Level Up Your Screen Recordings with FaceScreen for Mac, iPhone, and iPad

A screen recording with your face in the corner is easier to follow and feels more personal than a voice over a cursor. FaceScreen does that one job: it shows a floating live camera view, and optionally your name or handle, on top of everything else on your screen. You then record with whatever screen recorder you already use. It's available for Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Quick Takeaway

• FaceScreen doesn't record anything itself. It puts a customizable camera overlay on screen, so it works with the built-in screen recorder, QuickTime, OBS, Zoom screen sharing and other tools.
• On Mac it lives in the menu bar, supports several cameras at once, keyboard shortcuts, a text overlay and a screen-based Ring Light.
• On iPhone and iPad it uses Picture in Picture, so the camera stays visible over other apps while you use Apple's Screen Recording, and it can show the front and back cameras together.
• It's a one-time purchase ($5.99 on the US App Store), and an App Store purchase covers the Mac, iPhone and iPad versions.

What FaceScreen Does

Camera View on Mac

• A live camera view that floats above all other windows and works over full-screen apps.
• Change the shape, size, aspect ratio, orientation and corner radius.
• Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and hue, or tint the view with Color Multiply.
• Set a default position and drag the view anywhere, on any screen.
• Connect several cameras and show a separate view for each one, for example a face camera plus a document or desk camera.
• Change your camera background with macOS's built-in video effects (click the green video icon in the menu bar while FaceScreen's camera is on).

Text Overlay

• Show your name, role, company, website or social handle next to your face.
• Customize the text, font, background and colors, and position it where you want.
• In Settings > Text you choose which camera views show text, and a menu bar switch hides or shows it everywhere at once.

Ring Light (Mac)

FaceScreen can use your screen as a soft, adjustable light. You tune the brightness, warmth and glow around the display, which helps when your room lighting is poor. Ring Light is a Mac-only feature.

iPhone and iPad

• A floating Picture in Picture camera view that stays above other apps.
• Customize the overlay's shape, size, filters and more.
• Switch between the front and back cameras, or show both at once in dual camera mode, with the front camera as a draggable picture-in-picture.
• Works with the built-in iPhone and iPad screen recorder and with third-party recorders.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Stream Deck

On Mac you can assign keyboard shortcuts to the main actions, such as turning the camera on and off and changing its size. Because they're ordinary shortcuts, you can also trigger them from a Stream Deck.

Use Cases

• Tutorials and app demos: viewers see you explain the steps instead of hearing a disembodied voice. Pair it with KeyScreen if you also want viewers to see your keyboard shortcuts.
• iPhone and iPad app walkthroughs: your face is already in the Screen Recording, so there's nothing to combine in editing.
• Presentations and screen sharing: keep your face on the shared screen when the call app hides your video.
• Online teaching and course videos: a name overlay helps when students don't know you yet.
• Livestreams and video reactions.

Practical Tips

1. Set your defaults once. Pick the shape, size, default position and text you use most. FaceScreen saves your position, size and appearance for next time.
2. Assign shortcuts for the actions you repeat. Toggling the camera and changing its size from the keyboard keeps you out of the menu bar during a recording.
3. Check your light before you record. On Mac, turn on Ring Light if your face looks dark, then adjust warmth so your skin tone looks natural.
4. Keep the overlay away from important UI. Move it off menus, toolbars and code you're explaining, and use a smaller size for detailed screens.
5. On iPhone and iPad, set up the overlay first. Open FaceScreen, position the camera, switch to the app you want to show, then start Screen Recording from Control Center.

For more on camera setup, see our guide on how to look better on video calls on Mac, and our roundup of the best screen recording apps for Mac if you still need a recorder.

Pricing and Availability

• Price: a one-time purchase with lifetime updates. On the US App Store it costs $5.99; prices vary by region.
• One purchase, all devices: an App Store purchase covers the Mac, iPhone and iPad versions on every device signed in with the same Apple ID.
• Direct download (Mac only): you can also buy FaceScreen on its website and get a Mac installer and license key, or install it with Homebrew. A website purchase doesn't include the iPhone and iPad versions.
• Bulk discount: businesses and schools get 50% off when they buy 20 or more copies through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager.
• Trial: there's no separate free trial, but the FaceScreen site says you can request a full refund if it isn't the right fit.
• Requirements: macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later.

Get it from the App Store or the FaceScreen website.

Final Verdict

FaceScreen is a small, focused tool: it puts your face, and optionally your name, on screen so any recorder can capture it. If you record tutorials, demos or mobile app walkthroughs and want a face cam without editing it in afterward, it's a simple way to do it across Mac, iPhone and iPad. If you only need a quick camera check before calls, a free option like Photo Booth may be enough.

Catch these apps on sale: many paid Mac apps, including screen recording tools, run discounts at least once a year, most often around Black Friday. Subscribe to the Apps.Deals newsletter to hear when the deals arrive.

Note: First published in January 2025 and updated in October 2026. Features and prices are current as of October 2026 and can change; verify them on the official site before buying.

Disclosure: FaceScreen and KeyScreen are made by Softal, the same company behind Apps.Deals.