head to head · open source
ShareX vs Kap
ShareX has 40,589 GitHub stars, 4,023 forks, 646 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Kap has 19,412 stars, 902 forks, 256 open issues and last shipped 2.0 years ago. ShareX leads on adoption by 109% (40,589 vs 19,412 stars). ShareX is written in C# under GPL-3.0; Kap is written in TypeScript under MIT. ShareX has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Kap 5%. ShareX was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (capture), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| ShareX | Kap | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 19K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2024-11-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.0K | ⑂ 902 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ShareX if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Kap if
- You want the Kap feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Kap fits your workflow better
About ShareX
Screen capture, file sharing and productivity tool For further information please check our website ShareX Free Screen Capture, Screenshot, File Sharing and Productivity Tool ShareX is a free and open source screenshot tool, screen recorder, file sharing tool and productivity application for Windows. It is designed for users who need fast screen capture, powerful screenshot editing, automated sharing, custom upload destinations and practical utilities in one lightweight desktop app. With ShareX, you can capture any area of your screen, record video or GIFs, annotate screenshots, upload files, copy shareable…
read the full ShareX overview →
About Kap
Kap An open source screen recorder built with web technology Get Kap Download the latest release: Apple silicon Intel Or install with Homebrew Cask: How To Use Kap Click the menu bar icon to bring up the screen recorder. After selecting what portion of the screen you'd like to record, hit the record button to start recording. Click the menu bar icon again to stop the recording. Tip: While recording, Option click the menu bar icon to pause or right click for more options. Contribute Read the contribution guide. Plugins For more info on how to create plugins, read the plugins docs. Dev builds Download main or…
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Frequently asked questions
Is ShareX or Kap more popular?
ShareX has 40,589 GitHub stars and Kap has 19,412. ShareX has the larger community by that measure.
Are ShareX and Kap free?
Both are open source. ShareX is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kap under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ShareX and Kap?
ShareX is written in C# and Kap in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ShareX or Kap?
Choose ShareX if you want the larger community (40,589 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Kap if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.