A cursor that glides
Smoothing, click animations, motion blur and a slight tilt make each movement easy to follow. Pick white or black, at any size.
Screen recordingsthat direct themselves.
Record your screen and OnScreen adds the zooms, a smooth cursor, captions, keystrokes and highlights for you. Everything happens on your computer.
$29, one-time payment · Windows and Mac
Automatic zoom
Choose how the camera follows you.
Zooms come from your clicks, and you decide how the camera moves in each one. Follow stays with the cursor. Focus frames the area you are working in, like an open menu, and holds still there. Manual goes to the spot you mark.
- Zooms come from your clicks
- Follow, Focus or a fixed spot
- Pick the mode for each zoom
Editor
What a good tutorial needs, done for you.
OnScreen makes the first edit on its own. You can change anything on the timeline or export the video as it is.
Shortcuts on screen
Key presses and clicks show up as keycaps, and you decide how they look.
Automatic captions
Whisper transcribes your voice on your computer. Each word lights up as you say it, and you can edit every line.
Point at what matters
Dim, blur or frame everything around an area, then draw an arrow to it.
Hide private details
Blur emails, API keys and names in a couple of clicks.
Backgrounds and frames
Use gradients, wallpapers or your own photos, with rounded corners and soft shadows.
Clicks you can hear
Optional click, key and scroll sounds, so a silent demo doesn't feel empty.
Your webcam too
Show your webcam as a bubble or a split layout, with your mic and system audio in sync.
Vertical video
One recording for every format.
Switch to 9:16 and OnScreen reframes around the action, keeps captions and keys inside the safe zone and puts your webcam on top, ready for Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
- 16:9
- 9:16
- 1:1
- 4:3
Private by design
Your recordings stay on your computer.
There is no account and no cloud. Projects are regular files on your disk, and captions are transcribed on your machine.
- Works offlineYou can record, edit and export without a connection.
- On-device captionsWhisper large-v3 runs locally and understands English, Spanish and many other languages.
- No sign-upYou activate OnScreen with a license key.
How it works
From recording to finished video in three steps.
01Record
Pick a screen, window or area from the floating bar, and add your webcam and mic if you want.
- 02
Edit
Zooms, cursor and captions are ready when you stop. Adjust anything on the timeline.
03Export
Export an MP4 up to 4K at 60 fps, in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:3.
Pricing
One price, paid once.
OnScreen costs $29. There is no subscription and no monthly fee.
OnScreen$29
one-time payment
- Every feature in the app
- A license key instead of an account
- Recordings that never leave your computer
- Windows and Mac
What the alternatives cost
Prices for one person, taken from each company's pricing page. Where an app has a free plan, we list its paid plan.
| App | Price | First year | Over 3 years | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnScreen | $29 once | $29 | $29 | Win, Mac |
| ScreenFlowScreenFlow | $199 once | $199 | $199 | Mac |
| LoomBusiness | $180/yror $18/mo | $180 | $540 | Win, Mac, web |
| CamtasiaEssentials | $179.88/yr | $179.88 | $539.64 | Win, Mac |
| TellaPro | $156/yror $26/mo | $156 | $468 | Win, Mac, web |
| Screen StudioScreen Studio | $108/yror $29/mo | $108 | $324 | Mac |
| RapidemoRapidemo | $108/yror $19/mo | $108 | $324 | Win |
| CapDesktop License | $58 onceor $29/yr | $58 | $58 | Win, Mac, Linux |
| FocuSeeStandard | $49.99/yror $19.99/mo | $49.99 | $149.97 | Win, Mac |
Prices in USD before taxes, checked in September 2026. Plans change, so check each site for current terms.
What each app includes
Checked against each company's own site and docs. None of them documents a zoom that finds where you are working and holds still there.
| App | OnScreen | Screen Studio | Camtasia | Cap | FocuSee | Loom | Clipchamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic zoom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Zoom that holds still on the activity | Yes | No | No | No | PartlyFixed zoom, set by hand | No | No |
| Captions made on your computer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NoIn the cloud | NoIn the cloud |
| Keystrokes on screen | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyBeta | Yes | No | No |
| Spotlights with arrows | Yes | PartlyHighlight, no arrows | Yes | PartlyHighlight, no arrows | Yes | PartlyArrows, no spotlight | PartlyArrows, no spotlight |
| Blur masks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyWorkaround |
| Windows and Mac apps | Yes | NoMac only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyMac in the browser |
| One-time price | Yes$29 | NoSubscription | NoYearly plan | Yes$58 | Yes$199.99 | NoSubscription | NoMicrosoft 365 |
Checked in September 2026. Apps change, so confirm the details on each site.
Sources
- Screen Studio: screen.studiochangelog, screen.studioauto-zoom, screen.studioadding-a-mask-and-highlight
- Camtasia: techsmith.comai-auto-zoom-and-pan, support.techsmith.com203729278-How-to-use-Speech-To-Text-in-Camtasia-Editor, techsmith.comannotations, support.techsmith.com27009223314701-TechSmith-Transition-to-Annual-Subscription-Pricing-Model-in-2025
- Cap: cap.sostudio-mode, cap.sochangelog, cap.sopricing
- FocuSee: focusee.imobie.comzoom-in-effect.htm, focusee.imobie.comauto-captions.htm, focusee.imobie.comspotlight-effect.htm, focusee.imobie.compricing.htm
- Loom: atlassian.comediting, support.atlassian.comadd-overlays-text-arrows-and-boxes-to-your-video, support.atlassian.comblur-sensitive-information
- Clipchamp: support.microsoft.comhow-to-use-autocaptions-in-clipchamp, clipchamp.comnew-shape-overlays-in-clipchamp, clipchamp.comwindows-video-editor
Compare
Coming from another app?
See how OnScreen compares with the tools you may already use.
- Compare · OnScreen vsScreen StudioThe auto-zoom look, on Windows.
- Compare · OnScreen vsFocuSeeAuto zoom that holds still.
- Compare · OnScreen vsLoomFor videos that need to look finished.
- Compare · OnScreen vsCamtasiaPaid once, not every year.
- Compare · OnScreen vsOBS StudioRecord, and it already looks edited.
- Compare · OnScreen vsCapA zoom that holds still.
FAQ
Questions and answers
What is OnScreen?
OnScreen is a screen recorder and editor for your desktop. It records your screen, webcam and audio, then adds zooms, a smooth cursor, captions and keystrokes so the recording looks edited.
How much does OnScreen cost?
OnScreen costs $29, paid once. There is no subscription.
Is OnScreen a good Screen Studio alternative?
Yes. OnScreen has the same polished auto-zoom style on Windows and Mac, plus Focus zoom and spotlights with arrows, and it costs $29 once.
Which systems does it run on?
OnScreen runs on Windows 10 and 11 and on macOS, with the same editor and project format on both.
Are my recordings uploaded anywhere?
No. Recording, editing and exporting all happen on your computer. There is no account and no cloud storage.
How do the automatic captions work?
OnScreen transcribes your voice on your own computer with OpenAI's Whisper large-v3 model, which it downloads once. Each word is highlighted as it's spoken, and you can edit every line.
Can I record my webcam and microphone?
Yes. Add your webcam as a bubble or a split layout, and record your microphone and system audio at the same time.
What can I export?
MP4 (H.264) up to 4K at 60 fps, in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:3. That covers YouTube, docs, Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
Can I hide sensitive information?
Yes. Draw a mask over emails, keys or names and OnScreen blurs them for as long as you need.
Make your next tutorial one people watch to the end.
OnScreen for Windows and Mac, $29 paid once.
No account needed, and nothing gets uploaded.