Compare Decentraleyes and Screencastify: Which Extension is the Best?

	Decentraleyes	Screencastify
	Decentraleyes enhances browsing by locally emulating CDN resources, boosting privacy and speed. Our detailed review reveals its features, pros, and cons. Ad Blocker Productivity	Screencastify is a popular Chrome extension for screen recording. It offers a range of features but has shifted many basic functionalities behind a paywall, affecting its overall value. Productivity
Key Features	Local CDN Emulation: Reduces reliance on third-party servers by serving local copies of CDN resources. Privacy Protection: Prevents tracking by major CDN providers. Speed Enhancement: Improves page load times by using local resources. Open Source: Transparent and community-driven development.	Record Desktop, Browser Tab, and Webcam: Capture any part of your screen. Edit Video: Trim, merge, and add text directly from your browser. Share Easily: Export as MP4, GIF, or MP3, and share via Google Drive or Classroom. Interactive Questions: Add questions to videos to engage viewers. Annotations: Draw on your screen in real-time to highlight key points. Captions: Add captions in multiple languages to make videos accessible.
Our Rating	9.3	7.8
Total users	639,463	6,000,000
Total ratings	3,318	11,733
Average rating	4.8 ⭐	4.0 ⭐
Entry Level Price	Free	Free
Chrome	4.8 236 ratings 100.0K+Users	4.0 11.7K+ ratings 6.0M+Users
Edge	4.8 32 ratings 55.8K+Users	-
Firefox	4.8 1.5K+ ratings 241.8K+Users	-
Safari	-	-
Features	8.5 Nowadays, websites request data through third parties. The local CDN emulation offered by Decentraleyes is a unique and effective feature that blocker competitors currently lack. This means that the same locally stored data is always sent directly to the websites before they can even request relevant private data. The extension is aware that this function is only an additional function and advertises it as being used in addition to regular ad blockers. The extension could be expanded here and offer these additional functions directly so that you have them all in one extension. Another advantage of the extension is that the code is completely open source and can be found on GitLab. This ensures transparency and trust.	8.8 Screencastify offers a robust set of features, including screen and webcam recording, video editing and interactive questions. Leaving aside the fact that many features are only available for a fee, it's fair to say that it offers a lot of features. While recording, you can easily add spotlights and draw on the screen. The drawing tools offer a nice range of options, so you should have everything you need: The subsequent editor also offers many functions where you can cut the video to your needs. Here is what the basic editor looks like: It recently also added an AI feature that automatically adds captions, transcripts, titles, and descriptions. Furthermore, Screencastify offers another video editor when clicking "Edit Video" in the top right corner. This will open up another editor where you can do some more video editing. Here is how it looks like: In our opinion, this editor isn’t necessary if you already have your own video editing software, but it could be useful for some people. We’re not entirely sure if this is just an older version of the original editor. However, we did discover that you can export videos to MP4 for free, thanks to an "Export" button that lets you do so without any limitations. We’re not certain if this is intentional, but at least it works for us.
Performance	9.3 The extension offers a noticeable improvement in page load times. We did not find any problems in our tests, but according to user reviews, there are occasional compatibility problems with certain websites. However, according to Decentraleyes, these are constantly being fixed by updates.	7.5 The speed has deteriorated considerably with the latest updates. This is probably because more and more functions, such as the AI function, are being added. The tool has become slower, and creating links or accessing older videos takes longer than before. Many users have also complained about the performance in the reviews.
Design	9.5 The design is intuitive and simple. This also includes the settings menu.	9.0 The design is intuitive and user-friendly. We think that navigation is very intuitive despite the many functions.
Value for Money	9.5 The extension is completely free to use with optional donations. The price-performance ratio is therefore perfect, as functions that are not offered by other providers are made available here free of charge. Only the lack of further functions in the area of ad blocking results in deductions.	5.0 As already mentioned, we are somewhat shocked by the limitations of the free version. Especially if you have used the app in the past and can export videos for free. In addition, even with the starter package for $7, you are limited to 10 exports. We find that many other providers offer much more for the money.
Ease of Use	9.9 The extension is characterized by its user-friendliness. Installation is very simple and you have the option of testing the function immediately on the website. When you open the website https://decentraleyes.org/test/, you are shown whether the function works and an example of what it looks like in the icon when data is blocked. The settings are also very well described so that even beginners should have no problems here. Advanced users can also read the complete documentation or the code on GitLab.	8.5 Screencastify is easy to use, with a minimal learning curve. Even beginners can quickly get the hang of it. However, we find that recent updates have introduced some complexities that are not absolutely necessary for a screen recorder.
Security & Privacy	9.2 The extension offers strong features in the area of data protection, so it goes without saying that it scores well in this area. The open-source code allows anyone to review the extension in detail. Only the lack of a proper privacy policy detracts from this for beginners, who can do little with the code. There is a privacy policy that states in one sentence that no data is collected. However, this should be a little more detailed.	8.0 Unfortunately, an account is required, which in our opinion is not necessary for Screen recorder. However, Screencastify's privacy policy is very comprehensive and complies with standard data protection practices, including compliance with the GDPR and PCI-DSS certification for payment data. Screencastify takes reasonable security measures but, like all online services, cannot guarantee absolute protection.
Conclusion	Decentraleyes is a valuable tool for anyone who wants more privacy and faster browsing. With local CDN emulation, Decentraleyes has features that bring both security and performance benefits. While it currently excels in this one area, you need to be aware that websites also make adjustments and it won't always work 100% of the time, especially without further updates. Overall, Decentraleyes is a recommended choice for privacy-conscious users as an addition to the usual ad blockers.	Screencastify was a fantastic tool in the past, and we used to use it daily. Unfortunately, recent updates have made it less user-friendly by hiding key features behind a paywall. For people who need a wide range of features, the tool is still an option. For others who just want to make a recording every now and then to export a video, Screencastify is unfortunately no longer an option.
	Install Decentraleyes	Install Screencastify
Our Recommendation	In our comparison between Decentraleyes and Screencastify, Decentraleyes came out on top, scoring 9.3. Screencastify is the most widely used, with over 6 million users and 12k+ reviews, but Decentraleyes outperformed it in our review. User reviews reflect our findings. Notably, Decentraleyes has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.78, which supports its strong performance in our review. There are big differences between these extensions, so it's important to look at the details below to find the best fit for your needs. Looking for the richest feature set? Screencastify stands out with a rating of 8.8. On the other hand, Decentraleyes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5. Need top performance? Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.5. Design lovers, take note: Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 9. Want to get the most for your money? Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 5. If you hate complicated tools, Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.9. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5. With privacy and security becoming ever more important, Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.2. On the other hand, Screencastify lags behind in this area with a rating of 8. If you want a quick recommendation, Decentraleyes is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.