Cap vs SimpleScreenRecorder (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cap grades higher than SimpleScreenRecorder: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cap grades higher on ease of use and platforms. SimpleScreenRecorder grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cap
Open-source screen recorder with instant share links and an editor
Which one is for you
Pick Cap if
- Fits if your team wants an open-source Loom alternative it can host itself
- Works for developers sending bug reports and updates as video links
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you record for work and won't pay, as the free version is for personal use only
- Tight if you share long recordings, since links stop at 5 minutes on Free and on the Desktop License
- Not for you if you record from your phone, because no iOS or Android app is listed
- Watch out: the Windows build is still beta, and AI summaries, the Loom importer and S3 storage are Cap Pro only
- Pricey if you need SSO, which is a flat $199 a month on top of Cap Pro, or a BAA at $99 a month
Pick SimpleScreenRecorder if
- Fits if you play or demo on Linux and want an OpenGL capture like Fraps
- Works for people who want to pick their own codecs and keep the software free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or a Mac, as there is no build for either
- Not for you if you want to edit the recording, because it only records
- Watch out: live streaming is labelled experimental by the author
- Watch out: the Arch Linux package moved to AUR in April 2023 for lack of a maintainer, and the vendor warns simplescreenrecorder.com is a fake site
How we grade them
| 3.2GPACapVery good | 2.8GPASimpleScreenRecorderGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AA Desktop License is $29 a year, about $2.42 a month, or $58 once for life, and that covers commercial use with unlimited local recording and editing. That's well under the $10 middle for video tools here. Cap Pro is $8.16 a user a month billed annually. | AFree software under the GNU GPL, with no paid plan. A program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for personal use with Studio Mode, the full editor and 4K 60fps export, so someone recording for themselves could really live on it. Two walls: share links stop at 5 minutes, and using it for work needs a paid license. | AThe whole program is free, with no cap or watermark. |
| Features | BInstant share links, a local editor with automatic zoom, blur masks and scenes, styled screenshots, share pages with comments and chapters, and captions transcribed on the device in 19 languages. The recording job is covered. The gap the listing names: the Windows build is still labelled beta. | BWhole-screen, region and OpenGL capture, pause and resume, a live preview and many codecs and formats. Streaming is marked experimental by the author. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: record, stop, paste the link, and whoever you send it to needs no account or download. Self-hosting is there if you want it, and nobody has to. | CNo store rating on record. Settings are laid out in a wizard, but codec and format choices are yours to make. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows and Linux apps plus a Chrome extension, with a CLI and a local MCP server so coding agents like Claude Code and Cursor can drive it. No iOS or Android app, so nothing on a phone. | DLinux only. The page lists distributions and no Windows, Mac, web or phone builds, and no integrations. |
| Best for | an open-source screen recorder you can host yourself | recording games and screens on Linux |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cap and SimpleScreenRecorder. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cap starts at $2.42 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SimpleScreenRecorder has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Cap scores higher, and starts $2.42 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than Cap for less, and none scores higher than SimpleScreenRecorder for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Cap is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Cap also covers transcription, video editing and screenshots.
At a glance
| Cap | SimpleScreenRecorder | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $29 per year for a Desktop License; Cap Pro is $8.16 per user / month, billed annually | Free |
| Free plan | Free for personal use: Studio Mode with the full editor, 4K 60fps export and share links for recordings of up to 5 minutes. Commercial use needs a paid license. | Free software distributed under the GNU General Public License; no paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Cap Software, Inc. | Maarten Baert |
| Price read from | cap.so | maartenbaert.be |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cap
- The free version is licensed for personal use only; commercial use needs a Desktop License or Cap Pro.
- Share links on the Free plan and the Desktop License are limited to recordings of up to 5 minutes; unlimited cloud sharing needs Cap Pro.
- AI titles, summaries and chapters, cloud transcriptions, the Loom importer and custom S3 or Google Drive storage are Cap Pro only.
- The Windows build is labeled beta on the download page, and no iOS or Android app is listed.
SimpleScreenRecorder
- Linux only; the project page lists distributions and no Windows or Mac builds.
- The page says the Arch Linux package moved to AUR in April 2023 for lack of a maintainer.
- The vendor warns that simplescreenrecorder.com is a fake site and that only the maartenbaert.be page is official.
Key features
Cap
- Instant Mode
- Uploads in the background while you record, so a share link is on the clipboard the moment you stop. Viewers watch in a browser with no account or download.
- Studio Mode and editor
- Records locally at up to 4K and 60fps with separate screen, camera and microphone tracks, then opens an editor with backgrounds, automatic zoom, cursor effects, blur masks and scenes.
- Screenshot Mode
- A hotkey captures a window or an area, and the image can be given a background, padding and a shadow before it is copied to the clipboard or shared as a link.
- Share pages
- Each capture gets a page with comments, reactions, a transcript and chapters. Password protection, a custom domain and viewer analytics are part of Cap Pro.
- Cap AI and captions
- Cap Pro generates titles, summaries, clickable chapters and transcriptions for every recording with no usage limit. Studio Mode can also transcribe captions on the device in 19 languages.
- Own storage, self-hosting and agents
- Cap Pro can store recordings in a custom S3 bucket or Google Drive, and the whole platform can be self-hosted. A CLI and local MCP server let AI coding agents record and manage videos.
SimpleScreenRecorder
- Screen and OpenGL capture
- Records the entire screen, part of it, or an OpenGL application directly, similar to Fraps on Windows.
- Pause and resume
- Recording can be paused and resumed with a button or a hotkey, with live statistics such as file size and frame rate.
- Preview while recording
- An optional preview shows what is being captured so a wrong setting is noticed before the recording ends.
- Many codecs and formats
- Encodes through libav/ffmpeg libraries, so it supports many codecs and file formats, with custom codec options.
- Experimental live streaming
- Can also stream live, which the author labels experimental, with a how-to page for it.
Plans
Cap
Free$0
Personal use only: Studio Mode with the full editor, 4K 60fps export and share links for recordings of up to 5 minutes.
Desktop License$29
per license / year, or $58 once for a lifetime license
Commercial use for one user, unlimited local recording and editing, and 20 cloud share links a month of up to 5 minutes each.
Cap Pro$8.16
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited cloud storage and sharing, AI titles, summaries, chapters and transcripts, custom domain, password protection and viewer analytics.
EnterpriseCap Pro price + add-ons
Cap Pro for large organizations, with optional SAML SSO at a flat $199 a month and a signed BAA at $99 a month per organization.
SimpleScreenRecorder
Free$0
The whole program, distributed under the GNU General Public License.
Ways to pay less
Cap
- Annual discount
Save 32% on Cap Pro with annual billing
The pricing page lists Cap Pro at $8.16 per user a month when billed annually, against $12 per user billed monthly.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Desktop License for $58
The Desktop License can be bought once for $58 as a license that never renews, instead of paying $29 per license each year.
- Education
30% student discount
Cap's student discount page offers students 30% off any premium plan, applied with a discount code at checkout.
SimpleScreenRecorder
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cap or SimpleScreenRecorder?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimpleScreenRecorder is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.42 a month when paid by the year for each person for Cap. Cap starts at $29 per year for a Desktop License; Cap Pro is $8.16 per user / month, billed annually, and SimpleScreenRecorder is free.
Which has a free plan, Cap or SimpleScreenRecorder?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Cap and SimpleScreenRecorder have a free plan.
Which platforms do Cap and SimpleScreenRecorder run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cap lists macOS and Windows apps and a browser extension. Both list a Linux app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.