OpenScreen vs Cap
OpenScreen is an MIT-licensed screen recorder for Windows, macOS and Linux that is free for commercial use and works without an account or a server. Cap covers similar ground, with automatic zooms, an editable cursor, on-device captions and watermark-free export, but its free download is for personal use only, and commercial use of its official app needs a paid license. Cap's source is AGPLv3, and Cap adds hosted share links, which need a Cap sign-in. Cap is the better choice if your team shares recordings by link, needs SSO or compliance certifications, or delivers SRT or WebVTT caption files.
This page is published by the OpenScreen project. The Cap details come from cap.so and Cap's GitHub repository and were checked in September 2026. The sources are listed at the end.
At a glance
| OpenScreen | Cap | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, including commercial use | Free for personal use. Commercial use needs a Desktop License at $29 per year or $58 lifetime, or Cap Pro at $12 per user per month billed monthly (as of September 2026) |
| Source code | MIT license | AGPLv3, except the camera and capture crates, which are MIT |
| Platforms | Windows 10 (1903 or later) and 11, x64. macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel. Linux, x64 | macOS, 13.1 or later recommended, Apple Silicon and Intel. 64-bit Windows, listed as "Windows (Beta)" among its download options. Linux .deb, AppImage, RPM and Arch packages (as of September 2026) |
| What it records | A display or one window. Crop afterward in the editor | A display, a window, an area, or the camera only |
| Hosted share links | No | Yes. Up to 5 minutes per link on Free and the Desktop License, unlimited on Cap Pro (as of September 2026) |
| Sign-in | Never needed | Needed for share links and Instant Mode |
| Automatic zooms | Yes, placed from the recorded cursor movement | Yes, generated from recorded clicks |
| Captions | On-device Whisper, one model of about 264 MB, downloaded once. Burned into the video | On-device Whisper or Parakeet, in beta. Burned into the video, or saved as SRT or WebVTT |
| AI features | Optional chat editing and caption translation into 15 languages, with your own provider key | Hosted in Cap Pro: titles, summaries, chapters, transcriptions and caption translation. No key needed |
| Export | MP4 (H.264 or H.265) at 720p, 1080p or source size, 24, 30 or 60 fps. GIF at 15 to 30 fps. No watermark | MP4 at 720p, 1080p or 4K, 15, 30 or 60 fps. GIF at 10 to 30 fps. Transparent cursor-only MOV. No watermark. No codec setting documented |
| Teams and compliance | None | Team workspaces. SAML SSO add-on at $199/month. SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA, with a signed BAA at $99/month (as of September 2026) |
| Command-line interface | Yes, with JSON output | Yes, with JSON output |
What both apps do
The two editors overlap widely. None of the following is unique to either app.
- Automatic and manual zooms. In OpenScreen, Auto-enhance → Automatic zooms places zooms from the recorded cursor movement, with no network call and no model, and manual zooms come in six depths. Cap generates zooms around recorded clicks and offers manual zooms from 1x to 4.5x. More on auto-zoom.
- A cursor you can change afterward. Both record the pointer as data rather than pixels, so you can resize it, smooth its movement or hide it after the take.
- Backgrounds and framing. Both add wallpapers, solid colors, gradients or your own image behind the recording, with padding, rounded corners and a shadow. Both output wide, vertical or square video.
- Webcam, microphone and system audio in the same recording. Both can blur the webcam background. OpenScreen can also remove it or replace it with an image, without a green screen. Cap added background removal on macOS in version 0.6.0.
- Several clips in one project. Both import existing MP4 files next to new recordings, reorder clips, and change the speed of a section.
- Text, images, blur masks and music. Both put text and images over the video, hide sensitive areas with a blur or pixelated mask, and add music tracks.
- Transcription on your machine. Both run Whisper locally, let you correct the transcript, style the captions and burn them into the video. More on captions.
- Cutting by text. In OpenScreen's desktop editor, selecting words in the transcript and deleting them cuts that passage. Cap added the same kind of cut to its web editor in July 2026.
- A teleprompter for reading a script while you record. OpenScreen's is on Windows and macOS.
- Local editing. Cap's Studio Mode keeps the project on your machine until you choose to export a share link. OpenScreen has no account, no server of its own and no analytics. The FAQ lists the few connections it still makes.
- A command-line interface for scripts and coding agents. Both print JSON for machines to read. See the OpenScreen CLI reference.
Where OpenScreen differs
If you are choosing between the two, check the license first. The others come from what each project is built around.
