What is the difference between Cap and Kap?

Cap is best for Developers wanting open-source screen recording, while Kap is best for macOS developers wanting a simple open-source screen recorder. Cap starts at Free and Kap starts at Free.

Is Cap or Kap cheaper?

Cap starts at Free and is free. Kap starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Kap?

Both Cap and Kap offer free tiers.

Cap vs Kap (2026) — notanothertool

At a glance

	Cap	Kap
Best for	Developers wanting open-source screen recording	macOS developers wanting a simple open-source screen recorder
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
GIF Export	—	✓
Lightweight	—	✓
No Watermark	✓	—
Open Source	✓	✓
Plugins	—	✓
Privacy-First	✓	—
Shareable Links	✓	—

Cap

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in screen recording

Try Cap → Full review

Kap

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in screen recording

Try Kap → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Cap and Kap are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Cap offers No Watermark, Privacy-First and Shareable Links that Kap lacks. Kap brings GIF Export, Lightweight and Plugins that Cap does not have. Both share Open Source.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Both Cap and Kap are open source, so self-hosting and code audits are on the table with either choice.

Where each tool shines: Cap's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development. Kap's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Cap, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Kap, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Cap if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting open-source screen recording
You specifically need No Watermark and Privacy-First
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development

Choose Kap if...

You need a tool built for macos developers wanting a simple open-source screen recorder
You specifically need GIF Export and Lightweight
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development