# Alternatives to Cap

Open source Loom alternative.

Cap ranks #3 of 11 in Screen recording, with an Alt Score of 80. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, freemium from $29/year and available on Windows and macOS. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cap/
Category: Screen recording

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Individuals, remote teams, and organizations who need to record and share screen videos quickly, including those with data-ownership or self-hosting requirements.
- **What you get**: A cross-platform screen recorder (macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome) with Instant Mode for quick recordings that upload and share automatically, and Studio Mode for high-quality local recording with editing tools like backgrounds and cursor effects. Recordings can hit up to 4K/60fps, and shares support password protection, custom domains, and viewer analytics. It's fully open source, so you can self-host with your own S3 or Google Drive storage instead of using Cap's cloud.
- **How it works**: Record your screen in Instant or Studio mode, optionally trim or edit the capture, then share it via an auto-generated link — recordings in Instant Mode upload as you record so the link is ready as soon as you stop.

## Profile

- **License**: AGPL-3.0 (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $29/year (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Tella](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tella.md) | 90 | Proprietary | Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension |
| 2 | [Camtasia](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/camtasia.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 3 | [Screen Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/screen-studio.md) | 80 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 4 | [ScreenFlow](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/screenflow.md) | 80 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 5 | [Bandicam](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandicam.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 6 | [Streamlabs](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/streamlabs.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS |
| 7 | [Kap](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kap.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS |
| 8 | [Loom](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/loom.md) | 50 | ? | Windows, macOS, Browser extension |
| 9 | [OBS Studio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/obs-studio.md) | 40 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 10 | [ShareX](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/sharex.md) | 40 | GPL-3.0 | Windows |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Screen recording checklist | Cap | Tella | Camtasia | Screen Studio | ScreenFlow | Bandicam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription | One-time | One-time |
| Starts at | $29/year | $13/month | €39.57/year | $9/month | $199 | $53.90 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension | Windows, macOS | macOS | macOS | Windows |
| Max resolution & fps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webcam overlay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| System + mic audio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Editing included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Instant share link | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ? |
| Watermark on free | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Annotation during recording | ? | ? | ? | No | No | Yes |
| GIF export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cursor effects | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Cap. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://cap.so/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Free forever”
- **Starts at**: $29/year — <https://cap.so/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “$29/ license billed yearly”
- **Status**: active — <https://cap.so/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Free forever”
- **License**: AGPL-3.0 — <https://github.com/CapSoftware/Cap/blob/main/LICENSE> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “All other content not mentioned above is available under the AGPLv3 license”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS — <https://github.com/CapSoftware/Cap/blob/main/README.md> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Cap runs on macOS and Windows, with a web dashboard for viewing, sharing, and managing recordings.”
- **Max resolution & fps**: Yes — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Crystal-clear recordings at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second”
- **Webcam overlay**: Yes — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Camera and screen recorded separately and rendered as one video in real-time”
- **System + mic audio**: Yes — <https://cap.so/mac-screen-recording-with-audio> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Cap records your microphone and system audio at the same time in a single recording.”
- **Editing included**: Yes — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Professional timeline editing with frame-perfect precision”
- **Instant share link**: Yes — <https://github.com/CapSoftware/Cap/blob/main/README.md> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Cap uploads while you record, then gives you a share link as soon as recording stops.”
- **Watermark on free**: No — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Your recordings are yours - no Cap watermarks ever”
- **GIF export**: Yes — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Export to MP4, WebM, MOV, GIF and more formats”
- **Cursor effects**: Yes — <https://cap.so/features> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Customize cursor size, style, animations, and motion blur effects”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/