On this page
Requirements & Limits
System requirements, what the Free plan includes, supported languages, export formats, and how OwnClip handles updates and privacy.
System Requirements
The latest macOS
Currently macOS 26 Tahoe, on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). Earlier macOS will not install
About 200 MB download
Plus optional AI models, downloaded on first use
Metal-compatible GPU
Required for Camera AI & video processing
OwnClip needs the latest macOS, which is macOS 26 Tahoe today. It is built directly on capabilities that arrived in the current macOS, so it will not install on an earlier release; there is no reduced or unsupported mode. Check your version under the Apple menu → About This Mac, and if you need to upgrade, macOS updates are free from System Settings → General → Software Update.
A few AI Studio features (Slides Studio, Video Analyst, and Audio Studio) download an extra on-device model the first time you use them. The size runs from a few hundred MB up to about 16 GB, listed under Known Limitations below. Most of them still work without the download.
Required Permissions
Screen Recording
The one permission OwnClip needs to capture your screen. macOS asks the first time you record.
Microphone
Only if you want to narrate. Skip it and you can still record your screen and system audio.
Camera
Only for the webcam bubble and Camera AI. Plain screen recordings never need it.
Speech Recognition
Only for transcription and captions — handled by Apple on-device, so your audio never leaves the Mac.
Accessibility
Only for scroll capture and for bringing a picked window to the front. The global keyboard shortcuts do not need it. Grant it once, then relaunch OwnClip.
Only Screen Recording is required to start. Everything else is optional. OwnClip asks for each one the first time you use a feature that needs it. Click Allow when macOS asks. After you switch Screen Recording on, macOS may ask OwnClip to quit and reopen: click Restart OwnClip (or Quit & Reopen), and nothing you did is lost. The recording shortcuts such as ⌃⌥⌘R need no permission.
Free plan at a glance
What Free limits
- Recordings up to 3 minutes each
- 720p recordings and exports
- The OwnClip watermark is recorded into the video
- Up to 25 saved recordings
- 5 uses a month of reading text out of screenshots (Capture Text)
Pro and Studio remove these limits for recordings made after you upgrade. Takes you already made on Free keep their 720p and watermark.
The monthly allowance covers Capture Text and the AI text actions (clean up, rephrase, summarize) that work on the text you captured. Together they share 5 uses a month, and a try that finds no text does not count.
What Free keeps
- The full video editor, Smart Zoom and cursor effects
- Camera AI: blur, virtual backgrounds, Eye Contact, Smart Framing
- On-device transcription and noise removal
- The screenshot editor and annotation tools
- Smart Share links with an OwnClip-branded page
- Auto-backup to Google Drive, iCloud Drive or OneDrive
A few tools need a paid plan: Video Analyst (Pro), and Brand Studio, Go Live and the AI Studio tools (Studio).
Free, Pro and Studio
The everyday toolkit is open on every plan. The multi-track video editor, Smart Zoom and cursor effects, the image and PDF editor, Camera AI, Eye Contact, on-device transcription, scroll capture, and the audio mixer all work on Free. What Free holds back is scale. It limits how long a clip can be, the resolution you record and export at, how many recordings you keep, and a monthly allowance of 5 uses for reading text out of screenshots and the AI text actions on it. It also puts the OwnClip watermark in the video.
Pro lifts those caps and adds Video Analyst. Studio adds the creation studios on top: Brand Studio, Go Live, AI Studio, Slides Studio, and Animate Steps.
Pro ($39) and Studio ($99) are one-time purchases, and each activates up to 2 Macs at a time. View pricing
Known Limitations
Maximum 10 versions per recording in version history
A recording recovered after a crash has no cursor data, so Smart Zoom is not available for it. Recovery covers endings OwnClip can observe — a force-quit or a power loss can still cost you the take.
Backup copies land in accounts you own. Google Drive, iCloud Drive and OneDrive each have their own quota, so a full account stops copying until you make room. Storage you rent yourself (Studio) bills you by usage instead.
Transcription starts with Apple Speech, which needs the language installed on your Mac (System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation). When Apple Speech is unsure about a clip, OwnClip switches to an enhanced model (Whisper). That is a one-time download of about 630 MB, kept for next time.
Slides Studio and Video Analyst share an optional on-device Visual Understanding model, a one-time download of about 3 GB. It needs a Mac with 8 GB of memory. Both tools still work without it, using on-device text reading (OCR) and a simpler outline.
Visual Understanding also has a Higher Quality version (about 6 GB) for Macs with 16 GB of memory or more. It depends on your Mac’s memory, not on your plan. Find both under Settings, AI Models.
