# Cap is the Loom alternative I use, on my own domain Source: https://aaronmakelky.com/blog/cap-loom-alternative Last updated: 2026-10-31 Cap has a generous free plan, lets you use your own storage, and puts Loom-style share links on your own domain. Here's my setup with Cloudflare R2. October 31, 2026 · 5 min read Cap · Loom Alternative · Screen Recording · Cloudflare R2 · Self-Hosting I've been using [Cap](https://go.cap.so/aaron-makelky) as my Loom alternative for screen recordings. It's got a generous free plan, but it also lets you self-host and use your own storage, so now you can send Loom-style videos hosted on your own site and your own database. Here's one I made. Pay attention to the URL of the video. 19 seconds on why I use Cap. [Open it on caps.aaronmakelky.com](https://caps.aaronmakelky.com/s/mnmthfc2per1a7h). Not sponsored, just a happy user. I pay for Cap Pro myself. Links to Cap's site in this post use my referral link, so if you sign up through one, I may earn something at no additional cost to you. [Try Cap free](https://go.cap.so/aaron-makelky) ## What Cap is Cap is an open source screen recorder for Mac and Windows. You hit record, it grabs your screen, your camera bubble, and your mic, and when you stop you get a link to send. I use it for quick walkthroughs and short videos I'd rather show than type out. There's also a Studio Mode if you want to record locally and edit before you share, with backgrounds, zooms, and trimming. On Cap Pro, the share page also gets an auto transcript, a summary, and chapters. ## The free plan is generous Cap is free for personal use, with no time limit on local recordings. The free plan includes the Studio Mode editor, 4K at 60fps export, and share links up to 5 minutes long. Loom's free Starter plan limits you to 25 videos, 5 minute recordings, and 720p. You pay Cap when you need commercial rights or the cloud. A Desktop License is $29 a year (or $58 once) if you only record and edit locally. I'm on Cap Pro, which adds unlimited sharing, AI, your own storage, and your own domain. ## Self-hosting and your own storage On Cap Pro, you can point Cap at your own S3-compatible bucket, like [Cloudflare R2](https://cap.so/docs/s3-config/cloudflare-r2) or [AWS S3](https://cap.so/docs/s3-config/aws-s3), or at [Google Drive](https://cap.so/docs/teams/google-drive). Cap still runs the app and the share page, and the video files go to your bucket. I already pay for Cloudflare, so I used R2. Storage is free up to 10 GB, then about a penny and a half per GB a month, with no egress fees when people watch. Only new uploads go to your bucket, and your old Caps stay where they were. If you want to run everything yourself, Cap's web app is open source, and you can [self-host it](https://cap.so/docs/self-hosting) with Docker Compose, Railway, or Coolify, then point Cap Desktop at your server. You'd be the one keeping that server running and updated. I keep my meeting transcripts in a vault I own ([here's how](/blog/your-meeting-tool-shouldnt-own-your-transcripts)), and now my screen recordings sit in my own bucket too. If I stop paying for Cap someday, the files stay there. ## Loom-style videos on your own domain Cap Pro also lets you put share links on your own domain. Mine are on caps.aaronmakelky.com. [![A Cap share page at caps.aaronmakelky.com/s/mnmthfc2per1a7h titled Switch from Loom to Cap for cheaper, self-hosted screen sharing, with the video player, emoji reactions, a Comment button, and an auto transcript with timestamps](/images/blog/cap-loom-alternative/cap-share-page.jpg)](/images/blog/cap-loom-alternative/cap-share-page.jpg) The share page for my Cap, on my domain, with the auto transcript under the player. ## How I set it up Here's the order I did it in, using Cap's [Cloudflare R2 guide](https://cap.so/docs/s3-config/cloudflare-r2): 1. Make a private R2 bucket for Cap. 2. Add a CORS rule so cap.so can upload to it (Cap's guide has the exact rule). 3. Create an R2 API token that can read and write that one bucket and nothing else. 4. In Cap, open Settings, then Integrations, then S3 Config, pick Cloudflare R2, and paste in the keys, the endpoint, and the bucket name. Hit Test Connection, then Save. 5. Record a test Cap and make sure the file shows up in the bucket and the link plays. 