# Cap review (2026)

Source: https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/reviews/cap/
By Sam Fisher, updated October 6, 2026. Part of The Best Screen Recorder (https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/). Method: https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/how-we-test/

Cap is an open-source screen recorder with instant share links and a local editor. It is free for personal use; teams pay for commercial use and cloud sharing.

## At a glance

- Score: 8.8/10 as a screen recorder
- Best for: You want Loom-style share links and a real editor, and like open source or owning your storage.
- Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Free recording: No time limit
- Watermark when free: No
- Price: From $12/mo (Cap Pro, $8.16 per user per month billed yearly ($12 billed monthly); the only plan without the 5-minute share-link limit. Desktop License for commercial use: $29/yr. Prices from cap.so/pricing, 6 Oct 2026.)
- Max resolution: 4K
- Made by: Cap Software, Inc. (https://cap.so)
- Last checked: October 2026

## Plans

- Free: free, free. Personal use only; share links up to 5 min
- Desktop License: n/a, $29/year. Commercial use; or $58 one-time; 20 share links a month, 5 min each
- Cap Pro: $12/month, $97.92/year. Unlimited cloud sharing, AI summaries, analytics
- Enterprise: $12/month, $97.92/year. Cap Pro price plus optional SAML SSO ($199/mo) and BAA ($99/mo)

## Subscores

- Sharing: 10.0/10
- Recording features: 10.0/10
- Editing: 10.0/10
- Free plan: 10.0/10
- Value for money: 8.0/10
- Ease of use: 6.0/10
- Platforms: 6.0/10

## What we like

- Open source, with self-hosting and your own S3 or Google Drive storage
- Timeline editor with zooms, text, captions and masks
- Records up to 4K with system audio on Mac and Windows

## What to watch

- Free version is for personal use only
- Share links on the free version stop at 5 minutes
- Instant Mode records in 720p on the free version


## Our verdict

Cap does two things well. Instant Mode uploads while you record and gives you a link when you stop, like Loom. Studio Mode saves a local project you can edit on a timeline with zooms, text, captions and masks, then export up to 4K. It is open source, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and can store videos in your own S3 bucket or Google Drive.

The free version is for personal use, and its share links stop at 5 minutes. For work you need the Desktop License at $29 a year, or Cap Pro at $97.92 a year for unlimited sharing, AI summaries and viewer analytics. Free recordings in Instant Mode stop at 5 minutes; Studio Mode recordings, saved locally, have no time limit.

If you need a mature tool with apps for phones, look at [Loom](/reviews/loom/). For a free recorder with full manual control, try [OBS Studio](/reviews/obs-studio/), and for Mac demo videos, [Screen Studio](/reviews/screen-studio/).