StreamgrabPricing / Streamgrab vs Stream Recorder
Streamgrab vs Stream Recorder
Updated
Stream Recorder saves HLS (m3u8) video and has about a million users on Chrome. Its last update was in August 2025. Streamgrab is new, saves HLS and DASH streams from the popup on the page that plays them, and runs on Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
We installed both on 19 October 2026 and opened the same public HLS test streams. Facts about Stream Recorder come from its Chrome Web Store page and from its own recording page, read that day. Streamgrab is our own tool, so read the table with that in mind.
| Topic | Stream Recorder | Streamgrab |
|---|---|---|
| Users | About 1,000,000 on the Chrome Web Store | New, with no reviews yet |
| Last update | Version 2.2.9, 1 August 2025 | Version 1.2.0, October 2026 |
| How you start | Click its toolbar button. It opens a recording page on its own website, which waits until the video page loads the stream’s index file | Open the popup on the page that is playing. It lists the streams the page has already loaded, each with its qualities |
| What stays open | The recording page. Its own text says closing that tab loses the downloaded data | Nothing. Downloads run in the background and show under Downloads |
| The saved file | MP4, joined inside the extension when there is enough free memory, by its own description | One MP4 with sound, checked after saving for length, picture and sound |
| Live streams | Records live and archived HLS streams | Records live HLS streams on Pro, from the moment you press Record, with an optional timed stop |
| Free limits | Free; we found no paid plan | Direct files without limit. HLS and DASH streams up to 720p, one at a time |
| YouTube and DRM | Turns itself off on YouTube; says it does not bypass technical protection | Neither is downloaded, and the popup says so |
| Browsers | Chrome (other stores not checked) | Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox, on desktop |
Sources, read on 19 October 2026: Stream Recorder on the Chrome Web Store (users, version, update date, description) and its recording page at hlsloader.com, opened from the extension. The test streams were the Mux and Apple examples played in the hls.js demo player, and the Unified Streaming live demo.
When Stream Recorder is the better pick
Pick Stream Recorder if it already works on the sites you use and you want a tool with no paid plan. It has a very large user base, and it offers a capture mode for streams whose index file it cannot read.
When Streamgrab is the better pick
Pick Streamgrab if you want to choose the quality before you save, close the popup while it works, and get one checked MP4 with sound. It finds streams the page has already loaded, saves DASH as well as HLS, records live HLS streams on Pro from the moment you press Record, and runs on Edge and Firefox too.
What neither is for
Neither downloads YouTube or DRM-protected video. Download only what you have the right to keep.
Questions
Is Stream Recorder free?
Yes. We found no paid plan in the extension or on its Chrome Web Store page (read 19 October 2026).
Do I have to keep a tab open while Streamgrab saves a video?
No. Downloads run in the background and show under Downloads; the popup can be closed.
Can Streamgrab record a live stream?
Yes, live HLS streams on Pro, from the moment you press Record, with an optional timed stop.
How much does Streamgrab Free save?
Direct files without limit, and HLS and DASH streams up to 720p, one at a time, with no watermark and no account.
See also
- Best m3u8 downloader for Chrome
- Streamgrab vs Video DownloadHelper
- Streamgrab pricing and how buying works
Try Streamgrab free
Free saves direct files without limit and HLS or DASH streams up to 720p one at a time, with no watermark and no account. It does not download YouTube or DRM-protected video.
Streamgrab is an independent product and is not affiliated with the tools it is compared with.