Price terms as published
Each line is the vendor’s own wording, split from the price capture checked on 2026-09-21. Nothing here is rounded, converted or re-worded — the full sentences stay in the review below. Lines that carry only a price continue the plan named on the line above, in the vendor’s own order.
| # | Plan / term | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lumiko Free | 2026-09-21 |
| 2 | $9 one-time | 2026-09-21 |
| 3 | ScreenCursor $49 one-time (vendor says rising to $79) | 2026-09-21 |
One-liner: Both products sell the same outcome — screen recordings that look like someone sat down and keyed out a zoom for every click, except nobody did — as small one-time-payment tools built around browser capture. Their launch moments are six weeks apart and their price shapes are almost comically parallel ($49-and-rising vs $9-today-$29-list). Here is what each one’s own page actually commits to, checked this week.
Verified facts side by side
| Lumiko | ScreenCursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier; Pro $9 one-time (list $29 struck through), 3 devices | $49 one-time (“going to $79”), 3 computers |
| Free tier | Yes — unlimited recording, auto-zoom, 1440p exports, no sign-up | No — no trial, vendor says so in their own FAQ |
| Platform | Chrome extension (Chromium browsers: Chrome, Edge, Brave), Win/macOS/Linux | Chrome extension, Windows/Linux focus |
| Capture scope | Browser screen/tab/window via Chrome share dialog | Desktop capture (vendor describes recording outside browser too) |
| Export ceiling | Free 1440p; Pro 4K | 1080p MP4 cap |
| Webcam overlay | Yes (Pro, per store listing; pricing page’s free column also lists it — unresolved) | No |
| Privacy blur | Smart Blur (tier attribution contradictory, see below) | Not a headline feature |
| Editor | Browser timeline: trim, split, reorder | Built-in editor per vendor |
| Processing | Local, “never uploaded” (vendor claim) | Local, “nothing leaves this machine” (vendor claim) |
| Maturity at check time | PH launch week of 2026-09-21; 1 Chrome Web Store rating | 12 PH followers at 2026-09-16 check; also young |
| Payment rail | Polar.sh | Polar |
Numbers from lumiko.dev + Chrome Web Store + Product Hunt (checked 2026-09-21) and screencursor.com (checked 2026-09-16; see that tool’s page for its full evidence trail).
The real fork in the road
Capture scope first, price second. ScreenCursor’s whole premium is “desktop, not just browser” — if your demo lives outside a Chrome window (a native app, an IDE, a local VM), a Chrome-extension recorder physically cannot see it, and $9 or $49 is beside the point. Lumiko records what Chrome’s share dialog can share: screen, window, tab. For docs sites, SaaS demos, and async updates that is plenty; for anything desktop-deep it is a non-starter.
Price shape is inverted risk. Lumiko asks you to risk $9 on a product that turned one year old this week on a launch price that is $29 with a strikethrough. ScreenCursor asks $49 up front with no trial at all, on a product that at least has six weeks of independent mention behind it. The $9 refundable-ish purchase is the cheaper mistake in dollars; the $49 is the cheaper mistake in disappointment, because the vendor at least tells you on their own comparison page to go try a competitor if you need try-before-you-buy.
Webcam is a format decision, not a feature. Talking-head-bubble demos are the format Screen Studio made standard. ScreenCursor has no overlay and says so; Lumiko lists one (with the free/Pro contradiction below). If your format needs a face in the corner, this comparison is over — it’s Lumiko or a desktop app.
Where to stay honest (both sides)
- Lumiko’s Smart Blur tier is stated two different ways — the /pricing free column includes “Smart Blur & Webcam,” the store listing bills them as Pro. We could not resolve it; assume Pro.
- Both “local processing” claims are vendor declarations. Neither product has an audit; a screen recorder holds your whole desktop by permission. New extensions carry more of that risk than old ones, and both are new.
- Both lifetime prices are launch prices. “$49 going to $79” and “$29 now $9” are the same genre of promise. Check the page the day you buy; the dates above are ours, not yours.
- Neither is tested by us. No export timings, no crash logs, no long-recording stress test — this is an official-sourcing comparison, not a shootout.
Which one to pick
- Record browser apps for docs/demos, want it free today → Lumiko, no contest.
- Need Windows desktop capture outside Chrome, one-time expense, no face cam → ScreenCursor, accepting 1080p and no trial.
- Need 4K output or a webcam bubble on Windows → Lumiko Pro at $9, if its browser capture covers your source material.
- Need any of it audited or team-managed → neither; wait for a track record or buy the Mac incumbent.
Sources
- https://lumiko.dev/pricing (official — $29 struck to $9 lifetime, 3 devices, free-tier column contents, Polar checkout — checked 2026-09-21)
- https://www.producthunt.com/products/lumiko (third-party — launch-day page, maker comment on price/limits — checked 2026-09-21)
- https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/lumiko-screen-recorder-wi/pcgnpfimeccnbmdhnlnamhllngnhmbpo (third-party — declared features, Pro attribution of Smart Blur/webcam — checked 2026-09-21)
- https://screencursor.com + /screen-studio-alternative (official — $49/$79, 3 computers, 1080p MP4, no-trial admission — checked 2026-09-16, unchanged since)