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Screenshot vs HTML capture.
The two ways demo tools record your product — images or the page itself — what each allows, what each costs, and the question that decides which you need.
4 min read · Updated August 23, 2026 · By Tellane team
The short answer. Screenshot capture records each screen as an image; HTML capture records the page as HTML and CSS. For a click-through demo they look the same in the player. HTML matters when buyers must type into the demo, when you edit captured text often, or when you want a sandbox built on the capture — and it is gated to mid or upper tiers at most vendors. Screenshots are on every free plan and capture anything on screen, including desktop apps and prototypes.
Screenshot capture
- How: a browser extension screenshots every click, or you upload images, or a recording is sliced into frames.
- Allows: any screen at all — web, desktop, mobile emulator, Figma prototype.
- Limits: text cannot be edited after capture (re-capture the stop); the viewer cannot type.
- Price: on every free plan in the category.
HTML capture
- How: an extension records the page's DOM, styles, and assets, which are sanitised and re-hosted.
- Allows: editable text and data after capture; crisp rendering at any size; sandboxes built on top.
- Limits: web apps only; captures carry scripts and assets that must be served from a separate origin for safety; more to maintain.
- Price: Navattic on every plan; Storylane, Arcade, Supademo, Guideflow on their mid tiers; Walnut, Demostack, Reprise throughout.
The deciding question
Will the viewer type? If they click through a route you chose, screenshots are indistinguishable in the player and cheaper. If they must enter data and see the product respond, or you change customer names in demos weekly, HTML earns its price. The 'screenshots go stale' objection is real for products that ship weekly and minor for the six screens on a pricing page.
Comparing tools?
The buyer's guides
Last stop
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