Limelight

A Kap alternative for live screen presenting

Kap is a free, open-source macOS screen recorder that also exports GIFs. Limelight is not a recorder — it is the live overlay you run on top of Kap to make your cursor, keystrokes, and annotations easy to follow.

Kap is great at what it does: capturing your screen and turning it into clean recordings or GIFs, all for free and open source. If you need to produce a screen capture file, Kap is a dependable tool.

Limelight handles a different job — clarity in the moment. As a native menu-bar overlay it adds a glowing cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1), on-screen keystroke badges (⌃⌥2), and freehand drawing (⌃⌥3) on top of whatever you are showing. It records nothing itself; it just makes what you present easier to follow.

These two work well together rather than competing. Use Kap to record or make a GIF, and run Limelight on top so the cursor, shortcuts, and annotations are visible in the capture. For live calls where there is no recording at all, Limelight stands on its own.

Why Limelight

  • ▸Complements any recorder, including Kap — run it on top while you capture
  • ▸Cursor spotlight, keystroke badges, and freehand drawing in one menu-bar app
  • ▸Works in live calls and lectures where there is no recording step
  • ▸One-time purchase free to start; native, notarized, nothing uploaded
Try it free — download

Cursor spotlight free · from $2.99/mo or $34 lifetime · macOS 14+

Or get Pro — from $2.99/mo · See how it works →

free to start, then go Pro from $2.99/mo or a $34 one-time lifetime license. macOS 14+, notarized by Apple.

FAQ

Does Limelight record my screen like Kap?
No. Limelight is a live overlay, not a recorder. Use Kap (or any recorder) to capture, and run Limelight on top for cursor, keystroke, and drawing clarity.
Is Limelight free like Kap?
Limelight has free to start, then a one-time purchase. Kap is free and open source; the two are built for different jobs and pair well.

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