Shotomatic vs Folge: Which Step Recorder Fits Your Workflow?

Shotomatic and Folge are both visual documentation tools, but they emphasize different output. Shotomatic focuses on a direct Mac capture, review, and export sequence. Folge combines local capture with a broader document editor and a larger set of formats. The useful choice depends on platform, editing depth, structure, and delivery rather than a single feature count.

TL;DR: Choose Shotomatic for a focused Mac workflow with short-guide support on Free and a simple ordered editor. Choose Folge for Mac and Windows authoring, deeper document structure, extensive annotations, and broader export customization.

Shotomatic vs Folge at a glance

The comparison uses current UI inspection and official documentation. Plan packaging may change, so confirm the current product pages before deciding.

Choose by platform

Shotomatic is a Mac app. Its interface and capture behavior are built around the macOS permission, window, and export workflow.

Folge supports Mac and Windows. The Folge overview documents the same guide model across both platforms, which can reduce tool changes for authors who work on more than one operating system.

Choose Shotomatic when the authoring environment is Mac-only. Choose Folge when Windows authoring is a current requirement rather than a possible future need.

Compare capture control

Shotomatic Action Capture saves the target state immediately before an accepted click and stores the click location. The current Configure panel includes outside-click behavior, parsed step-title templates, cursor display, and marker treatment.

Folge's capture settings include capture on click, modifier-based inclusion or exclusion, hotkey-only capture, screenshot delay, outside clicks, cursor choice, click-area marking, and parsed title templates.

Folge exposes more trigger variations in its documented settings. Shotomatic keeps the main flow centered on starting Action Capture, completing the task, and reviewing the resulting pages.

Compare editing and guide structure

Shotomatic uses an ordered page list with a screenshot, title, description, and Action Focus for each page. Free includes organization, Text, Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Arrow, Framing, undo, and redo. Pro adds Blur, Click Marker, and Step Numbers.

Folge uses a document editor with a step list, canvas, and properties panel. Its step management documentation includes duplicate, skip, delete, bulk crop, status, move-to-position, drag reordering, and nested substeps. The editor also provides formatted descriptions and text blocks.

Choose the simpler page model when each captured action should become one clear instruction. Choose the richer document model when guides need nested sections, formatted text, status, or several document-level structures before export.

Compare annotation tools

Shotomatic Free provides Text, Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Arrow, Framing, and Action Focus. Pro adds Blur, Click Marker, and Step Numbers.

Folge's annotation documentation lists rectangles, ovals, lines, arrows, brush, text, tooltips, cursors, step numbers, blur, highlight, magnification, spotlight, OCR, crop, and image assets.

Folge currently documents a broader annotation set. Shotomatic's toolset is narrower and connected to its page-focused editor.

Compare export and delivery

Shotomatic exports PDF, PNG, JPG, WebP, and ZIP on Free and Pro. This set covers image delivery, an ordered document, web-oriented images, and a package of files.

Folge's current feature page lists PDF, Word, PowerPoint, HTML, Markdown, JSON, image export, animated GIF, SCORM, and documented routes to systems such as WordPress, Notion, and Confluence. Export settings include layout and branding options that vary by format.

Choose Shotomatic when images, PDF, or a file package are the expected end state. Choose Folge when office documents, HTML, Markdown, structured data, animated output, or customized export layouts are core requirements.

Compare plan fit without relying on a fixed price

Shotomatic Free supports 5 saved Action Capture steps per session and unlimited saved guides. It saves the fifth step before pausing, then lets the user open the document or activate Pro and continue the same session. Pro removes the session step limit and adds Blur, Click Marker, and Step Numbers. Document export formats are the same on both plans.

Folge's current plan page lists 5 guides, unlimited steps, all annotations, PDF export, 2 templates, and 20 online guides on Free. Its 1.37.0 release notes add SCORM export for Free and paid users. Check the current pages for the format or integration your workflow requires.

Choose Shotomatic or Folge

Choose Shotomatic when you want a focused Mac click-capture workflow, an ordered screenshot document, a usable five-step route on Free, and straightforward file export.

Choose Folge when you need Mac and Windows authoring, several capture triggers, nested guide structure, extensive annotations, or a broad document and integration export set.

The hands-on checks support the workflow and output differences above, but they do not establish which app is faster, easier, or produces better-looking output. See Action Capture and the broader Shotomatic feature set for current product details, then check current plan details. How to Create a Step-by-Step Guide from Clicks on Mac covers the complete capture and editing workflow.