Tau vs ScreenFlow
Screen recorder and video editor · $199 one-time (macOS only)
prices and features checked October 2026
ScreenFlow is a polished screen recorder and video editor for Mac. It's built for creating tutorials and demos — not timelapses.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Tau | ScreenFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Native timelapse (frame intervals) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Camera recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen + camera simultaneously | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Timer overlays | ✓ | ~ |
| Export to GIF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to WEBM | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✗ |
| One-time payment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full timeline video editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Annotations and callouts | ✗ | ✓ |
Choose Tau if
You want a timelapse-first workflow on Mac or Windows at a fraction of the price.
Get Tau →Choose ScreenFlow if
You're creating tutorials, courses, or polished demo videos that need a full timeline editor and screen annotations.
Where ScreenFlow excels
- ✓Full-featured video editor with timeline
- ✓Good screen and camera recording quality
- ✓Polished macOS-native UI
- ✓Annotations, callouts, and effects
- ✓Widely used for course and tutorial creation
Where ScreenFlow falls short for timelapse
- ✗macOS only — no Windows support
- ✗No native frame interval recording
- ✗$199 — significantly more expensive than Tau
- ✗Overkill for timelapse — most features won't be used
- ✗Stock media library is a separate yearly subscription
Ready to make better timelapses?
One-time payment. Free updates. macOS and Windows.
Get Tau — $16.99€14.99