Best Mac screenshot apps, compared by need
At a glance
| App | Price | Requirements | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CleanShot X | Basic $35 once with one year of updates (renewal $19 a year); Pro $10 per user per month billed annually | macOS 13.0 | Capture, markup, scrolling capture, recording, a video editor and cloud sharing. |
| Shottr | Pay what you want, including $0; some features need a licence | Current macOS minimum not confirmed | Annotations, scrolling capture, OCR, a screen ruler and colour picker. |
| Xnapper | Basic $29.99 for 1 Mac, one year of updates; free with a watermark | Current macOS minimum not confirmed | Automatic backgrounds and redaction of emails, cards, IPs and API keys. |
| Snagit | Subscription; store page showed 1,599 INR per user per year, USD not verified | macOS 14 or later | Step Capture guides, Smart Redact, scrolling capture and a searchable library. |
| QuackScreen | Lifetime license EUR 20 for two Macs; free version has a watermark and 3 minute cap | macOS 26 (Tahoe), Apple silicon only | Screenshots and screen recordings from the notch, with an annotation editor and cursor zoom. |
| OneNotch | Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026 | macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon Macs | Notch app with markup, OCR, translation, scrolling capture and a video editor. |
| NotchStar | $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | A tray under the notch that catches macOS screenshots, holds the latest 12 for five minutes each and lets you drag them out. |
Prices and availability were checked on 4 November 2026. Verify the linked product page before buying.
The best Mac screenshot app depends on the job. CleanShot X has the widest feature set. Shottr is the pay what you want pick for fast capture and OCR. Xnapper beautifies and redacts shots for sharing. Snagit suits documentation. NotchStar does not capture; it holds macOS screenshots in a tray. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
How we checked
Each entry comes from the maker’s own pages, read on 4 November 2026: websites, pricing pages, GitHub pages and Mac App Store listings. Nothing was tested by hand for this list, so it says what each maker states and no more. Where a page did not state a price or a macOS version, this list says so instead of guessing. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CleanShot X | the widest feature set | Basic $35 once with one year of updates (renewal $19 a year); Pro $10 per user per month billed annually |
| Shottr | fast, free or pay what you want capture | Pay what you want, including $0; some features need a licence |
| Xnapper | good looking, redacted shots for sharing | Basic $29.99 for 1 Mac, one year of updates; free with a watermark |
| Snagit | step by step documentation | Subscription; store page showed 1,599 INR per user per year, USD not verified |
| QuackScreen | capture that lives in the notch | Lifetime license EUR 20 for two Macs; free version has a watermark and 3 minute cap |
| OneNotch | capture tools inside a notch toolbox | Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026 |
| NotchStar | holding macOS screenshots until you send them | $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund |
Seven screenshot apps, one entry each
CleanShot X
Best for: the widest feature set.
CleanShot X covers markup, redaction, backgrounds, scrolling capture, screen recording with webcam and keystrokes, a built in video editor, on device text recognition and cloud sharing links with comments. There is no trial, but a 30 day money back guarantee, and it is also on Setapp with a 7 day trial. Updates after the first year cost $19 a year, and Basic includes 1 GB of cloud.
Price: Basic $35 once with one year of updates (renewal $19 a year); Pro $10 per user per month billed annually. Requires: macOS 13.0.
Shottr
Best for: fast, free or pay what you want capture.
Shottr offers text, arrows, highlighter and spotlight annotations, scrolling screenshots, OCR and QR reading, a backdrop tool, a screen ruler and a colour picker. The page says you can name your price or enter $0. The free app asks to buy now and then, and S3 upload activation and hiding the menu bar icon need a licence. No recording was found in the feature list read. The page mentions telemetry that is opt out.
Price: Pay what you want, including $0; some features need a licence. Requires: Current macOS minimum not confirmed.
Xnapper
Best for: good looking, redacted shots for sharing.
Xnapper auto balances a screenshot, adds a background, redacts emails, cards, IPs and API keys, and lets you select and copy text. Basic is $29.99 for 1 Mac, Personal $54.99 for 2 and Standard $79.99 for 3, with a 30 day money back guarantee. The free version adds a watermark, and cloud upload is listed as coming soon.
Price: Basic $29.99 for 1 Mac, one year of updates; free with a watermark. Requires: Current macOS minimum not confirmed.
Snagit
Best for: step by step documentation.
Snagit builds a step by step guide from your clicks with Step Capture, redacts emails, phone numbers and cards, and records the screen with mic, system audio and webcam. The store page read showed only a yearly subscription, with no free trial and a 14 day money back guarantee. It is heavy for a quick screenshot, and its USD price was not read.
Price: Subscription; store page showed 1,599 INR per user per year, USD not verified. Requires: macOS 14 or later.
QuackScreen
Best for: capture that lives in the notch.
QuackScreen puts screen recording and screenshots in the notch, with a pen, arrow, highlight and blur editor, cursor following zoom and drag out into other apps. The limits are hard: it needs macOS 26 and Apple silicon, the free version caps recordings at 3 minutes and adds a watermark, and it does nothing else. Its price is shown in euros.
Price: Lifetime license EUR 20 for two Macs; free version has a watermark and 3 minute cap. Requires: macOS 26 (Tahoe), Apple silicon only.
OneNotch
Best for: capture tools inside a notch toolbox.
OneNotch lists markup, OCR, translation, scrolling capture and a video editor next to its clipboard, system monitor and timers. It needs macOS 15 and Apple silicon. The OneNotch comparison shows how a capture heavy notch app differs from NotchStar.
Price: Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026. Requires: macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon Macs.
NotchStar
Best for: holding macOS screenshots until you send them.
NotchStar does not capture anything. You take a screenshot with macOS, and the Screenshot Tray catches it, holds the latest 12 for five minutes each, and lets you drag one or several into a chat, email or folder. It has no markup, OCR, scrolling capture or recording; for those, use the apps above. See how screenshots reach the tray.
Price: $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund. Requires: macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
How to choose
- Want everything in one app: CleanShot X, at $35 plus $19 a year for later updates.
- Want a free or pay what you want capture tool with OCR: Shottr.
- Share screenshots with private details: Xnapper’s automatic redaction, or Snagit’s Smart Redact.
- Write guides and training: Snagit’s Step Capture.
- Want capture in the notch: QuackScreen needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon. OneNotch needs macOS 15 on Apple silicon.
- Already happy with macOS capture and only want a holding place: NotchStar’s tray, or compare others in the screenshot tray guide.
Left out
Monosnap was left out: its page showed only navigation on 4 November 2026 and no features or prices could be verified, and its domain has moved to monosnap.ai. For macOS shortcuts, read how to screenshot on a Mac and the Screenshot Tray feature page.
Sources
Official pages, read on 4 November 2026. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
