Tau vs QuickTime Player
Built-in macOS screen and camera recorder · Free (bundled with macOS)
prices and features checked October 2026
QuickTime records your screen or camera in a couple of clicks and is already installed. It has no timelapse mode at all — you get a full-rate video you then have to speed up somewhere else.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Tau | QuickTime Player |
|---|---|---|
| Native timelapse (frame intervals) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Camera recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen + camera simultaneously | ✓ | ✗ |
| Built-in timelapse editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Timer overlays | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export to GIF / WEBM | ✓ | ✗ |
| Runs quietly in the background | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free | ✗ | ✓ |
Choose Tau if
You want the finished timelapse itself, without a huge intermediate recording and a second app to speed it up.
Get Tau →Choose QuickTime Player if
You need a quick full-speed screen or camera clip on a Mac and nothing more.
Where QuickTime Player excels
- ✓Already on every Mac, nothing to install
- ✓Genuinely simple — pick a source and hit record
- ✓Reliable full-rate screen and camera capture
- ✓No cost and no licence to manage
Where QuickTime Player falls short for timelapse
- ✗No frame-interval capture, so no real timelapse
- ✗A long session produces a very large file
- ✗No timer or overlay of any kind
- ✗Editing is limited to trimming
- ✗Exports MOV only — no GIF, WEBM, or MP4 preset
- ✗macOS only
Ready to make better timelapses?
One-time payment. Free updates. macOS and Windows.
Get Tau — $16.99€14.99