A free screen recorder with auto zoom, built into a launcher

Ferrocast records your screen, an area or a window, then opens the recording in an editor that zooms toward your clicks automatically. You can add your camera, clean up the cursor, transcribe the speech on your Mac and export an MP4 or a GIF. It is free and open source (MIT), and it lives in the same launcher you use for apps, clipboard and files.

Screen Studio is a paid app: its website lists $9 a month billed yearly or $29 monthly (checked 27 October 2026), with features such as shareable links and a cloud transcript that Ferrocast does not have. If you need those, it is the better pick.

Download FerrocastFree · MIT · Apple Silicon · macOS 14 or later

What the recorder and editor do

Ferrocast screen recorder features
Part	In Ferrocast
Record	A whole display, an area or a window; 3 s countdown; 60 fps (or 30).
Auto zoom	Zooms toward your clicks: starts 0.4 s before the first click of a group and returns after 1.2 s without clicks or cursor movement. Manual zooms and a loupe too.
Cursor	Redrawn from the recorded events: size 0.5× to 4×, smoothing, click ring, motion blur, or hidden.
Camera and audio	Camera as an overlay or split layout (circle, rounded or square), microphone and system audio, gain per track.
Transcript	Made on your Mac. Cut words from the text, remove fillers (English and Spanish) and tighten pauses.
Style	Aspect 16:9, 4:3, 1:1 or 9:16; colour, gradient or blurred background; padding, corners and shadow.
Export	MP4 (H.264 or HEVC, up to 4K, 30 or 60 fps) or GIF (480, 720 or 960 px wide, 10 or 15 fps).
Requirements	macOS 14 or later, the Screen Recording permission, an Apple Silicon Mac.

From the screen capture docs. Screen Studio prices from screen.studio, checked 27 October 2026.

Record your first video

Install Ferrocast. Download the DMG or install it with Homebrew.
Run Record Screen. Open the launcher and run Record Screen, Record Area or Record Window. macOS asks for the Screen Recording permission the first time.
Stop. Stop from the small recording panel or the menu bar.
Edit. Open Last Recording: auto zoom is already applied. Adjust zooms, cursor, camera and style, or transcribe.
Export. Press ⌘E and choose MP4 or GIF.

Install Ferrocast with Homebrew

brew tap drumst0ck/ferrocast
brew install drumst0ck/ferrocast/ferrocast
ln -sfn "$(brew --prefix)/opt/ferrocast/Ferrocast.app" \
  /Applications/Ferrocast.app
open /Applications/Ferrocast.app

What Ferrocast does not do

No shareable links or cloud upload: exports stay on your Mac.
GIF exports are limited in length (about 20 seconds at 960 px and 15 fps, about 80 seconds at 480 px).
No Intel Macs and nothing before macOS 14 for recording.

Related guides

Questions

Is there a free Screen Studio alternative for Mac?

Yes. Ferrocast is a free, open-source Mac launcher with a screen recorder that zooms toward your clicks automatically and exports MP4 or GIF.

Does Ferrocast upload my recordings?

No. Recordings, edits, transcripts and exports stay on your Mac. There are no shareable links.

Can I add my webcam?

Yes. Turn on Camera in Settings → Capture → Sources; in the editor it can be an overlay or a split layout.

Which macOS do I need?

macOS 14 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac, with the Screen Recording permission.

Can I export a GIF?

Yes, at 480, 720 or 960 px wide and 10 or 15 fps, for clips up to about 20 seconds at 960 px.

What languages is Ferrocast available in?

English, plus Spanish, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. It follows the macOS language order, or Settings → General → Language. The choice stays on that Mac and is not synced. Anything not translated yet shows in English. Names you type and what Raycast extensions show are never translated.