Screenshot software captures all or part of a screen and adds annotation, redaction and sharing on top.
The order here weighs ninety-day setup effort, the cost once cloud or team features are added, how captures leave the tool, and whether it stands alone. Single-purpose independents rank above suites, and each verdict says what the tool cannot do.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What screenshot software does
Screenshot software captures a region, window or screen, lets users annotate or blur the image, then saves it locally or shares it by link, clipboard or cloud library.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether you can leave, and who each screenshot tool is built for. Vendors outside the best-known names fill places 1 to 3 when they exist, and the big brands rank from place 4. Why those five, and why there is no score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Cross-platform screenshot annotator under GPL with command-line control
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Open sourcePricing on requestElsewhere
The site lists arrows, text, highlights, blur or pixelate, shapes, counters and colour boxes as annotation tools, and lets you change the interface, colours, shortcuts and save options. Installation on Linux comes via AppImage, package managers, Snapcraft or Flathub.
A command-line interface allows key bindings and scripts. Only 64-bit builds are offered. Funding is by donation and sponsors, which means roadmap and fixes depend on contributors, and the pages read state no response times.
What stands out
GPL v3
Windows, macOS, Linux
Command line
Where it costs you
Credited to contributors, with no company or country named, so there is no vendor to hold to a support promise.
The site describes saving after annotation but mentions no hosted share link or team library.
Right for
Mixed Windows, Mac and Linux teams that want one annotating tool without licence keys
Wrong for
Teams wanting hosted links, a shared library or vendor support
Not stated by the vendorOpen source under GPL v3; no plans, donations and sponsors only
Windows capture tool with annotation, obscuring and many export routes
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Greenshot's site frames the Windows version as completely free with source on GitHub, and the downloads page lists the Mac version at a small price to cover the authors' own costs.
The export list is its strength: file, print, clipboard, email, Office programs and photo sites. The editing set is limited to annotating, highlighting and obscuring. A Support us section replaces any paid plan, so the page offers no stated route to guaranteed help or fixes.
What stands out
Windows region capture
Obscure and highlight
Office export
Where it costs you
The pages name neither a developer nor a country and give no licence, which leaves an audit with little to cite.
No recording, scrolling capture or hosted sharing is mentioned on the pages read.
Right for
Windows users who mostly paste annotated captures into email and Office files
Wrong for
Anyone who needs screen recording or shareable web links
Not stated by the vendorFree on Windows; the Mac build is sold at a small fixed price
Mac-only capture tool with scrolling shots, OCR and pinned screenshots
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The page lists background effects such as gradients, shadows and rounded corners, a way to combine captures on one canvas, an on-screen ruler, a zoom magnifier and a colour picker, plus scrolling capture of long pages or chat threads.
Pay what you want includes a figure of zero. S3 upload is gated behind activation. With no team plan, admin console or shared library on the page, it is a personal tool rather than a managed one.
What stands out
macOS only
Scrolling capture
OCR and QR
Where it costs you
Free users are periodically prompted to buy, which interrupts a daily capture habit.
The paid price and billing basis are not shown on the page, only a link to check prices.
Right for
Individual Mac users who want measuring and long-page capture without paying first
Wrong for
Windows or Linux users and teams needing central administration
Not stated by the vendorFree tier with most features; paid option is pay what you want, price on a separate page
Windows capture suite with scrolling shots, OCR and scripted upload workflows
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Downloads come as Setup, Portable, a dev build, Microsoft Store and Steam, which suits locked-down machines where installers are restricted. Beyond stills it records the screen and GIFs, reads text with OCR and scans QR codes.
Custom uploaders and chained after-capture and after-upload tasks turn one hotkey into a full pipeline. The site asks for donations and requires no account, so shared libraries, roles and support contracts do not exist on the pages read.
What stands out
Windows only
After-capture workflows
Scrolling and GIF
Where it costs you
The workflow system is configurable rather than guided, so a team needs someone to set it up once.
The page names no licence and no country behind the ShareX Team credit.
