ZoomCap vs Cap: $29 Auto Zoom or Open-Source Recorder?

Cap and ZoomCap turn up in the same searches: open-source Screen Studio alternative, Loom alternative, screen recorder with auto zoom. They're built for different jobs. ZoomCap is a demo-video tool: record on your own machine, get zooms from your clicks and typing, finish it in a simple editor and export a file for your site, README or launch. Cap is a recorder with hosted sharing, closer to an open-source Loom.

We make ZoomCap, so weigh this accordingly. Below, every Cap fact is labelled as coming from Cap's site, and every price is dated.

Why ZoomCap, in short

• Zoom on typing, documented. ZoomCap zooms on clicks and bursts of typing, so code, terminal and form demos get zoomed too. Cap's site doesn't say what triggers its zoom.
• Commercial use on every plan. Including free. Cap's free version is personal-use only.
• $29 once for commercial work. $29 less than Cap's one-time desktop licence ($58).
• A terminal recorder on macOS and Linux. npx zoomcap record fits the way developers already work.
• No cloud side at all. Recordings are edited and exported on your computer and never uploaded.

How we compared them

The ZoomCap details come from the product itself, which we build and test daily. The Cap details come from Cap's pricing page and product site, checked September 2026. We have not run a hands-on test of Cap for this article, free or paid, so we don't make claims about how its zoom looks, how fast it exports or how stable the Windows beta is. Where Cap's site didn't state something (what triggers its auto zoom, its refund terms), we say that plainly. More on our method is on the how we test page.

ZoomCap vs Cap side by side

Where ZoomCap wins

You know what the zoom follows. ZoomCap's automatic zoom clusters your clicks and bursts of typing into zooms that hold and release. Typing zoom aims at the last place you clicked, usually the field or terminal pane you're typing into, so code and CLI demos get zoomed as well as mouse-driven ones. Cap's site lists automatic zoom but didn't say what triggers it when we checked. Automatic zoom in ZoomCap comes from the CLI's click data; on browser recordings you place zooms by hand.

Commercial use on a small budget. ZoomCap's free plan allows commercial use, and Lifetime is $29 once. Cap's free version is personal-use only and its one-time desktop licence for commercial use is $58, so ZoomCap Lifetime costs $29 less. Of the 18 recorders we price-checked, only Glidesmith (Mac-only) matches $29 one-time; OBS, OpenScreen and Recordly are free.

You record from the terminal. npx zoomcap record starts a recording on macOS or Linux; q or ⌃⌥S stops it and the editor opens in your browser with zooms placed. On macOS 15 and later it captures at 60fps with system audio and mic through ScreenCaptureKit. Our command-line screen recorder guide covers the setup.

Nothing about your recording leaves your machine. ZoomCap has no upload path for video: the CLI hands the file to the editor over localhost, and export is encoded in your browser. We record only the timing of key presses for typing zoom, never which keys. Cap edits locally too, according to its site, and its sharing is optional; with ZoomCap there is simply no cloud side to switch off. The security page shows the data flow.

A finishing editor aimed at demos. ZoomCap's browser editor has backgrounds, padding, rounded corners, a macOS window frame, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and 4:3 aspect ratios with cursor follow, a webcam bubble, captions via in-browser Whisper, click sounds, style presets and seven music tracks, and exports H.264 MP4 up to 4K or a GIF.

A supported product with a refund. Email support and a 14-day refund if it doesn't work for you and we can't fix it. Cap's pricing page didn't state refund terms when we checked. Payments go through Dodo Payments.

When Cap fits better

• You need hosted share links. Cap's site describes optional cloud sharing: record, get a link, send it. For bug reports and async updates, a link is faster than a file. ZoomCap exports a file you share yourself; Loom also fits this job.
• You must audit the source. Cap is open source; ZoomCap is closed and documents its data flow instead.
• Your team wants one desktop app on Windows too. Cap lists macOS, Windows (beta), Linux, Chrome extension. ZoomCap on Windows is the browser recorder with manual zooms.

A note on “commercial use”. Cap's pricing page separates personal use (free) from commercial use (paid). A demo for your employer, a client or a product you sell reads as commercial, so budget for the licence. ZoomCap doesn't make the distinction: commercial use is allowed on every plan, including free.

Two different workflows

With ZoomCap on a Mac or Linux machine:

1. Run npx zoomcap doctor once to check screen and input permissions, and npx zoomcap displays if you have more than one screen.
2. Run npx zoomcap record and do your demo. A ● REC item shows in the macOS menu bar.
3. Stop with q or ⌃⌥S. The browser editor opens with zooms already placed from your clicks and typing, and the cursor redrawn smooth.
4. Trim, split and cut; adjust zooms; add background, captions and music.
5. Export an MP4 or GIF, then put it wherever it needs to go: a landing page, a README, a Product Hunt gallery, a support article.

With Cap, according to its site, you edit locally and can share straight to a hosted link. If the video's next stop is a file on your own site or in your repo, ZoomCap's file-first flow is exactly what you need.

What each costs over one, two and three years

Prices from each vendor's pricing page on September 29, 2026. We show the cheapest plan that allows commercial use without a watermark.

Cap also sells the desktop licence yearly and a Pro plan for cloud features (Pro $12/user/mo; Desktop licence $29/yr; Pro about $98/yr). Pro is billed per user, so a team's cost scales with headcount. ZoomCap has no hosted plan to set against Cap Pro.

Which to pick for your situation

Other options

Free and open source for commercial work: OpenScreen is MIT-licensed and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux with cursor-following zoom, motion blur, per-segment speed and a CLI, according to its GitHub README. See OpenScreen vs ZoomCap.

Hosted demos for a team: Tella records and edits in the cloud with share links and comments, at Pro $156/yr per user and no free plan. See Tella vs ZoomCap.

Paid, Mac-only, subscription: Screen Studio has motion blur, share links and iPhone recording for $108 a year.

When not to use ZoomCap

Skip ZoomCap if the point of the video is a link your team can open and comment on, if you need to audit the source of the tool that records your screen, if you want automatic zoom in Windows desktop apps, or if you're on Linux Wayland. The full list of what ZoomCap doesn't do is in the box at the end of this post.

How to decide

1. Where does the video go next? A file for your site, repo, launch or social: ZoomCap. A hosted link for teammates: Cap.
2. Is it commercial? ZoomCap allows it on every plan; Cap needs a paid licence. Compare on the pricing page.
3. Test the zoom on your own demo. Record 60 seconds in ZoomCap's free browser recorder. If typing zoom matters (code, terminal, forms), a month of Pro is the cheapest way to try the CLI, and the 14-day refund applies if it doesn't work for you.

Frequently asked questions

Try ZoomCap

Record free in your browser, commercial use included, or get the terminal recorder and unlimited exports for $29 once. Related: Loom for messages vs demos, Screen Studio alternatives and OpenScreen vs ZoomCap.