In times when e-learning is becoming a very important part of our lives, we are very much in need of software like Camtasia and Captivate. These two programs are quite efficient and helpful when it comes to making a course or video tutorial.
They are excellent in this field and we can have all we need with the help of these two. But, what should you opt for? It might get confusing. Whether you should go for a Camtasia or a Captivate solely depends on which field you are in and what you are trying to achieve through this software.
Camtasia vs Captivate
The main difference between Camtasia and Captivate is in their orientation and point of focus. Camtasia is the kind of software that pays detailed attention to the video. You can say that it is video-oriented. Captivate is something that serves as a tutorial program where students can also interact.
Comparison Table Between Camtasia and Captivate
| Parameters of Comparison | Camtasia | Captivate |
| Requirement | Camtasia is compatible with a 2.0GHz CPU that comes along with a dual-core processor. | Captivate can run on a 1.0GHz processor. |
| Support system | Only the 64 bit OS supports the Camtasia. | Both 32 and 64 bit OS can support Captivate. |
| Price | Camtasia comes for $249 | Captivate comes for $34/month. |
| Recording | Camtasia has a certain feature by which you can record screens. | Captivate has a certain smart feature that allows you to record videos. |
| Company | Camtasia belongs to the company TechSmith | Captivate belongs with the company Adobe |
What is Camtasia?
Camtasia is one of the best programs available in the market that edits videos. You can access Camtasia in Windows as well as IOS. Being easy to use, Camtasia can support all types of media formats. There are a lot of features and controls in this software program.
In Camtasia, you can record screens as well as edit videos on the same platform. The features do not end just yet as you can even share your work with other people on YouTube and even Google Drive.
As you can buy the entire license at just $249, it is considered to be quite affordable. It is more or less a complete package with all its functions.
The interface is quite easy to use along with the layout being simple. Edit your videos like a professional with this software even if you don’t have experience. You can also create premium quality courses or tutorials with this software only.
What is Captivate?
Captivate is a product of Adobe that is supposed to make the experience of online learning much more appealing and interactive. It is much efficient for students as they can take their courses with them. Captivate provides the opportunity so that students can learn anytime anywhere. However, if you are the one making the course- Captivate might be a bit intimidating for you as you need to have Adobe knowledge to use this software.
Captivate has no in-built features for editing videos. You need to go to the other Adobe products to do that.
It might not be pocket friendly sometimes as the entire license can cost up to $1100. However, the tool is quite user-friendly once you get to know it and can help you in making courses like a pro.
Main Differences Between Camtasia and Captivate
- Camtasia and Captivate differ in the main field of how easy it is to use. With Camtasia, you don’t have to worry about a single thing as It is extremely easy to use. Moreover, if you are someone who is a complete noob in this field, Camtasia has many guides that will help you figure everything out. With Captivate, you have to have a piece of minimal knowledge of Adobe products. These products are interlinked. And, if you know nothing about Adobe, Captivate might get hard to use for you!
- Pricing plays a huge role in the difference between Camtasia and Captivate. In Camtasia, you will easily be able to buy the entire license as it comes for just US $249.00. It is much more affordable, but you may end up paying some extra bucks for up-gradation which isn’t too much either. On the other hand, Captivate is much more costly. Buying the entire license might cost you a fortune of almost US $1100. But, there seems to be a plan where you get the program for $34/month.
- The system required for these two software is also quite different. Camtasia requires 2.0 GHz along with a dual-core processor along with 2 GB space. Captivate can be accessible with 1 GHz Processor but it requires a hard disk space of almost 5 GB.
- If you are using Camtasia, you can edit your videos as soon as you finish your recording. You can add or edit alluring transitions, captions, cut any part of the video, paste it in another. It also allows color rectification. However, Captivate has no video edit option in its platform. It works together with other tools of Adobe and you can edit according to your requirements in those other tools.
- Camtasia does not provide any courses on templates. But, Captivate has an entire template library from which you can choose and use.
Conclusion
Both Camtasia and Captivate are amazing at what they do. However, you need to sort out your priorities before buying either one of them. If you have Adobe knowledge, you can figure out Captivate. And, it also comes with an innumerable number of features and controls. However, without the extra knowledge, it might be a bit hectic.
On the other hand, Camtasia is one of the most ideal tools that can help you with both editing and recording- you can even edit videos or record screens as much as you like. It is also rather easy to use and is cheap. Both of them are professional tools that get the job done for you.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8755461511000867
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/183579
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2212324/