Right for
Power users on Windows who want captures routed automatically to chosen destinations
Wrong for
Mac users and teams wanting a supported, centrally managed product
Not stated by the vendorFree with a donate link; no paid plan mentioned
Windows capture with a no-cost tier and one-time paid licences
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
ENTERPRISE is described as required for Citrix, RDS and VMware VDI, needs no internet connection and carries policies for administrators. PRO adds a document generator and removes branding.
Payment runs through Verifone (formerly 2checkout) with a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid licences. The cost for a team of fifty cannot be worked out from the page, and nothing is said about updates after purchase.
What stands out
Windows only
One-time licences
Citrix and VDI
Where it costs you
The pricing page text shows no amounts or currency, so a buyer must reach the checkout to learn the cost.
The free version keeps branding on video and a limited image editor.
Right for
Windows offices that need virtual desktop support and perpetual licences
Wrong for
Mac users and buyers who need quoted prices before checkout
Not stated by the vendorFree version for work use; PRO and ENTERPRISE are one-time purchases, prices not shown
Windows capture and editing toolbox with design aids like a pixel ruler
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The save and share list is long: Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, FTP, email, social media and Office apps. Annotation, effects and filters sit in the editor.
The licence boundary is the catch: the free version is for personal, non-commercial use, and the page points commercial users to team and business licences via a Get Pro button. NGWIN is credited in the copyright notice, but its country is not given.
What stands out
Windows only
Design aids
Personal-use licence
Where it costs you
Business use requires a licence whose price and billing basis are not on the page.
The page says there are no plans for macOS or Linux builds.
Right for
Designers and support staff on Windows who measure and mark up screens daily
Wrong for
Mac or Linux users and companies unwilling to buy blind
Not stated by the vendorPersonal use at no charge; commercial licence required, price not shown on the page
Mac capture app with a one-off licence and an optional team cloud
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Pro is priced per user per month on annual billing, with a monthly toggle and a stated 17% saving for yearly terms. Its list adds advanced sharing and security, team features, SSO and SCIM.
The Basic cloud is 1 GB. Setapp sells it with a 7-day trial, but the vendor's own page shows no trial, so evaluation outside Setapp rests on the refund window.
What stands out
Mac app
Update renewal
Pro cloud and SSO
Where it costs you
After the first year, updates need a paid renewal, and cloud plans fall under a fair use policy.
The pricing page lists a Mac app only and states no country.
Right for
Mac-based teams that share screenshots daily and want their own domain
Wrong for
Windows users and buyers wanting a trial from the vendor itself
Not stated by the vendorOne-time Basic licence with yearly update renewal; Pro billed per user monthly on annual terms; 30-day refund
Mac screenshot beautifier with automatic redaction and one-time licences
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Licences step up by the number of Macs: one, two or three, each with no watermark and one year of updates. The team plan is billed per device monthly with annual billing and automatic renewal.
Annotation covers arrows, shapes, text and blur, windows are captured with Space, and text selection uses the macOS vision engine. Free online tools are listed on the site, yet they are not a licensed plan, and contact details give no address.
What stands out
macOS beautifier
Auto-redaction
Device-count licences
Where it costs you
Sharing relies on files and the clipboard until upload ships.
Device limits and update terms of the team plan are not stated.
Right for
Mac users who post polished screenshots in docs, tickets and social posts
Wrong for
Windows users and teams needing hosted links today
Not stated by the vendorThree one-time licences by device count with a year of updates, plus a monthly per-device team plan; 30-day refund
Documentation-focused capture with Step Capture and Smart Redact
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Step Capture records clicks into a guide that Camtasia Editor can open, and Smart Redact blurs sensitive items, with the page saying analysis happens locally. Recording offers trim, combine and background noise reduction, and Screentelligence gives editing suggestions.
Volume discounts start at five licences. The ties to Screencast and Camtasia widen the toolset but also mean a team may end up buying beyond the capture tool alone.
What stands out
Windows and macOS
Step Capture
Smart Redact
Where it costs you
The product page lists no price, currency or trial terms, so cost needs a second page.