6. Add your custom domain in Cap, then add the CNAME record Cap gives you at your DNS provider. On Cloudflare, set it to DNS only. Then hit Check Status in Cap. Cap's docs say not to paste your R2 keys into a chat with an AI agent. I keep mine in Keychain. ## Cap vs Loom pricing Here's how the two compare on their pricing pages as of October 31, 2026. | | Loom | Cap | | --- | --- | --- | | Free plan | 25 videos, 5 min recordings, 720p | Personal use, no time limit on local recordings, share links up to 5 min | | Paid plan | Business $18, Business + AI $24 a user a month | Cap Pro $12 a user a month, or $8.16 billed yearly ($98) | | AI summaries and chapters | Business + AI | Cap Pro | | Your own storage | Not on Loom's plans | Cap Pro: your own S3 bucket or Google Drive | | Custom share domain | Not on Loom's plans | Cap Pro | | Self-host | No | Yes | | Open source | No | Yes | [Cap Pro](https://go.cap.so/aaron-makelky) at the yearly price is about half of Loom Business. ## The Halloween coupon I subbed with Richie McIlroy, Cap's founder, sent out a Halloween deal: the code HALLOWEEN30 at checkout got you Cap Pro for $68.60 a year instead of $98, 30% off for life, locked in as long as the yearly plan stays active. New customers only, and it was good through 11:59 pm on October 31, 2026. I subbed right away. [![Email from Richie at Cap: get Cap Pro for 68.60 dollars a year instead of 98 dollars and lock in that price for life. Use HALLOWEEN30 at checkout before 11:59 tonight. New customers only.](/images/blog/cap-loom-alternative/halloween-coupon-email.jpg)](/images/blog/cap-loom-alternative/halloween-coupon-email.jpg) Richie's HALLOWEEN30 email. If you missed it, check [Cap's site](https://go.cap.so/aaron-makelky) for whatever is running now. Students get 30% off, and you can start on the free plan without paying anything. ## Who should switch If you're paying Loom to send short screen shares, try Cap. Cap Pro costs less than Loom's paid plans, it can put your videos in your own storage on your own domain, and it has a Loom video importer, so your old library can come with you. If your team runs on Loom's AI meeting notes or its Salesforce integration, Cap doesn't have those, so stay put. [Get Cap](https://go.cap.so/aaron-makelky) If you set up your own Cap domain, send it to me on X [@theaaron](https://x.com/theaaron). I want to see it. ## Related pages - [All field notes](/blog) - [Your meeting tool shouldn't own your transcripts](/blog/your-meeting-tool-shouldnt-own-your-transcripts) - [Your AI app should not own your work](/blog/your-ai-app-should-not-own-your-work) - [Switch from Granola to Wispr Flow](/granola-to-wispr-flow) - [The Lovable tax, and the $10 a year website stack I use instead](/blog/lovable-alternative) - [Build it or buy it: the SaaS tools I'd replace with AI](/blog/build-or-buy-saas) ## Sources and references - [Cap docs: Cloudflare R2 storage](https://cap.so/docs/s3-config/cloudflare-r2) - [Cap docs: Self-hosting Cap Web](https://cap.so/docs/self-hosting) - [Aaron on X (@theaaron)](https://x.com/theaaron) ## Common questions ### Is Cap free? Yes, for personal use. The free plan has no time limit on local recordings, includes the Studio Mode editor and 4K export, and gives you shareable links up to 5 minutes long. Commercial use needs a Desktop License ($29 a year) or Cap Pro ($12 a user a month, or $8.16 a month billed yearly). ### Can you self-host Cap? Yes, two ways. Cap Pro can send new uploads to your own S3-compatible bucket, like Cloudflare R2 or AWS S3, or to Google Drive, and serve share links from your own domain. Or you can run the whole Cap web app yourself with Docker Compose, Railway, or Coolify. Aaron Makelky uses the first one: Cap Pro, his own Cloudflare R2 bucket, and caps.aaronmakelky.com. ### Is Cap open source? Yes. Cap's code is on GitHub. Most of it is licensed under AGPLv3, and a few camera and screen capture packages use MIT. ### Does the HALLOWEEN30 coupon still work? It was good through 11:59 pm on October 31, 2026, for new customers only: Cap Pro for $68.60 a year instead of $98, locked in for as long as the yearly plan stays active. After that, check Cap's site for a current offer. Students get 30% off. ### How much cheaper is Cap than Loom? Loom's paid plans are $18 (Business) and $24 (Business + AI) a user a month, billed monthly. Cap Pro is $12 a user a month, or $8.16 billed yearly, and it includes AI titles, summaries, chapters, and transcripts.