Cap review: the open-source screen recorder that takes on Loom

Last updated October 2026

Screen recording used to mean choosing between bloated desktop suites and polished cloud tools that lock you into a subscription. Cap sits in an unusual middle ground. It is an open-source screen recorder, built on Rust and Tauri, that handles local recording as well as most paid tools while offering optional cloud sharing for people who need a quick link. After testing Cap across macOS and Windows for several weeks, here is what works, what falls short, and who should care.

Cap launched as a lightweight Loom alternative and has grown into a more ambitious product. The desktop app records in up to 4K at 60 fps with separate tracks for screen, camera, and microphone. A built-in editor adds backgrounds, cursor effects, zoom animations, blur masks, captions, and speed adjustments. Recordings can stay local or be uploaded to Cap's cloud, where they get a shareable page with comments, reactions, and a transcript. The entire codebase sits on GitHub under AGPLv3 with over 23,000 stars, and the self-hosting path is real, not just a footnote in the docs.

The result is a tool that feels like two products stitched together: a capable local recorder and a lightweight video-sharing platform. That dual identity is both its strength and the source of its rough edges.

What Cap is

The basics

Cap is a desktop application for macOS and Windows (with experimental Linux support via .deb packages) that records your screen, webcam, and microphone. It also ships a Chrome extension for browser-based capture, a CLI with JSON output for scripting, and an MCP server for agent-based workflows. Recordings can be exported locally in common formats or shared through Cap's cloud, which generates a link with a viewing page. The project is fully open source and can be self-hosted using Docker Compose, Railway, or Coolify.

Who it's for

Cap targets three overlapping groups. Individual developers and designers use it as a free, no-watermark screen recorder that respects their privacy and works offline. Small teams adopt it to replace Loom when they want shareable recordings without a per-seat subscription eating into their budget. And self-hosting enthusiasts use it to keep their video content on infrastructure they control, with no third-party cloud dependency.

Features

Screen recording

Cap offers two recording modes. Instant mode uploads while you record and copies a share link to your clipboard the moment you stop, which makes it ideal for quick bug reports or async standup updates. Studio mode records locally in 4K at 60 fps with separate tracks for screen, camera, and microphone, giving you raw material for a more polished result. A screenshot mode rounds out the capture options, letting you grab a window or region, apply a styled background and shadow, add annotations, and copy the result to your clipboard.

The Studio editor is where Cap punches above its weight. You can add custom backgrounds, apply cursor effects and auto-zoom to draw attention to specific areas, drop in blur masks to hide sensitive content, overlay captions, animate text, adjust color grading, and speed footage up to 8x. The editor is not as deep as a dedicated tool like ScreenFlow or Camtasia, but it covers the common adjustments that turn a raw capture into something you would share with a client or post in documentation. Export supports common formats, and the output quality at 4K holds up well.

Sharing

Every cloud-uploaded recording gets its own Cap page. Viewers watch in the browser without creating an account, and the page includes comments, emoji reactions, and a transcript with clickable timestamps. Links can be set to public, private, or password-protected, and Cap Pro adds viewer analytics so you can see who watched and how far they got. For teams migrating from Loom, Cap includes a Loom importer that pulls in your existing library.

The free plan limits cloud links to five minutes per recording and does not include cloud sharing by default. The Desktop License adds 20 cloud links per month (each capped at five minutes), and Cap Pro removes those limits entirely with unlimited cloud storage and bandwidth.

Open source

Cap is licensed under AGPLv3 for the core application, with some camera and screen-capture crates under MIT. The codebase is built on Rust and TypeScript, using Tauri v2 for the desktop shell, SolidStart and Next.js for the web layer, Drizzle and MySQL for data, and Tailwind CSS for styling. With over 23,000 GitHub stars and 9,000-plus commits, the project has genuine community momentum, not just a README badge.

Self-hosting is a first-class option. You can deploy the entire platform, including the sharing infrastructure, on your own servers using Docker Compose. Railway and Coolify templates are also available for faster setup. This makes Cap one of the few screen recorders where you can own every piece of the stack, from capture to playback, without any dependency on the company's cloud.

