Medal

Overview

Medal combines gameplay capture, instant replay and clip sharing for PC and mobile players. It is best suited to people who want adjustable recording lengths and quick sharing without paying upfront. Premium makes sense when original-quality uploads and a cloud-backed library matter; players who need Linux or macOS support should look elsewhere.

Key features

Medal can capture a short highlight or a whole session, with clip lengths of 15 seconds, 60 seconds, 10 minutes or the full session. Recording supports up to 4K and 144fps, with 60fps enabled by default. That range gives players room to choose between resolution and frame rate, but the full-resolution upload benefit is reserved for Premium.

Capture modes include instant replay, GPU encoding and webcam overlays. Medal supports NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPU acceleration as well as CPU recording, and offers H.264, H.265, HEVC and AV1 codecs. Its stated RAM use is 100–400MB, a useful consideration for players balancing recording with a demanding game. Game, microphone and Discord audio can be balanced or muted separately, which gives more control over what a clip contains.

Clips receive shareable links, and watermark-free video is supported. Premium extends the sharing library with original-quality uploads, including 4K, unlimited cloud storage and unlimited clip upload length. It also includes full-library cloud backup that can resume after interruption, unlimited auto-generated subtitles in the editor, removable watermarks and an ad-free experience, though certain programmatic and platform placements remain.

Pricing

Medal is free on PC and mobile, with optional paid features. The free plan is the sensible starting point for players who want to record and share without a subscription, but it does not include Premium's original-quality uploads, unlimited cloud storage, unlimited upload length, subtitles or ad-free experience.

Premium costs $9.99 a month on a monthly subscription, or $7.99 a month if billed annually. Both Premium options include removable watermarks, auto-generated subtitles, full original-quality uploads, unlimited cloud storage, unlimited clip upload length and the ad-free experience. The annual option costs less per month but commits the subscriber to an annual subscription; monthly billing costs more month to month.

Platforms

Medal runs on Windows 10 or later, iOS and Android. Windows users can record on PCs, while mobile capture is available on iOS and Android. It is not the right fit for a Linux or macOS workflow.

Who it's for

Medal suits players who want a single tool for gameplay recording, adjustable replay lengths and shareable clips, particularly those who also want separate game, microphone and Discord audio controls. Premium is better for players who upload frequently, want 4K files preserved in original quality, or need cloud backup for a large clip library. It is less compelling for someone who only needs local recording or requires desktop support beyond Windows.

Pros and cons

Pros: Flexible capture lengths, up to 4K and 144fps recording, multiple codecs and GPU vendors, and independent audio controls give PC players meaningful capture options.

Pros: Instant links and a free PC and mobile tier make it possible to capture and share without beginning with a subscription.

Pros: Premium combines original-quality uploads, unlimited cloud storage and resumable full-library backup, which is useful for maintaining a sizable collection.

Cons: Original-quality uploads and unlimited cloud features require Premium, so the free tier is a weaker fit for users who want a cloud archive of their best recordings.

Cons: Desktop support is Windows-only, leaving Linux and macOS users to choose another recorder.

Cons: Premium's ad-free experience still excludes certain programmatic and platform placements.

Alternatives

Browse game recording software if you want to compare more capture tools. Choose OBS Studio instead if you want free, cross-platform recording on Linux, macOS and Windows with no watermarks or usage limitations, including commercial use. Bandicam is another freemium option, with personal annual and perpetual one-PC plans.

Outplayed is a Windows freemium alternative with a Core plan that includes three months of hosting and a Premium plan with unlimited hosting and ad removal. SteelSeries Moments is a free Windows alternative. Choose NVIDIA ShadowPlay if you want a free Windows recorder and meet its Windows 10 or 11, GeForce driver and supported-GPU requirements. Streamlabs Highlighter is free on macOS and Windows and includes automated gameplay highlight detection, editing and export.

Action! is a paid Windows alternative with a trial and one-time lifetime licenses for home or commercial use. Segra is a free, open-source Linux and Windows option with game recording, a replay buffer and clip editing.

Verdict

Medal is a strong fit for Windows and mobile players who want adjustable gameplay capture and instant sharing in a free app, with a clear upgrade path to high-quality uploads and cloud backup. The main reason to choose it is the combination of flexible recording, separate audio controls and a shareable clip library. Look elsewhere if you need Linux or macOS desktop capture, or if paying for cloud storage and original-quality uploads defeats the purpose of a free recorder.