Free, with every feature
No plan, no trial, no watermark. The AI edits run on your own agent plan, so Claude or ChatGPT users pay $0 more.
Takes Screen Studio alternative
A free Screen Studio alternative for Mac.
Takes for Mac is a free Screen Studio alternative. It records screen and face with a teleprompter, then edits when you ask.
The short answer
Three things to know first.
Made for talking to camera
A teleprompter follows your voice while the screen and camera record. Viewers never see it.
Ask for the edit
"Cut the restarts, add captions, make a 9:16." No timeline, no drags.
At a glance
Screen Studio and Takes, side by side.
Screen Studio
- ✓Zooms in on your clicks
- ✓Share links
- $29 a month, or $108 a year
Takes for Mac
- ✓A teleprompter that follows your voice
- ✓Edit by asking in words
- ✓Free and open source
What it costs
What it costs each month.
Screen Studio yearly costs less than a new Claude Pro plan. If you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT, Takes adds $0.
Takesyou already pay for Claude or ChatGPT$0every feature · no watermark
Takes + Claude Prothe smallest plan, billed yearly$17$20 month to month · no Max plan needed
Screen Studiobilled yearly$9$108 a year
Screen Studiomonth to month$29cancel any month
Screen Studio prices from screen.studio, 22 October 2026. Claude Pro is $20 a month, or $17 billed yearly. ChatGPT Plus with Codex is $20 a month.
How
From one take to every version.
-
1Record screen and face
Press ⌘R. Screen and camera save as two files.
-
2Read your script
It follows your voice. Viewers never see it.
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3Ask for the edit
Plain words. No timeline.
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4Get each version
16:9 and 9:16, saved on your Mac.
Less work
Two sentences, not ten clicks.
The same job: a tight 9:16 clip with captions, then the post.
Timeline editor 10 steps
- Import the take
- Drag it to the timeline
- Find and cut each pause
- Run auto captions
- Remove the filler words
- Fix the caption style
- Set 9:16
- Reframe on your face
- Export
- Write the caption
Takes 2 messages
- "Cut my keeper into a vertical short. Keep it tight, no silences."
- "Now write the posts for it."
8 minfrom the last word of a real take to the first cut (3:18 → 1:24, 36 pauses out)
A real video
What "ask for the edit" looks like.
The maker of Takes made this LinkedIn video in Takes on October 1, 2026. Claude Code did every cut. The full story, step by step.
3:18raw take
36pauses cut
1:24first cut
27notes, in words
9versions
0timeline drags
Some of the real notes
- v3 · 0:14"I stutter here a little, any chance you can correct?"
- v4"Too many stuttery pauses, please cut."
What you get
Everything for a screen video.
A teleprompter that listens
It scrolls as you talk and waits when you stop.
Two synced files
Screen at 60 fps and camera, same start.
Restarts cut for you
Ask once. The ums and retakes go.
Captions in your style
Burned in, low, clear of your face.
9:16 on your face
The vertical crop follows you.
Free, no watermark
MIT licensed. No account, no trial.
Post
Then it writes the posts.
LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Shorts, each shown as it will look.
Compare
Takes and Screen Studio, row by row.
| Takes for Mac | Screen Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source (MIT) | $29 a month, or $108 a year |
| Free plan | Every feature, no watermark | None listed |
| Records | Screen at 60 fps and camera, two synced files | Screen, camera, iPhone and iPad |
| Teleprompter | Follows your voice, left out of the recording | Speaker notes on screen |
| Zoom on your clicks | No | Yes, automatic |
| How you edit | Ask in words | Timeline and transcript |
| Cut ums and pauses | Yes, when you ask | Yes, in one pass |
| Captions | Burned in, in your style | Made on your Mac, .srt export |
| 9:16 version | Yes, framed on your face | Yes |
| Share link | No, files stay on your Mac | Yes, 1080p at 60 fps |
| Post drafts | LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Shorts | Not listed |
| Runs on | Mac, Apple silicon, macOS 15+ | Mac, macOS 13.1+ |
Screen Studio facts from screen.studio, checked 2026-10-22. Takes from its code.
Be honest
Who should stay on Screen Studio.
Takes fits you if…
- you talk to the camera while you show your screen
- you read from a script or notes
- you want the edit done when you ask, with no timeline
- you want it free, with every feature
Stay on Screen Studio if…
- you want zooms on your clicksTakes does no automatic zoom.
- you send share linksTakes keeps files on your Mac.
- you record an iPhone or iPad screenTakes records the Mac.
Get started
Paste one line, or download.
One line installs Takes and sets it up. Or download the .dmg.
NeedsApple silicon, macOS 15+, and Claude Code, Codex or pi.
First time with the .dmg?macOS asks once: click Open Anyway in Privacy & Security.
Free and openMIT licensed. Read the code on GitHub.
Questions
Screen Studio alternative questions.
Is there a free alternative to Screen Studio?
Yes. Takes for Mac is free and open source (MIT): every feature, no watermark. Screen Studio is $29 a month, or $108 a year.
Does Takes zoom in on my clicks like Screen Studio?
No. Takes does no automatic zoom. It records your screen and your face, then edits when you ask.
Can Takes record my screen and my camera at the same time?
Yes. Screen at 60 fps and camera, as two files that start together.
Does Takes have a teleprompter?
Yes. It follows your voice and stays out of the screen recording.
What does Takes need?
Apple silicon, macOS 15+, and an agent on your own plan: Claude Code, Codex or pi.
More about Takes
One app, from script to post.
Screen recorder with cameraScreen and face as two files, with a teleprompter.
TeleprompterRead your script while the camera records.
Remove filler wordsCut the ums and long pauses in one ask.
Tella alternativeScreen and face with a teleprompter, free.
Descript alternativeFree, on your Mac, no media hours.