qBlank vs NVIDIA App

The NVIDIA App records games on NVIDIA cards, with Instant Replay and an overlay. qBlank records a capture card, a screen or a window, on any graphics card.

In short

Compared with NVIDIA App 11.0.9, its release notes and NVIDIA's help pages.

qBlankNVIDIA App
Source codeOpen, GPLv3Closed, free
NeedsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit, any graphics cardAn NVIDIA GeForce or RTX card
Capture cardYes–
What it recordsA card, a monitor or a windowDetected games, or the desktop with Desktop capture on, off by default
Video codecsOn NVIDIA, Intel, AMD or the CPUH.264, HEVC and AV1 on NVENC; AV1 needs an RTX 40 or 50
ContainersMKV, MP4, AVIMP4
HDRDisplay, recording, screenshots, cameraRecording with HEVC or AV1
ReplayMemory or disk, up to 30 minutesInstant Replay, 30 s by default, adjustable
Automatic clips–Highlights, in supported games
SoundSeveral sources, mixed or on own tracksGame and microphone, separate tracks optional
Virtual camera64-bit, HDR–
Keys in a gameA system-wide key; the game does not get itIts Alt keys work in the game

The two projects

NVIDIA App

  • NVIDIA's app for drivers, game settings and the overlay on Alt+Z. It replaced GeForce Experience.
  • Free, closed source. Signing in is optional.
  • Recording runs on NVENC, so it needs an NVIDIA graphics card.

qBlank

  • Open source under GPLv3. Code, issues and releases are on GitHub.
  • English and German, with a manual in both.
  • One file of about 3 MB, from winget, the website or GitHub.
  • Runs on any graphics card. Encoders from NVIDIA, Intel and AMD, or the CPU.
  • Recording needs ffmpeg. qBlank offers to download it, from a fixed source, checked against its hash.
  • Updates are checked on start, if you want.

Capture card

  • The NVIDIA App has no input for a capture card. To record one, another program has to show it on the screen. Without a detected game, that needs Desktop capture.
  • qBlank opens the card itself. It fits the format to the video standard, deinterlaces what is interlaced, and has filters for composite and pixel art. See analogue consoles on the AmaRecTV page.
  • qBlank's window is an ordinary window. Recording it with the NVIDIA App works like with any other program.
The Source tab of the settings: picture source Capture card, Screen or Window, the input set to Automatic, the card picked under Video device, and the buttons Configure card and Reinitialise card
Source: card, screen or window as picture source, then the card and its input.

What gets recorded

qBlankNVIDIA App
What is recordedA card, a whole monitor, or one windowThe detected game, or the desktop with Desktop capture on
One chosen windowThrough Windows.Graphics.Capture; a covered window comes through–
Exclusive fullscreenNot for older games; borderless windowed worksYes
HDRHDR desktop and window in HDRWith HEVC or AV1

NVIDIA App

  • It records the game it detects. Desktop capture adds the desktop and is off by default.
  • Protected content blocks recording.

qBlank

  • Screen takes a whole monitor, Window one window, games and video included.
  • A covered window comes through. A minimised one does not.
  • If the title changes or the window is gone, qBlank takes another window of the same program.
  • Each new picture is drawn at once. Recording → Frame rate on same as source keeps them all, or caps them.
  • System sound without qBlank records everything except qBlank's own playback. qBlank stays audible and nothing echoes.
  • Hide qBlank from the capture is on by default for the screen. It keeps qBlank out of every screen capture, Remote Play and Remote Desktop included.
The Source tab with Window as picture source: the window Test window — python.exe, Refresh, the boxes for the mouse pointer and the preview, and four notes on covered windows, a lost title, exclusive fullscreen and sound
Source → Window: the window, pointer, preview, and what to know.
The Source tab with Screen as picture source: the primary monitor picked, mouse pointer, preview and hiding qBlank from the capture switched on, and the notes on exclusive fullscreen and sound
Source → Screen: monitor, pointer, preview, hide qBlank.

