You want to quickly make a screen recording and share it with your team, but Loom is starting to get pretty expensive. Cap positions itself as the open-source alternative: privacy-focused, with support for your own storage, and without monthly subscription costs. The tool combines direct sharing with local editing capabilities.
Who is behind Cap?
Relatively little public information is available about the founders and the origins of Cap. What is clear: the project was created from the desire to offer an open-source alternative to closed screen recording platforms like Loom. The tool is being actively developed and has completed a Pre-Seed funding round, although specific amounts and investors have not been made public.
The company operates from the United States and stores data on American servers by default. There is a strong emphasis on transparency through the open-source approach: anyone can view and contribute to the code. This particularly attracts a community of developers and privacy-conscious users who want control over their own data. The ability to connect your own S3 storage or self-host the platform makes Cap interesting for teams with strict data requirements.
Who is Cap for?
Cap primarily targets developers, product managers, and designers who regularly make screen recordings for asynchronous communication. The tool is especially interesting if you value privacy and control over your data. Teams already working with their own cloud infrastructure can integrate Cap with their existing S3 storage.
The tool is less suitable if you want to make mobile recordings. There are no iOS or Android apps available. Those looking for a fully developed, enterprise-ready platform with extensive team features and guaranteed uptime are better off with an established player like Loom. Cap is still in a relatively early development phase, which is reflected in its stability and feature completeness.
What can Cap do?
Cap offers two modes: Instant Mode for direct sharing and Studio Mode for local recording and editing. The free version gives you unlimited recordings for personal use, but for cloud features, team functions, and commercial use, you need a paid plan. Here are the main capabilities:
- 4K 60fps recording: The tool supports high-quality screen recordings up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. This delivers sharp videos, even with fast-moving content like interface demos or animations.
- Instant Mode: Start a recording and share directly via a link. This mode is similar to how Loom works: fast, without intermediate steps. Useful for quick feedback or updates to your team.
- Studio Mode: Record locally and edit your video before sharing. You get access to a built-in editor with zoom effects and animations that are normally only found in more expensive tools.
- Custom S3 Storage: Connect your own Amazon S3 bucket or compatible storage. This keeps all data under your control and you don’t have to rely on Cap’s servers. This does require technical knowledge to set up correctly.
- AI-generated titles and summaries: The tool analyzes your recording and automatically suggests a title and brief summary. This saves time when organizing many videos.
- Team workspaces and comments: Collaborate with colleagues in shared workspaces. Team members can leave comments at specific moments in the video, which speeds up feedback rounds.
The zoom animations in Studio Mode are often compared to Screen Studio, a tool known for polished marketing videos. Cap brings similar effects to a broader audience by making them more accessible. The interface is modern and responsive, making daily use pleasant.
What does Cap cost?
Cap uses an unusual pricing model with both subscriptions and a one-time license. The free plan offers unlimited recordings for personal use but lacks cloud features and team functions. For commercial use, you need a paid plan anyway.
The Pro subscription costs 12 dollars per month, or 8.16 dollars per month with annual payment (97.92 dollars total). This plan unlocks cloud storage, team workspaces, AI features, and priority support. For those who don’t want a subscription, a Desktop License is available for a one-time payment of 58 dollars. This lifetime license gives you commercial use of the desktop app with unlimited local recording and editing, but without the cloud components.
There is no free trial for the paid plans. You can start with the free plan to test the basic functionality, but team features and cloud features will remain out of reach. Compared to Loom (starting at 12.50 dollars per user per month), Cap is cheaper, especially the lifetime option is interesting for solo users or small teams.
What should you watch out for?
The biggest concern with Cap is stability. Users regularly report crashes, especially right when starting a recording. This makes the tool unreliable for important recordings where you only have one chance, such as live demos or customer presentations.
Multi-screen recording doesn’t work consistently. Some users experience that the wrong screen is being recorded, or that the recording switches between screens halfway through. For those working with multiple monitors, this is frustrating and requires extra verification after each recording.
The export in Studio Mode can be slow, especially with 4K videos. Where you can share directly in Instant Mode, rendering in Studio Mode can take minutes. This breaks the workflow if you need to produce multiple videos quickly. The camera overlay sometimes disappears or distorts during recording, which damages the professional appearance.
The licensing model creates confusion. The free version is promoted as “unlimited”, but commercial use requires payment. For businesses, it’s unclear whether they’re even allowed to use the free version for internal communication. The self-hosting option sounds attractive, but requires considerable technical knowledge and infrastructure. This is not a plug-and-play solution.
Cap is less mature than competitors like Loom. Features you’d expect, such as mobile apps or advanced analytics, are still missing. The active development is positive, but also means you’ll deal with beta-like bugs and regular breaking changes.
Cap alternatives
Depending on your priorities, there are different alternatives that may be a better fit:
- Loom: Choose this if you’re looking for a reliable, enterprise-ready solution with guaranteed uptime and extensive team features. Loom is more expensive and closed, but stable and fully developed.
- Screen Studio: Go for this if you want to create high-end promo videos with advanced zoom animations and polished effects. Screen Studio specializes in marketing content, whereas Cap is more focused on quick communication.
- OBS Studio: Choose this if you want to stream live or have complete control over scenes, sources, and output. OBS is more complex and requires more setup, but offers unparalleled flexibility for streaming and recording.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about Cap:
What is the difference between Cap and Loom?
Cap is open-source and privacy-focused, with the ability to use your own S3 storage. Loom is a closed platform with all data on their servers. Cap is cheaper but less stable, Loom is more expensive but more reliable and more feature-complete.
Can I self-host Cap?
Yes, because Cap is open-source you can run the platform on your own infrastructure. This gives complete control over data and privacy, but requires technical knowledge of server management and cloud infrastructure. It’s not a ready-made solution.
Does Cap work on Windows?
Yes, Cap has native desktop apps for both macOS and Windows. A web version is also available. Linux is currently not officially supported, although as an open-source project you can build it yourself.
Conclusion
Cap is an interesting alternative for those who want control over data and don’t want to be tied to monthly subscriptions. The lifetime license and S3 integration make it attractive for technical teams with privacy requirements. The zoom effects and editing capabilities offer more than basic screen recording tools.
At the same time, Cap is not yet ready for mission-critical use. The stability issues and unreliable multi-screen recording make it risky for important recordings. For businesses that depend on screen recording in their daily workflow, Loom is still the safer choice. Cap is most suitable for developers and early adopters who accept bugs in exchange for open-source benefits and lower costs.