Mac screen capture for iOS launch videos: Reely vs Kap vs Rotato

Meta title & description

Meta title (≈58 chars): Reely vs Kap vs Rotato – Mac screen capture for app launch

Meta description (≈145 chars): Compare Reely, Kap, and Rotato for Mac screen capture and iOS app launch videos. Learn when to use manual tools vs AI-native, agent-first workflows.

Launching an iOS app without a solid demo video is now a competitive disadvantage.

Apple says the App Store ecosystem drove over $1.4 trillion in billings and sales in 2025, across more than a billion users worldwide (Apple, 2025, as of Aug 2026). That’s a lot of users deciding whether to tap “Get” based on a few screenshots and a 30‑second preview.

At the same time, 91% of businesses use video and 93% of video marketers say it’s important (Wyzowl, 2026). But 19% still say they don’t have time for it, and 24% cite cost as a blocker (Wyzowl, 2026).

If you’re an indie iOS dev or a small mobile team, that tension is familiar: you want polished launch videos, but you don’t want to become a video editor.

This guide compares two paths for Mac screen capture and app launch videos:

• AI-native video generation with Reely (agent-first, simulator‑driven, local rendering)
• Manual capture + editing with tools like Kap and Rotato

We’ll look at Reely vs Kap, Reely vs Rotato, and cases where manual tools still make sense.

This article is a comparison companion to our in‑depth guide, “Best screen capture software for Mac: complete guide for indie app devs” on the Reely blog. Read that next if you want a broader tool roundup.

What “agent-first” and MCP mean (and why devs should care)

Before comparing tools, two definitions you’ll see throughout this article:

• MCP (Model Context Protocol) – an open protocol for connecting AI systems to tools and data sources (Model Context Protocol docs, 2026). It lets AI agents call external tools (like Reely’s recorder) in a standardized way.
• Agent-first workflow – your AI coding agent isn’t just writing code. It is also:
  • launching the iOS Simulator
  • driving your app flow
  • capturing footage
  • handing that footage to a motion pipeline

Reely plugs into this workflow: “promo from code in minutes” is the core idea. The same agent that shipped your feature can also ship your demo reel.

Kap and Rotato, by contrast, are manual tools. You control capture and motion by hand. They can be scripted around the edges, but they weren’t designed as MCP‑connected, agent‑controlled systems.

The criteria that matter for Mac app launch videos

When you’re picking between Reely, Kap, Rotato, or other tools, these are the practical criteria:

1. Capture source and control
   • Does it work with the iOS Simulator?
   • Can an AI agent drive the flows?
2. Compliance with App Store previews
   • Max 30 s per preview, up to 3 per language
   • 500 MB max file size
   • H.264 or ProRes 422 (HQ only)
   • 30 fps max frame rate (Apple App Preview Specs, as of Aug 2026)
3. Editing and motion system
   • Kinetic typography
   • Device frames and motion
   • Dead-air removal and pacing
4. Automation / CI integration
   • Can you generate app demo video from code?
   • Can a CI tool create an app demo video after a successful build?
5. Local vs cloud
   • Does the tool run on-device?
   • Are there uploads to third-party servers?
6. Output formats and resolutions
   • App Store preview‑ready exports (H.264, 1080×1920/1920×1080, 30 fps)
   • Social formats: 9:16, 1:1, 16:9, 4K masters
7. Time cost vs flexibility
   • Do you want a finished launch reel in minutes, or full manual control over every frame?

With that lens, let’s dive into Reely vs the manual stack.

Reely in brief: AI-native app launch video generator for Mac devs

Reely is a native macOS app + MCP/agent tool that turns:

• code
• simulator flows
• screenshots
• or English prompts

into 10–20s feature teasers or 30–60s full launch promos.

