your own logo and player colors, is a paid feature.
For a creator sending two client updates a week, the 25-video cap arrives within three months. Treat Starter as a trial.
What paying gets you
Business costs $18 per user per month, or $180 per user per year (about $15 a month), per Loom's pricing page. It removes the length and video caps, raises recording to 4K, and adds downloads, CTAs, password protection and custom branding, plus trim and stitch editing.
Business + AI costs $24 per user per month, or $240 per year (about $20 a month). It adds the features that make Loom feel modern: AI summaries and chapters, editing by transcript, automatic filler-word and silence removal, and AI workflows that turn a video into a written doc or message. Auto titles are available on every plan.
The per-user model is the catch for creator businesses. A solo creator pays for one seat. A creator with an editor, a VA and a business partner who all record pays for four. Our read of the pricing page is that most solo creators who want Loom only for client and sponsor walkthroughs can live on Business without AI. If you want to clean up the "ums" before sending, you're on the $24 tier, and at that point a recorder with a real editor attached is worth comparing.
The ownership problem
The house thesis at BestCreates is simple: platforms you don't control are rented, and what you can export is owned. Loom does not do well on this test.
Downloads are possible on paid plans, as MP4 files up to 20 GB, but only for admins and creators on Business and Business + AI. Creator Lite accounts cannot download on any plan. Free accounts cannot download at all. When you do download, trims carry over, but CTAs, filler-word and silence removal, chapters and captions do not, per Atlassian's download documentation. So the polished version you shared is not the file you get.
There is no bulk export. Atlassian tracks it as an open feature request. Admins can export engagement data, not videos. If you build a library of hundreds of client walkthroughs or course updates in Loom and later want to leave, you download them one at a time.
On the positive side, Loom says videos stay until you delete them, and paid plans include unlimited storage. Embedding is well supported, with responsive or fixed embed code and options like autoplay and start time, so you can place a Loom in your course platform or Notion page.
What Loom is not
Loom is a recorder with trimming attached. It is not an editor, it is not a livestreaming tool, and it is not where your YouTube tutorials or paid course lessons should live. Our Loom alternatives page covers tools that let you finish a video properly, led by Descript. If you want to go live instead of recording, see our best livestreaming software for creators.
Bottom line
Loom is a delivery tool, not a production tool. Price it that way. If your recordings are disposable communication (a client walkthrough, a sponsor update, a reply to a student), Business at $15 a month billed annually is fair for how much friction it removes. If your recordings are assets you'll reuse, sell or publish, record them somewhere that gives you the file first.
What it costs
| Plan | Price (USD) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | 25 videos per person, 5 min each, 720p, no downloads |
| Business | $18/user/mo monthly, or $15/user/mo billed annually ($180/yr) | Unlimited length and videos, 4K, downloads, CTAs, passwords, branding removal |
| Business + AI | $24/user/mo monthly, or $20/user/mo billed annually ($240/yr) | AI summaries, chapters, edit by transcript, filler-word and silence removal |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO, custom retention, Salesforce and Zoom import |
Prices checked October 7, 2026 on loom.com/pricing and atlassian.com/software/loom/pricing. List prices change often; check the vendor before you buy.
Example: a creator who records client walkthroughs with one editor who also records. Assumptions: two users, Business plan, annual billing, list price on October 7, 2026. Cost: 2 x $180 = $360 a year. The same two users on Business + AI: 2 x $240 = $480 a year.
Alternatives
- DescriptAFFILIATE: records your screen and lets you edit by transcript, then exports the file. Read the review.
- VEED: browser recording plus subtitles, editing and hosting.
- Riverside: for recorded calls and demos where quality matters.
- Cap (https://cap.so): open-source recorder with local files and optional your-own-storage sharing (not yet reviewed by BestCreates).
- See all Loom alternatives.
SOURCES (CHECKED OCT 7, 2026)
Annual billing saves 17%, per Loom's pricing FAQ. An education plan is also offered.
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | 25 videos per person, 5 minutes per video, 720p, transcripts, viewer insights. No downloads. |
| Business | $18 per user/mo billed monthly, or $180 per user/yr (about $15/mo) | Unlimited videos and length, up to 4K, downloads, remove Loom branding, CTAs, password protection, trim and stitch |
| Business + AI | $24 per user/mo billed monthly, or $240 per user/yr (about $20/mo) | Everything in Business plus AI summaries and chapters, edit by transcript, filler-word and silence removal, AI workflows |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO, custom data retention, Salesforce and Zoom import |
Creators who send short recorded walkthroughs to clients, sponsors, students or collaborators and want viewers to watch in one click. — and anyone who wants Loom to do the heavy lifting in this category.
Skip it if your recordings are the product (course lessons, YouTube tutorials) or you need to download and keep every file, because downloads require a paid plan and there is no bulk export. — if that's a dealbreaker, see every video tool we've reviewed.
- Is Loom free?
Yes, the Starter plan is free, but each recording stops at five minutes, you can keep 25 videos per person (archived videos count), recording is 720p, and you can't download your videos.
- How much does Loom cost in 2026?
Business is $18 per user per month billed monthly or $180 per user per year (about $15 a month). Business + AI is $24 per user per month or $240 per year (about $20 a month). Enterprise is custom, per Loom's pricing page on October 7, 2026.
- Does Loom add a watermark?
Loom doesn't document a burned-in watermark on free videos, but its player shows Loom branding and a "Get Loom for Free" prompt. Removing Loom branding and adding your own requires a paid plan.
- Can I download my Loom videos?
On Business, Business + AI and Enterprise, yes, as MP4 files (admins and creators on Business plans). Free users and Creator Lite accounts can't download. Downloads keep trims but drop CTAs, captions, chapters and AI edits, and there is no bulk export.
- What happens when I hit the free plan limit?
Your existing videos stay, but you can't record new ones until you delete videos or upgrade, according to Atlassian's Starter plan FAQ.
- Is Loom part of Atlassian now?
Yes. Atlassian completed its acquisition of Loom in November 2023. Loom workspaces have been moving into Atlassian accounts since August 2025, and Atlassian says the free Starter plan continues unchanged.
- Is Loom good for course creators?
For quick updates and answers to students, yes. For the course lessons themselves, no: you want a tool that gives you a finished file you control and can upload to your course platform.
- How did BestCreates review Loom?
Editorially reviewed: an evaluation of Loom's official pricing, plan documentation and support articles, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. We did not document hands-on product use, so this is not labeled hands-on. The score is relative to the other tools in our video category. Read our review standards.
The fastest way to send a walkthrough someone will actually watch, as long as you don't need the file to be yours.
Editorially reviewed. An editorial evaluation of verified product information, official documentation, pricing and features, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. Available demos and screenshots may inform the review; documented product use is required for a hands-on label. Read our review standards.
Editorially reviewed: an evaluation of Loom's official pricing, plan documentation and support articles, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. We did not document hands-on product use, so this is not labeled hands-on. The score is relative to the other tools in our video category. Read our review standards.
BestCreates is written and edited by Carlos Gil. Every tool is assessed against the same documented framework — the jobs creators hire it for, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — and each review states in the open how it was assessed.
LAST UPDATED OCT 7, 2026
SIGNED BY CARLOS GIL · FOUNDER & EDITOR, THE BEST NETWORK · OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY