Cap

What is Cap?

Cap is an open source screen recorder and async video-messaging tool that records your screen and camera, lets you edit the result, and shares it as a link. It is a Loom alternative built around data ownership — you can store recordings in Cap’s cloud, your own S3 bucket, or fully self-host with Docker.

What is Cap best for?

Cap is best for people and teams who want Loom-style async video — bug reports, walkthroughs, product demos, sales messages — but don’t want their recordings locked in a proprietary cloud. It fits developers and privacy-conscious teams who value owning their storage, and creators who want a polished local editor for zooms and backgrounds without a heavyweight tool like Camtasia.

What can Cap do?

• Two recording modes: Instant Mode uploads while you record for an immediate shareable link; Studio Mode records locally at up to 4K/60fps for full-quality editing.
• Built-in editor for backgrounds, padding, rounded corners, zooms, trimming, and captions before you share.
• Screenshot mode with gradients, wallpapers, and annotation.
• Flexible storage — Cap Cloud, any S3-compatible provider (AWS, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2), Google Drive, or local disk.
• Collaboration — comments, reactions, viewer analytics, transcripts, and team workspaces.
• AI features that auto-generate titles, summaries, chapters, and transcripts (on paid cloud).
• Loom importer to migrate existing videos, plus password-protected shares and custom domains.
• Self-hosting via Docker Compose, with a one-click Railway deploy option.

Where does Cap fall short?

The desktop apps are macOS and Windows only — there is no native Linux build, so Linux users are limited to the web dashboard and self-hosted backend. The free tier is capped at 5-minute recordings and personal use only; unlimited local recording with commercial rights needs the $29/year desktop license, and the AI features, unlimited cloud sharing, and analytics live behind the Cap Pro subscription. The codebase is also license-mixed: most of it is AGPLv3, while the capture and camera crates are MIT — worth checking if you plan to reuse the code commercially.

Is Cap free?

Partly — Cap is free and open source to self-host, and the free desktop tier gives you Studio Mode, the full editor, and 4K/60fps export with a 5-minute cap for personal use. A one-time-style $29/year desktop license unlocks unlimited local recording and commercial use. Cap Pro ($12/user/month, or $8.16 billed annually) adds unlimited cloud storage, AI features, viewer analytics, custom domains, and compliance certifications; self-hosting avoids these fees entirely if you run your own storage.

What does Cap replace?

Cap is a direct Loom alternative for async screen and camera messaging, with the difference that you can own the storage and self-host. Its local Studio editor also covers much of what people reach for Camtasia to do — zooms, backgrounds, trimming, and captions — and its hosting and analytics overlap with Vidyard for business video.

FAQ

Is Cap open source? Yes. Cap’s source is on GitHub under AGPLv3, with its camera and capture crates released under the more permissive MIT license.

Can I self-host Cap for free? Yes. Cap ships a Docker Compose setup (with a one-click Railway option) so you can run the web app and dashboard on your own infrastructure and point it at your own S3-compatible storage, avoiding the cloud subscription.

Is Cap a good Loom alternative? For most async video use it is — recording, editing, sharing links, transcripts, and team workspaces are all there. The main tradeoffs are that native desktop apps are macOS and Windows only, and AI plus unlimited cloud sharing require a paid plan unless you self-host.

What do I need to run Cap? To just record, install the free desktop app on macOS or Windows. To self-host the backend you need Docker and an S3-compatible storage bucket (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, or Backblaze B2) for storing recordings.