System requirements, free vs Pro, supported languages, export formats, and how OwnClip handles updates and privacy.
macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later
Apple Silicon (M1+). Earlier macOS will not install
~150 MB download
Plus optional AI models, downloaded on first use
Metal-compatible GPU
Required for Camera AI & video processing
OwnClip is built and tested for macOS 26 (Tahoe) and later, and that is the only version it runs on. 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 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 additional on-device model the first time you use them (a few hundred MB up to several GB, see Known Limitations below). Every one of them has a graceful fallback and works without the download too.
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 global keyboard shortcuts and scroll capture. 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.
The everyday toolkit is open on every plan: the multi-track video editor, 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: how long a clip can be, what resolution you export at, a watermark, how many recordings you keep, and a monthly allowance for AI text.
Pro lifts those caps. Studio adds the creation studios on top: Brand Studio, Go Live, AI Studio, Slides Studio, Video Analyst, and Animate Steps.
Pro is a one-time purchase of $39 and activates 1 Mac at a time; Studio ($99) activates up to 2. View pricing
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, so the space they take is governed by that account: Google Drive, iCloud Drive and OneDrive each have their own quota, and storage you rent yourself (Studio) bills you by usage instead
Transcription requires initial model download (~75 MB, cached after first use)
Slides Studio and Video Analyst share an optional on-device Visual Understanding model (~2.9 GB, one-time download); both work without it via on-device OCR and a deterministic outline instead.
Video Analyst needs about 8 GB of free memory to run visual analysis; without it, analysis still runs from audio and transcript alone.
Audio Studio's music model has three quality tiers: Standard (~5 GB, needs 8 GB RAM), High Quality (~11 GB, needs 16 GB RAM), and Ultra Quality (~14 GB, needs 32 GB RAM). Only the tiers your Mac can run are selectable.
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.
For on-device AI transcription (Apple Speech)
| Format | Extension | Quality | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264) | .mp4 | Good | Universal compatibility |
| HEVC (H.265) | .mp4 | Better | Smaller files, modern devices |
| ProRes 422 | .mov | Professional | Video editing workflows |
| ProRes 4444 | .mov | Highest | Compositing with alpha |
| GIF | .gif | Basic | Quick sharing, social media |
Every AI feature in OwnClip runs on your Mac. Recordings stay on your disk unless you explicitly upload or share them.
Background blur, segmentation, Smart Framing, and Beauty filter use Vision and Metal Performance Shaders. No frames are uploaded.
Apple's Speech framework runs on the Neural Engine with on-device recognition enforced. Per-language models download via System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation.
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.
Branded share pages stream from your own Google Drive (BYOS). OwnClip stores a pointer; the bytes are yours.
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.
On the Free tier, exports include a small "Made with OwnClip" watermark. Activate a Pro license and it's gone.
Studio users can replace the OwnClip watermark with their own logo via Brand Studio, ideal for client work and team distribution. Pro removes the watermark entirely; Studio lets you swap in your own.