Best App Store preview video makers in 2026

The spec decides the tool

An App Store preview is a compliance problem before it is a creative one. Apple accepts 15 to 30 seconds, up to three per localization, H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ, 30fps maximum, under 500MB, and stereo audio is required. Current iPhone sizes want 886 x 1920 portrait, which is not 9:16, so a standard vertical export is rejected.

Most general video tools miss at least one of those. Judge the list below on whether it exports Apple's dimensions directly, because that is where the afternoons go.

The eight

1. 1

   SmoothCapture

   Best for: The whole pipeline, paid once

   Price

   $99 one-time, up to three Macs, updates included

   Free tier

   No free tier

   Record the app, drop it in a 3D device frame, cut on a timeline, export to Apple's accepted formats in one click. It is built for this job specifically, and it is the only tool here that does the whole pipeline for a single payment.

   • Exports Apple preview formats directly
   • One payment, three Macs
   • Auto-zoom and cursor effects that read as deliberate

   • macOS only
   • No trial
   • Needs a working build to record
2. 2

   iOS Simulator (Xcode)

   Best for: Exact dimensions, zero cost

   Price

   Free with Xcode

   Free tier

   Everything

   Records at Apple's exact required pixel dimensions, which is the single hardest part of a compliant preview. No physical device needed. Add a stereo audio track afterwards and you have a legal file for nothing.

   • Dimensions match the spec by construction
   • Free, no watermark, no account
   • Already installed if you build for iOS

   • No zooms, transitions or polish
   • You must add audio or Apple rejects it
   • macOS and Xcode required
3. 3

   Previewed

   Best for: Not being on a Mac

   Price

   Pro $19/mo billed annually ($228/yr)

   Free tier

   Free tier with metered exports

   Hundreds of store-preview templates in a browser, with the sizes handled for you. The fastest route if you already have screenshots and no Mac. You are working inside someone else's layout, which is why it is quick and why the result looks familiar.

   • Runs on any OS
   • Store sizes preset
   • Stills and video from one project

   • Every export burns quota, re-exports included
   • Template look is hard to escape
   • Annual billing for the headline price
4. 4

   Screen Studio

   Best for: The best-looking recording, if you will pay monthly

   Price

   $29/mo, or $108/yr. The lifetime licence was discontinued.

   Free tier

   Trial only

   Still the benchmark for how a screen recording looks: automatic zooms, smoothed cursor motion, output that reads as expensive. You will need to check the export dimensions against Apple's table yourself, and you will be paying every month.

   • Best output quality in the category
   • Almost no editing skill needed
   • Fast for a 30 second walkthrough

   • macOS only
   • Subscription now, lifetime gone
   • Not App Store specific, so you police the spec
5. 5

   AppLaunchpad

   Best for: A full listing kit on a budget

   Price

   $29/mo, or $15/mo billed annually

   Free tier

   Free plan with limits and branding

   Screenshots and preview video from one browser tool, aimed at indie developers shipping a listing this week. The screenshot half is stronger than the video half. One month at $29 covers a launch.

   • Cheapest paid option here
   • Store presets done for you
   • Free plan is usable for a look

   • Dated editor
   • Video is the weaker half
   • Branding on free exports
6. 6

   Screenhance

   Best for: A single launch, $6

   Price

   $6 Launch Pass for 10 clean exports, or $12/mo Pro

   Free tier

   3 exports a month, watermarked

   Framed animated mockups from screenshots, with the cheapest exit from a watermark anywhere in this category. Better at stills than at video, so treat the preview as a bonus.

   • $6 and no recurring charge
   • Browser-based
   • Free tier is enough to evaluate

   • Watermark on free exports
   • Ten exports per pass
   • Screenshot-first
7. 7

   Rotato

   Best for: 3D device shots inside the preview

   Price

   One-time payment, three tiers. Not published on the pricing page; trackers say roughly $59 to $99.

   Free tier

   None listed

   Worth knowing that Apple previews are meant to show the app in use, so heavy 3D device animation can work against you. Rotato earns its place for the hero shot at the top of a preview, not for the whole thing.

   • Premium-looking mockups
   • One-time payment
   • Large device library

   • macOS only
   • Price not published
   • Over-styling risks an App Review rejection
8. 8

   Mega Pudu

   ours

   Best for: The social cut, not the store file

   Price

   First video free. Credits after: $9 for 100, $29 for 400, no expiry.

   Free tier

   One full video, clean download

   Makes the ~12 second vertical clip you post to Reels, Shorts and TikTok around a launch. It does not export Apple preview dimensions, so it does not replace anything above. Listed because most people shipping a store listing also need the social version, and that is a different file.

   • No footage needed, it draws the screens
   • Free first video, no watermark
   • Minutes, not an afternoon

   • Does not export App Store preview sizes
   • ~12s vertical only
   • Not a screen recorder

Which one exports a compliant file

Is it worth the work

A/B tests reported by SplitMetrics, StoreMaven and others put a strong preview at roughly +15% to +30% on install conversion, and one StoreMaven test measured +47% once iOS began autoplaying previews. The same guides report weak previews performing 10 to 15% worse than no video at all. The first second and the poster frame at 0:05 carry most of that, so spend your effort there rather than on the render.