MADE FOR MAC · PROCESSED LOCALLY

Your Mac, your camera
Your recordings

Turn your Mac and camera into a local recorder.
Record activity, keep recording while a person is detected, and review it on a timeline.

Download free for Mac See how it records

macOS 14+ · Apple silicon & Intel · Notarized by Apple

One camera, free foreverNo account neededPro monthly or yearly

A NEW USE FOR WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN

01 / HOME

The room you leave behind

The doorway, your desk, your pet’s favorite corner. Come back to a record of what happened.

02 / STUDIO

A space with people coming and going

Use a Mac and USB webcam to record activity around your workbench or studio.

03 / SPARE IPHONE

Give your spare iPhone a new job

Use a compatible iPhone as a camera with Continuity Camera. Owl Cam detects and records activity on your Mac.

01 / KEEP THE CONTEXT

Still there
Still recording

Owl Cam detects motion and people on your Mac. When a person is detected, recording continues even if they sit still.

An afternoon at the workbenchInteractive illustration, not measured recording data

14:0014:0514:1014:1514:20

Movement onlyPossible clip splits

Owl CamPerson detection on

A person is still detected in frame. Recording stays active, even while movement pauses.

Capture what happened beforePre-roll retains a short stretch before the trigger, depending on your settings and memory budget.

Keep long events in one fileSince 1.1.6, no automatic 15-minute splits. Ongoing recording still depends on detection, device state, and free space.

Want to tune detection? See the live charts +

Adjust motion triggers, scene-difference thresholds, and stopping rules separately. Live readings help tune your camera position and lighting.

02 / RECORD · FIND · KEEP

Record and find
Yours to keep

From the first frame to reviewing and backing up days later, everything happens on the Mac you already know.

Calendar & timeline

Find the day, then the moment

Choose a date, browse the timeline, and play a clip.

Multiple cameras · PRO

Every angle, its own recording

Use a built-in camera, USB webcam, or iPhone via Continuity Camera. Each camera detects and records independently.

Storage & backup · PRO

Your files, your storage rules

Recordings are ordinary MP4 files. Pro adds storage limits, retention rules, and backups of finished recordings to your NAS or external drive.

▱　Owl Cam / Studio / ↳ 2026-11-03 14-00-00.mp4

Mac→Your NAS / drive

Also: optional audioPro: burned-in timestampsPro: scheduled pausesPro: per-camera settings

03 / LOCAL BY DESIGN

Your room
Your recordings
Your choice of storage

Detection and recording run on your Mac. No account required.

Ordinary MP4, no format lock-in

Save to a folder you choose. Open in QuickTime, move, or archive your files.

Back up wherever you choose

Pro copies finished recordings to your chosen destination. A NAS or cloud-synced folder sends files beyond the Mac according to your settings.

Network activity, explained

The app checks for updates online; you can disable automatic checks. Pro licence validation also uses the network. These processes don’t upload camera footage.

04 / SIMPLE PRICING

Start free
Upgrade when you need more

Try Pro free for 14 days. No account or card required.

Free

For a single camera

$0 forever

The essentials for local recording and review.

1 camera
Motion, scene & on-device person detection
Pre-roll and optional audio
Calendar, timeline & playback
Built-in detection presets

Download free ↓Core single-camera features stay free after the trial.

Owl Cam Pro

SAVE WITH ANNUAL

$29.99 / year · 2 Macs

More cameras. More control over what you keep.

Everything in Free
Unlimited cameras & per-camera settings
Customizable burned-in timestamps
Automatic backups & backup conditions
Storage limits, cleanup & protection rules
Scheduled pauses & custom presets

Get Pro ↗Or $3.99/month. Renews automatically; cancel anytime. Payments and taxes handled by Polar.

BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD

A few practical questions

It records on your Mac for later review.

Does it keep recording when I sit still?+

With person detection on, recording continues while a person is detected. Lighting and camera position affect detection, so test your setup first.

How long can one file record?+

Recordings no longer split automatically every 15 minutes. Recording depends on detection, device state, and disk space. Backup starts after a file is finished.

Can I watch remotely or receive alerts?+

No. There is no remote streaming, phone app, or push notification. View live video and recordings on your Mac.

What hardware works? Does the Mac need to stay on?+

Requires macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Supports built-in, USB, and Continuity cameras recognized by macOS, not RTSP / ONVIF IP cameras. The Mac must stay on with the camera available; the display can sleep.

What happens after the 14-day trial?+

Try Pro free for 14 days without an account or card. Afterwards, detection, recording, and playback remain free for one camera.

All questions →

Turn your Mac
into a local recorder

Download, connect a camera, and record your first event.

Download free for Mac ↓One camera, free forever · No account · macOS 14+