Key characteristics:

• Platform & compatibility
  • Native macOS app
  • Designed to work alongside Xcode’s iOS Simulator (Xcode 15+ recommended)
  • Renders on-device via the Mac’s GPU/CPU; motion and compositing run locally
• Capture & control
  • Reely’s MCP tool lets your AI agent recreate flows in the iOS Simulator
  • It records simulator sessions, auto‑cuts dead air, and hands footage to a motion studio
• Motion & branding
  • 13+ typography systems and device choreography presets
  • Brand theme derived directly from your app UI (brand‑theme‑from‑app)
  • Multiple aspect ratios, 4K masters, native gestures, adaptive backgrounds
• Outputs
  • Feature teasers: 10–20 s
  • Launch promos: 30–60 s
  • App Store‑ready exports: up to 30 fps, H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ, sized for iPhone/iPad previews

Note: Reely’s core pipeline renders locally on macOS. Some experimental or optional features (like cloud render queues or remote templates) may use network services; check the latest Reely docs for any cloud‑dependent features.

Who Reely is for:

• iOS devs who want “agent built the app, agent built the reel” workflows
• Builders who ship frequent releases and can’t afford to redo manual screen capture every time
• Teams who want launch‑ready reels instead of raw footage

Manual tools: Kap and Rotato in brief

Kap: lightweight Mac screen recorder

Kap is an open-source Mac screen recorder focused on simplicity.

• Platform & status
  • macOS 12+ (per official site, as of Aug 2026)
  • 19.3k GitHub stars and ~890 forks (GitHub, as of Aug 2026)
  • Latest commit was ~2 years ago (GitHub, as of Aug 2026), so treat it as stable rather than fast‑moving
• Core capabilities
  • Capture regions, windows, or full screen
  • Export: GIF, MP4, WebM, APNG (getkap.co, as of Aug 2026)
  • Optional system audio and mic capture
  • Simple trimming and cursor/click highlights
• Best for
  • Quick iOS Simulator recordings
  • Bug repro videos
  • Lightweight demo GIFs for READMEs or issue trackers

Kap is not a full launch‑video system. It gives you raw footage that you’ll assemble later in another editor.

Rotato: app mockup motion and 3D device frames

Rotato is a Mac app and web app built for animated device mockups.

• Platform & scale
  • Mac app with one‑time payments
  • Web app currently in public beta (free during beta, as of Aug 2026)
  • Mac app has 250,000+ installs (Rotato site, as of Aug 2026)
• Core capabilities
  • 30+ device mockups (phones, tablets, laptops)
  • 8K export support (Rotato pricing/docs, as of Aug 2026)
  • Template‑driven camera moves and reflections
  • Drag‑and‑drop screen images or video
• Best for
  • App store and marketing visuals that look like high‑end 3D renders
  • Landing page hero animations
  • Figma/Sketch designs animated in devices

Rotato excels at “make it look polished” once you have screens or footage. It doesn’t record the simulator for you; you typically use another recorder (QuickTime, Kap, Screen Studio) to capture, then feed Rotato.

Reely vs Kap

High-level comparison: Reely vs Kap

| Criteria | Reely | Kap | | --- | --- | --- | | Tool type | AI-native launch video generator | Lightweight screen recorder | | Platform | Native macOS app + MCP/agent tool | macOS app (open-source) | | Capture source | iOS Simulator via agent or dev | Any screen region/window | | Automation | Designed for agent-first, MCP workflows | Limited; can be scripted via CLI wrappers | | Editing | Built-in motion studio, kinetic type, pacing | Basic trimming only | | Outputs | 10–20s teasers, 30–60s promos, App Store previews | Raw GIF/MP4/WebM/APNG clips | | Local vs cloud | Renders on-device; some features may call services (see docs) | Local recording and export |

When to use Reely instead of Kap

Use Reely when:

• You want to auto-generate app demo reels from build rather than manually record every flow.
• Your AI agent is already part of your workflow, and you want it to generate app demo video from code.
• You need multiple aspect ratios (9:16 for Shorts/Reels, 16:9 for YouTube, 1:1 for X/LinkedIn) without re‑editing.
• You’re producing feature teasers and launch promos with kinetic typography, device motion, and music.

