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SwitchDesk vs Cap: Mac screen recorders with share links, compared
Last checked
Pick Cap if you want
an
Pick SwitchDesk if
you record on a Mac and want
TL;DR
- Both copy the link when you press Stop. Cap uploads while you record; SwitchDesk uploads after Stop, and the link works before the upload ends.
- For unlimited share links, Cap Pro is $8.16 per user a month and SwitchDesk Essential is $12, both billed yearly. SwitchDesk’s price also covers dictation, meeting notes and your to-do list.
- SwitchDesk has no editor and no Windows or Linux app, and it isn’t open source.
Side by side
Screen recording on a Mac, row by row
Price, platforms, modes, link timing, transcripts, editing and storage, each sourced to Cap’s own pages.
| SwitchDesk | Cap | |
|---|---|---|
| Price12 | $12/mo billed yearly, or $15 monthly (Essential). Unlimited videos with share links on both plans. | Free, with share links of up to 5 min. Desktop License $29/yr or $58 once: 20 links a month, up to 5 min each. Pro $8.16/user/mo billed yearly, or $12 monthly: unlimited. |
| Platforms3 | Mac (macOS 14.6 or later) | Mac, Windows and Linux (.deb), plus a Chrome extension |
| Modes and camera3 | Screen, Window or Area, with the camera bubble in all three | Display, Window, Area or Camera only |
| Link timing3 | Reserved when you press Record and on your clipboard at Stop. The upload runs after Stop. | Instant mode uploads while you record. The link is copied at Stop. |
| Transcript on the share page23 | Yes, on both plans. Timestamps jump to the moment, with a button to copy the text. One switch hides it. | Transcripts, summaries and chapters with Cap Pro |
| Editing3 | None. No trimming and no editor. | Studio mode: backgrounds, zooms, captions, cuts and more |
| Open source and storage34 | Not open source. Saved on your Mac first; the share copy is hosted by SwitchDesk. | Open source and self-hostable with Docker. Your own S3 bucket or Google Drive, and a custom domain, on Pro. |
Each footnote links to its source under the FAQ, checked Oct 5, 2026. See the sources →
The link
Press Stop and paste the link while the video uploads.
The link is reserved the moment you press Record, so it’s on your clipboard at Stop. The upload runs behind it: anyone who opens the link early sees “This video is still uploading. This page updates on its own.”
Press Stop on the recording pill.
The “Link reserved” chip is an illustration added for this page.
My Videos
No monthly limit on share links, on either plan
Share as many as you like. Cap’s Desktop License stops at 20 links a month. My Videos lists each recording with its share state: views as a count, not names, and whether the transcript is ready.
My Videos on Sam’s Mac: “Lumora pilot walkthrough” is shared with 7 views and its transcript ready, “Q4 hiring plan quick tour” is uploading at 64%, and “Kiln schedule for Saturday” has no share line because it hasn’t been shared.
Same subscription
Also in SwitchDesk: dictation, meeting notes and your to-do list
Shown in the Apricot theme
SwitchDesk’s dictation pill: “Todo Added”, with buttons to add it to Today’s Todo. Voice Dictation
Hold Globe in any app, talk, let go. Clean text lands where your cursor is, and “add a todo …” files a to-do instead.
Explore Voice Dictation →A compact meeting notepad in the Black scheme with a nested list: “1. Pilot: 12 seats, support team”, a bullet “Starts next month” under it, then “2. Send revised proposal (Thu)”.
Meeting Notes
Nothing joins the call: your mic and the call’s audio are two tracks on your Mac. When the Lumora kickoff ends, you get the notes and suggested to-dos.
Explore Meeting Notes →UrgentBlocked SwitchDesk to-do window, Apricot theme: Today's Todo: Prep pricing slides for Thursday; Book Theo's dentist appointment; List the new glaze mugs.
To-Do List
The to-dos you say and the ones your calls suggest land in one list, filed under the right category.
Explore the To-Do List →
Honest answer
Where Cap is better
If you need any of these, Cap is the better pick today.
- Open source. You can read the code and run Cap on your own server.
- Windows and Linux. Plus a Chrome extension for recording in the browser.
- An editor. Studio mode adds backgrounds, zooms, captions and cuts.
- Your own storage. Cap Pro adds a custom domain, your own S3 bucket or Google Drive, and password-protected links.
- A free plan and a one-time license. The Desktop License is $29 a year or $58 once.
- Uploads while you record. Instant mode streams as you go, so the video is ready at Stop.
From Cap’s own pages, checked Oct 5, 2026.
Price and switching
Price, as listed
What each costs
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Cap Free | $0Share links up to 5 min each. Personal use. |
| Cap Desktop License | $29/yr or $58 onceOne user. 20 share links a month, up to 5 min each. |
| Cap Pro | $8.16/user/moBilled yearly; $12 billed monthly. Unlimited share links. |
| SwitchDesk Essential | $12/moBilled yearly; $15 billed monthly. |
| SwitchDesk Pro | $18/moBilled yearly; $23 billed monthly. |
14-day free trial
Last checked · cap.so/pricing
Switching
Moving from Cap
Install SwitchDesk.
macOS 14.6 or later. Create Video lives in the menu bar.
Leave “Copy a share link when I stop recording” on.
It’s in
Settings → Videos. Turn it off to keep a video on your Mac until you press Share.Use Window mode for single-app demos.
Pick the window in the picker; your other windows stay out of the video.
Create Video questions
More in Help →Can I import my Cap videos?
Do viewers need an account?
Does it record my camera?
Can I trim or edit a video?
Is there a Windows or Linux version?
How much does it cost?
What happens to my links if I cancel?
Sources · last checked
- SwitchDesk plans (this site)
- Cap pricing — plans, link limits, Pro features · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- Cap homepage — platforms, Instant and Studio modes, open source, share pages · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- Cap docs: self-hosting · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- SwitchDesk: the app’s own labels, checked in its source on Oct 5, 2026