catu vs Cap
Cap is an open-source screen recorder for Mac, Windows and Linux, with a polished editor and links you can host yourself. catu is a Mac app for every kind of capture, screenshots, recordings, text, the clipboard and dictation, shared as links encrypted before they leave the Mac.
- You take screenshots, copy text from the screen and reach for your clipboard history as often as you record.
- You want links encrypted on your Mac before upload, with passwords and expiry dates.
- Viewers should be able to comment at a moment in the video without making an account.
- You want to share any file from Finder as a link, not only recordings.
- You need Windows or Linux, or want to run the whole thing on your own server.
- You polish recordings before sharing: automatic zoom on clicks, backgrounds, 4K exports.
- You prefer open-source software you can read and change.
- Your team wants SSO, a Loom importer or its own storage bucket.
| Side by side | catu | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | ||
| Screenshots: area, window, whole screen | ||
| Scrolling capture of long pages | Not listed | |
| Screenshot editor: arrows, text, steps, blur | ||
| Screenshots on a background, for posts and slides | ||
| Copy text from the screen (OCR) | Not listed | |
| Screen recording with camera and microphone | ||
| System audio in recordings | ||
| Draw on the screen while recording | Not listed | |
| Clicks shown in recordings | Not listed | |
| Clipboard history | Not listed | |
| Dictation, transcribed on the device | macOS 26 | Not listed |
| Sharing | ||
| Share as a link | ||
| Link ready as the recording ends (uploads while you record) | Instant mode | |
| Share any file from the Mac as a link | Up to 200 MB | Not listed |
| Password on a link | Pro | |
| Links that expire | 7, 30, 90 days or never | Not listed |
| Comments pinned to a moment in a video | ||
| Viewers comment without an account | Sign-in needed | |
| View statistics | Pro | |
| Encrypted on your device before upload | Not stated | |
| Editing, price and platforms | ||
| Video editor, with AI | In the browser, Web app | Free editor; AI on Pro |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, web | Mac, Windows, Linux, web |
| Free | The whole Mac app | 25 links a month, 5 min each |
| Paid plan, one person | €4,16 a month, yearly | $8.16 a month, yearly |
Where Cap is ahead
- Cap runs on Windows and Linux as well as the Mac; catu is Mac, iPhone and web.
- Its Studio editor is free and runs in the desktop app: backgrounds, padding, speed changes and exports up to 4K at 60 fps. catu's editor is in the browser and part of the paid plan.
- It is open source (AGPLv3) and can be self-hosted, or pointed at your own S3 bucket or Google Drive.
- There is a one-time $58 licence for local recording and editing, and team features such as self-serve SSO and a Loom importer.
Where catu is ahead
- catu is more than a recorder: screenshots with scrolling capture, copying text from the screen, clipboard history and on-device dictation are all in the free Mac app.
- What you share is encrypted on your Mac before it is uploaded. Cap's policy promises reasonable security measures and says nothing about encryption.
- Anyone with a catu link can comment at a moment in the video by giving a name; Cap asks commenters to sign in.
- Links can expire after 7, 30 or 90 days, and passwords can be changed later. Copy a file in Finder and it gets a link too.
Questions
Is catu open source like Cap?
No. catu is a closed-source Mac app. If you need to read the code or host everything yourself, Cap is the better fit.
Which costs less?
Cap Pro is $12 a person a month, or $8.16 billed yearly, and its free plan allows 25 links a month of up to 5 minutes. The Mac app is free. Sharing, the web Library and comments are the Web app plan: €4,99 a month, or €49,90 a year (€4,16 a month), with a 14-day free trial.
Can I use catu on Windows?
Not yet. The capture app is for Macs on macOS 15 or later; links play in any browser, on any computer or phone.
What we say about Cap was checked on 5 November 2026 from cap.so/pricing, cap.so/docs, cap.so/privacy, github.com/CapSoftware/Cap. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it. Cap is a trademark of its owners; catu is not affiliated with Cap.