By the ZoomCap team.We make ZoomCap, which appears in this article. Prices and features were checked on each vendor's own site on September 29, 2026. Where we could not test a tool ourselves, we say so. How we test
Short answer
If you're looking for a screen recorder with auto zoom and weighing a paid tool against a free one, this comparison is for you. ZoomCap is an auto-zoom recorder with a free browser plan, a terminal recorder for macOS and Linux, and a finishing editor built for demo videos. Recordly is a free, open-source desktop recorder with zoom suggestions from cursor activity on macOS, Windows and Linux.
We make ZoomCap, so read this knowing who wrote it. We've labelled what came from Recordly's site and kept the prices in one dated table.
Why ZoomCap, in short
- Zoom on typing, not only the cursor. For code, terminal and form-filling demos, the action is on the keyboard. ZoomCap zooms there automatically from data its CLI records.
- Nothing to install to start. The free recorder at /record works in Chrome or Edge on any OS.
- One editor for the whole finish. Captions, seven music tracks, a webcam bubble, aspect ratios, backgrounds and presets, exported up to 4K.
- $29 once, not a subscription. Less than one year of FocuSee ($49.99/yr (1 computer)), and $295 less than three years of Screen Studio.
- Someone to email, and a refund. A 14-day refund if it doesn't work for you and we can't fix it.
How we compared them
ZoomCap's details come from the product, which we build and test. Recordly's come from recordly.dev and its public repository, checked September 2026. We haven't run a structured hands-on test of Recordly for this article, so we don't claim anything about how its zooms look or how fast it exports. Our general method is on the how we test page.
ZoomCap vs Recordly side by side
| ZoomCap | Recordly (from its site) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (checked Sep 2026) | $29 once, or $12.49/mo | Free |
| Free tier | Browser recorder and editor, 2 exports a month with a small watermark, commercial use allowed | Free and open source (AGPL-3.0), no limits |
| Auto-zoom trigger | Clusters of clicks and typing bursts from CLI recordings; typing zoom aims at the last click | Yes, zoom suggestions from cursor activity |
| Platforms | CLI on macOS and Linux (X11); browser recorder in Chrome or Edge on any OS, including Windows | macOS 14+, Windows 10, Linux |
| Nothing-to-install option | Yes, the browser recorder | No, it's a desktop app |
| Processing | Local: recorded, edited and encoded on your computer, never uploaded | Local |
| Support and refund | Email support; 14-day refund if it doesn't work for you and we can't fix it | Community-supported; refund not applicable (free) |
| Main tradeoff | Paid after the free plan; no Windows CLI, no motion blur, no share links | Free on every OS; community-supported, smaller editing and audio feature set |
Where ZoomCap wins
Typing zoom, from recorded data. Recordly's site describes zoom suggestions from cursor activity. ZoomCap's CLI records click positions and the timing of key presses, then clusters clicks and bursts of typing into zooms that hold and release. In a terminal, IDE or form-filling demo, most of the action is typing and the pointer sits still, so a cursor-only zoom has little to go on. ZoomCap's typing zoom aims at your last click rather than the caret, and it comes from the CLI on macOS and Linux X11.
A browser recorder with nothing to install. On a locked-down work laptop, a Chromebook or a borrowed machine, ZoomCap's free recorder at /record records a screen, window or tab, with camera and mic, in Chrome or Edge. Recordly is a desktop install. Browser recordings get zooms you place by hand in the editor.
A fuller finishing editor. Going by its site, Recordly's editing and audio feature set is smaller. ZoomCap's browser editor has backgrounds, padding, rounded corners, a macOS window frame, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and 4:3 ratios with cursor follow, a webcam bubble, automatic captions with in-browser Whisper, seven music tracks, click sounds, style presets and a redrawn cursor you can resize. Exports are H.264 MP4 up to 4K, or GIF. A launch video with captions and music comes out of one tool.
System audio on a Mac, handled. On macOS 15 and later the ZoomCap CLI records through ScreenCaptureKit at 60fps, with system audio and mic together. We haven't tested Recordly's audio handling.
Someone to email, and a refund. If ZoomCap doesn't work for you and we can't fix it within 14 days, you get your money back (see refund terms). Payments go through Dodo Payments, so we never see your card. When you have a deadline and a bug, a paid product with support is the safer bet.
Your footage stays on your computer. ZoomCap has no upload path for video at all: the CLI hands the recording to the browser editor over localhost, and the export is encoded in your browser. The CLI records the timing of key presses for typing zoom, never which keys. The security page lists every service involved.
When Recordly fits better
- It must be free, and community support is fine. Recordly's site describes it as free and open source with no limits: no watermark, no export cap.
- You need automatic zoom in Windows desktop apps. Recordly lists Windows 10. ZoomCap on Windows is the browser recorder with manual zooms. Our Screen Studio for Windows post covers the options.
- Your team requires open-source tools. Recordly is AGPL-3.0; ZoomCap is closed source.
On Linux, Recordly's site didn't say whether it supports Wayland or audio when we checked. ZoomCap's CLI records X11 sessions, video only, so if you're on Wayland, test Recordly on your setup.
Getting the real Recordly
Recordly is free. The official site is recordly.dev, and the code is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. There is also a site at recordly.vip that sells a download under the Recordly name. It is not affiliated with the project. If you've been asked to pay for Recordly, you're probably on the wrong site: download it from recordly.dev instead, and if you already paid, contact your card provider. The same advice applies to any free tool, including OBS and OpenScreen: get it from the project's own site or repository, not from a search ad.
