Mac screen recorders compared
Eight screen recorders, compared on price, free-plan limits, licence, share links and auto-zoom. In short: Loom is the team tool, Screen Studio the most mature Mac editor, Cap the open-source pick for Windows and Linux, and OpenScreen the free cross-platform editor without links. Reelbird, which we make, gives you a link the moment you stop and lets you polish the same take under the same link, free and open source, on the Mac.
Updated from each vendor's own pages. Every row links its source. Prices change, so check before you buy.
Quick picks
- Loom if you want a team tool with comments and view counts on every platform, and you're happy to pay per user.
- Screen Studio if you want the most mature auto-zoom editor on the Mac, and a subscription is fine.
- Cap if you want an open-source Loom alternative that also runs on Windows or Linux, with hosted plans.
- OpenScreen if you want a free, signed, cross-platform editor and you'll host the files yourself.
- Screenity if you want free recording in Chrome on any operating system.
- Reelbird if you want a link the moment you stop, auto-zoom polish under the same link, your own storage and no bill, on a Mac.
The table
| App | Price | Free plan | Platforms | Open source | Instant share links | Auto-zoom | Keep the file | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reelbird | Free | Everything. No paid tier | macOS 15+ | Yes, MIT | Copied the moment you stop. Hosted in your own S3 or R2 bucket. The same link updates after editing | Yes, from clicks and typing. Every zoom editable | Always. Every take is MP4 files on your Mac | github.com/btahir/reelbird |
| Loom | Starter free. Business $18 and Business + AI $24 per user a month, billed monthly (up to 17% less yearly) | 25 videos per person, 5 minutes each, up to 720p. No downloads | Mac, Windows, web, mobile | No | Copied when you stop. Hosted on Loom's cloud | No | Business plans and up. Starter users can't download their videos | Loom pricingLoom downloads |
| Screen Studio | $29 a month, or $9 a month billed yearly. One-time licences no longer sold to new buyers | No free plan listed | macOS (13.1+ recommended) | No | After you export. 1080p60, up to 30 minutes, with timestamped comments | Yes, from clicks and activity, plus manual zooms | Yes. MP4 up to 4K, or GIF | screen.studio |
| Cap | Free for personal use. Desktop licence $29 a year or $58 once. Pro $12 per user a month, or $8.16 billed yearly | Personal use only. Share links up to 5 minutes | macOS, Windows (beta), Linux | Source on GitHub. AGPLv3, some parts MIT | Yes, in Instant mode (uploads as you record) | Yes, in Studio mode | Yes | Cap pricingCap downloadsCap licence |
| OpenScreen | Free | Everything, for personal and commercial use | macOS 13+, Windows, Linux | Yes, MIT | No. You export MP4 or GIF and host it yourself | Yes, automatic or manual | Yes | OpenScreen on GitHub |
| CleanShot X | $35 once (a year of updates, then $19 a year if you want more), or Pro $10 per user a month billed yearly | No free plan listed | macOS | No | Yes, on CleanShot Cloud (1 GB with the one-time licence) | Animated zooms you add in its video editor | Yes | CleanShot pricing |
| Tella | Pro $13 and Premium $19 per user a month, billed yearly | No free plan listed | Mac, Windows, Chrome | No | Yes, hosted by Tella | Yes | Yes | Tella pricing |
| Screenity | Recorder free. Pro $10 a month or $120 a year | Recording and downloads. The editor, share links and auto-zoom need Pro | Chrome, on any desktop OS | Recorder GPL-3.0 | Pro only | Pro only | Yes, no account needed | screenity.io |
Scroll the table sideways on small screens.
Loom vs Screen Studio
Loom and Screen Studio solve different halves of the same problem. Loom is fast: the link is ready when you stop, viewers comment and you see who watched, but there's no auto-zoom, and the free plan stops each video at 5 minutes, keeps 25 and can't download. Business is $18 per user a month. Screen Studio is polished: auto-zoom, a smooth cursor and camera layouts, but it's Mac only, costs $29 a month or $9 billed yearly, and the share link comes after you export.
Reelbird is built for the gap between them: the Loom-style link the moment you stop, then Screen Studio-style polish on the same take, published under the same link. More detail: Reelbird vs Loom and Reelbird vs Screen Studio.
Each recorder, briefly
-
ReelbirdNative Mac screen recorder, open source
- Best for
- Mac users who want a link the moment they stop, auto-zoom polish later under the same link, their own storage, and no bill.
- Keep in mind
- Mac only. Links need a bucket you own. No comments or view counts.
- Price
- Free.
-
LoomHosted video messaging for teams
- Best for
- Teams that want comments, reactions, view counts and a shared library on Mac, Windows, the web and phones.
