ZoomCap vs Tella: Local Auto Zoom or Cloud Demo Videos?

Tella and ZoomCap both make screen recordings look finished: automatic zoom, backgrounds, a clean cursor. The difference is where the video lives. ZoomCap is local: you record, edit and export on your own computer, and you get a file you own. Tella is a cloud product: editing, hosting and sharing happen on Tella's servers. If you're choosing a tool to record product demos, SaaS walkthroughs or onboarding videos, that one difference decides most of it.

We make ZoomCap, so weigh this accordingly. Tella's facts come from its own site, dated and labelled.

Why ZoomCap, in short

• Your footage never leaves your machine. That suits unreleased features, customer data on screen, or a company policy against cloud recorders.
• $29 once, per person. $439 less than three years of one Tella seat, and there's a free plan to start.
• Zoom on typing, too. Code editors, terminals and long forms get zoomed, not only clicks.
• Linux and the terminal. npx zoomcap record runs on macOS and Linux X11; Tella doesn't list Linux.
• A plain file you own. MP4 up to 4K or GIF, with no link to keep alive and no subscription tied to it.

How we compared them

ZoomCap's details come from the product, which we build and test. Tella's come from its pricing and product pages, checked September 2026. Tella has no free plan and we did not test it hands-on for this article, so we don't make claims about its editing speed, zoom quality or how its share pages look. Where its site didn't state something (its refund terms, for one), we say so. Our method is on the how we test page.

ZoomCap vs Tella side by side

Where ZoomCap wins

Your recordings can't leave your computer. ZoomCap has no upload path for video. The CLI hands the recording to the browser editor over localhost, and the export is encoded in your browser. For typing zoom we store only the timing of key presses, never which keys. If your demo shows unreleased features, customer records, internal dashboards or code under NDA, local-only is the safer default. The security page shows the data flow.

You pay once, or not at all. ZoomCap has a free plan (2 watermarked exports a month, commercial use allowed), and Lifetime is $29 once. Tella has no free plan, and Pro billed yearly is $156 per user per year, so ZoomCap Lifetime is $439 less than three years of one Tella seat.

Typing-heavy demos. Tella's site describes zoom from clicks and cursor data. ZoomCap's CLI also records typing timing, and turns a burst of typing into a zoom that holds while you type and releases when you stop, aimed at your last click. That matters in code editors, terminals and long forms.

Linux, and the terminal. npx zoomcap record runs on macOS and Linux X11; Tella doesn't list Linux. On macOS 15 and later the CLI records at 60fps with system audio and mic.

You own a plain file. ZoomCap exports H.264 MP4 from 720p to 4K on every plan, or GIF. The file is yours to put on your landing page, in a README, in a Product Hunt gallery or an app store listing, with no link to keep alive and nothing that stops working if you stop paying.

Nothing to install to start. ZoomCap's free recorder at /record runs in Chrome or Edge on any OS, and a 14-day refund covers the paid plans if it doesn't work for you.

When Tella fits better

• You need hosted share links and comments. According to its site, this is Tella's core: finish a video, send a link, viewers watch and comment in the browser. ZoomCap exports a file.
• A team edits the same videos together. Tella edits in the cloud; ZoomCap's editor works on files on your own machine, with no shared workspace.
• You're on Windows and want automatic zoom. Tella lists macOS, Windows, Chrome extension. ZoomCap on Windows is the browser recorder with manual zooms. Our Windows roundup lists other options.

Two workflows, side by side

With ZoomCap, on a Mac or Linux X11 machine:

1. Run npx zoomcap record and do your demo. On macOS a ● REC item sits in the menu bar; on macOS 15+ it captures at 60fps with system audio and mic.
2. Stop with q or ⌃⌥S. The editor opens in your browser, with zooms placed from your clicks and typing and the cursor redrawn smooth.
3. Adjust zooms, trim, add a background, webcam bubble, captions (in-browser Whisper) or music, and pick 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:3.
4. Export an MP4 or GIF, encoded in your browser. Upload it wherever the video needs to live.

On Windows, or anywhere you can't run the CLI, the free browser recorder at /record feeds the same editor, with zooms placed by hand.

With Tella, according to its site: record on a Mac, a Windows PC or in the Chrome extension; the recording goes to Tella's cloud; you edit there; then you share a link, and viewers can comment on it.

Questions to ask any cloud screen recorder

If your demos show anything sensitive, ask these before you pick a hosted tool. They apply to Tella, Loom and any other cloud recorder, and the answers are usually in the vendor's security or privacy pages:

1. Where are videos stored, and in which region?
2. Who at the vendor can access them, and under what conditions?
3. Are share links public by default, or restricted to your organisation?
4. Can you delete a video completely, including backups, and how long does that take?
5. Are recordings used to train AI features, and can you opt out?
6. What happens to your videos and links if you stop paying?

With ZoomCap the answers are short, because there is no cloud side: the video stays on your disk, we never have a copy, and files you've exported don't depend on a subscription. Our account data (Google Firebase) and payment processor (Dodo Payments) are listed on the security page.

Sharing a ZoomCap video

Since ZoomCap gives you a file, here is where that file usually goes:

• Your own site. A muted, looping MP4 in a <video> tag on a landing page or docs page, fully under your control. Our website demo video guide covers embedding without slowing the page.
• YouTube, unlisted. Free hosting and a link to send.
• Slack, email or a GitHub issue. Attach the MP4 or a GIF directly. Fine for short clips; file size limits apply.
• A GitHub README. A GIF or MP4 in the README autoplays for visitors. See adding a demo GIF to a README.

If you need comments on the video itself, that's the case where Tella fits better.

Which to pick for your situation

What each costs over one, two and three years

Prices from each vendor's pricing page on September 29, 2026. Tella's monthly billing is Pro $26/user/mo, and both Tella figures multiply by the number of people on the plan. Part of what Tella charges for is hosting, which ZoomCap leaves to you; if you already have somewhere to put videos (your site, YouTube, a help centre), that costs nothing extra.

Other options

Quick messages rather than finished demos. Loom is built for async video messages to a team, on macOS, Windows, Chrome extension, iOS, Android. Its free plan has these limits, according to its pricing page: 25 videos per person, 5-minute limit, 720p. It has no automatic zoom. See Loom alternatives for demos.

Share links without a cloud-only workflow. Cap edits locally with optional cloud sharing, and it's open source. Its free version is personal-use only. See Cap vs ZoomCap.

A local Mac app with share links. Screen Studio processes locally with optional share links, according to its site, at $108 a year, macOS only.

Free and local. OpenScreen and Recordly are open source, cost nothing and have automatic zoom, with no hosting at all.

When not to use ZoomCap

Skip ZoomCap if your team reviews videos by commenting on a shared link, if the video's job is to be sent to a customer as a hosted page, if you want automatic zoom in Windows desktop apps, or if you need viewer analytics. The full list of what ZoomCap doesn't do is in the box at the end of this post.

How to decide

1. Ask where the video ends up. A file on your site, in a repo, in a launch or on social: ZoomCap. A link that people comment on: Tella.
2. Check your data rules. If demo footage shouldn't go to a third-party cloud, that points to ZoomCap.
3. Count seats. ZoomCap is $29 once per person; Tella is Pro $156/yr per user.
4. Record one demo. ZoomCap's free browser recorder at /record costs nothing. For automatic zoom, a month of Pro unlocks 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, with nothing uploaded and nothing to install, or get the terminal recorder and unlimited exports for $29 once. Still comparing? See 10 screen recorders with auto zoom, Screen Studio alternatives and Cap vs ZoomCap.