A solo developer has launched ShotGlass with an unusually specific pitch: record your screen, drop the footage onto a virtual 3D MacBook, and have it look like something out of an Apple commercial, all inside one app. Citing frustration with having to juggle four separate tools, screenshots, recordings, annotations, and After Effects, Jake Manger, the developer decided to produce a single product that does all this.
Most screen recorders produce what Jake calls “the zoomed-in Screen Studio look.” ShotGlass was built to do something different, drawing inspiration from MacBook commercials where a recording plays back on a 3D MacBook in a styled scene, and asking why no recorder handled that natively.
What ShotGlass does differently from other Mac screen recorders
The app combines screen recording and screenshots into a single workflow, which already separates it from most tools that handle only one. The differentiating features are built around presentation and visual polish rather than capture mechanics alone.
- 3D scenes and virtual backgrounds with a simulated camera lens for cinematic-style shots
- Multi-window recording, with windows rearrangeable after the fact in the editor
- Screenshot capture with annotation tools
- Smooth or instant zooms, transitions, custom cursors, and auto-replaced desktop backgrounds
- Camera and audio support built in
- Whisky-themed UI, consistent with the app’s name
The 3D MacBook drop-in is the headline feature, but the combination of recording and screenshot tools in one place is probably the more practical daily-use differentiator for developers and designers who produce documentation or marketing assets regularly.
I made an app to make screen recordings like an Apple Ad
And it just crossed 70 paying users in its first 3 days! pic.twitter.com/LSNCTTDgoA
— Jake Manger (@JakeManger) May 17, 2026
Pricing
ShotGlass uses a one-time purchase model, and Jake has stated that this will remain a permanent policy. There is no telemetry, no tracking, and everything is processed and stored locally. The app also supports Family Sharing for up to 6 family members. The current license terms specify use on 1 device for personal and small businesses of up to 2 people, and the purchase includes 1 year of updates.
Here is the current price structure:
- Personal: $29
- Team: $39 per seat per year for 3 Macs
On hardware, the requirements are straightforward: ShotGlass requires macOS 13.0 or later and an Apple M1 chip or later, meaning Intel Macs are not supported.
Given the one-time purchase model and the clearly defined niche it targets, ShotGlass has a reasonable shot at building a loyal user base among developers and indie creators who already resent the subscription overhead of larger tools.
