Showplain vs Loom (2026): An Honest Comparison of Install, AI Notes and Price

We make Showplain, so read this Showplain vs Loom comparison knowing that, and judge us by how fair it is. Here is the short answer: Loom is the mature, full-featured choice, with desktop and mobile apps, editing, team spaces and integrations. Showplain is a newer, simpler tool. It records in Chrome or Edge with nothing to install, and puts an AI transcript, summary and key points next to every video, even on the free plan.

If your team already runs on Loom’s paid plan, you probably don’t need to switch. If you are on Loom’s free plan and keep hitting the 5-minute cap, or you want AI notes without paying $24 a month, Showplain is worth a look. All prices below were checked on 1 November 2026.

Showplain vs Loom at a glance

Loom sources: pricing, Starter plan FAQ, recording length, AI features, downloads, install options, trial FAQ, yearly prices from Carly (July 2026). Prices as of November 2026.

A Loom alternative without a download

To record with Loom, you install the desktop app for Mac or Windows, or the Chrome extension. Loom’s own page says the Chrome extension offers basic features, and that tools like drawing, virtual backgrounds and HD recording need the desktop app (Loom screen recorder).

Showplain works differently. You open it in Chrome or Microsoft Edge on your computer, choose a tab, a window or your whole screen, turn on your camera bubble if you want, and record. There is no extension and no app.

This matters most when:

• Your work laptop is locked down and IT won’t approve new extensions or apps.
• You switch computers often, or record on a client’s or a shared machine.
• You just want fewer things running in the background.

To be fair to Loom: once its desktop app is installed, it records across any app on your computer with the camera bubble showing, and it has mobile apps. Showplain only records from Chrome or Edge on a computer. If you live in Safari or Firefox, or need to record on your phone, Loom is the better choice today.

A Loom alternative with AI summary on the free plan

This is the biggest difference between the two.

On Loom, the free Starter plan includes auto titles only. AI summaries, chapters, filler word removal, edit by transcript and AI workflows all need Business + AI (Loom AI features). That plan costs $24 per user per month billed monthly, or about $20 billed yearly, as of November 2026.

On Showplain, every recording gets AI notes, even on Free:

• Free: searchable transcript, short summary and key points.
• Pro: clickable chapters and action items as well.

The idea behind Showplain is “videos people can read.” A teammate who has 30 seconds can read the summary and key points, then jump to the part they need. Nobody has to watch 8 minutes to find one decision.

One limit to know: the summary is written in English. You can speak in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese and many more. Showplain can auto-detect the language or you can pick it. This works well for mixed teams, for example a developer in Brazil explaining a fix in Portuguese for a manager in the US who reads the English summary. It is less useful if your whole team wants summaries in another language.

For a wider look at tools that do this, see our guide to screen recorders with an AI transcript and summary.

Recording limits: Loom’s 5 minutes vs Showplain’s 15

On the free plans:

• Loom Starter stops each recording at 5 minutes and lets you keep 25 videos. At 25, you can’t record again until you delete videos or upgrade.
• Showplain Free allows unlimited recordings of up to 15 minutes each. The trade-off is that free share links work for 90 days, while Loom’s free videos don’t expire.

We cover every Loom limit, and how to work around it, in Loom free plan limits 2026.

On the paid plans:

• Loom Business and above have no recording length limit.
• Showplain Pro allows recordings up to 60 minutes, kept forever. The Founding 500 lifetime plan has a fair-use limit of 10 hours of recording per month.

If you regularly record hour-long trainings or webinars, Loom’s unlimited length is a real advantage.

Pricing compared (as of November 2026)

Loom prices from loom.com/pricing and Carly. Showplain prices from our pricing page.

For one person who wants AI summaries and chapters, that’s $24 a month on Loom against $12 on Showplain, or about $240 a year against $96 with yearly billing. Keep in mind this isn’t a perfect match: Loom’s price includes team features that Showplain doesn’t have.

Where Loom wins

We would rather you pick the right tool than pick ours. Loom is clearly better here:

• Apps everywhere. Desktop apps for Mac and Windows, a Chrome extension, and mobile apps for iOS and Android (Loom screen recorder). Showplain is Chrome and Edge on a computer only.
• Editing. Business includes trim and stitch, and Business + AI adds edit by transcript and filler word removal. Showplain has no editing.
• Team features. Workspaces, spaces, roles, comments, emoji reactions and viewer insights. Loom includes comments, reactions and viewer insights even on Starter. Showplain has none of these yet.
• Workflows and integrations. Loom AI can turn a video into a document, a Jira issue or a Linear issue on Business + AI (trial FAQ), and Loom has years of embed and app integrations. Showplain has no integrations.
• Videos that don’t expire on free. Loom keeps free videos until you delete them. Showplain’s free links last 90 days.
• Unlimited recording length on paid plans, against Showplain’s 60 minutes.
• Track record. Loom has been around for years and is owned by Atlassian. Showplain launched in November 2026 and has no reviews yet.

Where Showplain wins

• Nothing to install. Record from a Chrome or Edge tab.
• AI notes on the free plan. Transcript, summary and key points on every recording.
• Longer free recordings and no video count cap. 15 minutes, unlimited recordings.
• Half the price for full AI notes. Chapters and action items are in Pro at $12 a month.
• A pay-once option. $79 once for Pro for life, for the first 500 customers.
• Simple, private sharing. The link is copied the moment you stop, because the video uploads while you record. Viewers watch with no account. Links are unlisted and long, and you can turn off downloads or delete a video anytime.
• Branding with a call-to-action button on Pro: your logo, color, text and a button under the video, useful for demos with a “Book a call” link.
• AI notes for videos you already have. Upload an MP4 or WebM file and get the same transcript and summary.

Who should pick which

Choose Loom if:

• Your company already pays for Loom or Atlassian tools.
• You need to record on a phone, in Safari or Firefox, or across desktop apps with a native app.
• You want to edit videos before sharing, or need comments and viewer insights.
• You record trainings longer than an hour.

Choose Showplain if:

• You can’t or don’t want to install an app or extension.
• You want people to read your video, not just watch it: summary, key points and a transcript next to every recording.
• You’re on Loom’s free plan and the 5-minute or 25-video limits keep getting in the way.
• You work alone or in a small team and want AI notes for $12 a month, or once for $79.

Still comparing? Our list of the best Loom alternatives covers more tools, including Cap, Zight and Bubbles.

How to try Showplain next to Loom

The fairest test is to record the same update in both tools.

1. Create a free Showplain account. You get 14 days of Pro, with no card needed.
2. Open Showplain in Chrome or Edge on your computer.
3. Pick what to share: a tab, a window or your whole screen. Turn on your camera bubble if you like.
4. Record the same 3-minute update you would normally send with Loom. Pause anytime if you need to.
5. Click stop. The share link is already copied, so paste it to your team.
6. Open the link and check the notes: summary, key points, transcript, and on Pro, chapters and action items.

When the 14 days end, your account moves to the Free plan automatically and nothing is charged.