What is the best free Loom alternative for businesses using Google Workspace?
The best free Loom alternative for Google Workspace users is the Google Vids Screen Recorder, a free Chrome extension. It records your screen, camera, and microphone with a single click, saves recordings to Google Drive, and gives you a shareable link that follows your existing Workspace permissions. It's included at no extra cost with Google Workspace by Kimbley IT.
You already pay for this — Loom is an extra bill
If you use Google Workspace, you already own a Loom replacement. Google launched the Google Vids Screen Recorder Chrome extension in April 2026. It lets you record up to 30 minutes per video at no additional cost. Loom's free plan caps you at five minutes per recording and 25 videos total. Cancelling Loom and switching to Vids takes about two minutes. You save £12.50 to £18 per team member, per month that you would otherwise spend on a paid Loom plan.
How does Google Vids compare to Loom?
The two tools cover the same job: record your screen, share a link, and get on with your day. The difference is what you pay and where the file lives. Here is the side-by-side:
| Feature | Loom (Free) | Loom (Business) | Google Vids Recorder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost and limits | |||
| Cost (per user, per month) | £0 | ~£15 | £0 with Workspace |
| Maximum recording length | 5 minutes | Unlimited | 30 minutes |
| Number of recordings | 25 total | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Recording and storage | |||
| Storage location | Loom's servers | Loom's servers | Your Google Drive |
| Permissions model | Loom account-based | Loom account-based | Google Drive sharing rules |
| Editing | Basic trim | Trim, filler removal, AI tools | Full Google Vids editor with Veo 3.1 |
| Camera, screen, and mic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capture options (tab, window, or full screen) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
For most teams, the Vids extension covers everything a paid Loom subscription covers — and the recording stays inside the Google Workspace tenant your business already controls.
Why does it matter that recordings stay in Google Drive?
Because every third-party tool you add to your stack is another place your company data lives. When you record a screen share in Loom, that video sits on Loom's infrastructure under Loom's terms. When you record with the Vids extension, the file is saved to your Google Drive and inherits your existing Drive sharing rules. There is no separate Loom account to chase, no extra subscription to cancel, no external link to revoke.
This also matters for compliance. Your business may have obligations around where customer-facing or operational data is stored. That could be under the UK GDPR, a client contract, or a sector framework such as Cyber Essentials. Keeping recordings inside Google Workspace is a cleaner story than explaining a third-party SaaS to an auditor. We covered the wider point about unapproved tools collecting business data in a separate post.
How do you record your screen with the Google Vids Chrome extension?
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store, pin it to your toolbar, and click the icon to record. Here is the full process, step by step:
Install the extension. Open Chrome and go to the Google Vids Screen Recorder listing on the Chrome Web Store. Click Add to Chrome.
Pin it to your toolbar. Click the puzzle-piece icon in the top right of Chrome, then click the pin next to Google Vids Screen Recorder. The icon now stays visible whenever you need it.
Click the icon to start. When you want to record, click the Google Vids icon in your toolbar.
Choose what to record. Pick from screen, screen plus camera, camera only, or audio only. Confirm the right microphone and camera are selected.
Pick the area. Choose your full desktop, a single application window, or just the current Chrome tab.
Start recording. The countdown runs, and you walk through whatever you need to explain. You can pause and resume mid-recording.
Stop and preview. Click stop when you are done. The extension shows you a preview straight away.
Share the link. Open the recording in Google Vids to trim or edit it, or copy the share link directly. The link respects whatever sharing rules you already use in Google Drive.
That is the entire workflow. Once the extension is pinned, starting a new recording takes one click.
Frequently asked questions
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Yes. The Chrome extension is free for anyone with a personal Google account and for every Google Workspace subscription tier, with no add-on charge. The 30-minute recording length and unlimited number of recordings are included at no cost. Google announced this when the extension launched in April 2026 and the terms have not changed.
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No. The extension works with a free personal Google account as well as any paid Google Workspace plan. For business use you want Workspace anyway, because that is what puts the recordings inside your company-controlled Drive rather than a personal Google account.
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Not in a single recording with the extension. The cap is 30 minutes per video as of April 2026. For longer-form content, record inside Google Vids directly. You can also split your recording into shorter sections, which is better for the viewer anyway. Most internal videos work best under 10 minutes.
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Straight to your Google Drive, under the same account you are signed into Chrome with. The video opens in Google Vids for preview and editing, and the underlying file follows your normal Drive structure and sharing permissions. If your business uses shared drives, you can move recordings into the relevant team drive after recording.
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Only the people you share the link with. The Vids extension uses your Google Drive permissions, so a recording is private by default until you share it. This is the same way a Doc or Sheet works in Drive — nothing changes about who can see what unless you change the sharing settings yourself.
Ready to cut the software bloat?
Kimbley IT helps small businesses get the most out of Google Workspace — without paying for tools you already own. If you want a hand rolling out the Google Vids Screen Recorder, auditing the rest of your subscriptions, or just having someone sensible to call when something breaks, book a video call below. Scroll down to pick a time that suits you.
