By Chris, Screencap Team · Last updated: 25 October 2026
Screencap is a free screen recorder that writes a transcript, title, summary and chapters for each recording once you connect your own OpenRouter key. You pay OpenRouter for the models, not Screencap. The Mac editor also makes captions on-device, with SRT and VTT export.
Which screen recorder generates transcripts and summaries automatically?
Screencap does, using a key from your own OpenRouter account. Save the key and a speech-to-text model once, and transcription starts on its own for each new recording. A title, summary and chapters follow from the summary model you picked.
Screencap has no AI keys of its own, so this is optional and off until you add one. Without a key, recording, sharing and editing work as usual and nothing is sent anywhere.
How do I turn on transcripts and summaries?
Connect OpenRouter in Settings, then pick two models. It takes about a minute, and you do it once.
- Open Settings on screencap.co and go to AI & transcription.
- Connect OpenRouter with the button, or paste an OpenRouter key.
- Pick a speech-to-text model and a summary model. Each shows its cost per hour of video.
- Record as usual. New recordings get a transcript, title, summary and chapters on the share page.
The key belongs to the person who owns the video, and it is stored encrypted. Remove it and the key is deleted.
What does a transcript cost?
The cost is OpenRouter's price for the models you choose, charged to your OpenRouter account. Screencap adds nothing on top.
Rather than quote a number that moves, Screencap shows the cost per hour of video next to every model in Settings, before you pick one. A 5-minute recording costs a twelfth of the hour figure. For the live rate behind a model, open its page on OpenRouter, which publishes its own prices and can change them.
Can I get captions without an AI key?
Yes, in the Screencap Mac app. The Studio editor's Captions tab generates captions with on-device speech recognition, and you can export them as SRT or VTT.
Press Generate Captions yourself; nothing runs automatically. The first time, the app downloads a speech model to your Mac (the Recommended one is about 640 MB). Recognition then runs locally. SRT and WebVTT are standard caption formats, and WebVTT is the one the web's video player understands (W3C, checked 25 October 2026).
On-device captions are separate from the OpenRouter transcript. The first is a caption track you edit and export. The second is a transcript, summary and chapters on the share page.
What gets sent to OpenRouter, and can I limit it?
With a key saved, Screencap sends your recording's audio to OpenRouter in 5-minute chunks, and OpenRouter passes it to the model provider you picked. Turn on Zero data retention in the same Settings page to keep it to providers that don't store audio or transcripts.
OpenRouter's documentation says that with zero data retention "a provider will not store your data for any period of time" (OpenRouter docs, checked 25 October 2026). The switch is off by default, and fewer models may be available when it is on. For the full picture, read our security page.
Which recordings can't be transcribed?
End-to-end encrypted recordings. Transcripts, AI titles, summaries and chapters are not available for them, because Screencap's servers cannot read the video. Encryption is a Mac-only setting that is off by default, so you choose per setup. See the encrypted screen recorder page.
For any other recording, the owner can switch off the summary, chapters, transcript and captions on that video alone.
Questions
Are transcripts included free with Screencap?
No. Screencap itself is free, but server-side transcripts and summaries run on your OpenRouter account at OpenRouter's prices. Settings shows each model's cost per hour of video before you pick it. The on-device captions in the Mac editor cost nothing.
Does Screencap send my recordings to an AI company?
Only if you add a key. With no key, nothing is sent anywhere. With a key, short audio chunks go to OpenRouter and the model provider you chose, and the Zero data retention switch limits that to providers that don't store audio.
Can I export subtitles from a screen recording?
Yes. In the Screencap Mac app, generate captions in the Studio editor's Captions tab, then export them as an SRT or VTT file to upload alongside the video on YouTube or another player. Captions run on your Mac, so no AI key is needed.
Can I turn the summary or transcript off for one recording?
Yes. The recording's settings let you switch off the summary, chapters, transcript, captions, comments and reactions for that video.