Kap

Free plan Mac

What Kap is

Kap is a free, open-source screen recorder for macOS, built with web technology. It records a selected area, with controls in the menu bar; Option-clicking the menu bar icon pauses recording, and clicking it again stops. Recordings export as GIF, MP4, WebM, or APNG, with optional audio. Listed editing tools include click highlighting and trimming. Kap supports plugins, and plugins can add custom share destinations to the editor export menu. The project lists sharing GIFs on Giphy, deployment with Vercel, and uploads to Streamable, with documentation for creating plugins. Kap requires macOS 12 or later and provides Apple silicon and Intel downloads; Homebrew Cask installation is also listed. It is distributed under the MIT License. The site identifies designers, developers, and project managers as users. Its privacy statement says it is not monetized through user data and aims to collect only data needed to improve the product.

Who it suits

Kap suits designers, developers, and project managers who need a macOS screen recorder with multiple export formats. It also fits users seeking an open-source, plugin-capable tool.

What it does well

Free and open-source under MIT License
Exports GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG
Optional audio, trimming, and click highlighting
Plugins add custom share targets
Apple silicon and Intel downloads

What to know first

Requires macOS 12 or later
Supports macOS only
No free trial is offered

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Open-source screen recorder · macOS 12 or later	Free

As getkap.co lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Kap provides focused screen capture with flexible exports, simple editing, and plugin-based sharing. Its main constraint is the macOS 12-or-newer requirement.

Facts from Kap's own pages

Analytics: The privacy statement says it uses Google Analytics, requests IP anonymization, and does not use analytics to track personally identifiable information. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Audience: The site says designers, developers, and project managers use Kap. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Audio and editing: Exports can include optional audio, and the site lists click highlighting and trimming. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Download options: The site links to downloads for Apple M1 and Apple Intel Macs. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Export formats: Kap exports recordings as GIF, MP4, WebM, or APNG. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Exports: It exports recordings as GIF, MP4, WebM, or APNG. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Extensibility: Kap plugins can add custom share targets to the editor export menu. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · getkap.co, 21 Sept 2026
Install option: The project README also lists installation through Homebrew Cask. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Integrations: The site lists plugins to share GIFs on Giphy, deploy with Vercel, and upload to Streamable. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Intended users: The site says designers, developers, and project managers use Kap. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
License: The project is distributed under the MIT License. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Pause: While recording, users can Option-click the menu bar icon to pause. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Platform requirement: Kap requires macOS 12 or later and offers downloads for Apple silicon and Intel Macs. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Capture platforms: macOS · getkap.co, 21 Sept 2026
Plugin formats: The plugin documentation lists GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG as supported share-service formats. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Plugins: Kap supports plugins and links to documentation for creating them. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Privacy: Kap’s privacy statement says it aims to collect only the minimum data needed to improve the product and does not monetize the product or user data. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Product: Kap is an open-source screen recorder built with web technology. · getkap.co, 11 Oct 2026
Recording: Kap lets users select a portion of the screen to record and start or stop recording from the menu bar. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Recording workflow: The README says to choose a screen area from the menu bar recorder, start recording, and click the menu bar icon again to stop. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Security: Kap’s privacy statement says its traffic is served over HTTPS and its SSL/TLS certificate is issued by Let’s Encrypt. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to open a GitHub issue or email the maintainers with privacy feedback. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Website security: The privacy page states that Kap website traffic is served over HTTPS and its SSL/TLS certificate is issued by Let's Encrypt. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026

Kap