Kap
A free, open-source screen recorder for macOS, built with web technology.
- Stars
- 19.4k
- Forks
- 902
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 2.0 years ago
- Type
- App
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Kap is a screen recorder for macOS that you control from the menu bar. You pick the part of the screen to capture, press record, and click the menu bar icon again to stop. It is open source under the MIT license and is built with web technology, as its description says.
- Record a portion of your screen by selecting an area from the menu bar
- Pause a recording with Option-click on the menu bar icon while it is running
- Install it with Homebrew using the cask command shown in the README
- Try development builds from the README's artifact links, with the caveat that they are unsupported
Great for
- Mac users who want to record part of their screen quickly from the menu bar
- People who want an open-source recorder they can inspect or modify
- Developers who want to build plugins, since the README links a plugin guide
Not ideal for
- Windows or Linux users, because the README and topics only reference macOS
- People who need a full video editor, since the README describes only recording and does not mention editing features
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
You'll need: macOS
Install with Homebrew (cask)
brew install --cask kap - 2
Run it
- Install Kap using the download or the Homebrew command
- Click the Kap icon in the menu bar
- Select the portion of the screen you want to record
- Press the record button to start, then click the menu bar icon again to stop
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Option-click the menu bar icon while recording to pause
- Right-click the menu bar icon while recording for more options, per the README tip
- Read the plugins documentation linked in the README if you want to extend Kap
- Read the contribution guide if you want to help develop it
Downloads
Strengths
- Open source under the MIT license
- Simple menu bar workflow for starting and stopping recordings
- Has official Apple silicon and Intel downloads plus a Homebrew option
Trade-offs
- The README describes macOS-focused use only, so other platforms are not covered
- The README says dev builds are unsupported and may have issues
- The README is short on feature detail, so capabilities beyond basic recording are unclear
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kap (this) | 19.4k | App | beginner | 2.0 years ago | Mac users who want to record part of their screen quickly from the menu bar |
| Captura | 10.9k | App | beginner | 6 months ago | Windows users who want a free screen recorder with no ads or paid tier mentioned in the README |
| openscreen | 40k | App | beginner | 20 days ago | People who want a free screen recorder for product demos or walkthroughs |
| nylas-mail | 24.7k | App | advanced | 4 months ago | Developers curious about how an extensible Electron and React desktop app is structured |
| marktext | 63.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor |
| webtorrent-desktop | 10.1k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | People who want to stream torrent video without waiting for a full download |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.