Desktop app

The desktop app is built with Tauri v2, which gives it a noticeably smaller footprint than Electron-based alternatives. On macOS, it feels native and responsive. The recording interface is minimal: pick your sources, choose Instant or Studio mode, and start. The editor loads quickly and handles 4K footage without the lag you might expect from a free tool.

Windows support is stable and covers the same feature set. Linux support exists through .deb packages for Debian and Ubuntu, though it is less mature. The app works fully offline for local recording and editing, which matters for anyone on unreliable connections or in environments where uploading video to a third-party cloud is not an option.

AI features

Cap AI generates automatic transcriptions, titles, summaries, and clickable chapters for cloud-hosted recordings. The transcription powers the searchable, timestamped transcript on the sharing page, and the chapters let viewers jump to specific sections. Titles and summaries save you from writing metadata by hand, which is especially useful if you are producing multiple recordings per day.

These AI features are included with Cap Pro at no extra usage cost. They are not available on the free plan or the Desktop License. The quality of the transcription is competitive with other tools in the space, though it currently supports English best.

Pricing

Free

The free plan costs nothing and is intended for personal use. It includes Studio mode with the full editor, 4K/60fps export, and shareable cloud links limited to five minutes per recording. This is generous for a free tier, especially since there is no watermark and no limit on local recording length. The main constraint is the five-minute cloud cap and the restriction to personal, non-commercial use.

Desktop license

The Desktop License costs $29 per year or $58 as a one-time purchase. It adds commercial usage rights, unlimited local recording and editing, and 20 cloud shareable links per month (still capped at five minutes each). One license covers one user, and the app works fully offline. This tier makes sense for freelancers, consultants, and solo professionals who mainly record for their own use but occasionally need to share a quick clip.

Pro

Cap Pro costs $12 per user per month, or $8.16 per month when billed annually. It includes everything in the Desktop License plus unlimited cloud storage and bandwidth, unlimited sharing, Cap AI (transcription, titles, summaries, chapters), custom domains, password-protected links, viewer analytics, team workspaces, a Loom importer, custom S3 bucket and Google Drive integration, and priority support. Volume discounts are available for teams over 10 users, and students get 30% off.

Enterprise add-ons layer on top of the Pro price: SAML SSO at $199 per month (flat rate, unlimited users), signed BAA at $99 per month per organization, and SCIM provisioning by arrangement. Cap also lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliance for Pro and enterprise customers.

Pros and cons

What works well

Cap's biggest advantage is its positioning. No other open-source screen recorder combines local 4K recording, a built-in editor with professional features, cloud sharing with viewer pages, and a real self-hosting path. The free tier is legitimately useful rather than a teaser, and the $58 one-time Desktop License is one of the best deals in the category for anyone who mainly works locally.

The Tauri-based desktop app is fast and light. Recording quality is excellent, and the editor covers the adjustments that matter most: backgrounds, cursor effects, zoom, blur, and captions. The sharing pages look clean and load quickly, and the comment and reaction system works well for async feedback. The Loom importer removes a practical barrier to switching.

Where it falls short

On the other side, Cap's cloud features only shine on the Pro plan. The free tier's five-minute limit on shared recordings is restrictive for anything beyond a quick demo, and the Desktop License's 20 links per month with the same time cap may not be enough for teams that share frequently. The AI features are Pro-only, which means the free and mid-tier plans miss out on transcription and chapters entirely.

The editor, while capable, is not as polished as dedicated tools like ScreenFlow or Camtasia. Transitions are limited, multi-track editing is basic, and there is no timeline in the traditional sense. Linux support exists but feels like an afterthought compared to macOS and Windows. And while the open-source community is active, the project moves fast enough that bugs and UI inconsistencies crop up between releases.

Who Cap is best for

Cap is an excellent fit for developers and technical teams who want a screen recorder that respects open-source values, works offline, and does not lock content into a proprietary cloud. It suits freelancers and solo professionals who need commercial recording rights without a recurring subscription, thanks to the $58 one-time Desktop License. Small teams that find Loom's per-seat pricing excessive will appreciate Cap Pro's lower cost and the self-hosting option. And anyone who values data ownership, whether for compliance, security, or principle, will find Cap's self-hosting and custom S3 integration particularly useful.

