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When preview deployments aren't enough. Use the environment that already works.

Tools like Vercel make your app accessible. Demotape makes it understandable — even when it only works locally.

If your app can be cleanly deployed, use previews. If it can’t, Demotape is often the only way to share it.

$demotape
→your-app.demotape.dev
No SDK. No config. Works instantly.

Where Demotape fits

Preview deployments are great when your stack is deployable. Demotape is for the messy middle: multi-service local stacks, background jobs, webhooks, queues, and in-progress flows that only really work in your dev environment.

The difference at a glance

ToolWhat it doesWhen you use it
DemotapeObserve real local usage with replayBefore deployment
Vercel PreviewShare deployed branch buildsWhen your app is deployable
LogRocketDebug production behaviorAfter deployment

Preview tools show your app. Demotape shows what actually happened.

A fork in the road

Demotape vs preview deployments

Preview deployments

  • •Use this when your app builds cleanly in CI
  • •Use this when services are cloud-accessible
  • •Use this when you need stable URLs per PR
  • •Use this when your stack is mostly frontend or serverless

Where it falls short

  • –Missing env vars or secrets turn “works locally” into “breaks in preview”
  • –Background workers, queues, and webhooks are often not running correctly
  • –Auth callbacks and partial features often are not deploy-safe yet
  • –You share a preview link, but it is not the thing you actually built

DemoTape

  • ✓Use this when you want to see what reviewers actually did
  • ✓Use this when your app depends on multiple local services
  • ✓Use this when you rely on webhooks, queues, or workers
  • ✓Use this when things only work in your dev environment

Demotape doesn’t try to recreate your environment. It uses the one that already works.

This is not hosting and it is not analytics. It is local-first previews with replay.

Observe real usage of real environments before deployment.

Why preview deployments break

Preview deployments assume your app is clean, isolated, and deployable.

Early-stage apps usually aren’t.

“Works locally, breaks in preview”
  • •missing env vars / secrets
  • •background workers not running
  • •queues (SQS, Redis) not connected
  • •webhooks (Stripe, email) misconfigured
  • •auth callbacks pointing to wrong domain
  • •partial features that aren’t deploy-safe yet

Result

You share a preview link, but it's not the thing you actually built.

DemoTape doesn't try to recreate your environment. It uses the one that already works.

Capability comparison

CapabilityVercel PreviewLogRocketDemotape
Works before deploymentpartialnoyes
Handles multi-service local stacksnonoyes
Requires CI / infra setupyesyesno
Shows what user actually didnoyesyes
Works on localhostnonoyes
Setup timeminutes–hourshoursseconds
Primary use caseshare appdebug productionunderstand usage pre-deploy

Preview tools show your app. DemoTape shows what actually happened.

When to use each

SituationTool
you want to see what reviewers actually didDemotape
your app depends on multiple local servicesDemotape
you rely on webhooks, queues, or workersDemotape
things only work in your dev environmentDemotape
you’re still wiring flows togetherDemotape
your app builds cleanly in CIPreview deployments
services are cloud-accessiblePreview deployments
you need stable URLs per PRPreview deployments
your stack is mostly frontend or serverlessPreview deployments

PR reviews, without guessing

You don’t just get approval. You get evidence.

Today

  • reviewer clicks around (maybe)
  • says “looks good”
  • you have no idea what they tested

With Demotape

  • npx demotape --pr
  • reviewer uses your real environment
  • every interaction is recorded
  • replay is attached to the PR

Use DemoTape when “just deploy a preview” isn’t an option: complex local stacks, in-progress features, pre-deploy validation, and debugging real user behavior.

Requires your environment running, but shows the real system.

Run it when the deploy path is not the truth.

Read PR review docs