Tella Still Lists ScreenKite as a Mac App. ScreenKite Now Ships a Windows Beta.
Tella's alternatives page (checked 2026-09-17) frames ScreenKite as a free local Mac app. ScreenKite ships native macOS and a native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D). Local full NLE, BYO agents, pay once.
Free to start. Pay once to own. Every editing feature is free. One payment of $79.99 removes the export watermark, covers 3 Macs and never renews. Founder price until 2026-10-31, then $99.99. ScreenKite ships native macOS and a native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D). Export up to 3 times faster in our tests. 83 purpose-built editing tools, shaped by tens of thousands of hours of video-editing practice. The fastest editor for AI. ScreenKite.
On Tella's alternatives page (checked 2026-09-17), the ScreenKite blurb reads:
Looking for a ScreenKite alternative? Tella records on Mac, Windows, and in the browser, with managed video hosting, AI editing, and viewer analytics beyond ScreenKite's free local Mac app.
That sentence positions Tella as the Mac + Windows + browser option, and ScreenKite as a free local Mac app. The Mac-app-only half of that framing is outdated.
What changed
ScreenKite ships native macOS and a native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D). The Windows Beta is downloadable from screenkite.com. A Chrome extension is still in development. See the product note below for the current Windows scope.
For Windows readers comparing polished demo tools, see also Screen Studio for Windows: best options. For the broader product comparison, see ScreenKite vs Tella.
What Tella's sentence is selling
The Tella line bundles three claims:
- Capture surface: Mac app, Windows app, and browser recording.
- Cloud product: managed hosting, AI editing, viewer analytics.
- Competitive frame: ScreenKite as a free local Mac app only.
Points 1 and 2 describe Tella as a cloud SaaS product. Point 3 no longer matches ScreenKite's published platform line as of 2026-09-17.
What ScreenKite sells instead
ScreenKite is a local-first recorder and full timeline editor. Files stay on your machine. You cut on a real NLE surface. You export when you are ready. You bring the coding agent you already pay for.
What you get
- Product: ScreenKite
- Platform: native macOS 15+ (Swift + Metal); native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D). Chrome extension in development.
- Free to use / free to start. Every editing feature free. Free export carries a brand watermark and an animated brand outro.
- Account required.
- Pro: $79.99 founder price until 2026-10-31, then $99.99. One payment. 3 Macs. No subscription.
- AI fee $0. Bring your own agent.
- Export up to 3 times faster in our tests.
- Agents: Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex, Antigravity, Grok Build, Kimi.
- Craft: 83 purpose-built editing tools, shaped by tens of thousands of hours of video-editing practice.
People at Apple, Reddit, HubSpot, and GitHub use ScreenKite. See screenkite.com.
How it is built
On Mac, ScreenKite records and edits on the metal: ScreenCaptureKit, Metal, and VideoToolbox on a native Mac app, not a Chromium shell between capture and export. On Windows Beta, the engine is a dedicated C++23 / Direct3D backend. Agent edits use the same 83 purpose-built tools as the UI over local MCP. Some timeline and transcript actions take confirm:false then confirm:true (propose, then commit). The server does not wait for a human; the Core Agent chat panel is where risk-tier gating lives for that client.
Side-by-side
| Need | Tella (per alternatives page, checked 2026-09-17) | ScreenKite |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, browser | Native macOS + native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D) |
| Library | Managed cloud hosting | Local files on your machine |
| Editing shape | Cloud AI editing + hosted workflows | Local full timeline NLE |
| Analytics / hosted share | Viewer analytics on Tella hosting | Export a file; share where you already host |
| License | Subscription cloud product (see Tella pricing) | Free to start; Pro is one payment (3 Macs) |
| Agents | Tella AI editing (product page) | Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex, Antigravity, Grok Build, Kimi on 83 tools |
| AI fee | Part of Tella's cloud product | $0 ScreenKite AI fee; bring the agent you already pay for |
Who this is for
You record product demos and tutorials. You want a local full NLE, not a cloud library as the default deliverable. You want Mac today and a native Windows Beta path without waiting on someone else's "Mac app" label. You want pay-once Pro for clean exports, and optional agents on the same surface.
Cross-platform & Roadmap: macOS is fully native; the Windows native Beta application is now available for download (powered by a dedicated Direct3D/C++23 engine), with a Chrome extension in development.
Creators and teams choose it because it pairs ultra-fast local hardware exports and built-in link sharing with timeline AI agent editing via Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex, Antigravity, or Grok Build. Describe the cut; the agent does the trims.
Does ScreenKite still ship macOS?
Yes. Native macOS 15+ (Swift + Metal) remains the fully native Mac product. Windows is a native Beta alongside it.
Is the Windows build feature-complete with Mac?
It is a Beta. See the product note above for its current scope. The Chrome extension is still in development.
Where did Tella describe ScreenKite as a local Mac app?
On tella.com/alternatives, checked 2026-09-17: "beyond ScreenKite's free local Mac app."
Bottom line
Tella's alternatives page still frames ScreenKite as a free local Mac app and Tella as the Mac + Windows + browser option. Checked 2026-09-17. ScreenKite ships native macOS and a native Windows Beta (C++23 / Direct3D). Local full NLE. Bring your own agents. Free to start, or one founder payment of $79.99 until 2026-10-31 ($99.99 after) for clean exports on 3 Macs. No ScreenKite subscription.
Founder of ScreenKite. Mike records product demos and lessons on a Mac, and builds the recorder and editor he wanted for that work.
www.screenkite.comRelated articles
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