Screen recording apps for MacHead to head

CleanShot X vs Cap

CleanShot X ranks #1 and Cap ranks #3 in our guide to the best screen recording apps for Mac. CleanShot X is our pick for most people, and Cap is the best free option.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Our pickCleanShot X app iconCleanShot XPick CleanShot X if you take screenshots and record short how-to clips every day and want 1 tool for both.$35 onceBest freeCap app iconCapPick Cap if you want Loom-style share links for free and like that the code is open source.Free to start

What decides it

  • CleanShot X costs less over 3 years: $35, against $58 for Cap.
  • Both run on Mac.
  • CleanShot X is included with a Setapp subscription; Cap isn't.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glanceCleanShot X app iconCleanShot XCap app iconCap
Price$35 once, with 1 year of updates. Pro is $10 a month billed yearlyFree for personal use. A commercial license is $58 once, and Pro is $8.16 a month billed yearly
How you payPay onceFree, with paid upgrades
3 years of use$35 Cheaper$58
Free trialNone listedFree to start
Runs onMacMac
Where to buyDeveloper, SetappDeveloper
FeaturesMenu bar appOpen source
Last updated27 Oct 202629 Oct 2026

Who should get which

Get CleanShot X if

You send screenshots or how-to clips for work and want them clean without opening an editor.

Get Cap if

You explain things to clients or teammates in short screen videos and want a Loom-style link fast.

Skip CleanShot X if

You take a screenshot once a month, and Shift-Command-5 handles that for free.

Skip Cap if

You record your screen for yourself now and then, and Shift-Command-5 already saves those free.

Our verdicts

CleanShot X app iconCleanShot X

The Mac's built-in screenshot tool can't grab a whole scrolling page or blur a name before you share it. CleanShot X does both, copies text out of any capture, records your screen as a video or GIF, and its Studio Mode adds cursor-following zooms to recordings. It costs $35 once with 1 year of updates and has no free trial, so try Shottr, free for personal use, before you buy.

Cap app iconCap

Free for personal use, this open source recorder works like Loom: it uploads while you talk and the share link is copied when you stop. Studio Mode records screen, camera and mic in 4K on separate tracks and adds automatic zooms. Free share links stop at 5 minutes and commercial use needs the $58 license, and CleanShot X is the better buy if you want screenshot tools in the same app.

What each one helps you do

CleanShot X app iconCleanShot X

  • Capture a whole scrolling page in 1 image
  • Hide names and emails before you share
  • Copy text out of any screenshot
  • Turn a screen recording into a polished video

Cap app iconCap

  • Share a recording link the moment you stop
  • Record your screen and camera in 4K
  • Add automatic zooms to a tutorial video
  • Keep recordings on your own storage

Where to get them

CleanShot X

$35 once, with 1 year of updates. Pro is $10 a month billed yearly

Cap

Free for personal use. A commercial license is $58 once, and Pro is $8.16 a month billed yearly

  • From the developer
    Free downloadGet it

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Neither one quite right?

The other picks in our guide to the best screen recording apps for Mac.

Read the full guideAll CleanShot X alternativesAll Cap alternatives

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