Fraps
Classic Windows utility for showing game frame rates, benchmarking and recording gameplay video.
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
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About Fraps
Fraps is a small Windows program from Beepa that hooks into games using DirectX or OpenGL. It does three things: it draws a frames-per-second counter in a corner of the screen, it logs frame rates between two points for benchmarking, and it records gameplay video and screenshots with a hotkey. For years it was the default way PC gamers captured footage and checked performance. The free download records short clips with a watermark; a one-time registration unlocks unlimited recording length and watermark-free video, and registered users get later updates at no charge. The catch is age: the latest release dates from February 2013, the download page lists Windows XP through Windows 7, and it does not hook newer graphics APIs such as Vulkan or DirectX 12. Recordings are also large because it saves nearly uncompressed video. It still appeals to people who want a tiny, simple tool for older games, but most gamers now use OBS Studio, Medal or the recorders built into GPU drivers.
Best for: Players of older DirectX or OpenGL PC games who want a tiny FPS counter and simple capture.
Pros and cons
What works
- Very simple: one hotkey each for FPS overlay, screenshots and video
- Benchmark logging of frame rates between two points
- One-time purchase with free updates for registered users
Why people leave
- No new release since February 2013
- Download page lists only Windows XP to Windows 7
- Free version adds a watermark and limits recording length
- Large, barely compressed video files
Top Fraps alternatives
See all 5- 1
Bandicam79.8Paid Windows game recorder that also shows an FPS counter, but supports current Windows versions and compressed output.
- 2
OBS Studio68.8Free and open source, still actively developed, and records or streams any modern game with efficient GPU encoding.
- 3
Medal61.8Free clip recorder built for modern games, with instant replays and easy sharing.
- 4
ShareX59.4Free open-source Windows tool for screenshots and screen recording, if capture matters more than FPS stats.
- 5
Icecream Screen Recorder57.5Simple Windows recorder with a free tier that runs on current versions of Windows.
Why people left Fraps
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Fraps: common questions
Is Fraps free?
Fraps has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Fraps open source?
No, Fraps is not open source. Open-source alternatives include OBS Studio and ShareX.
What platforms does Fraps run on?
Fraps is available for Windows.
What are the best alternatives to Fraps?
The highest-ranked Fraps alternatives right now are Bandicam, OBS Studio and Medal. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.