# Cap

> Open-source screen recorder with instant share links and an editor

Cap is an open-source screen recorder with three modes. Instant Mode uploads while you record and copies a share link when you stop, Studio Mode records locally in 4K and opens an editor with backgrounds, automatic zoom and cursor effects, and Screenshot Mode captures and styles still images. Recordings can be shared through Cap's cloud, kept in your own S3 bucket or Google Drive, or served from a self-hosted copy of the platform.

- **Category:** Screen Recording & Video
- **Made by:** Cap Software, Inc. (since 2023)
- **Website:** https://cap.so
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, Linux, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Cap has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29 per year for a Desktop License; Cap Pro is $8.16 per user / month, billed annually.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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 trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |
| Enterprise | Cap 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. |

Read from https://cap.so/pricing on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cap before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Save 32% on Cap Pro with annual billing** (Annual discount): The pricing page lists Cap Pro at $8.16 per user a month when billed annually, against $12 per user billed monthly. Source: https://cap.so/pricing
- **Lifetime Desktop License for $58** (Lifetime license): The Desktop License can be bought once for $58 as a license that never renews, instead of paying $29 per license each year. Source: https://cap.so/pricing
- **30% student discount** (Education): Cap's student discount page offers students 30% off any premium plan, applied with a discount code at checkout. Source: https://cap.so/student-discount

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Teams that want an open-source Loom alternative they can self-host
- Developers sending bug reports and async updates as video links
- Product demos and tutorials that need zooms, backgrounds and captions

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Google Drive, Amazon S3, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex

**Tags:** Screen recording, Video editing, Screenshots, Open source, Self-hostable, Transcription, AI features

## Alternatives

- [Loom](https://toolgpa.com/tools/loom): Screen and camera recorder for shareable video messages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-loom)
- [Screen Studio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screen-studio): Mac screen recorder with automatic zooms and cursor smoothing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-screen-studio)
- [Tella](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tella): Screen recorder with a built-in editor, layouts and 4K export. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-tella)
- [OBS Studio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obs-studio): Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-obs-studio)
- [Screenity](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screenity): Open-source Chrome screen recorder with a scene-based editor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cap-vs-screenity)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://cap.so
- https://cap.so/pricing
- https://cap.so/download
- https://cap.so/about
- https://cap.so/faq
- https://cap.so/features/instant-mode
- https://cap.so/google-chrome-screen-recorder
- https://cap.so/self-hosting
- https://cap.so/student-discount
- https://cap.so/agents

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/cap
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).