Record. Edit. Share.

One open source app for every way you capture your screen. Start free and move to Cap Pro when you need more, whether you work alone, with a small team, or across an entire organization.

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How Cap works: Instant Mode, Studio Mode, and the editor

Cap has 3 modes

One app for every workflow

Record and share with Instant, edit your videos with Studio, or capture and customize images with Screenshot.

Download Cap free

Instant Mode

From recording to shared in one step

  1. 1Press record. Cap uploads while you talk, so there is nothing to wait for.
  2. 2Press stop. The share link is already on your clipboard.
  3. 3Paste it anywhere. Viewers watch in the browser, no account needed.

Best for

Bug reports, quick answers, async standups

Studio Mode

Full quality, polished before anyone sees it

  1. 1Record locally in 4K. Screen, camera, and mic each get their own track.
  2. 2The editor opens when you stop: backgrounds, auto zoom, cursor effects, captions.
  3. 3Export in 4K, or share it as a Cap link like everything else.

Best for

Product demos, tutorials, launch videos

Screenshot Mode

Stills that look designed

  1. 1Hit the hotkey and grab any window or area.
  2. 2Beautify with one click: background, padding, shadow.
  3. 3It's on your clipboard, ready to paste or share as a link.

Best for

Docs, pull requests, social posts

Instant Mode

Share your screen or webcam instantly

Hit record, stop, and share. Your video is live with a title, summary, chapters, and transcript, all written for you.

Instant Mode streams to the cloud as you go, so the video is ready the moment you press stop.

  • Instant linksShareable URL, immediately
  • Background uploadUploads while you record
  • Auto transcriptionCaptions on every recording
  • AI summariesTitles and descriptions
  • Smart chaptersAuto segmented timeline
  • Browser viewingNo downloads required

Studio Mode

Record in full quality, edit before you share

Studio records at the highest quality straight to your device, with no compression and no upload. Then blur what is private, switch scenes between screen and camera, add text and captions, and set the look before anyone sees it.

4K at 60fps straight to your device, with no compression and no upload. Screen, camera, and mic each stay on their own track.

  • Custom backgroundsGradients, wallpapers, colours
  • Adjustable paddingScale from 0% to 40%
  • Blur sensitive areasMask, pixelate, or highlight
  • Scenes and split screenCamera only, split, or floating
  • Text and captionsAnimated titles, local captions
  • Cursor effectsSizing, smoothing, click effects

Screenshot Mode

Capture, beautify, share

One hotkey grabs the window, and the same editing tools that polish your videos turn the still into something worth pasting.

Grab any window or area and Cap drops it on a background with padding, rounded corners, and a shadow.

  • Beautiful backgroundsGradients, wallpapers, solid colours
  • Adjustable paddingClean spacing around the capture
  • Rounded cornersSquircle or rounded styles
  • Shadow and bordersDepth without the fuss
  • Annotation toolsArrows, shapes, text, masks
  • Instant copy and saveOne click to clipboard or file

Cap AI · On every recording

Every recording, understood

Titles, summaries, chapters, and a searchable transcript arrive with the recording, so the work after the recording is already done.

Every word transcribed and timestamped, so viewers can search the recording instead of scrubbing it.

Why Cap

Built for how you actually work

We obsessed over the details so you do not have to. Every feature here exists to save you time and make you look good.

  • Your storage, your rules

    Connect your own Google Drive or S3 bucket, use Cap Cloud, or keep everything local. You are never locked into our infrastructure.

  • Privacy by default, sharing by choice

    Share publicly or privately, password protect the sensitive ones, or keep a recording on your machine and never upload it at all.

  • Async collaboration that works

    Comments, reactions, and transcripts keep the conversation moving. See who watched and turn a recording into the next step, not another meeting.

  • Cross platform for your whole team

    Native apps for macOS and Windows that feel at home on each, plus a Chrome extension when recording in the browser is the right call.

  • Quality that makes you look good

    4K recording, 60fps capture, and compression smart enough to keep the file sizes sane.

  • Truly open source

    See exactly how Cap works, contribute the feature you need, or self host the whole thing. No black boxes.

  • Cap AI does the busywork

    Titles, summaries, clickable chapters, and transcripts write themselves for every recording, with no usage limits on Pro.

  • Import your Loom videos

    Switching from Loom? Bring your existing library across with the built in importer and keep everything in one place.

View all features

Open source

Your recordings. Actually yours.

Cap is open source, and every recording goes exactly where you say. Use Cap Cloud, point it at your own bucket or Drive, or self host the whole thing.

“Cap is one of my favorite pieces of software I've used in the recent years. Best part is you get to own your data since they're fully open-source + via their S3 integration.”
Steven TeyFounder, Dub.co

  • Open source

    Every line is on GitHub. Audit it, fork it, or contribute the feature you need.

  • SOC 2 Type II · ISO 27001

    Independently audited controls behind Cap Cloud.

  • HIPAA compliant

    Signed BAAs for organizations handling PHI.

  • No lock in

    Recordings are plain video files. Take them anywhere, any time.

