Medal

Overview

Medal combines gameplay capture with a way to share clips through links, on Windows PCs and mobile devices. It is best suited to players who want recording controls and clip sharing in one app; the trade-off is that full-quality uploads and cloud-library features require Premium.

Key features

Capture lengths range from 15 seconds and one minute to 10 minutes or a whole session. Recording supports up to 4K resolution and 144fps, with 60fps enabled by default. The range is useful for both quick highlights and longer recordings, but recording at a supported resolution does not by itself mean the free plan includes original-quality uploads.

Medal supports multiple recording modes, instant replay, and H.264, H.265, HEVC and AV1 codecs. Compatible NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPUs can accelerate recording, and CPU recording is also supported. Medal states that recording uses 100–400MB of RAM; that gives PC players a useful estimate when weighing capture alongside a game’s resource demands.

Game, microphone and Discord audio can be balanced or muted separately, and recordings can include a webcam overlay. Clips receive shareable links, and watermark-free video is supported. Premium adds full original-quality uploads, including 4K, unlimited cloud storage, unlimited clip upload length, and full-library cloud backup that can resume after an interruption. Its editor also includes unlimited auto-generated subtitles. Premium removes watermarks and provides an ad-free experience, although certain programmatic and platform placements are excluded.

Pricing

Medal is free on PC and mobile, with optional paid features. The free tier is the sensible starting point for players who want to record and share without committing to a subscription; original-quality uploads and Premium’s cloud and editing benefits are the reasons to upgrade.

• Free: Free plan available on PC and mobile. The published plan details do not give a price or a free-tier upload or storage cap.
• Premium monthly: $9.99 per month, billed monthly. It includes removable watermarks, auto-generated subtitles, full original-quality uploads, unlimited cloud storage, unlimited clip upload length and an ad-free experience.
• Premium annual: $7.99 per month with an annual subscription. It includes Premium features at a lower monthly rate, in exchange for subscribing annually.

The annual option costs less per month than monthly billing, but commits the subscriber to an annual subscription. No seat limits or trial terms are stated.

Platforms

Medal supports Windows 10 and 11 desktop PCs, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. Windows compatibility begins with Windows 10 or later; the listed mobile platforms make it an option for players who also want to capture on a phone or tablet.

Who it's for

Medal fits players who want flexible clip lengths, independent controls for game, microphone and Discord audio, and links they can share without managing a separate clip-hosting workflow. It is also a strong fit for people who want a cloud-backed library or original-quality uploads and are willing to pay for Premium. Players who only need free capture, or want unlimited use without a subscription, should compare free alternatives before upgrading.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Supports capture up to 4K and 144fps, with several recording lengths, so players can choose between short highlights and full sessions.
• Pros: Separate game, microphone and Discord audio controls, plus webcam overlay support, give creators more control over what a clip contains.
• Pros: Free access on PC and mobile, with instant sharing links, lowers the barrier to recording and distributing clips.
• Cons: Full original-quality uploads, unlimited cloud storage and unlimited clip upload length are Premium features, so the free tier is less suited to building a full-quality cloud archive.
• Cons: Premium costs $9.99 per month on monthly billing; the lower $7.99 per month rate requires an annual subscription.

Alternatives

Game recording software is a useful place to compare more capture tools. Choose among these alternatives based on the platform and trade-offs that matter to you:

• OBS Studio is a free option for Linux, macOS and Windows, with no watermarks or usage limitations and commercial use allowed. Pick it if unrestricted free use matters more than Medal’s mobile availability and clip-link workflow.
• SteelSeries Moments is a free Windows alternative.
• Outplayed is a Windows freemium alternative. Its Core plan includes three months of Outplayed.tv hosting; consider it if that hosting arrangement suits your needs.
• NVIDIA ShadowPlay is free on Windows 10 or 11 with a supported GPU and GeForce driver 551.52 or later. Choose it if you meet those requirements and prefer a free alternative.
• Streamlabs Highlighter is free on macOS and Windows, built into Streamlabs Desktop, with automated gameplay highlight detection and clip editing and export. Pick it if those tools or macOS support matter most.
• Razer Game Clips is a free Windows option with cloud storage at no extra cost; it requires Razer Cortex and a Razer ID, and supports Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11.
• Segra is a free, open-source game recorder for Linux and Windows under GPLv2.
• Captail is a free, open-source Windows x64 option in early public preview.

Verdict

Medal is a good fit for players who want flexible gameplay recording and quick sharing across PC and mobile, with separate audio controls and optional webcam overlays. Its main reason to choose Premium is the combination of original-quality uploads and an unlimited, cloud-backed clip library; look elsewhere if subscription-free, unrestricted recording matters more than that integrated sharing and storage.