Who should look elsewhere

If you need a deep, timeline-based video editor with transitions, multi-track audio mixing, and motion graphics, Cap is not trying to be that tool. ScreenFlow and Camtasia still own that space. If your team is embedded in an ecosystem that already includes a recording tool, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams with built-in screen sharing, adding Cap may create friction rather than solving a problem. Large enterprises that need granular admin controls, advanced analytics dashboards, and a mature integrations ecosystem may find Cap's enterprise features too thin compared to Loom Business or Vidyard. And if you need reliable Linux desktop support today, Cap's .deb packages are not yet at the same level as the macOS and Windows apps.

Related comparisons

If you are evaluating Cap alongside other tools, these comparisons break down the differences in detail:

• Cap vs Loom covers the core matchup between Cap's open-source flexibility and Loom's polished cloud platform.

• Cap vs ScreenFlow compares Cap to the heavyweight local editor that many Mac users swear by.

• Cap vs Tella looks at Cap against Tella's presentation-focused recording approach.

• Tella vs Loom is useful if you are weighing all three cloud-sharing tools at once.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cap really free?

Yes, Cap's free plan costs nothing and includes local screen recording in 4K at 60 fps, the full Studio editor, and shareable cloud links up to five minutes long. There is no watermark. The free plan is restricted to personal, non-commercial use, so you will need a paid plan if you are using it for work.

Is Cap open source?

Cap is open source under the AGPLv3 license, with some components (camera and screen-capture libraries) licensed under MIT. The full source code is available on GitHub, and the project has over 23,000 stars. You can inspect, modify, and self-host the entire platform.

What platforms does Cap run on?

Cap has desktop apps for macOS and Windows, with experimental Linux support through .deb packages for Debian and Ubuntu. There is also a Chrome extension for browser-based recording and a CLI for scripting. The web dashboard for managing and sharing recordings works in any modern browser.

Can I self-host Cap?

Yes. Cap provides Docker Compose configurations, Railway templates, and Coolify support for self-hosting the entire platform, including the sharing and playback infrastructure. Self-hosting gives you full control over where your recordings are stored and who can access them.

How does Cap compare to Loom?

Cap offers a similar recording-and-sharing workflow at a lower price point, with the added benefits of open source and self-hosting. Loom has a more polished interface, deeper integrations with tools like Slack and Notion, and more mature enterprise features. Cap's free tier is more generous (no watermark, full editor), while Loom's free plan has stricter limits. See the full Cap vs Loom comparison for details.

Does Cap have AI features?

Cap AI is included with the Pro plan and provides automatic transcription, titles, summaries, and clickable chapters for cloud-hosted recordings. There are no per-minute usage charges. AI features are not available on the free plan or the Desktop License.

Can I use Cap for commercial projects?

The free plan is for personal use only. You need either the Desktop License ($29/year or $58 one-time) or the Pro plan ($12/user/month) to use Cap commercially. The Desktop License is the most affordable path to commercial rights if you primarily work with local recordings.

Does Cap support team workspaces?

Team workspaces are available on all plans, including the free tier. However, the collaborative features that make team workspaces practical, such as unlimited cloud sharing, viewer analytics, and Cap AI, are only included with Cap Pro.

What recording quality does Cap support?

Cap records in up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with separate tracks for screen, camera, and microphone audio. The Studio editor supports export in multiple formats, and you can adjust resolution and quality during export.

Is Cap HIPAA compliant?

Cap lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliance for Pro and enterprise customers. Signed Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) are available as an enterprise add-on at $99 per month per organization. Self-hosting is also an option for organizations with strict data residency requirements.

Does Cap have a Chrome extension?

Yes, Cap offers a Chrome extension for recording directly in the browser. This is useful for quick captures when you do not want to switch to the desktop app, or when you are on a machine where the desktop app is not installed.

Can I import my Loom recordings into Cap?

Cap includes a Loom importer that lets you migrate your existing Loom library into Cap. This feature is available on the Pro plan and makes switching from Loom practical even if you have a large backlog of recordings.