In these cases, Kap becomes redundant: Reely can capture the simulator and output a finished reel in one system.

When Kap still makes sense

Use Kap when:

• You just need a quick capture of a bug or UX quirk to send to a teammate.
• You want GIFs for docs, GitHub issues, or Slack.
• You’re on an older project where installing new tools isn’t worth the overhead.
• You prefer a simple, open-source recorder with minimal UI.

A practical hybrid:

• Use Kap for internal, low‑stakes clips.
• Use Reely for public-facing launch videos where pacing, type, and branding matter.

Reely vs Rotato

High-level comparison: Reely vs Rotato

| Criteria | Reely | Rotato | | --- | --- | --- | | Main purpose | App launch video generator | 3D device mockups & motion | | Input | Simulator footage, code, prompts | Static designs or pre-recorded video | | Capture | MCP agent drives iOS Simulator and records | No built-in capture; relies on external recording | | Motion system | Kinetic type, device choreography tuned for demos | Template-based camera moves and reflections | | Export | Multi-ratio, 4K masters, App Store specs | Up to 8K exports | | Automation | MPC/agent-first, CI-friendly | Manual, designer-focused workflows |

When to use Reely instead of Rotato

Use Reely when:

• Your focus is real app flows, not design mockups.
• You want to keep UI footage in sync with the current build.
• You value automatic dead-air removal and editorial pacing tuned for demos.
• You’re shipping frequent updates and don’t want to re-import new screens into Rotato each time.

In other words: Reely is for “this is the actual app in motion”.

When Rotato still shines

Use Rotato when:

• You’re marketing future designs or concept work that isn’t built yet.
• You need highly stylized 3D renders for landing pages or investor decks.
• You’re producing a brand film where the app UI is one element in a broader motion piece.

Many teams run both:

• Reely for App Store previews, Product Hunt trailers, and social reels.
• Rotato for pitch decks, home page hero animations, and design portfolios.

Reely vs Screen Studio – iOS app demos

Screen Studio (a popular Mac recorder) offers automatic zooms, cursor smoothing, and easy trimming for polished screencasts (screen.studio, as of Aug 2026).

Reely differs in three big ways:

1. Agent-controlled capture
   Screen Studio assumes you drive the flow manually. Reely can be driven by an MCP‑connected agent.
2. App-specific motion system
   Reely’s typography and motion systems are tuned for app launch videos, not generic tutorials.
3. End-to-end automation
   With Reely, your pipeline can be: CI → agent → simulator → finished reel.

If you’re recording long tutorials with your voice, Screen Studio remains excellent. If you’re focused on short, punchy iOS app demo videos, Reely’s automation becomes more compelling.

How to record iOS app preview video on Mac (simulator → App Store preview)

This section targets the common query: “How to record iOS app preview video on Mac”, especially from the simulator.

1. Know Apple’s App Store preview specs

As of Aug 2026, Apple’s guidelines for app previews (developer.apple.com):

• Up to 3 previews per language
• Up to 30 seconds each
• Max 500 MB per file
• 30 fps max frame rate
• H.264 or ProRes 422 (HQ only)
• Device-specific resolutions (commonly used):
  • iPhone portrait: 1080 × 1920
  • iPhone landscape: 1920 × 1080
  • iPad variants (e.g. 1200 × 1600, 2048 × 2732) – check the latest Apple docs

Practical file-size heuristics for H.264 at 1080p/30 fps:

• 10 s clip at 8 Mbps ≈ 10 MB
• 30 s clip at 8 Mbps ≈ 30 MB

So staying under 500 MB is straightforward; prioritize reasonable bitrates (8–16 Mbps for previews).

