How is Poko different from Loom?

Loom records and shares. Poko records, edits, and shares. You get cursor zoom, captions, screen frames, background music, brand slides, and a full timeline editor — all built in. No separate editing tool needed.

How is Poko different from Screen Studio?

Screen Studio is macOS-only, has no sharing links, no captions, no timeline editing, no brand slides, and costs $89. Poko has all of that plus shareable links, embeddable player, and a free tier. Windows support is coming soon.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The free tier includes screen recording, webcam overlay, cursor effects, captions, screen frames, and 720p export. No watermark.

Can I embed videos on my website?

Yes. Every export gets a one-line iframe snippet you can drop into any website, landing page, or docs. Viewers get a clean player with speed control, fullscreen, and no third-party branding.

What export quality does Poko support?

Poko exports at 720p, 1080p, and 4K. You can choose landscape (16:9), portrait (9:16 for TikTok/Reels), or square (1:1). MP4 by default.

Does the desktop app work on Windows?

Currently macOS only. Windows support is on the roadmap and coming soon.

Vertical vs Horizontal Video: When to Use Each for Product Marketing

Over 75 percent of all video content is now consumed on mobile devices. Vertical video sees 80 to 100 percent higher completion rates on mobile compared to horizontal. Yet horizontal video remains the standard for websites, YouTube, presentations, and any context where a viewer is watching on a laptop or desktop monitor.

For product marketing teams, this creates a daily decision: which orientation do you use?

The answer is not one or the other. It is both, deployed strategically based on where the video will appear and what it needs to accomplish.

Using the wrong format for the wrong context means:

A product demo that looks cramped on your landing page
A social clip floating in a sea of black bars on someone's phone

Here is when to use each format and how to produce both without doubling your recording workload.

When to Use Horizontal Video (16:9)

Horizontal video matches the shape of:

Laptop screens
Desktop monitors
Televisions

It is associated with intentional, long-form viewing.

Best Use Cases

Website and landing page embeds
Your product demo on your homepage, pricing page, or feature page should be horizontal. It fills the player properly and matches the viewer’s device.

YouTube tutorials and walkthroughs
YouTube is built for 16:9. Vertical videos create black bars and look unprofessional.

Sales decks and presentations
Slides are horizontal. Vertical videos waste space and break layout consistency.

Webinars and recorded presentations
Any screen-sharing or presentation-based content should be horizontal.

Product demos showing full desktop interfaces
SaaS products are designed for widescreen. Horizontal captures:

Sidebars
Navigation panels
Multi-column layouts

This gives a complete and accurate product view.

When to Use Vertical Video (9:16)

Vertical video matches how people naturally hold their phones.

It:

Fills the entire mobile screen
Maximizes visual real estate
Stops scrolling behavior

Best Use Cases

Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts
These platforms are built for vertical. Non-vertical content performs poorly.

Social media ads
Vertical ads dominate the screen, increasing engagement.

Quick product teasers and feature highlights
Short (15–30 sec) clips focused on one key moment or feature.

Stories and ephemeral content
Used for:

Announcements
Behind-the-scenes
Promotions

When to Use Square Video (1:1)

Square video sits between vertical and horizontal.

It offers:

More feed visibility than horizontal
Better compatibility across platforms

Best Use Cases

Facebook and LinkedIn feed posts
Square takes up more space in feeds, increasing visibility.

Cross-platform campaigns
A practical compromise when you cannot create multiple formats.

Email marketing
Square thumbnails and GIFs integrate cleanly into layouts.

The Real Problem: Producing Multiple Formats

Knowing the formats is easy.

Producing them is not.

Recording the same video in:

16:9
9:16
1:1

means repeating:

Recording
Narration
Editing

This is not scalable.

The Practical Solution

Record once in horizontal (16:9), then export multiple formats.

This approach:

Preserves full visual detail
Allows intelligent cropping
Saves production time

Poko is designed for this workflow.

With Poko, you can:

Record once in 16:9 at 1080p
Capture full interface with cursor zoom
Add automatic captions

Then export into:

9:16 (Reels, Shorts)
1:1 (feeds)
16:9 (website, YouTube)

Cursor zoom follows the action across formats.
Captions automatically adjust.

Result:
Three platform-ready videos from one recording.

Matching Format to Funnel Stage

Video format should align with where the viewer is in the funnel.

Awareness (Top of Funnel) → Vertical

Short (≈15 seconds)
Strong hook
Caption-heavy
Designed to stop scrolling

Consideration → Square or Vertical

30–60 seconds
Feature highlights
Comparisons
Works in feeds and ads

Decision (Bottom of Funnel) → Horizontal

Full product demos
Website embeds
Sales follow-ups

This is where detail matters.

The Bottom Line

Vertical video wins on mobile feeds
Horizontal video wins on websites and long-form viewing
Square video balances cross-platform distribution

The best teams do not choose one format.

They:

Record once
Export everywhere

Tools like Poko make this possible with:

Multi-format export
Cursor zoom
Automatic captions

Match the format to the platform.
Match the platform to the funnel stage.

Let every video fill every screen it appears on.