Kap

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

As of 1 September 2026, Kap is free to use. A menu bar screen recording app that exports to MP4, WebM, GIF and Apple frames, aimed specifically at capturing video and GIFs rather than annotated still screenshots. Softwr lists it under Utilities. Kap is made by Wulkano, available on Mac.

Visit siteVisit Kap

Overview

What Kap does

Kap records a selected screen area, window or display and exports directly to MP4, WebM, GIF, or an Apple device frame useful for App Store screenshots and marketing material. It uses a plugin system so the export and editing pipeline can be extended, and includes basic trimming after capture. The distinguishing fact against CleanShot X and Shottr is scope: Kap does not attempt still-image annotation, OCR or cloud link sharing at all. It is purpose-built for the video and GIF capture job, free and open source under the MIT licence, maintained publicly on GitHub. CleanShot X charges for the same video capture as a small part of a much larger paid annotation and sharing suite; Kap gives up that breadth in exchange for being free and focused. Buyers are developers recording demo GIFs for documentation or a README, marketers creating quick product clips, and anyone who wants App Store style device-framed screenshots without a paid app. The trade-off is that Kap has no annotation toolbar, no scrolling capture and no built in OCR, so a user who also needs still-image markup has to pair it with a separate tool such as Shottr or the macOS built in screenshot tool.

What people use it 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

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Kap

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

Kapvs
CleanShot X
CleanShot X: If you want video capture bundled with annotation and cloud sharing and are willing to pay
Kapvs
Shottr
Shottr: If your priority is still-image annotation and OCR rather than video
Kapvs
IINA
IINA: If you want a video player rather than a video recorder

Pricing

What Kap costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Kap

Free

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

Capabilities

Features

Multi-format export
Records and exports to MP4, WebM, GIF and Apple device frames
Area, window or display capture
Selects a specific screen region, window or full display to record
Plugin system
Extends export destinations and post-capture actions through community plugins
Basic trimming
Trims the start and end of a recording after capture
Menu bar operation
Starts and stops recording from a lightweight menu bar icon
Open source
Source code publicly available and maintained on GitHub under the MIT licence

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Is Kap free?

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

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.

Can Kap export directly to GIF?

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

Keep looking

Where to go from Kap

Best Utilities software for

Compare Kap with

Other Utilities software

CleanShot X
Paid Mac screenshot and screen recording tool with annotation, scrolling capture and cloud sharing
From $29/one-time11 researched notes
Shottr
Free Mac screenshot tool with annotation and OCR, with an optional paid tier for extra features
Free, then $8/one-time11 researched notes
Rectangle
Free open source window snapping for macOS, with a separate paid Rectangle Pro for extra features
Free, then $9.99/one-time11 researched notes
Maccy
Free open source clipboard history manager for macOS with no account, sync fee or subscription
Open source11 researched notes
Magnet
Mac App Store window manager sold as a one-time paid app, with no free tier
From $4.99/one-time11 researched notes
BetterTouchTool
Mac gesture, shortcut and automation customisation tool sold as a one-time licence with a lifetime tier
From $12/one-time11 researched notes
Karabiner-Elements
Free open source keyboard remapper for macOS, working at driver level before the OS sees a keystroke
Open source11 researched notes
Paste
Subscription clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad with iCloud sync between devices
From $29.99/yr11 researched notes
Hazel
Rule-based file organisation for macOS that watches folders and automatically files, renames or deletes
From $42/one-time11 researched notes
PeaZip
Open-source archive manager for Windows and Linux supporting more than two hundred formats
Open source12 researched notes
Deluge
Free open source BitTorrent client with true thin-client architecture for remote daemon control
Open source11 researched notes
Rufus
Create bootable USB drives on Windows
Open source7 researched notes
AutoHotkey
Windows scripting language for hotkeys, text expansion and desktop automation
Open source8 researched notes
CrystalDiskInfo
Free Windows tool that reads S.M.A.R.T. data from drives and warns before they fail
Open source12 researched notes
Everything
Instant filename search for Windows
Free plan6 researched notes
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
Telemetry SCADA for geographically distributed water, oil and gas assets, formerly ClearSCADA
Pricing on request12 researched notes
Google Lens
Visual search that identifies objects, text, plants, products and translates text from the camera
Free plan9 researched notes
HWiNFO
Windows hardware information and sensor monitoring tool, free for personal use only
Free plan11 researched notes

Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Kap, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

Best Utilities software alternatives

View all Utilities software

Kap