Quick answer: If you want auto zoom on a Mac and would rather pay once, CursorClip is $70 once for up to 3 Macs, against Screen Studio’s $108 a year. It zooms in on your clicks in any app, runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and is a 33.6 MB download. If you need share links or captions today, or a Windows app, the table shows which rivals have them. Try CursorClip free.
This page puts eleven Mac screen recorders side by side in one table. Every rival fact was read on that vendor’s own site on 27 October 2026. Where a vendor doesn’t say, the cell says n/a and why, instead of a guess.
Jump to: The table | Size, memory and exports | Pick by need | Where rivals win | Every comparison we’ve written | How we checked | FAQ
The comparison table
| App | How you pay | One-time option | Intel Macs | Auto zoom | Share links | Captions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CursorClip | Lifetime $70 once, no renewal. Yearly $29 also available | Yes, $70 once for up to 3 Macs | Yes, Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 13.5+ | Yes, from your clicks, in any app | No. Share links arrive in the next release | No. Captions arrive in the next release |
| Screen Studio | Subscription only: $29/mo, or $9/mo billed yearly ($108 a year) | No. One-time licenses are no longer sold to new buyers | Yes, separate Intel download; macOS 13.1+ recommended | Yes, from your clicks | Yes, hosted links, videos up to 30 minutes | Yes, transcribed on your Mac |
| ScreenCharm | One-time only: $99 (regular price $149) | Yes, $99 once for up to 3 Macs, lifetime updates | Only an Apple silicon download is offered; macOS 14+ recommended | Yes, on every click, applied after recording | Yes, one-click cloud upload to a link | Yes, from your narration |
| Cursorful | Free browser extension (non-commercial); Pro one-time | Yes, Pro $79 per seat once (regular $119), 2 desktop devices | No, the Mac app requires Apple silicon | Yes, after 2 or more clicks within 3 seconds | Yes, streaming links | Yes, generated on your device |
| FocuSee | Subscription from $49.99/yr or $19.99/mo (1 computer) | Yes, Advanced $199.99 once, 5 computers, FocuSee 2.x only | Yes, macOS 10.15+ | Yes, on clicks and typing | Yes, with password protection | Yes, AI subtitles (uses AI credits) |
| CleanShot X | Basic $35 once with 1 year of updates ($19/yr to renew); Pro $10 per user/mo billed yearly | Yes, Basic $35 once; updates for 1 year | n/a (not stated on its pages); macOS 13.0+ | Yes, smart zooms | Yes, CleanShot Cloud (1 GB on Basic, unlimited on Pro) | n/a (not listed on the pages we read) |
| Cap | Free for personal use; Desktop license $29/yr or $58 once; Pro $12 per user/mo | Yes, Desktop license $58 once, 1 user, commercial use | Yes, separate Intel download | Yes, on every click | Yes, Cap links (5 minutes on the free and Desktop plans) | Yes, transcripts double as captions (Pro) |
| ScreenKite | Free (watermarked exports); Pro one-time | Yes, Pro $79.99 once for 3 Macs, listed to rise to $99.99 after 31 October 2026 | Yes, macOS 15+ | Yes, on every click and keystroke | Yes, link sharing (free plan included) | Yes |
| Tella | Subscription only: $13 or $19 per user/mo billed yearly | No | Yes, macOS 13+ | Yes, zooms grouped around your clicks | Yes, hosted video pages | Yes, 106 languages |
| Loom | Free Starter (25 videos, 5 minutes, 720p); Business $18, Business + AI $24 per user/mo | No | n/a (no system requirements page found; the newest Mac app needs macOS 15) | No (mouse emphasis and drawing only) | Yes, every plan | Yes, 50+ languages |
| Camtasia | Yearly subscription (US price n/a: TechSmith's store served rupees to us) | No, not on TechSmith's own store | Yes, Intel 7th gen or newer; macOS 14+ | No, Zoom and Pan is placed by hand | Yes, via TechSmith Screencast (25 videos, unlimited on Pro) | Yes, auto-generated |
Rival facts read on each vendor’s own site on 27 October 2026, in US dollars as shown, before tax. Prices change often, so check the vendor’s page before you buy. App names link to our longer page on that app where we have one.
Free to record and edit. To export: from $9/month, or $70 once with no renewal, plus tax where applicable.
Free to record and edit. A license to export.
Download size, memory and exports
| App | Download size | Memory when idle | Exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| CursorClip | 33.6 MB | About 100 MB, one process (measured on version 1.5.7, 11 August 2026; not yet re-measured on 2.1.0) | MP4 (H.264 or HEVC) up to 4K, 24 to 60 fps; GIF |
| Screen Studio | 657 MB (Apple silicon), 370 MB (Intel) | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4 720p to 4K up to 60 fps; GIF up to 1080p |
| ScreenCharm | 279 MB | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4 up to 4K |
| Cursorful | 115 MB | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4 or GIF; 1080p free, 4K on Pro |
| FocuSee | n/a (the download is a 4.9 MB web installer; full app size not published) | n/a (not measured by us) | Video up to 4K 60 fps; GIF |
| CleanShot X | n/a (the download needs an email or license key) | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4 and GIF |
| Cap | 96 MB (Apple silicon), 106 MB (Intel) | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4 or GIF, up to 4K 60 fps |
| ScreenKite | 224 MB | n/a (not measured by us) | Pro: MP4, MOV, HEVC, ProRes, GIF; up to 4K |
| Tella | 24.5 MB | n/a (not measured by us) | 4K export (Pro); 60 fps (Premium); subtitles export |
| Loom | 230 MB (Apple silicon), 237 MB (Intel) | n/a (not measured by us) | Download videos (Business and up) |
| Camtasia | n/a (the download needs a sign-up) | n/a (not measured by us) | MP4; SCORM packages for an LMS |
How to read the size column. It is the size of each vendor’s Mac installer, read from their own download server with a request that asks for the size without downloading the file. An installer is compressed, so the app takes more space once installed. FocuSee’s download is a small installer that fetches the app, so its real size isn’t published. CleanShot X and Camtasia ask for an email or a sign-up before the download.
