North Star
and Loom
Both record your screen, your voice and your camera, and give you a link. North Star keeps the recording on your Mac until you share it, and puts screenshots, GIFs and call transcripts in the same app.
North Star fits if
- Everyone who records is on a Mac.
- Most of your videos are one way: a walkthrough, a bug, a review of a build.
- You want recordings to stay on your laptop until you decide to send one.
- You also take screenshots, GIFs and call notes, and would rather have one app than three.
Loom fits better if
- Viewers reply inside the video with comments and reactions, and that conversation is the point.
- Your team needs a shared library of every video, with folders.
- Some of you record on Windows, Chrome or a phone.
- You need SSO, SCIM or a security review package today.
How North Star works
What you get with North Star
-
Recordings stay on your Mac
A take is saved as a file on your Mac. It is uploaded when you share it, or backed up if you turn on sync with Pro. Nothing you make is uploaded unless you choose to send it.
-
A numbered list with every video
Click Number while you record and a badge drops on the screen. Each badge gets a note written from what you said around it, with its timestamp, so the person fixing it gets a list as well as a video.
-
Redaction that can't be undone
Redaction is opaque tape burned into the pixels before anything is shared. There is no blur to reverse.
-
One app for the rest of your feedback
Screenshots with annotation, GIFs, meeting recordings transcribed on your Mac, dictation and snippets come with it. One price covers all of them.
Side by side
Feature by feature
Recording
- Screen, window or region
- North Star: Yes
- Loom: Yes
- Microphone and your Mac's sound
- North Star: Yes
- Loom: Yes
- Camera bubble
- North Star: Circle, rounded square or square, three sizes, optional border
- Loom: Yes
- Pause and resume
- North Star: Yes
- Loom: Yes
- Countdown before recording
- North Star: Yes, adjustable
- Loom: Yes
- Numbered markers while recording
- North Star: Yes, with notes written from your narration
- Loom: No
- Length on the free plan
- North Star: 5 minutes per video, no limit on how many
- Loom: 5 minutes, 25 videos per person
- Platforms
- North Star: Mac only (macOS 15 or later)
- Loom: Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, Android
| Feature | North Star | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| Screen, window or region | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone and your Mac's sound | Yes | Yes |
| Camera bubble | Circle, rounded square or square, three sizes, optional border | Yes |
| Pause and resume | Yes | Yes |
| Countdown before recording | Yes, adjustable | Yes |
| Numbered markers while recording | Yes, with notes written from your narration | No |
| Length on the free plan | 5 minutes per video, no limit on how many | 5 minutes, 25 videos per person |
| Platforms | Mac only (macOS 15 or later) | Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, Android |
Editing
- Trim
- North Star: Yes
- Loom: Yes
- Export at 1080p, 1440p or 4K
- North Star: Yes, as a new file; the original is kept
- Loom: Downloads on paid plans
- Edit by transcript, remove filler words
- North Star: No
- Loom: Business + AI
| Feature | North Star | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| Trim | Yes | Yes |
| Export at 1080p, 1440p or 4K | Yes, as a new file; the original is kept | Downloads on paid plans |
| Edit by transcript, remove filler words | No | Business + AI |
Sharing
- Share link
- North Star: Free: 10 a day, each kept 30 days. Pro: permanent, with view counts
- Loom: Yes
- Unfurls in Slack with a preview
- North Star: Yes
- Loom: Yes
- Revoke a link
- North Star: Yes, any time
- Loom: Yes
- View counts
- North Star: Pro
- Loom: Yes, with engagement insights on paid plans
- Comments and reactions
- North Star: Not yet
- Loom: Yes
- Password or workspace only links
- North Star: Not yet
- Loom: Business and up
- Transcript and AI summary on the shared page
- North Star: Not yet
- Loom: Yes; AI summary and chapters on Business + AI
- Shared team library
- North Star: Not yet
- Loom: Yes
| Feature | North Star | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| Share link | Free: 10 a day, each kept 30 days. Pro: permanent, with view counts | Yes |
| Unfurls in Slack with a preview | Yes | Yes |
| Revoke a link | Yes, any time | Yes |
| View counts | Pro | Yes, with engagement insights on paid plans |
| Comments and reactions | Not yet | Yes |
| Password or workspace only links | Not yet | Business and up |
| Transcript and AI summary on the shared page | Not yet | Yes; AI summary and chapters on Business + AI |
| Shared team library | Not yet | Yes |
Where your recordings live
- Default
- North Star: On your Mac
- Loom: In Loom's cloud
- Uploaded when
- North Star: You share one, or turn on Pro sync
- Loom: Every recording, as you record
| Feature | North Star | Loom |
|---|---|---|
| Default | On your Mac | In Loom's cloud |
| Uploaded when | You share one, or turn on Pro sync | Every recording, as you record |
Where they lead
Where Loom is ahead today
- Comments and emoji reactions on the video, with notifications.
- A shared team library with folders and workspace permissions.
- Password protected and workspace only links.
- The link is ready the moment you stop, because the video uploads while you record.
- Transcripts, captions and AI summaries and chapters on the shared page.
- Recording on Windows, in Chrome and on phones.
- A SOC 2 Type 2 report, and SSO, SCIM and audit logs on its Enterprise plan.
Price
What it costs
North Star
$10 a month for Pro
Free to use with monthly limits. Pro is $10 a month, or $96 a year, tax included, and covers screen recording, screenshots, meetings and dictation. Refunds within 14 days. Every limit.
Loom
Business: about $15 a person a month billed yearly, $18 monthly. Business + AI: about $20 yearly, $24 monthly. Starter is free.
Loom charges for each person who records. Viewers are free on both.
Loom details were checked in October 2026 from public sources and may have changed. See their pricing page for current prices. Loom is a trademark of Atlassian. North Star is not affiliated with Atlassian or Loom.