Async Video
A pre-recorded video message shared via link, watched by the recipient at their own time — the opposite of a live call.
Async video is a pre-recorded screen or camera recording shared via a link, watched by the recipient at a time of their choosing. The “async” (asynchronous) in the name means the sender and receiver don’t need to be present simultaneously — unlike a live call or meeting.
Loom is the tool that turned async video into a category name. Before Loom (founded 2015, popular 2020-2023), sending a screen recording to a colleague meant exporting a file, uploading it somewhere, and pasting a link. Loom collapsed that to: record → stop → paste link. The link opens instantly in any browser with no account required. That frictionless experience is what made async video mainstream.
What makes something an “async video”
An async video has three properties:
- Pre-recorded — shot before the viewer watches it, not live
- Link-first — shared as a URL that opens in a browser, not a file attachment
- Time-shifted — the viewer watches when it’s convenient for them
A Zoom recording saved to cloud is technically async (you share the link), but it’s not optimised for async — it requires a Zoom account to play, loads slowly, and has no viewer analytics. A Loom link opens in 2 seconds with no account and shows the sender exactly who watched and for how long.
Async vs production: the two-tool distinction
Async video tools (Loom, Tella, ScreenPal, Riverside) are optimised for:
- Fast recording and sharing (link ready in seconds)
- Team communication and quick demos
- “Good enough” quality — casual, not polished
Production tools (Camtasia, ScreenFlow, OBS) are optimised for:
- Edited, polished output
- Tutorials, courses, and public marketing assets
- Viewer retention over a longer session
Most power users run both. The async tool handles 90% of recordings (the “let me show you this” moments). The production tool handles the 10% that ship to YouTube or a paid course. This is the two-tool stack.
Why it matters for buyers
If your primary use case is team communication and quick demos, an async tool is all you need. If your use case includes polished public content, you’ll outgrow async tools and need both. The decision wizard on this site routes you to the right half — or both halves — based on your actual use case.
Related terms
- Screen capture — the recording process that async video relies on
- Viewer insights — the analytics layer that makes async video useful for sales
- Lossless recording — quality considerations for async vs production output