Update May 2024: There are actually several Open Source Loom alternatives, I’ve done more research and written about them here.
When I opened Producthunt today, I didn’t expect to be greeted by the next coolest thing since Cal.com’s open source revolution.
But I was! Cap.so was right near the top, and I checked it out.
Onto the tool and my thoughts:
Why am I automatically a fan?
- It’s open Source. If you’re a developer, you can contribute.
- It has a paid monthly option. (I think this is vital and a great step for sustainable development.)
- The team video sharing space has been waiting for another disruptor
Some quick disclaimers before I dive into my initial thoughts:
- It’s free to check out. Regardless of what I say, I’d still check it out. 🙂
- It’s very clearly labelled as beta in multiple areas (And I have had my share of small bugs so far.)
- The maker has been actively hunting for bugs, going so far as to offer money to find them.
Let’s dive in!
The landing page is easy to understand, I like the colour scheme and branding. Obvious what it’s for. “Screen Sharing” does imply a bit of Zoom for me, so might want to be swapped for people who stumble on this organically. (If you’re in IT support looking for a Loom Alternative, “screen sharing” implies Zoom alternative rather than Loom.)
Login is done through magic link, fairly standard and secure. I’m looking forward to social logins being enabled. (I know, I should contribute.)
The landing page is simple/clean. I like the labelling of ‘Cap’ for the screen recordings as well. Feels like something that could make its way into a company vernacular quickly.
I tried to download the Mac App since I’ve tested Tella and Loom with the app, I was able to get the dmg file onto my Mac, and after I moved it into my applications folder and logged in (lightening fast login), it made its way through the typical screen recorder setup process:
My only small note on this would be to move the Screen enable option to the bottom. It’s the main one that causes the app to close and reopen, I’ll submit this as a feature within their Discord.
After the typical security requirements, I was able to start recording:
Easy to read and understand, love the minimalism of this layout.
After recording in browser (also was fast and flawless), you get an instant link and layout that you can share, with a familiar looking emoji bar.
shot
And that’s it! You can share your link, people can comment/react, just like other platforms.
Before I drop the demo link, I would be lying if I said there weren’t some bugs along the way, like:
- Desktop app not uploading to dashboard (various errors)
- ‘Starting’ button getting stuck loading on browser record
- Videos not fully uploading and refusing to play
Want to see how it looks to your customers? Well, you’re in luck! Here’s the video I took for this demo, feel free to react and comment. (Note that I turned off camera and audio for this demo.)
https://cap.so/s/99vqchn3hchfdhe
(I wasn’t able to find a button to change the title of it, so that will have to do.)
And that’s my review and initial impressions! I have had some friends have issues with recording, but the developer behind it appears to be working hard to squash bugs and get things working flawlessly.
If you liked this writeup, please let them know ScreenDen sent you! Thanks for reading 🙂