Tau vs Loom
Async screen sharing / SaaS · Free (5-minute videos) or $18/user/month (Business)
prices and features checked October 2026
Loom is a SaaS tool for recording and sharing short screen videos asynchronously. It's built for communication — not timelapse.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Tau | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| Native timelapse (frame intervals) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Camera recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen + camera simultaneously | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in timelapse editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Timer overlays | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export to GIF / WEBM | ✓ | ✗ |
| Local file output (no cloud required) | ✓ | ~ |
| One-time payment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Instant shareable link | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team collaboration features | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✗ | ✓ |
Choose Tau if
You want to record a long session as a timelapse — screen, camera, or both — and export it as a polished video, GIF, or WEBM.
Get Tau →Choose Loom if
You need to quickly record and share a short async screen video with teammates, with no editing required.
Where Loom excels
- ✓Instant shareable link after recording
- ✓Great for async team communication
- ✓Browser-based — no installation required
- ✓Comments and reactions on videos
- ✓Free tier available
Where Loom falls short for timelapse
- ✗No frame interval recording — full-rate video only
- ✗No timelapse editing tools
- ✗No timer overlays
- ✗Subscription required for most useful features
- ✗Videos live on Loom's servers; downloading them needs a paid plan
- ✗5-minute limit on free tier
- ✗Not designed for multi-hour session capture
Ready to make better timelapses?
One-time payment. Free updates. macOS and Windows.
Get Tau — $16.99€14.99