Memory. CursorClip sat at about 100 MB in a single process when idle in our own Activity Monitor check (on an older version, CursorClip 1.5.7, on 11 August 2026; we haven’t re-measured the current 2.1.0 yet). We haven’t measured any rival on the same Mac, so their cells say n/a rather than borrow someone else’s number. Leave CursorClip open while you work, then check it in Activity Monitor yourself.
Which one fits what you need
- You want to pay once. CursorClip ($70 once, no renewal), ScreenCharm ($99), Cap ($58 Desktop license), Cursorful ($79 Pro), ScreenKite ($79.99 Pro), CleanShot X ($35 Basic, with one year of updates) and FocuSee ($199.99 Advanced lifetime, version 2.x only).
- You record tutorials and demos and don’t want to edit. Pick from the apps with auto zoom in the first table. CursorClip zooms on your clicks in any app and every zoom stays editable. How automatic zooms work in CursorClip.
- You’re on an Intel Mac. CursorClip, Screen Studio, Cap, FocuSee, Tella and Camtasia all list Intel support, and ScreenKite does on macOS 15 or later. Cursorful’s Mac app and ScreenCharm’s download are Apple silicon only.
- You need a link to send right after recording. Loom, Tella, Cap, Screen Studio, ScreenCharm and the others with a “Yes” in the share links column do that today. CursorClip exports a file you upload wherever you like. Share links arrive in the next release.
- You need Windows too. Cap, FocuSee, Tella, Loom, Camtasia and Cursorful have Windows apps, and ScreenKite has a Windows beta. CursorClip is Mac only.
- You build courses with quizzes. Camtasia exports SCORM packages for an LMS. None of the auto-zoom recorders here does.
Where other recorders win
A comparison that only shows wins isn’t worth much, so here is where CursorClip is behind on 27 October 2026:
- Share links and captions. All ten rivals host share links, and nine generate captions. CursorClip does neither in 2.1.0. Both arrive in the next release.
- Windows. Six rivals run on Windows. CursorClip is Mac only.
- Free use. Cap is free for personal use, Cursorful’s extension is free for non-commercial use, and Loom has a free Starter plan. CursorClip is free to record and edit, and a license unlocks export.
- The smallest download. Tella’s Mac installer (24.5 MB) is smaller than CursorClip’s (33.6 MB).
- Lowest one-time price. CleanShot X Basic ($35) and Cap’s Desktop license ($58) cost less up front. CleanShot X’s price includes one year of updates, with an optional $19 a year after that.
Where CursorClip is ahead: it is one of the few pay-once apps that zooms on your clicks in any app and still runs on Intel Macs, a license covers up to 3 Macs, there is a 14-day refund, and your recordings never leave your Mac. It needs macOS 13.5 or later. See pricing for every plan.
Every comparison on this site
Each app in the table has, or shares, a longer page with its full pricing and the trade-offs:
- Screen Studio: Screen Studio pricing against CursorClip and Screen Studio alternatives
- ScreenCharm: CursorClip vs ScreenCharm
- ScreenKite: CursorClip vs ScreenKite
- FocuSee: FocuSee alternative for Mac
- Cursorful: Cursorful free vs Pro, and a Mac alternative
- CleanShot X: CleanShot X alternatives
- Camtasia: Camtasia pricing, Camtasia alternatives for Mac and CursorClip vs Camtasia
- Tella: Tella vs CursorClip
- Loom: CursorClip vs Loom
- Also compared: Vidyard vs CursorClip, Jumpshare alternative for Mac, Descript pricing, Snagit pricing and OBS alternatives for Mac
For a ranked list rather than a table, see the 13 top screen recording apps for Mac.
How we checked
- Rival facts were read on 27 October 2026 on each vendor’s own website, download server, help center or code repository. Nothing comes from review sites.
- Prices are what each vendor showed, in US dollars, before tax. TechSmith’s store showed us rupees with no way to switch, so Camtasia’s US price is n/a here. See our Camtasia pricing page for its US plans.
- Download sizes are the vendor’s own installer, read without downloading it.
- n/a means the vendor didn’t publish it, or we couldn’t read it without signing up. The reason is in the cell.
- CursorClip facts come from the released 2.1.0 app. Features that aren’t released yet are marked as coming in the next release.
We don’t link to the other apps. Their names are plain text, and their sites are easy to find.
Free to record and edit. To export: from $9/month, or $70 once with no renewal, plus tax where applicable.
Free to record and edit. A license to export.