2. Capture from the iOS Simulator

You have three main capture options on Mac:

1. QuickTime Player (built-in)
   • Open QuickTime → File → New Screen Recording
   • Select the Simulator window
   • Hit record and perform your flow
2. Kap screen recording Mac
   • Install Kap (getkap.co)
   • Start a new recording and drag to select the Simulator window
   • Optionally enable mic/system audio
   • Save as MP4
3. Reely iOS app demo capture
   • Use Reely’s MCP tool to have your agent launch the Simulator and drive the flow
   • Reely records the session internally and hands it to the motion studio

3. Trim and edit

• Manual tools (QuickTime/Kap + editor)
  • Import the clip into a timeline editor (Final Cut, Resolve, Screen Studio, etc.)
  • Trim to ≤30 seconds
  • Add simple captions that work muted, per Apple’s guidance
• Reely
  • Reely auto‑cuts dead air and assembles scenes based on your prompt/flow
  • Add titles and beats via its macOS editor
  • Export multiple versions (e.g. App Store + social)

4. Export with correct settings

For App Store previews:

• Codec: H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ
• Resolution: 1080×1920 or device‑specific size
• Frame rate: 30 fps or lower
• Bitrate: 8–16 Mbps for H.264 is a safe, high‑quality range

Reely’s export presets are tuned to these constraints so you don’t have to remember them every time. With Kap + traditional editors, you’ll configure export settings manually.

CI & automation: auto-generate app demo reels from build

One of the biggest differentiators between Reely and manual tools is automation.

Agent-first CI pipeline with Reely

Here’s how you can let a CI tool create app demo video after successful build.

1. CI builds the app
   • Example: GitHub Actions job builds an .app or .ipa for the iOS Simulator.
2. Agent picks up the build via MCP
   • Your AI coding agent (e.g., Claude Code) connects to Reely’s MCP tool.
3. Generate app demo video from code

Conceptual pipeline:

# .github/workflows/demo-reel.yml
name: Build and demo reel

on:
push:
branches: [ main ]

jobs:
build-and-demo:
runs-on: macos-15
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4

- name: Build iOS app for simulator
run: |
xcodebuild \
-scheme MyApp \
-sdk iphonesimulator \
-destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16' \
-configuration Release \
build

- name: Trigger Reely agent
run: |
reely-cli generate \
--build ./build/Release-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app \
--scenario ./reely_scenarios/feature_onboarding.json \
--output ./artifacts/demo_reels

In this pattern:

• reely-cli is a conceptual CLI interface around Reely’s MCP tool (check Reely docs for exact commands and flags).
• feature_onboarding.json describes the flow (screens, beats, copy) or references an English prompt.

Result:

• Every successful main-branch build produces an updated demo reel in ./artifacts/demo_reels.
• Your marketing assets stay synced with your latest build.

Approximating automation with Kap or Rotato

Kap and Rotato don’t ship with native CI/agent integrations, but you can approximate parts of this.

• Kap
  • No official CLI; some developers wrap Kap via AppleScript or use macOS screen recording APIs directly.
  • You can script a simulator recording using xcrun simctl io to record video, then feed that into your editor.

Example using simctl (not Kap specifically):

xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo demo.mov
# Run your automated UI tests or flows here
xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo --stop

• Rotato
  • Designer-focused UI; automation usually means scripting asset exports (e.g., via Figma plugins) and manually importing into Rotato.
  • Some teams use Rotato for occasional hero renders, not continuous CI output.

Net outcome: manual tools can be scripted around, but they aren’t agent-first by design. Reely is.

Comparison table: Reely vs Kap vs Rotato at a glance

Here’s a concise summary for quick decision‑making.

