Should I use Kirocast or OBS to record a product demo?
OBS is free, open source, and the standard for live streaming - unbeatable at broadcasting scenes in real time. Kirocast is for recordings that get read afterwards: hold two keys and talk, and it hands a coding agent the recording, every word you said and everything you circled; then it produces the auto-zoomed, annotated demo for everyone else. No scene setup, $39 paid once, macOS 15 or later.
Where OBS wins
- Free and open source. No license, no lock-in, a huge plugin ecosystem, and full control.
- Live streaming. Scenes, overlays, encoders, multi-source mixing - this is what OBS is for, and nothing touches it.
- Flexibility. Capture cards, multiple cameras, window compositing, cross-platform. If you can imagine the setup, OBS can build it.
Where Kirocast wins
- Talk mode. Hold Control and Option anywhere, talk about what is on screen, circle what matters, and let go: a prompt is already on your clipboard naming the recording, a word-level transcript of what you said and a written record of clicks and circles, including names exposed through Accessibility. Paste it into an agent with access to those files and it reads what you meant - the steps you took, the second it broke, and what you said while it did.
- Zero setup between the bug and the recording. Hold ⌃⌥ and talk while the bug is still on screen, or press ⌥⌘3, ⌥⌘4 or ⌥⌘5 from the menu bar.
- The output is finished. Automatic zoom, smart annotations, smooth motion - a demo you can publish straight out of the app.
- Native Mac experience. A focused macOS 15+ app for Apple silicon that lives in the menu bar and answers to a keyboard shortcut.
Which fits your workflow?
Streaming, multi-camera setups, overlays, capture cards: OBS, no contest, and it costs nothing.
Recordings that someone reads afterwards are a different job. In OBS that means configuring scenes, recording raw, then editing elsewhere - and the file that comes out is pixels, with everything you knew about the run left in your head. Kirocast collapses that into record → read → ship. You are paying $39, once, to skip the broadcast truck.
Questions people ask
Can Kirocast live stream?
No. Kirocast records; it does not broadcast. If you need to stream, OBS is the right tool - many people use OBS for live and Kirocast for recordings that get read afterwards.
OBS is free - why pay $39?
For the two things that happen after capture. OBS outputs raw footage and expects you to edit it elsewhere; Kirocast writes down what happened, and what you said and circled while it did, so an agent can read it, and produces the finished demo - zoom, annotations, motion - in one pass.
What is Talk mode?
Talk mode is a hold, not a setting, and it comes with Kirocast: free during the trial, then part of your license. Keep Control and Option down anywhere on your Mac and Kirocast records the screen under your pointer and your microphone for as long as you hold. Talk about what is wrong, point at it, draw a circle around anything you want looked at. Let go, and a prompt is already on your clipboard naming three files: a small video, a word-level transcript produced on your Mac, and a JSON record of every click, its timing and everything you circled, with the element’s name when the app exposes it through Accessibility. Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or your own agent. OBS gives you a raw recording of the pixels; Talk mode gives your agent the recording, your words and what you pointed at. The hold and the files are documented on our Talk mode page.
Can I try Kirocast before buying?
Yes. Download Kirocast and confirm your email address: you get 3 days with every feature and every export (styled MP4 and GIF, Talk mode, Export for AI, the exports your agent makes), with no watermark. No credit card needed. After that, recording and editing stay free, and exporting needs a license.