Clippy vs SteelSeries Moments: a free alternative for Windows
SteelSeries Moments is a clip recorder that comes as part of the SteelSeries GG app on Windows. You clip with a hotkey after something happens, and in specific games its auto-clip feature saves highlights for you. Clippy is its own app: you press one key and the last minute is saved, with an editor and a share link built in.
Updated November 2026
The short answer
SteelSeries Moments comes with the SteelSeries GG app and can auto-clip highlights in specific games. Clippy is a free app of its own that saves the last minute on one key, with captions, vertical exports and a share link. Pick Moments if you already use GG or want auto-clips, Clippy for one key and a link to share.
Clippy and SteelSeries Moments side by side
| Feature | Clippy | SteelSeries Moments |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no watermark on normal exports | Free download (see steelseries.com) |
| Where it lives | An app of its own | Inside the SteelSeries GG app |
| Saving a clip | One key saves the last minute | A hotkey, or auto-clip in specific games |
| Editor | Trim, chapters, speed, GIF, vertical export and captions | Trim, audio from several sources and montages |
| Sharing | One link, and viewers need no account | Direct upload to YouTube, Discord, Reddit and X |
Check steelseries.com for SteelSeries Moments' current features.
What Clippy does
- Free, with no watermark. Supporters pay for cosmetics and extra storage, never for the recorder.
- One key (F8 by default) saves the last minute. The buffer goes up to ten minutes.
- Recording starts by itself when a game starts and stops when it closes. No profiles to set up.
- Records the game window rather than the whole screen.
- On Windows 11, game, other sound and microphone land on separate tracks you can rebalance in the editor.
- An editor with trim, chapters, speed and GIF export, plus vertical 9:16 exports with captions generated on your own PC.
- One link to share, with clean embeds on Discord and X. Viewers need no account.
Where SteelSeries Moments is different
- Part of the SteelSeries GG app, as a free download for Windows 10 and later.
- A hotkey clips moments after they happen, and auto-clip saves highlights as timeline markers in specific games.
- Trimming, audio from several sources and montages in the app, with direct uploads to YouTube, Discord, Reddit and X.
Check steelseries.com for SteelSeries Moments' current features.
Which one fits
Pick Clippy if you want a recorder of its own with captions, vertical exports and a share link. Pick SteelSeries Moments if you already use SteelSeries GG, or you want highlights saved for you in the games its auto-clip covers.
Questions
Does Clippy auto-clip highlights like Moments?
Not by reading the game. You press a key, or turn on Streamer mode, which can save a clip when you get loud on your mic, when Twitch chat speeds up or when a viewer types !clip. Moments can auto-clip in the specific games it supports.
Is Clippy really free?
Yes. The recorder is free, with no time limit and no watermark on normal exports. Supporters pay for extras such as more shared-clip storage, themes and cosmetics, never for recording. One thing to know: a vertical export made on the free plan carries a small "made with Clippy" mark.
How do I save the last minute of a game?
Press F8, or any key, mouse side button or controller button you choose. Clippy records in the background while a game runs and saves the last stretch it kept: one minute by default, and up to ten minutes if you raise the buffer in Settings.
Does Clippy record my whole screen?
No. It records the game window only, through the Windows Graphics Capture API, so a Discord message or a browser tab never ends up in a clip.
Does Clippy work on any graphics card?
Yes. It encodes on the card with NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF or Intel Quick Sync, and falls back to software if none of them works.
Can I bring my SteelSeries Moments clips to Clippy?
Clippy can copy MP4 and MKV clips from any folder on your PC into its library, so clips you exported from Moments in those formats can come along. See how import works.
Is it safe to use Clippy in games with anti-cheat?
Clippy records through Windows' own window capture and does not inject anything into the game or read its memory. Each game guide says the same about that game, and your game's own rules always come first.
Switching from SteelSeries Moments?
Clippy can copy MP4 and MKV clips from any folder on your PC into its library, so clips you exported from Moments in those formats can come along. How clip import works.
Last updated November 6, 2026. All comparisons.