QuickTime screen recording alternative
A QuickTime screen recording alternative that edits for you
Every Mac can record its screen: press Shift-Command-5, or use QuickTime Player, and you get a .mov on your desktop. For a quick capture that is the right tool and it costs nothing. It gives you the raw recording and nothing else. SmoothCut is for when the recording has to be watched by someone.
SmoothCut and QuickTime, side by side
| Feature | SmoothCut | QuickTime |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | One-time: $79 or $169 | Built into macOS |
| Platforms | macOS and Windows | macOS only |
| Zooms and cursor | Automatic zooms; the cursor smoothed and restyled afterwards | No zoom; it can show mouse clicks |
| Audio | Microphone and system audio, as separate tracks | Microphone; system audio on macOS 27 and later |
| Camera | Recorded alongside, arranged afterwards | Not part of a screen recording |
| Editing | Built in: cuts, speed, layouts, captions, sound | Trimming |
| Sharing | A share link when you want one, or the file itself | A .mov file you send yourself |
About QuickTime, as checked in September 2026. Their pricing and features can change; check their site for the current picture.
Why people switch
What is different about SmoothCut
Buy it once
One payment. No monthly fee that keeps running whether you recorded anything this month or not. Personal is $79 for one computer with a year of updates; Pro is $169 for five computers with updates for life.
Everything happens on your computer
Recording, editing, captions, the automatic zooms and cuts, and the final export all run on your Mac or PC. Nothing is uploaded to make it work, so it works on a plane and your recordings stay yours.
The polish is automatic
Zooms follow your cursor. The cursor is smoothed after the fact. Captions are written from your voice. You record, and the demo is most of the way there before you touch the editor.
The other side
When QuickTime is still the right choice
No tool is right for everyone. If any of these is you, stay where you are.
- You need a raw capture right now, with nothing to install and nothing to pay.
- You want an untouched recording as a record of what happened.
- You are on a locked-down Mac where you cannot install software.
QuickTime and SmoothCut: questions
Is the Mac's built-in screen recorder QuickTime?
On current versions of macOS the controls you get from Shift-Command-5 belong to the Screenshot app; QuickTime Player's New Screen Recording opens the same recorder. Both save a .mov file.
Can I edit a QuickTime recording in SmoothCut?
SmoothCut's automatic zooms and cursor smoothing depend on data it records itself -- where the cursor went and what it clicked -- so they apply to recordings made in SmoothCut.
More comparisons
- SmoothCut vs Screen Studio SmoothCut does the automatic zooms and smooth cursor Screen Studio is known for, on macOS and Windows, for a one-time price. Everything runs on your computer.
- SmoothCut vs Loom Loom is built around uploading and sharing links. SmoothCut is built around a polished file you own: recorded, edited and exported on your computer, bought once.
- SmoothCut vs Tella Tella records and edits in the browser with a subscription. SmoothCut is a desktop app you buy once: automatic zooms, smoothed cursor and captions, all done locally.
- SmoothCut vs Cap Cap and SmoothCut both zoom and smooth the cursor automatically and caption on your computer. Cap is open source with cloud plans; SmoothCut is one payment with nothing held back for a higher tier.
- SmoothCut vs CleanShot X CleanShot X is a Mac screenshot and annotation toolkit that also records. SmoothCut is a screen recorder and editor for macOS and Windows that produces the finished video for you.
- SmoothCut vs OBS Studio OBS Studio is free, open source software for live streaming and recording. SmoothCut is for the recorded demo: it adds the zooms, smooths the cursor and includes the editor OBS leaves to you.
- SmoothCut vs Descript Descript edits video and podcasts by editing the transcript, in the cloud, on a subscription. SmoothCut is a desktop screen recorder that zooms and smooths the cursor for you, bought once.
- Pricing One payment, no subscription.
Record better videos, faster.
Free to record, edit and preview. Pay once when you are ready to export.
macOS and Windows · No account needed