Reely handles agent-first, simulator-driven launch reels; Kap and Rotato excel as manual capture and mockup tools for specific, smaller tasks.

| Use case | Best tool | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | 10–20s feature teaser for Product Hunt | Reely | Simulator-driven capture, kinetic type, branded, multi-ratio exports | | App Store preview from real app | Reely | Agent-controlled flows, App Store-ready export presets | | Quick GIF of a bug or feature | Kap | Fast, lightweight, exports GIF/MP4/WebM/APNG | | Landing page hero animation with 3D device | Rotato | 3D device library, 8K export, designer-friendly | | Demo from each CI build | Reely | MCP/agent-first, CI-friendly automation | | Concept UI not yet implemented | Rotato | Works directly with mockups and static designs |

Recommendations: when to pick Reely vs manual tools

Pick Reely when:

• You want your agent to build the demo reel from the same source of truth as your code.
• You’re shipping frequent updates and need launch assets to keep up.
• You care about narrative, pacing, and typography, but don’t want to live in a timeline editor.
• You want a local AI video creator on Mac that integrates with your existing simulator and agent workflow.

Pick Kap when:

• You need quick, disposable screen recordings on Mac.
• You’re happy to do final edits elsewhere.
• You value open-source tooling and a simple UI.

Pick Rotato when:

• You’re building 3D device-based visuals for marketing sites or pitches.
• Your input is designs or static screenshots, not a live app.

In practice, many teams combine them:

• Reely for core launch videos and App Store previews.
• Kap for lightweight internal captures.
• Rotato for hero visuals and future-vision design pieces.

FAQ: Mac screen capture and AI launch video workflows

1. Kap screen recording Mac – is it enough for launch videos?

Kap is great for capturing raw footage from the iOS Simulator or any Mac window. It exports GIF, MP4, WebM, and APNG (getkap.co, as of Aug 2026).

However, Kap:

• Doesn’t provide a storytelling or motion system.
• Requires a separate editor for titles, pacing, and music.

For fully polished launch videos, Kap is usually the capture layer, not the entire stack.

2. Rotato app mockup tutorial – how does it fit into a launch video workflow?

A typical Rotato app mockup workflow for launch visuals:

1. Export screens from your design tool (Figma, Sketch, etc.).
2. Import them into Rotato and choose a device mockup.
3. Apply one of Rotato’s motion templates (e.g., subtle rotation, pan, or zoom).
4. Export at up to 8K for use in editors or directly on your site (Rotato docs, as of Aug 2026).

Rotato is ideal for mockup-focused motion. For real app flows captured from the simulator, you’ll usually pair Rotato with a recorder or use a tool like Reely instead.

3. AI launch video generators agent-first workflows – what does that look like in 2026?

An agent-first AI launch video generator (like Reely) typically:

• Connects to MCP so AI agents can call it as a tool.
• Accepts code, build artifacts, or flows as input.
• Controls the iOS Simulator to recreate app flows.
• Assembles footage with typography, device motion, and music.
• Outputs final reels without a human living in a timeline editor.

This aligns with broader trends where AI tools move from assistive (copy suggestions, auto‑zoom) to agentic (end‑to‑end asset creation) (Model Context Protocol docs & Wistia State of Video, 2025–2026).

4. AI video generator runs locally on computer – does Reely require the cloud?

Reely is designed as a native macOS app that renders on-device and integrates directly with the iOS Simulator.

• Core capture, compositing, and motion systems run locally.
• Some optional or experimental features may rely on network services for things like template sync or updates.

Always refer to Reely’s latest documentation and privacy policy to see which features are local-only vs cloud-assisted.

If your requirement is “local AI video creator Mac offline”, Reely’s local rendering pipeline is a strong fit, especially compared to purely cloud-based AI video generators.

5. iOS app preview video generator from simulator – can I automate this?

Yes. With Reely you can:

• Use your agent plus Reely’s MCP tool to drive the simulator.
• Record device-specific flows that match App Store preview requirements.
• Auto‑generate teasers and previews based on scenarios or prompts.

If you want a fully automated “iOS app preview video generator from simulator” for Mac, Reely is explicitly built for that pattern.

If your agent can build the feature, it should also build the demo reel. Reely gives you that path; Kap and Rotato remain excellent manual tools for when you want tight control over individual captures or 3D mockups.