Which to pick for your situation
| Your situation | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal, IDE or form-filling demos on macOS or Linux X11 | ZoomCap | Zoom from typing bursts as well as clicks, from recorded data |
| Locked-down laptop where you can't install apps | ZoomCap | Free browser recorder in Chrome or Edge |
| Launch video with captions and music, on a deadline | ZoomCap | Captions, music, webcam and aspect ratios in one editor, plus support and a refund |
| No budget at all, community support is fine | Recordly | Free with no limits, per its site |
| Auto zoom in Windows desktop apps | Recordly | Runs on Windows 10; ZoomCap has no Windows CLI |
| Linux on Wayland | Check Recordly | ZoomCap's CLI is X11 only; Recordly's site doesn't say, so test it |
What the AGPL licence means for you
Recordly is released under AGPL-3.0, according to its site. For someone recording videos, that mostly doesn't matter: using the app to make a demo, even for a business, doesn't place conditions on the videos you make. The AGPL's obligations are about the software itself: if you modify Recordly and distribute it, or run a modified version as a service for others, you have to share your changes under the same licence. If your company has a policy on AGPL software, ask whoever owns it.
ZoomCap is a commercial licence instead. Commercial use of the videos you make is allowed on every plan, including the free one.
Getting started with ZoomCap
In the browser: open /record in Chrome or Edge, pick a screen, window or tab, and choose camera and mic if you want them. When you stop, the editor opens with your recording. No install, and it's on the free plan.
From the terminal (Pro or Lifetime, macOS or Linux X11): run npx zoomcap doctor once to check permissions, npx zoomcap displays if you have several screens, then npx zoomcap record. Stop with q or ⌃⌥S. The browser editor opens with zooms already placed from your clicks and typing. The command-line recorder guide walks through it.
What you actually pay
| Plan | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZoomCap free plan (2 watermarked exports/mo) | Free | Free | Free |
| ZoomCap Lifetime | $29 | $29 | $29 |
| ZoomCap Pro (monthly) | $150 | $300 | $450 |
| Recordly | Free | Free | Free |
Prices checked September 29, 2026. The real comparison isn't ZoomCap's price against zero; it's $29 once against the time you spend placing zooms, adding captions and fixing audio by hand. Against paid apps, ZoomCap Lifetime costs less than one year of FocuSee's yearly plan ($49.99/yr (1 computer)); the full paid field is in our Screen Studio alternatives roundup.
A quick side-by-side test
- Record a 60-second demo of your own product in ZoomCap's free browser recorder at /record. Place two or three zooms and add captions, then export one of your 2 free monthly exports.
- If your demo is mostly typing and you're on a Mac or Linux X11, try the CLI with a month of Pro (
npx zoomcap record) and see the zooms placed for you. - Download Recordly from recordly.dev (not any other site) and record the same demo.
- Watch both at phone size and ship the one that reads better and took less of your time.
Other options
Free, with motion blur. OpenScreen is MIT-licensed and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, with zoom that follows the cursor, motion blur, per-segment speed and a CLI for scripts, according to its GitHub README. See OpenScreen vs ZoomCap.
Free capture and streaming. OBS Studio records anything on any OS, with scenes, sources and streaming, but has no editor or automatic zoom.
Paid, on Windows. FocuSee runs on Windows and macOS and zooms on clicks and typing, according to its site; it costs $49.99/yr (1 computer) or $199.99 once (FocuSee 2.x only, 5 computers). See FocuSee vs ZoomCap.
Paid, Mac-only, subscription. Screen Studio has motion blur, share links and iPhone recording, at $108 a year.
When not to use ZoomCap
Skip ZoomCap if you need automatic zoom in Windows desktop apps, hosted share links or comments, motion blur or per-section speed ramps, recording on Linux Wayland, or open-source code you can audit. Everything ZoomCap doesn't do is listed in the box at the end of this post.
Frequently asked questions
Is Recordly better than ZoomCap?
For product demos on macOS or Linux, ZoomCap does more of the work: its zoom reacts to typing as well as clicks, its free browser recorder needs no install, its editor adds captions, music and a webcam bubble, and it's a supported product with a 14-day refund, for $29 once or $12.49 a month. Recordly fits better if it must be free and you're fine with community support, or if you need automatic zoom in Windows desktop apps.
Is Recordly really free?
Yes. According to recordly.dev (checked September 2026), Recordly is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence, with no limits, on macOS 14+, Windows 10 and Linux. If a site asks you to pay for Recordly, check the address: recordly.vip is not the official project. The official site is recordly.dev.
Does Recordly zoom on typing?
ZoomCap does: its CLI records typing timing and turns each burst of typing into a zoom aimed at your last click (it doesn't follow the text caret). Recordly's site describes zoom suggestions from cursor activity; when we checked in September 2026 it didn't mention typing.
Why pay for ZoomCap when Recordly is free?
Because the time you spend finishing a video costs more than $29. ZoomCap places zooms on typing as well as clicks, gives you a browser recorder for machines where you can't install apps, puts captions, music and a webcam bubble in one editor, and has a company to email when something breaks, with a refund if it doesn't work for you.
Does ZoomCap upload my recordings?
No. ZoomCap records, edits and encodes on your computer. The CLI hands the file to the browser editor over localhost and the export is encoded in your browser, so video never reaches our servers. For typing zoom we keep only the timing of key presses, never which keys. Recordly is also local, according to its site.
Try ZoomCap
Record free in your browser, with nothing to install and 2 exports a month, or get the terminal recorder, typing zoom and unlimited exports for $29 once, with a 14-day refund. More comparisons: 10 auto-zoom screen recorders, OpenScreen vs ZoomCap and OBS vs ZoomCap.