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Utilities · head to head

Kap vs VTScada

Kap logo

Kap

Utilities

Free open source screen recorder for macOS, focused on video and GIF capture rather than annotation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
VTScada logo

VTScada

Utilities

SCADA software for water, wastewater and remote telemetry with a published price list

From
$3395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kap has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kap it has no annotation tools at all, so any still-image markup work needs a separate app such as Shottr or CleanShot X.; VTScada licences are per installed PC rather than per system, so a redundant pair plus a development machine means paying three times unless you buy the discounted multi-server bundles.
  • They diverge on capability: Kap covers Multi-format export, VTScada covers Automatic version control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kap and VTScada actually diverge.

Attributes where Kap and VTScada differ
AttributeKapVTScada
Starting priceFree$3395/one-time
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacWindows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Kap

  • Multi-format export
  • Area, window or display capture
  • Plugin system
  • Basic trimming
  • Menu bar operation
  • Open source

Only in VTScada

  • Automatic version control
  • Bundled historian
  • Alarm notification
  • Driver set included
  • Redundancy and sync
  • Thin clients
  • Idea Studio
  • Slippy maps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Kap

  • A developer recording a demo GIF for a README or documentation pagenot VTScada
  • A marketer capturing a quick product walkthrough clip without buying screen recording softwarenot VTScada
  • Someone creating App Store style device-framed screenshots for a listingnot VTScada
  • A user who only needs video capture and does not want to pay for a suite of annotation features they will not usenot VTScada

VTScada

  • A municipal water authority with 60 remote pump stations on licensed radio that needs DNP3 polling and regulator-facing change recordsnot Kap
  • An oil and gas gathering operator polling wellsite RTUs over intermittent cellular links with store and forwardnot Kap
  • A small utility that must produce a defensible budget number before going to council for capital approvalnot Kap
  • An integrator standardising on one product where historian, alarming and dialler costs are inside the licence rather than quoted separatelynot Kap

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kap

  • It has no annotation tools at all, so any still-image markup work needs a separate app such as Shottr or CleanShot X.
  • There is no scrolling capture or OCR, features both Shottr and CleanShot X include.
  • Editing is limited to basic trimming, so anything beyond a simple cut needs a dedicated video editor afterward.
  • It is Mac only, offering nothing for screen recording needs on Windows.
  • As a volunteer-maintained open source project, updates and bug fixes depend on community contribution rather than a company with paid support obligations.

VTScada

  • Licences are per installed PC rather than per system, so a redundant pair plus a development machine means paying three times unless you buy the discounted multi-server bundles.
  • Thin client licensing is by concurrent connection and is priced steeply at scale: unlimited thin clients on a 50,000 tag system costs 59,395 USD on top of the base licence, more than the base licence itself.
  • It is Windows only with no Linux or container deployment, which rules it out of modern edge and virtualised architectures that other SCADA products now support.
  • SupportPlus at 15 percent of the original software price must be maintained continuously; if you let it lapse you cannot simply resume, and reinstatement is negotiated rather than published.
  • The scripting environment and the integrator pool are both proprietary and small, so finding a second-source integrator in a region where Trihedral has thin coverage is genuinely difficult.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kap

Free
  • KapFree
    • Free and open source under the MIT licence
    • MP4, WebM, GIF and device frame export
    • Plugin system for extended workflows

VTScada

$3395/one-time
  • Base licence up to 1,000 I/O$3395/one-time
    • Runtime and full historian
    • All I/O drivers included
    • Alarms and events
  • Base licence up to 5,000 I/O$4295/one-time
    • Runtime and full historian
    • Development add-on 4,100 USD
    • Alarm notification add-on 2,895 USD
  • Single Server bundle, 5,000 I/O$19095/one-time
    • Development node
    • Alarm notification
    • 2 thin clients
  • Single Server bundle, 50,000 I/O$32495/one-time
    • Development node
    • Alarm notification
    • 2 thin clients

Which should you pick?

Choose Kap if

  • You need multi-format export.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want area, window or display capture.
Kap review

Choose VTScada if

  • You need automatic version control.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want bundled historian.
VTScada review

Questions people ask

Is Kap or VTScada better?
Neither clearly leads. Kap starts at Free and VTScada at $3395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kap or VTScada?
Kap has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kap and $3395/one-time for VTScada.
Does Kap or VTScada run on more platforms?
Kap runs on Mac. VTScada runs on Windows.
Can I use Kap for free?
Yes. Kap has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. VTScada starts at $3395/one-time.
What is Kap best used for?
Kap is most often used for a developer recording a demo gif for a readme or documentation page, a marketer capturing a quick product walkthrough clip without buying screen recording software, someone creating app store style device-framed screenshots for a listing, a user who only needs video capture and does not want to pay for a suite of annotation features they will not use. Of those, a developer recording a demo gif for a readme or documentation page and a marketer capturing a quick product walkthrough clip without buying screen recording software are not what VTScada is typically brought in for.
What can Kap do that VTScada cannot?
Kap covers Multi-format export, Area, window or display capture, Plugin system, Basic trimming. VTScada covers Automatic version control, Bundled historian, Alarm notification, Driver set included.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kap: Is Kap free?

Yes, entirely. It is open source under the MIT licence with no paid tier.

VTScada: Is VTScada perpetual or subscription?

Perpetual. Licences are one-time purchases per installed PC, with an optional annual SupportPlus contract at 15 percent of the original software price.

Kap: Does Kap do screenshots or only video?

It is focused on video and GIF recording. For still screenshots with annotation, pair it with Shottr or CleanShot X.

VTScada: Are drivers extra?

No. Standard and proprietary I/O drivers, the historian, trending, reporting and security are all included in the base licence.

Kap: Can Kap export directly to GIF?

Yes, GIF is one of its native export formats alongside MP4, WebM and Apple device frames.

VTScada: What does support actually cost?

Annual SupportPlus is 15 percent of total software purchase price. Adding 24/7 emergency support is a further 5 percent with a 1,540 USD minimum.

VTScada: Does it run on Linux?

No. VTScada is Windows only.

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