Captail vs Medal

Captail is a Windows instant replay utility for saving recent gameplay without a full streaming suite. It keeps a rolling capture buffer and watches for stalled capture modules or missing frames; a watchdog can attempt a controlled restart with retries and backoff. Desktop mode records a selected monitor and can use Game Capture when available, while Game Capture mode excludes the desktop. Supported hardware encoders can provide AV1, HEVC, or H.264 output. Audio can be mixed, separated, or split by application, with independent microphone routing. Set replay duration from 15 seconds to 15 minutes, an optional RAM limit, and requested capture rates from 30 to 240 FPS. The replay player includes seeking and speed controls, and the multi-track editor trims and merges audio tracks. Captures and related files stay on the PC, according to the maker. Captail is free, with a free plan, and supports Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11 on x64.

Medal is a gameplay capture and clip-sharing app for Windows PCs, iOS, and Android. On Windows 10 or later, it offers instant replay and multiple recording modes, with capture up to 4K resolution and 144fps; 60fps is enabled by default. Users can choose clip lengths of 15 seconds, 60 seconds, 10 minutes, or an entire session. Recording supports NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPU acceleration, as well as CPU recording. Game, microphone, and Discord audio can be balanced or muted separately, and webcam overlays are supported. Clips receive links for sharing. Medal is free on PC and mobile, with optional Premium features. Premium supports uploads in original quality, including 4K recordings, unlimited cloud storage and clip upload length, auto-generated subtitles, removable watermarks, and an ad-free experience, excluding certain programmatic and platform placements. Premium costs $9.99 per month or $7.99 per month with an annual subscription. Medal states that its recording has a minimal impact of 100–400MB of RAM. The maker is headquartered in Naarden, Netherlands.