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Home/Categories/Business & Productivity/Kap
icon of Kap

Kap

Open source alternative to CleanShot X, Loom, Camtasia and Snagit

  • 19.4K stars
  • MIT
  • Last commit 708 days ago

Last verified Sep 24, 2026

Create macOS screen recordings and export GIF, MP4, WebM, or APNG with an MIT-licensed app for demos, bug reports, and quick product clips.

Visit websiteGitHub19.4K stars
image of Kap
TL;DR

Kap is an MIT-licensed screen recorder for macOS creators who need quick GIF, MP4, WebM, or APNG captures. It replaces heavier tools like Camtasia or Snagit when the job is a lightweight product clip, bug reproduction, or demo recording.

Read the full breakdownHide the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ
who it's for

Who Kap is for#

Designers sharing interface motion

Kap captures short UI flows that can be attached to design reviews, docs, and pull requests.

Skip if:

Skip if you need multi-track editing, annotations, or team video hosting.

Developers recording bug reproductions

Use Kap to capture a focused screen area and export a clip small enough for an issue thread.

Skip if:

Skip if your team needs Windows or Linux support from the same recorder.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Teams often need to show a UI bug, record a small product demo, or create a short animated asset without opening a full video editor. Heavy screen recording suites add cost and workflow overhead when the task is only to capture, trim, and export a small clip.

For developers and designers on macOS, the useful workflow is fast capture plus the right export format. Anything more complex can slow down sharing feedback.

how Kap solves it

How it solves it#

Fast macOS screen capture

Records selected screen areas for quick product demos, bug reports, and short visual notes.

Multiple export formats

Exports common lightweight formats such as GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG so clips can fit issue trackers, docs, and chat.

Plugin-oriented workflow

The project supports extensions and integrations that help send captures into downstream tools.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

  • Lightweight alternative to video suitesKap focuses on quick captures rather than timeline-heavy editing, which suits product teams sharing small UI clips.
  • MIT licensed desktop appDevelopers can inspect and modify the app rather than relying entirely on a proprietary capture tool.

Trade-offs

  • -macOS-only focusKap is not a cross-platform recording suite. Windows or Linux teams need another tool such as ShareX, OBS, or a browser-based recorder.
versus alternatives

Kap vs alternatives#

Kap vs Camtasia

Kap and Camtasia both record screens, but they serve different editing needs. Kap is a lightweight macOS capture app; Camtasia is a proprietary video editing and training-content suite.

Kap is better for quick UI clips, GIFs, and bug reproductions. Camtasia is still better for polished tutorials that need annotations, multi-track editing, and packaged course-style video output.

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages
JavaScriptTypeScript
Frameworks
Next.jsReact
frequently asked

FAQ#

Is Kap open source?

Yes. Kap is open source under the MIT license.

What formats does Kap export?

Kap is commonly used for lightweight exports such as GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG.

Can Kap replace Loom?

Kap can replace Loom for local recording and exporting short clips. Loom is better when you need hosted async video pages, viewer analytics, and team sharing features.

also worth a look

Similar open-source tools#

Capso

Alternative toCleanShot X

Free open-source screenshot and recorder for macOS

  • 1,443 GitHub stars
  • Apache-2.0Licence Apache-2.0

Screenshots

Alternative toCleanShot X

macOS screenshot and recorder, no cloud, no account, MIT licensed

  • 2 GitHub stars
  • MITLicence MIT

Flameshot

Alternative toSnagit

Open source screenshot tool with annotation and upload

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  • GPL-3.0Licence GPL-3.0

Cap

Alternative toLoom

Self-hosted screen recorder with custom S3 bucket support

  • 23,456 GitHub stars
  • AGPL-3.0Licence AGPL-3.0

ShareX

Alternative toSnagit

Screenshot and record with 80+ upload destinations on Windows

  • 40,240 GitHub stars
  • GPL-3.0Licence GPL-3.0

OBS Studio

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  • 77,813 GitHub stars
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