# LICEcap review (2026): is it any good? > Lightweight free tool that records a screen area to an animated GIF Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. LICEcap captures an area of the desktop and saves it as an animated GIF, or as its own lossless LCF format that can be played back in REAPER. It runs on Windows and macOS, is small to download, and is free software under the GPL, with the source included in each download. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Cockos Incorporated - **Website:** https://www.cockos.com/licecap/ - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS - **Who should skip it:** Too light for you if you want MP4 or audio, since neither is mentioned. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, LICEcap is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | GPL free software for Windows and macOS; each download package includes the source. | Read from https://www.cockos.com/licecap/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with LICEcap before buying. ## Key features - **Record to GIF or LCF:** Save directly to an animated GIF, or to the native LCF format, which allows higher compression and more than 256 colors per frame. - **Movable capture frame:** Move the capture frame while recording, so the recorded area can follow what you are showing. - **Pause and text messages:** Pause and restart a recording with a global hotkey, and insert text messages or a basic title frame. - **Mouse presses and elapsed time:** Optionally show mouse button presses and the elapsed time in the recording. - **Frame-rate limit:** Set a maximum recording frame rate to throttle CPU use on slower machines. ## Good for - Quick, small GIFs for bug reports and documentation - People who want a free tool with source code available - Windows and Mac users who need only GIF output ## Worth knowing - The page lists only GIF and LCF output; MP4 export and audio recording are not mentioned. - The latest release listed is v1.32 from June 2022. - The macOS build is listed for macOS 10.7 through 12.x; newer versions are not named. - Editing is limited to a title frame and inserted text messages. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. LICEcap records a chosen area of your screen to an animated GIF, and it is free under the GPL. But it outputs only GIF or its own LCF format, the last release listed is from June 2022, and its macOS support is named only up to 12.x. - **Value for money: A.** Free software under the GPL. No paid edition is listed. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole program is free, with the source included in each download. - **Features: C.** Records to GIF or LCF, with pause, text messages and mouse press display. It does that one job, a smaller one: no MP4 export or audio. - **Ease of use: B.** Move the frame over the area and record. Nothing to set up, though no store rating is on record. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows and macOS, computers only. No Linux, phone or web version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cockos's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among desktop utilities - LICEcap's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 27. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 107 of 186) and worst on features (C, above 2). - LICEcap has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** LICEcap is free, so making your own would save you nothing. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 154 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade. - You could not: Recording the screen with its sound, and somewhere to keep the video. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with REAPER **Tags:** Screen recording, Open source, Works offline ## Alternatives - [Kap](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kap): Open-source Mac screen recorder that exports GIF, MP4, WebM and APNG. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kap-vs-licecap) - [ShareX](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sharex): Free, open-source screenshot and screen recording for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/licecap-vs-sharex) - [Gyazo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/gyazo): Screenshot and screen-recording tool that uploads and shares by link. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gyazo-vs-licecap) - [Screenpresso](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screenpresso): Windows screenshot and video capture with a built-in editor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/licecap-vs-screenpresso) - [Greenshot](https://toolgpa.com/tools/greenshot): Free, open-source screenshot tool for Windows with an editor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/greenshot-vs-licecap) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.cockos.com/licecap/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/licecap Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).