Recording

qBlankNVIDIA App
ContainersMKV, MP4; AVI for losslessMP4
Video codecsH.264 on NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF or x264; H.265 on NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF or x265; AV1 on NVENC, Intel Arc, AMD or SVT-AV1H.264, HEVC and AV1 on NVENC; AV1 needs an RTX 40 or 50
LosslessH.265 lossless on NVENC, UT Video, uncompressed RGB–
ResolutionThe source's, or a set height from 2160p to 360pUp to 8K HDR at 30 fps, or 4K HDR at 120
Frame rateThe source's, or cappedUp to 120 fps on every codec; 240 on an RTX 40 or 50 since 11.0.8
Sound sourcesCard, inputs, outputs, system without qBlank; gain up to +12 dBGame and microphone
TracksMixed, separate, or bothOne, or separate tracks

NVIDIA App

  • Since 11.0.2 the default bitrate follows resolution, frame rate and codec.

qBlank

  • The encoder runs inside qBlank, through ffmpeg's libraries. With NVENC and AMF the frame goes from the GPU to the encoder without a copy.
  • A change of size or video standard during a recording starts a new file, seamlessly.
  • MKV stays playable after a crash.
  • Markers: Ctrl+Shift+F9 sets one, players show them as chapters.
The Recording tab: container MKV, frame rate and resolution same as source, the output folder with the free space as recording time, the larger buffer in memory, and under Screenshots the format PNG and the screenshot folder
Recording: container, rate, size, folder, splitting and buffer.
The Recording sources section of the Audio tab: the card audio, an input on the system default and the system sound, each with gain, tracks and level, and the button Add
Audio → Recording sources: each with gain, tracks and level.

Replay

qBlankNVIDIA App
NameReplayInstant Replay
Length5 s to 30 min30 s by default, adjustable
SaveShift+F9Alt+F10
On and offCtrl+F9Alt+Shift+F10
Automatic clips–Highlights, in supported games
  • qBlank keeps the replay in memory or on disk. The replay buffer and the recording share one encoder.
The Replay tab: replay in the background on, length 60 seconds, storage in memory with at most 4 GB, the free memory, and what 60 seconds take
Replay: length, and memory or disk.

Screenshots and virtual camera

  • qBlank saves PNG, JPEG, JPEG XR or AVIF, HDR as JPEG XR or AVIF. Ctrl+F10 copies to the clipboard.
  • The NVIDIA App takes a screenshot with Alt+F1. Photo Mode, on Alt+F2, works in supported games.
  • qBlank has a virtual camera built in, a DirectShow source for 64-bit programs. The NVIDIA App has none.
The Virtual camera section: switched on, with OBS and Discord reading, each in its own format
Recording → Virtual camera: installed, on, and who is reading it.

Keys

qBlankNVIDIA App
Change every keyYesYes
Keys in a gameA second key under System-wide; no other program gets itIts keys work in the game
RecordF9Alt+F9
Save replayShift+F9Alt+F10
Replay on and offCtrl+F9Alt+Shift+F10
ScreenshotF10Alt+F1
Photo Mode–Alt+F2
StatisticsF1Alt+R
SettingsF2Alt+Z, the overlay
  • The NVIDIA App uses Alt+F9 and Alt+F10 too, the same keys as in the qBlank picture below.
  • qBlank's system-wide keys are unbound out of the box. With both running, give one of them other keys.
The Keys tab: each action with its shortcut and a System-wide column, where Start/stop recording has Alt+F9, Save replay as clip Alt+Shift+F9 and Screenshot Alt+F10
Keys: one key for the window, a second one system-wide.

Only in the NVIDIA App

  • Highlights: clips saved by themselves in supported games.
  • Photo Mode in supported games.
  • Finds games by itself.
  • Older games in exclusive fullscreen.
  • A performance overlay, latency included.
  • Driver updates and game settings.

Only in qBlank

  • A capture card, with what consoles need: video standard, deinterlacing, composite filters, pixel grid.
  • Any graphics card. Encoders from NVIDIA, Intel and AMD, or the CPU.
  • One chosen window, even when covered.
  • MKV, which survives a crash, and AVI.
  • Lossless recording.
  • Inputs and outputs as sound sources, each with its own gain.
  • A 64-bit virtual camera with qBlank's full picture, HDR included.
  • qBlank hidden from its own screen capture.
  • Open source.