- Keep in mind
- The free plan stops each video at 5 minutes, keeps 25 per person, records up to 720p and can't download. Paid plans are priced per user.
- Price
- Starter free. Business $18 and Business + AI $24 per user a month, billed monthly (up to 17% less yearly).
- Source
- Loom pricing, Loom downloads
-
Screen StudioMac screen recorder and editor for polished demos
- Best for
- Polished product videos on a Mac, with the most mature auto-zoom editor, camera layouts and iPhone recording.
- Keep in mind
- A subscription for new buyers. The share link comes after you export, so there's no link the moment you stop.
- Price
- $29 a month, or $9 a month billed yearly. One-time licences no longer sold to new buyers.
- Source
- screen.studio
-
CapOpen-source Loom alternative with hosted plans
- Best for
- An open-source Loom alternative on Windows or Linux as well as Mac, with hosted plans and a Loom importer.
- Keep in mind
- Instant links and Studio polish are separate recording modes. Commercial use needs a paid licence, and your own S3 bucket needs Pro.
- Price
- Free for personal use. Desktop licence $29 a year or $58 once. Pro $12 per user a month, or $8.16 billed yearly.
- Source
- Cap pricing, Cap downloads, Cap licence
-
OpenScreenOpen-source Screen Studio-style editor
- Best for
- A free, signed, cross-platform Screen Studio-style editor, with annotations and an AI editing assistant.
- Keep in mind
- No share links: you export a file and host it yourself. Built on Electron rather than native.
- Price
- Free.
- Source
- OpenScreen on GitHub
-
CleanShot XMac screenshot tool that also records
- Best for
- Screenshots first, plus screen recording, a video editor with animated zooms, and cloud links.
- Keep in mind
- A screenshot tool that records, not a dedicated video editor.
- Price
- $35 once (a year of updates, then $19 a year if you want more), or Pro $10 per user a month billed yearly.
- Source
- CleanShot pricing
-
TellaHosted recorder and browser editor
- Best for
- Polished, hosted walkthroughs with viewer analytics, 4K export and, on Premium, a custom domain.
- Keep in mind
- Hosted and priced per user, with no free plan listed.
- Price
- Pro $13 and Premium $19 per user a month, billed yearly.
- Source
- Tella pricing
-
ScreenityChrome extension recorder
- Best for
- Free recording in Chrome on any operating system, with downloads and no account.
- Keep in mind
- Share links, the editor and auto-zoom need Pro.
- Price
- Recorder free. Pro $10 a month or $120 a year.
- Source
- screenity.io
Reelbird's limits
- Mac only, macOS 15 or later. Windows and Linux aren't planned.
- Share links need your own S3-compatible bucket. Cloudflare R2's free tier works, and needs a payment method on file.
- No comments, reactions or view counts on links.
- Zooms follow clicks, and typing when keystroke recording is on. Zooms that track the focused text field and joining clips are on the roadmap.
Questions
Loom or Screen Studio: which should I use?
They do different jobs. Loom is for quick, hosted links and team feedback: a link when you stop, comments and view counts, on Mac, Windows, the web and phones, with no auto-zoom. Its free plan stops videos at 5 minutes and can't download; Business is $18 per user a month. Screen Studio is for polished Mac product videos: auto-zoom, a smooth cursor and camera layouts, with a share link after you export, for $29 a month or $9 billed yearly. Reelbird does both jobs from one take on the Mac, free: the link when you stop, the polish later under the same link. Checked 12 October 2026.
Which free Mac screen recorders have auto-zoom?
Reelbird (MIT, native Swift, with share links to your own bucket), OpenScreen (MIT, Electron, no share links) and Cap (free for personal use, with auto-zoom in Studio mode). Screenity's auto-zoom needs Pro, and Screen Studio, CleanShot X and Tella are paid.
Which of these screen recorders are open source?
Reelbird (MIT), OpenScreen (MIT), Cap (AGPLv3, with some parts MIT) and Screenity's Chrome recorder (GPL-3.0). Loom, Screen Studio, CleanShot X and Tella are proprietary.
Which free recorders give you a share link when you stop?
Reelbird, with no limit from Reelbird, hosted in your own S3 or R2 bucket. Loom's free Starter plan, with 5-minute videos and 25 per person. Cap's free plan, for personal use, with 5-minute links. Screenity's links need Pro, OpenScreen has none, and Screen Studio's come after export.
Which ones let me keep my video files for free?
Reelbird saves every take as MP4 files on your Mac. OpenScreen, Screenity's free recorder and Cap's free plan (personal use) export files too. Loom's free Starter plan can't download videos; that needs Business or higher.