Music Creation in Audio Studio is one download of about 16 GB. It needs a Mac with 32 GB of memory. On a Mac with less memory, music generation is not available.
GIF export limited to 480p resolution and 15fps
ProRes export produces large files — ensure sufficient disk space
Subject Erase “High Quality” engine requires a one-time 207 MB model download (cached after first use). Fast and Content-Aware engines work offline immediately.
Subject Erase is tuned for object removal — it extends the surrounding background rather than inventing new content.
Subject Erase works best on small to medium subjects on textured backgrounds. Whole-person erases against busy backgrounds may show soft edges — use selection refinement (drag handles) before erasing to improve results.
Transcription languages
The Language menu in the transcription panel lists these 14. OwnClip starts on your Mac’s language when it is on the list.
Apple Speech reads each language with a model on your Mac. If one is missing, download it under System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Nothing is uploaded.
Export Formats
Every format is open on every plan. Pick MP4 if you are not sure. The audio-only options are in the same Export sheet.
| Format | Extension | Quality | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264) | .mp4 | Good | Works everywhere. The safe default |
| HEVC (H.265) | .mov | Better | Smaller files, newer devices |
| MOV (QuickTime) | .mov | Good | Apple apps and QuickTime |
| ProRes 422 | .mov | Professional | Video editing workflows |
| ProRes 4444 | .mov | Highest | Compositing with alpha |
| WebM (VP9 + Opus) | .webm | Good | Web pages and browsers |
| GIF | .gif | Basic | Short silent loops |
| Audio only: WAV | .wav | Lossless | Biggest files, every editor |
| Audio only: ALAC | .m4a | Lossless | Compressed, Apple apps |
| Audio only: FLAC | .flac | Lossless | Compressed, widely supported |
| Audio only: M4A | .m4a | High | Small files, plays everywhere |
Privacy and on-device processing
Every AI feature in OwnClip runs on your Mac. Recordings stay on your disk unless you explicitly upload or share them.
Camera AI runs on Metal GPU
Background blur, segmentation, Smart Framing, and Beauty filter use Vision and Metal Performance Shaders. No frames are uploaded.
Transcription is local
Apple's Speech framework runs on the Neural Engine with on-device recognition enforced. Per-language models download via System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation.
Vision tasks run on your Mac
Screenshot OCR, Smart Framing face detection, and object removal all use Apple's Vision framework and on-device models. No image or video data leaves the device.
You own your share storage
Branded share pages stream from your own Google Drive (BYOS). OwnClip stores a pointer; the bytes are yours.
Where your files and models live
Everything OwnClip makes stays on your Mac unless you send it somewhere. Here is where to find it, and the short list of things that do leave.
Recordings
New recordings are saved in the Movies/OwnClip folder in your home folder. To see or change the folder, open Settings and look for the Output section: Open shows it in Finder and Choose… picks another one.
AI models
Models you download are kept in ~/Library/Application Support/OwnClip/Models. Open Settings, AI Models to see what is installed and how much space it takes. Each model has a Remove button, and OwnClip asks before it deletes anything. A removed model downloads again the next time you use its feature.
What leaves your Mac
- Smart ShareThe video is uploaded to your own Google Drive, and OwnClip keeps a pointer to it so the link works. Only when you click Share.
- Cloud backupCopies go to the Google Drive, iCloud Drive, OneDrive or storage you own. Off until you switch it on. Never to an OwnClip server.
- Update checksOwnClip asks the OwnClip update server whether a newer version exists, and downloads it when you accept.
- Sign-in and license checksYour account and plan are checked with OwnClip’s servers. Your recordings are not part of that.
- Model downloadsAI models are downloaded to your Mac the first time you use a feature. Nothing about your files is sent back.
- Crash and usage reportsAnonymous crash reports are on by default. Anonymous usage counts are optional. Neither contains your recordings. Change both in Settings, Privacy.
Auto-Updates
OwnClip updates itself in the background, the same way most professional Mac apps do.
OwnClip checks for new versions when you launch it, and roughly once a day after that, silently in the background.
Only changed files are downloaded, so updates are typically ~50% smaller than a full installer.
Every release is signed with our Developer ID and notarized by Apple, and a cryptographic signature is verified before any update is applied to your Mac.
When prompted, you can skip a specific version or remind-me-later. Updates never interrupt an active recording.
Watermark
On the Free tier, recordings carry the OwnClip watermark (it reads "Made with OwnClip"), recorded into the video and kept in anything you export from them. Activate a Pro license and everything you record after that is clean; recordings made on Free keep the mark.
Pro removes the watermark from new recordings. Studio can also swap in your own logo through Brand Studio, which suits client work and videos shared by a team.