Every platform

Native on Mac, Windows and Linux

A real desktop app on all three, with the same recorder, editor, and share link. Plus a Chrome extension for the browser and a CLI for everything else.

macOS

Apple silicon and Intel. macOS 13.1 or newer.

Download for macOS
Your device

Windows

Windows 10 or newer.

Download for Windows

Linux

Debian and Ubuntu, as a .deb package.

Download for Linux
Chrome extensionRecord a tab or your whole screen without leaving the browser.Built for developersRecord, export, and publish from the terminal, the API, or the MCP server.$ cap record start --mode studio --duration 30$ cap export ./recording.cap --quality 4k$ cap upload ./recording.mp4 --json{ "url": "https://cap.so/s/x7f2k9" }

Testimonials

Loved by builders, trusted by teams

Join the thousands who made Cap their daily driver for showing work instead of writing about it.

I've been testing Cap.so for no other reason than some old habits die hard for this former software analyst. Whew that UI is so polished and crispy. Between the open source code, self hosted vids, editing features and price point -- gone give Loom some competition 🤞🏽

Olivia@olivialawson.co

Such a great Open source project. I will never install OBS again

CJ@cjkihl

I've been looking for *ages* for a screen recording app that does the job + allows to zoom in/out easily and @Cap is AWESOME! Free, cross-platform, fully-featured, open-source. I mean...unless you love spending +$200 for recording your screen, use Cap!

evening kid@eveningkid

Tip for people that need to make screen recordings: Cap is the open source alternative to Loom. Lightweight, powerful, and stunning. Record and share in seconds.

Roger Mattos@_rogermattos

No brainer instant purchase this morning: was looking for a solid screen recorder, for my new MacBook Pro, gave @cap a try, got myself a license within 10 mins — flawless UX sometimes speaks louder than lengthy marketer's words !

Greg_Ld@Greg__LD

Used @cap. Holy smokes this product delivers and it delivers hard The whole experience from recording to the editor part is pretty sweet

Rohith Gilla@gillarohith

hey @richiemcilroy , cap is hands down one of the best oss i've used, so much so i've uninstalled loom and screen studio :) can you please bring up the video cut and playback speed adjust feature soon , can't wait to try it on, you guys are doing great cheers!

Hrushi@BorhadeHrushi

Tried @Cap v 0.3.beta and found an issue while exporting video. Wrote to @richiemcilroy about the problem and ~40 mins later the issue is fixed. I'm sold. Checkout Cap.so

Bilal Budhani@BilalBudhani

Self-hosted Loom. The future is awesome 👉🏽

diana@pixelswithin
Read more testimonials

FAQ

Questions? We've got answers.

Still stuck? Mail hello@cap.so and a human answers.

What is the difference between Cap Pro and Desktop License?

Cap Pro is a paid plan that includes all the features of the Desktop License plus cloud features for seamless sharing and collaboration. Desktop License grants you commercial usage rights for a single user.

Is there a free version?

Yes! Cap is 100% free for personal use. You can record and share locally with Studio Mode. A paid plan is required for commercial usage.

How long can I record for on the free version?

Studio Mode lets you record locally without a time limit. Free cloud shareable links are limited to 5 minutes each.

How does Cap AI work?

Cap AI is a powerful tool that can be used to generate titles, summaries, clickable chapters, and transcriptions for your recordings. It's available for all Cap Pro users and has no usage limits.

How is Cap different from Loom?

Cap gives you the best of both worlds: the simplicity of Loom with the power of professional tools. We're open source, support custom storage, offer better pricing, and our desktop app works offline. Plus, you actually own your content. Already using Loom? Our built-in Loom video importer makes switching effortless.

What happens to my recordings if I cancel?

Your recordings are yours forever. If you cancel Pro, existing shares remain active and you can always export everything. Downgrade to our free plan to keep recording locally, or self-host to maintain all features.

Do you offer team plans?

Yes! Cap Pro includes team workspaces where you can organize recordings, manage permissions, and collaborate. Volume discounts available for teams over 10 users. Contact us for custom enterprise features.

Which platforms do you support?

Native desktop apps for macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel), Windows, and Linux, plus a Chrome extension. View your shareable links from anywhere.

Can I use Cap for commercial purposes?

Absolutely! Any paid plan (Desktop License or Cap Pro) includes full commercial usage rights. Use Cap for client work, sell courses, or embed recordings anywhere. The free version is for personal use only.

Is my data secure?

Security is core to Cap. Cap is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliant, and as an open source project, our code is fully auditable and transparent — you can see exactly how your data is handled. You can connect your own storage or self-host Cap for more control over your recordings.

What about SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance?

Cap is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliant, with signed BAAs available for organizations handling PHI. Cap Pro also lets you bring your own storage, including custom S3 buckets in any region or your own Google Drive, for GDPR compliance. For teams that want complete control, our self-hosted option keeps everything on your own infrastructure.

Switching from Loom

Bring your whole Loom library with you

Paste a Loom link or upload a CSV of your library and Cap re-hosts every video with its title, a transcript and chapters. Your recordings land in storage you own, on a plan that stays free.

Import from Loom
20% off Cap Pro with code