License and cost
- Free for commercial use. OpenScreen's official builds cost nothing for any purpose. Cap's official builds need a commercial license for any use tied to revenue-generating activities, and Cap counts videos for communication between colleagues as commercial. That license costs $29 per year or $58 lifetime, or comes with Cap Pro (as of September 2026). Builds you compile yourself from Cap's source are exempt.
- MIT rather than AGPLv3. OpenScreen is released under the MIT license, on GitHub. Cap's code is under AGPLv3, apart from its camera and capture crates, which are MIT. The AGPL matters to organizations that keep AGPL code out of their products.
A desktop app, not a service
- Nothing to sign in to. OpenScreen records and edits on your machine and hands you a file. There is no hosted link, no account and no plan. Cap pairs its local Studio Mode with Instant Mode, which uploads while you record, and its share links require signing in.
- Chat editing with your own key. It is optional: connect Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, OpenRouter, MiniMax or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and describe cuts, zooms, speed changes or annotations in plain language. It is off until you connect a provider, and each change lands as an ordinary undoable edit. The same provider translates captions into 15 languages. Cap's hosted AI features, such as titles, summaries and chapters, come with Cap Pro. See AI editing.
Editing and export
- Codec choice. MP4 exports in H.264 or H.265. Cap's export options list resolution, frame rate and quality presets, but no codec setting. See Export.
- A wider speed range. OpenScreen speed regions go from 0.1x to 100x. Cap's Studio Mode docs list segment speeds from 0.25x to 8x.
- Export speed. Both apps are in the public export benchmark. At the time of writing, OpenScreen's entry ranks ahead of Cap 0.6.0. Results vary between machines, so check the live standings there.
Platforms
- A Windows build without a beta label. OpenScreen ships a Windows installer and a Microsoft Store listing. Cap's download page lists its Windows link as "Windows (Beta)" among its other download options.
- The same Linux packages, plus Nix. Both ship .deb, AppImage, RPM and Arch packages. Cap added its per-distribution packages in version 0.6.0, dated August 31, 2026. OpenScreen also has a Nix flake. See the Linux, Windows and macOS pages.
When Cap is the better choice
- You share by link. Cap's Instant Mode uploads while you record, and viewers of a public link watch in the browser without an account. Signed-in viewers can leave comments, and Cap Pro adds viewer analytics, password protection and a custom domain. OpenScreen gives you a file to upload wherever you share.
- Your organization needs SSO or compliance. Cap offers team workspaces, a SAML SSO add-on, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification, and HIPAA compliance with a signed BAA.
- You deliver caption files. Cap saves captions as SRT or WebVTT. OpenScreen burns captions into the video.
Getting started
- Download OpenScreen from the download page. On Windows, the Microsoft Store is the recommended route.
- Follow Installation. On macOS, grant the Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions before the first take.
- Make a first recording with the quick start, then run Auto-enhance → Automatic zooms on it.
- To reuse videos made in Cap, export them as MP4 first. The media library imports MP4, MOV, MKV and other video files into a project.
Comparing other tools as well? See the Screen Studio alternative, OpenScreen vs OBS Studio, the Camtasia alternative and the Loom alternative, or go back to the OpenScreen home page.
Sources
Cap facts, checked September 2026:
- Plans, prices, share-link limits, SSO and BAA add-ons, Cap Pro features, and the free version's personal-use limit: cap.so/pricing
- What counts as commercial use, and the exemption for self-built copies: cap.so/docs/commercial-license
- License split between AGPLv3 and MIT: github.com/CapSoftware/Cap/blob/main/LICENSE
- Platforms, the "Windows (Beta)" link, Linux packages and the CLI: cap.so/download
- 64-bit Windows and the Linux package in its install guide: cap.so/docs/installation
- Recording targets, zooms, clips, speeds, masks, text, captions and their SRT or WebVTT export, music, camera blur, export formats, and sign-in for share links: cap.so/docs/recording/studio-mode
- Instant Mode, share pages and sign-in for comments: cap.so/docs/recording/instant-mode
- Release history, version 0.6.0 (Linux packages, camera background removal on macOS, image tracks), the 0.5.7 teleprompter, transcript cutting in the web editor, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA: cap.so/changelog
- Sign-in for Instant Mode, hosted AI features and caption translation, no watermark, CLI JSON output: cap.so/llms-full.txt
OpenScreen facts describe version 1.11.0 and link to its documentation above.
Cap is a trademark of its owner. OpenScreen is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cap.