A Screen Studio alternative for Mac
Smooth Recorder records screen demos with automatic zooms and a smooth cursor, and it also takes screenshots, scrolling captures and text. Here is how it compares with Screen Studio, feature by feature, using what each product says about itself.
At a glance
Smooth Recorder
- Price
- $9 once during early access, $19 after launch. No subscription.
- Platform
- A native macOS app built in SwiftUI and AppKit, for macOS 15 and later.
Screen Studio
- Price
- $29 a month, or $108 a year billed yearly. One-time licenses are no longer sold.
- Platform
- A Mac app built on Electron.
From screen.studio, September 2026.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Smooth Recorder | Screen Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-zoom on your clicks | ||
| Smooth cursor | ||
| Captions made on your Mac | ||
| Cut by editing the transcript | ||
| Screenshots with an editor | ||
| Scrolling capture | ||
| Copy text from the screen | ||
| GIF export | ||
| Native Mac app | Electron | |
| Pay once, no subscription |
Where they differ
Cut by editing the transcript
Smooth Recorder: Delete words in the transcript to cut the video; ums and uhs go in one click. Screen Studio: no.
Screenshots with an editor
Smooth Recorder: Screenshots open in an editor with arrows, text, blur, crop and Smart Redact. Screen Studio: no.
Scrolling capture
Smooth Recorder: Scroll a page and get one tall screenshot, with sticky headers kept once. Screen Studio: no.
Copy text from the screen
Smooth Recorder: Copy the text inside any area of the screen, recognised on your Mac. Screen Studio: no.
Native Mac app
Smooth Recorder: Built in SwiftUI and AppKit, with no browser or web wrapper. Screen Studio: partly (electron).
Pay once, no subscription
Smooth Recorder: One payment. No subscription and no account. Screen Studio: no.
What both do
- Auto-zoom on your clicks.
- Smooth cursor.
- Captions made on your Mac.
- GIF export.
Compare with other apps
- CleanShot X alternative
- Cap alternative
- Screen Charm alternative
- FocuSee alternative
- Tella alternative
- Camtasia alternative
- Loom alternative
Screen Studio details are from its own website, September 2026; check there for the latest. Smooth Recorder details are from the app itself. Names are trademarks of their owners; we're not affiliated.
One key for every kind of capture.
Press ⌥1, pick an area, press Return, and it's on your clipboard. Open it in the editor to give it your look. Screenshots, recordings, GIFs and more.