The cross-vendor, open-source alternative to ShadowPlay.
NVIDIA bundles its recording features into the NVIDIA App (which replaced GeForce Experience in 2024). It works only on NVIDIA GPUs, has no real auto-clip event detection, and offers no built-in editor. Segra fills those gaps and runs on any GPU vendor, including AMD and Intel.
TL;DR
ShadowPlay (now part of the NVIDIA App) is fast, free, and built into the driver, but only for NVIDIA owners, and it stops at a replay buffer. Segra runs on any GPU, adds real auto-clipping for 9 games, and ships a proper editor.
Segra vs NVIDIA ShadowPlay (NVIDIA App)
Facts verified against the NVIDIA ShadowPlay (NVIDIA App) documentation as of 2026-05-22.
Price
- Segra
- Free
- NVIDIA App
- Free with an NVIDIA GPU
Source code
- Segra
- Open source (GPLv2)
- NVIDIA App
- Proprietary
Platform
- Segra
- Windows 10/11
- NVIDIA App
- Windows only
GPU vendor required
- Segra
- Any (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) or CPU
- NVIDIA App
- NVIDIA GTX 600-series or newer
Max resolution
- Segra
- 4K
- NVIDIA App
- Up to 8K HDR (RTX 40-series+)
Max frame rate
- Segra
- 144 FPS
- NVIDIA App
- 120 FPS at 4K
Codecs
- Segra
- H.264, H.265, AV1 (NVENC / AMF / QSV)
- NVIDIA App
- H.264, H.265, AV1 (RTX 40+)
Auto-clipping
- Segra
- 9 games via direct game integrations
- NVIDIA App
- Highlights feature, title-specific and largely deprecated
Replay buffer
- Segra
- Yes (configurable duration + size cap)
- NVIDIA App
- Yes (Instant Replay, up to ~20 min)
Built-in editor
- Segra
- Yes (timeline with segments, multi-clip combine)
- NVIDIA App
- None
Cloud sharing
- Segra
- Optional via segra.tv (free)
- NVIDIA App
- None built in
Telemetry
- Segra
- None
- NVIDIA App
- NVIDIA App telemetry (opt-out available)
Watermark / ads
- Segra
- No
- NVIDIA App
- No
| Feature | Segra | NVIDIA App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free with an NVIDIA GPU |
| Source code | Open source (GPLv2) | Proprietary |
| Platform | Windows 10/11 | Windows only |
| GPU vendor required | Any (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) or CPU | NVIDIA GTX 600-series or newer |
| Max resolution | 4K | Up to 8K HDR (RTX 40-series+) |
| Max frame rate | 144 FPS | 120 FPS at 4K |
| Codecs | H.264, H.265, AV1 (NVENC / AMF / QSV) | H.264, H.265, AV1 (RTX 40+) |
| Auto-clipping | 9 games via direct game integrations | Highlights feature, title-specific and largely deprecated |
| Replay buffer | Yes (configurable duration + size cap) | Yes (Instant Replay, up to ~20 min) |
| Built-in editor | Yes (timeline with segments, multi-clip combine) | None |
| Cloud sharing | Optional via segra.tv (free) | None built in |
| Telemetry | None | NVIDIA App telemetry (opt-out available) |
| Watermark / ads | No | No |
Why pick Segra
- Works on any GPU vendor. AMD AMF/VCE and Intel Quick Sync are first-class, not afterthoughts.
- Real auto-clipping. Segra ships dedicated integrations for 9 games (CS2, Dota 2, LoL, Minecraft, PUBG, Rocket League, Rust, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, War Thunder) that bookmark kills, deaths, goals etc. in real time. NVIDIA's Highlights feature was always limited and is barely maintained.
- A real editor: timeline, segments, multi-clip combine, bookmark navigation, multi-track audio.
- Open source, no telemetry.
- Plays nicely with the NVIDIA App if you want to keep using NVIDIA features for filters or driver-level tweaks.
Where NVIDIA App wins
Honest list. If something matters more to you than what Segra offers, you should know.
- •8K HDR capture for the rare 8K monitor setup.
- •8K HDR capture for the rare 8K monitor setup.
- •Already installed if you have an NVIDIA card, so zero install effort.
- •Comes with NVIDIA-specific extras like Freestyle filters, Video Super Resolution, and per-game optimization settings.
- •Tightly integrated with the driver, so the encoding path is as direct as it gets.
Frequently asked questions
Do I lose NVIDIA features if I use Segra?
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No. Segra is just a recording app. You can keep the NVIDIA App installed for driver updates, Freestyle filters, Video Super Resolution, etc.
Does Segra support AV1 like ShadowPlay does?
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Yes. Segra supports AV1 encoding on NVIDIA (NVENC AV1), AMD (AMF AV1), and Intel (QSV AV1) GPUs that expose an AV1 encoder. CPU/x264 cannot encode AV1, so the option only appears when a compatible GPU encoder is detected.
Will it run on my AMD or Intel GPU?
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Yes. Segra supports AMD AMF/VCE and Intel Quick Sync hardware encoders alongside NVIDIA NVENC. CPU encoding via x264 is also available.
I have a laptop with both Intel iGPU and NVIDIA dGPU. Does it pick the right one?
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You choose the encoder in settings. Segra will let you pick any encoder the OBS pipeline detects on your machine.
Why does NVIDIA's Highlights feature not really work anymore?
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It only ever supported a handful of titles, depended on game developers to integrate, and NVIDIA has not actively expanded the list in years. Segra builds the same kind of event detection directly into each integration so it stays under the project's control.
Try Segra free
Open source, GPLv2, code-signed by SignPath. Records up to 4K at 144 FPS. No ads, no watermarks, no telemetry.