About Limelight
Overview
Limelight is a native macOS screen recorder and live on-screen overlay built for product demos, tutorials, and social media videos. It runs from the menu bar, auto-zooms into every click, smooths cursor movement, and bakes keystrokes, a cursor spotlight, and annotations directly into the recorded video — then trims, speeds up, and exports mp4 or a vertical 9:16 clip from a built-in editor.
The app records locally and runs fully offline, with no account, cloud upload, or subscription. The cursor spotlight is free forever, while a $2.99 monthly plan or a one-time $34 lifetime license unlocks the recorder and the rest of the overlay toolkit for up to 3 or 5 Macs respectively.
Key Benefits
- Auto-zoom follows every click, so viewers see the exact control you use instead of hunting a 12px cursor.
- Keystrokes appear on screen as large, clean text, so shortcuts are visible without a separate KeyCastr window.
- Annotations bake into the video — draw, region spotlight, and on-screen text stay part of the finished clip.
- Recordings stay on your Mac: Limelight works offline with no account and uploads nothing.
- One $34 lifetime license replaces a subscription and includes all future updates.
- The app is built with SwiftUI and notarized by Apple, running natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
How It Works
Download the .dmg, drag Limelight into Applications, and launch it — it lives in the menu bar with no dock icon. Grant Accessibility permission once in System Settings so it can draw over other apps and read global hotkeys. During a demo or recording, press ⌃⌥1 for the cursor spotlight, ⌃⌥2 for keystrokes, or ⌃⌥3 to draw over any app; Pro records the session and the editor then exports mp4 or 9:16.
Use Cases
- Teachers and lecturers keep students locked onto their cursor and show every shortcut during live or recorded lessons.
- Course creators record walkthroughs where viewers can see which keys they press and where they click.
- Sales engineers guide a prospect's eyes to a specific feature during live screen-share demos and calls.
- Remote teams point, circle, and highlight while presenting in Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams.
- Developers and live coders show the keystroke behind every action in dev screencasts and coding tutorials.
- Designers and analysts annotate directly on screen to explain a layout, dashboard, or notebook in real time.
Why Choose This Product
Most recorders capture footage and leave zooms and shortcut captions to a separate editor or a second app. Limelight adds the clarity live, while you present, and keeps the whole toolkit native to macOS at a one-time price. The tradeoff the site itself names: the recorder covers screen and on-screen action only — microphone and system-audio capture are not included yet, so narration needs a separate pass.
Pros
- Free cursor spotlight forever with no account or card
- One-time $34 lifetime license including future updates
- Keystrokes baked into the recording, not a separate app
- Records locally and offline with no cloud upload
- Native SwiftUI app for Apple Silicon and Intel
Cons
- Microphone and system-audio capture not part of the recorder yet
- Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Runs on macOS only — no Windows or web version
Limelight Pros & Cons
- Free cursor spotlight forever with no account or card
- One-time $34 lifetime license including future updates
- Keystrokes baked into the recording, not a separate app
- Records locally and offline with no cloud upload
- Native SwiftUI app for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Microphone and system-audio capture not part of the recorder yet
- Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Runs on macOS only — no Windows or web version
Key Features
Auto-Zoom Recording
Monthly+The Pro recorder zooms into each click automatically, so viewers see the exact area you act on.
Smoothed Cursor Tracking
Limelight smooths cursor movement so the pointer glides across the frame instead of jumping between positions.
Keystroke Display
Monthly+Press ⌃⌥2 and shortcut combinations and special keys appear on screen in large clean type, while normal typing stays hidden.
Cursor Spotlight
Press ⌃⌥1 and a glowing highlight follows your mouse so viewers track your exact position on screen.
Draw on Screen
Monthly+Press ⌃⌥3 to circle, underline, or sketch over any app live, then erase everything with ⌃⌥C.
Region Spotlight
Monthly+Drag a box to keep one area bright and dim everything around it, focusing attention on a chart, clause, or line of code.
On-Screen Text
Monthly+Drop text anywhere on screen to label or caption something live over any app without opening an editor.
Editor & Export
Monthly+Trim and speed up the clip, then export standard mp4 or a vertical 9:16 version for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok.
Global Hotkeys
System-wide shortcuts toggle each tool on and off mid-presentation, and pressing the same key again turns it off.
Offline Local Recording
Limelight records on your Mac and uploads nothing, needs no account, and works fully offline.
Limelight Pricing
View full pricing →- Cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1) free forever
- No account or credit card required
- Pure live overlay — the screen is never captured or uploaded
- Screen recording + cinematic editor (auto-zoom, mp4 & 9:16 export)
- Show keystrokes on screen
- Draw & annotate over any app
- Region spotlight and on-screen text
- Color & size customization
- Up to 3 Macs
- Screen recording + cinematic editor (auto-zoom, mp4 & 9:16 export)
- Keystrokes, drawing, region spotlight, on-screen text
- Color & size customization
- Up to 5 Macs
- All future updates included
- One-time payment, no subscription
| Feature | Free Free | Monthly $2.99/mo | Lifetime $34 one-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-Zoom Recording | |||
| Keystroke Display | |||
| Draw on Screen | |||
| Region Spotlight | |||
| On-Screen Text | |||
| Editor & Export |
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.
Frequently asked questions about Limelight
What exactly does Limelight do?
Limelight is a live on-screen overlay for presentations, demos, and recordings. Press ⌃⌥1 to put a glowing spotlight on your cursor, ⌃⌥2 to show the keys you press on screen, and ⌃⌥3 to freehand-draw over anything. It works on top of any app with no recording or editing needed, and Pro adds a recorder that bakes those overlays into the video.
Is there a free version of Limelight?
Yes. The cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1) is free forever — download and use it with no account or card. Everything else, including keystroke display, draw, region spotlight, on-screen text, and color and size customization, is Pro: $2.99 per month or a $34 one-time lifetime license.
Does Limelight record my screen?
Yes, Pro adds a built-in screen recorder that auto-zooms into every click, smooths your cursor, and bakes keystrokes, cursor spotlight, and annotations into the video. The free tier is a pure live overlay only; the recorder is part of Pro.
Does Limelight record audio or my microphone?
No. The recorder captures your screen and the on-screen action — auto-zoom, smoothed cursor, keystrokes, spotlight, and annotations. Microphone and system-audio capture are not part of the recorder yet, so record your narration separately and pair it with your Limelight clip in another editor.
Can I export vertical 9:16 clips?
Yes. The built-in editor exports standard mp4 and a vertical 9:16 clip for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok. You trim and speed up the footage first, then export in either format.
Is my screen uploaded anywhere?
No. Limelight records locally on your Mac and works fully offline, with no account and no cloud. What you record stays on your machine.