Loom Gutted Its Free Plan in 2026 — Here's What Happened and What to Use Instead

If you opened Loom recently and felt like something was missing, you are right. The free plan you signed up for is not the free plan you have now.

Since Atlassian completed its integration of Loom in early 2026, the Starter (free) plan has been stripped down to the bare minimum:

• 25 videos total. Not per month. Total. Once you record 25 videos, you must delete old ones or pay.
• 5-minute recording limit. Per video. Your 7-minute product demo? Too long. Record it again, shorter, or upgrade.
• 720p maximum quality. In 2026, when every phone shoots 4K, Loom free gives you 720p.
• No video downloads. You can watch your recording on Loom's cloud. You cannot download the MP4 file to your computer without paying.
• Creator Lite role eliminated. Teams used to add Creator Lite users at zero cost for basic recording. That role no longer exists for accounts created after February 2026.

This is not subtle. Loom went from "generous free tier that gets teams hooked" to "free trial with a 25-video countdown."

Why Loom did this

The short answer: Atlassian paid $975 million for Loom in 2023. They need a return on that investment.

The longer answer: Loom's original growth strategy was a generous free tier that got entire teams recording and sharing. Once a team depended on Loom for async communication, upgrading to a paid plan was natural.

Now that the growth phase is over, Atlassian is squeezing the funnel. The free plan exists to get you in the door, not to be a usable product. The 25-video lifetime cap ensures every free user either converts to paid or churns.

This is a rational business decision. It is also a signal to re-evaluate whether Loom is still the right tool.

What users are saying

The reaction has not been quiet. Here is what is showing up across Reddit, Trustpilot, and G2:

• Surprise bills. Teams report their invoices jumping from $18/month to $220/month after the Atlassian billing migration. No opt-in, no warning — just a bigger charge.
• Forced seat upgrades. Creator Lite users are being upgraded to full Creator seats (paid). If you had 15 people on Creator Lite, you now have 15 billable seats.
• Pricing tier confusion. Annual plans use user tiers. A team of 55 pays for the 100-user tier. Small teams end up overpaying for seats they do not use.
• Quality issues. Since the Atlassian migration, multiple users report lag during recording, audio sync problems, failed uploads, and login difficulties.

Atlassian's support documentation is direct about one thing: "You cannot stay on current pricing." The old Loom pricing is gone.

What are the actual alternatives?

Let's be honest about what matters in a screen recording tool:

1. Can you record without limits? No video cap, no time cap.
2. Can you get the file? An MP4 on your computer, not locked in a cloud.
3. Does it sound right? System audio plus microphone, without driver hacks.
4. Does it look professional? Auto-zoom, clean UI, crisp export quality.
5. What does it cost? Zero, ideally.

Here is how the options compare:

OBS is free and powerful but has a steep learning curve and no built-in editor. It is a broadcast tool repurposed for recording.

ScreenKite is free, native to Mac, and built for the exact workflow Loom users need: record, edit, export. The difference is that the file stays on your machine.

The local-first advantage

Here is the thing about cloud-first tools: your content is a hostage. When the pricing changes, when the company gets acquired, when the free plan shrinks — your recordings are on their servers, under their terms.

With a local-first recorder, the video file is on your disk. You can upload it anywhere. Back it up however you want. Edit it in any tool. Delete the app and the files are still yours.

Loom's 2026 changes are a textbook example of why cloud lock-in is a risk, not just a convenience tradeoff.

How to migrate away from Loom

If you are on a paid plan and want to leave:

1. Download your videos. On Business or Enterprise plans, go to your library and download each recording as MP4. Do this before you cancel.
2. If you are on the free plan, you cannot download. Use a browser-based Loom downloader tool or screen-record the playback. See our guide: How to Download a Loom Video for Free.
3. Switch your recording tool. Install ScreenKite, grant screen recording permissions, and start recording. Your next recording will be a local file from the start.
4. Update your team's workflow. Instead of sharing Loom links, share files via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your team's existing file-sharing tool. Or upload to YouTube as unlisted videos for easy sharing.

The migration is not complicated. The hardest part is downloading your existing Loom library — especially if you are on the free plan.

The bottom line

Loom was a great tool when the free plan was generous. In 2026, the free plan is a demo with a 25-video expiration. The paid plans are priced per user and rising.

If you are on Mac and need a screen recorder that is genuinely free — no caps, no cloud lock-in, no subscription — ScreenKite is the straightforward answer. Record, edit, export, done. The file is yours.

Also read

• How to Download a Loom Video for Free in 2026
• ScreenKite vs Loom: Local-First vs Cloud-First Screen Recording
• Your Screen Recording Doesn't Need the Cloud: The Case for Local-First
• Native vs Electron Screen Recorders: Performance, Battery, and Why It Matters