# Alternatives to CleanShot X

The Mac screenshot power tool.

CleanShot X ranks #2 of 8 in Screenshot tools, with an Alt Score of 75. It is proprietary, sold as a one-time purchase from $29 and available on macOS. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cleanshot-x/
Category: Screenshot tools

## Where CleanShot X stands out

- **One-time purchase option** — 3 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Region / window / scrolling capture** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Mac users who regularly capture and share their screen — designers, developers, content creators, educators, and other professionals — looking to replace macOS's built-in screenshot tool with a more capable one.
- **What you get**: CleanShot X combines screenshot capture, screen recording, annotation, and cloud sharing in one native macOS app. It supports scrolling capture, GIF/video recording, OCR text extraction, customizable backgrounds, and an annotation toolset for markup. A built-in cloud service (CleanShot Cloud) lets you upload captures and generate shareable links instantly, with team features like custom domains and password-protected links on paid tiers.
- **How it works**: You trigger a capture or recording with a customizable hotkey, then an overlay lets you annotate, crop, or edit the result immediately. From there you save it locally or upload it to CleanShot Cloud with one click to get a shareable link.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: One-time (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: $29 (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Platforms**: macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Shottr](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shottr.md) | 90 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 2 | [Greenshot](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/greenshot.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS |
| 3 | [ksnip](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ksnip.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Monosnap](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/monosnap.md) | 70 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Browser extension |
| 5 | [Snagit](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/snagit.md) | 65 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 6 | [Flameshot](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/flameshot.md) | 50 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [Lightshot](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightshot.md) | 45 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Browser extension |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Screenshot tools checklist | CleanShot X | Shottr | Greenshot | ksnip | Monosnap | Snagit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time | Freemium | Free | Free | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starts at | $29 | Free | Free | Free | $2.5 USD/mo | €39.57/year |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS | macOS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Browser extension | Windows, macOS |
| Region / window / scrolling capture | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Annotations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OCR text extraction | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Instant share link | Yes | Yes | ? | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud upload | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Pixel measure & color picker | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Self-hosted upload target | No | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | No |
| One-time purchase option | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Open source | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |

## Sources

Sources for CleanShot X. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://cleanshot.com/eula> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The Application is licensed, not sold, to you by MTW for use strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.”
- **Pricing model**: One-time — <https://cleanshot.com/pricing> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “$29 one-time payment”
- **Platforms**: macOS — <https://cleanshot.com/faq> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: FAQ: no Windows version, no plans for one.
  - Quote: “CleanShot requires macOS 10.15 or newer.”
- **Starts at**: $29 — <https://cleanshot.com/pricing> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “$29 one-time payment”
- **Status**: active — <https://cleanshot.com/changelog> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “4.8.8 23 March, 2026 Fixed issue with recording microphone via audio interfaces like Focusrite, where audio was recorded only on the left channel”
- **Region / window / scrolling capture**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/features> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Capture Area Capture Window Self-Timer Capture Fullscreen Scrolling Capture”
- **Annotations**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/features> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “With the built-in editor, you can highlight or hide specific parts of your screenshots, or add necessary annotations.”
- **OCR text extraction**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/features> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Text recognition (OCR) CleanShot makes it dead easy to capture any non-selectable text (from an image, video, scanned document etc.) so you don't have to retype it manually. Simply select an area that”
- **Instant share link**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/product/cloud> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “With just one click, upload captures directly to CleanShot Cloud and share them instantly via a link.”
- **Cloud upload**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/pricing> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “1 GB of Cloud storage Upload your captures and instantly get a shareable link.”
- **Pixel measure & color picker**: Partial — <https://cleanshot.com/changelog> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Color picker native (v4.8); pixel measurement only via the separate paid PixelSnap integration, not built in.
  - Quote: “🎨 Introducing new Color Picker - Easily select and save custom colors in Annotate.”
- **Self-hosted upload target**: No — <https://cleanshot.com/pricing> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Only custom domain/branding on CleanShot's own Cloud; no self-hosted upload target.
  - Quote: “Custom domain & branding Add your own domain and logo and use it for sharing.”
- **One-time purchase option**: Yes — <https://cleanshot.com/pricing> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “$29 one-time payment”
- **Open source**: No — <https://cleanshot.com/eula> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Proprietary licensed app; no OSS.
  - Quote: “The Application is licensed, not sold, to you by MTW for use strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/