CamDeck vs CutWire Prism
CamDeck
camdeckapp.com
CutWire Prism
cutwire.orgSide by side
| Figure | CamDeck | CutWire Prism |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Virtual Camera Software | 8.0 (#12) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Integrations | CamDeck is described as working with Zoom, Google Meet, QuickTime, and most apps that can select a Mac camera; its Now Playing mode reads Spotify or Apple Music. | Prism can appear as a virtual camera in OBS, Zoom, or a browser, and OBS can control it over WebSocket. |
| Intended users | The maker says CamDeck was built for live video podcasts, online gaming streams, and everyday video calls. | The maker describes Prism for school and college events, churches, theatres, community AV, small concerts, clubs, streamers, and local sports broadcasts. |
| Privacy | The maker says the app has no accounts or background telemetry, stores its library and settings locally, and processes camera video on the Mac. | CutWire says Prism has no telemetry; its privacy policy says website analytics may collect anonymized page views. |
| Support | The maker provides a Help & Support walkthrough and a contact form for questions, bug reports, or ideas. | Support is available through documentation, public GitHub issues, and email at [email protected]; the support page says Discord is fastest during a show. |
Plans
In their own words
CutWire Prism
CutWire Prism is a free, open-source node-based live video mixer for volunteers, streamers, and small venues. It mixes two decks with a crossfader, AUTO and CUT controls, per-deck speed, and multiple transitions. Sources include video files, images, slideshows, cameras, screen capture, shaders, HTML, text, Lua, NDI, and a phone camera connected by QR. Its Remove BG process uses MediaPipe segmentation to remove a webcam background without a green screen. Prism supports Lua 5.4 scripts and GLSL fragment shaders, including audio-reactive presets. The mixed program can be sent to a projector window, NDI, a virtual camera, or a recording. It can also serve as a virtual camera in OBS, Zoom, or a browser, and OBS can control it over WebSocket. One-click controls include blackout, pausing the current frame, and a Stay Tuned overlay. Prism runs on Linux and Windows; macOS requires a source build and lacks virtual camera output. The project is described as early and under active development.