Straight answer
Lumen vs Cap
Lumen and Cap both run on macOS, Windows and Linux. Cap is an open-source recorder with instant shareable links and a Studio editor; Lumen is a paid desktop app focused on automatic zooms that follow your cursor while you record, a camera bubble and on-device captions with local exports.
Details
Choose Cap if open source or instant share links matter most. Cap’s Instant Mode uploads while you record and gives you a link; its Studio Mode saves a local project you edit and export, with zooms, captions and background styling in the editor.
Choose Lumen if you want the Screen Studio-style result with less editing: zooms follow your cursor and clicks during the recording, and the camera bubble and burned-in captions come out in the export, with processing on your device. Lumen is not open source; Premium is from $9/month early bird.
Platform details: Cap’s download page labels its Windows build beta and says its Linux builds need glibc 2.39 or newer (for example Ubuntu 24.04+). Lumen supports Windows 10/11 x64, Linux x86_64 and macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel.
Comparison
| Feature | Lumen | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Yes - Windows 10/11 x64 | Yes - labeled beta |
| Linux | Yes - Linux x86_64 | Yes - glibc 2.39+ (Ubuntu 24.04+) |
| macOS | Yes - Apple Silicon & Intel | Yes - Apple Silicon & Intel |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Zooms | Automatic - follows cursor and clicks while you record | Zooms in the Studio editor |
| Camera | Camera bubble | Camera recording |
| Captions | On-device (local ASR + Whisper Flow), burned into the export | Captions and transcripts (vary by plan and processing) |
| Sharing | Local exports; recordings are not uploaded to Lumen | Instant shareable links or local Studio projects |
| Pricing | Premium from $9/month early bird (not free) | See cap.so |
Sources
Facts about other tools come from their official sites, checked . Pricing and platforms change, so confirm with each vendor.
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