Cloud hosting and sharing lean on the separate Screencast service.
Right for
Support and training teams producing step-by-step guides on both desktop systems
Wrong for
Individuals comparing prices who want everything on one page
Not stated by the vendorPriced on a separate Teams and Business page; volume discounts from five licences
Instant-upload capture with searchable history and link sharing
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Captures are kept on Google Cloud, each with password and visibility settings. Platforms include Windows and Mac apps, Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions, and iOS and Android apps. Pro includes OCR, editing, password settings and export of all uploads, which matters for leaving.
Teams adds a custom subdomain, team-only sharing and optional Google Workspace SSO, with support within two business days. Everything depends on a hosted account, and the breach notice deserves a read before upload.
What stands out
Auto-upload links
OCR search
Teams plan
Where it costs you
The home page carries a notice about a data breach from unauthorised access.
Prices and currency are not shown on the pricing page.
Right for
Distributed teams that mostly share captures as links and search them later
Wrong for
Buyers who need offline storage or fixed published prices
Not stated by the vendorFree plan with short recordings and a ten-item window; Pro and Teams prices not shown; Teams has a 30-day trial
Capture-to-link service with cloud storage and screen recording
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Integrations listed include Slack, Jira, Sketch, Confluence, Intercom, Gmail, Google Docs, Trello, Photoshop and Microsoft Teams, across Mac, Windows and Chrome. Recording supports GIF or HD video with audio and optional webcam.
Team caps at 15 members, then Enterprise takes over with unlimited storage and AI auto-redaction. Price is shown only with a dollar sign, so currency is unclear, and the owner is not named on the pages read.
What stands out
Cloud links
Per-user plans
Enterprise SSO
Where it costs you
No plan at zero cost; only trial buttons whose length is not stated.
Copyright reads 2020, with no owner, country or address shown.
Right for
Teams that live in Slack, Jira or Confluence and want captures as links
Wrong for
Solo users who want a capture tool without monthly fees
Not stated by the vendorPer-user monthly or annual plans published; quote for sixteen or more members; trial offered, length not stated
Two-click area capture with short upload links, no plans listed
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The site calls Lightshot the fastest way to take a customizable screenshot, and the two-click flow supports that claim for stills. Upload gives a short link, which makes sharing easy but leaves captures on the vendor's server with no stated retention or privacy controls.
Browser extensions mean even locked-down machines may reach it. No recording, scrolling capture or redaction feature is listed, so sensitive screens need a manual cover.
What stands out
Area capture
Short links
Browser extensions
Where it costs you
The footer shows 2009-2022, so the page gives no sign of recent maintenance.
Team controls, support terms and country are absent from the page.
Right for
Individuals who want the quickest area grab and a short link
Wrong for
Companies needing governance, support terms or a named owner
Not stated by the vendorFree download; the page lists no paid plans or prices
Mac screen recorder exporting GIF, MP4, WebM and APNG
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
This is the odd one out in a screenshot list, included because many buyers need a short GIF next to stills. Click highlighting, optional audio and trimming cover the clip workflow. Sharing plugins reach Giphy, Vercel and Streamable.
Wulkano is named as developer, with contributors credited, and no country is stated. With no price or plan shown, support and guarantees are not described, so teams should treat it as a personal utility.
What stands out
macOS recorder
GIF and MP4
Share plugins
Where it costs you
No annotation or redaction tools are listed, so it handles motion, not marked-up stills.
The page links a LICENSE.md but does not name the licence.
Right for
Mac developers who show a bug or interaction as a short looping clip
Wrong for
Anyone needing still captures with arrows, blur or text
Not stated by the vendorNo price or plan appears on the page; source on GitHub
Hosted video messaging with a free plan, now part of Atlassian
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Screenshot Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Business and Business + AI are priced per user per month, with annual billing saving up to 17%, and Enterprise adds unlimited spaces, admin controls and a 99.95% uptime SLA on quote. Business + AI can be tried for 14 days.
Starter allows up to 50 members and one all-company space. The video-first design means annotated stills, redaction and OCR are not on the pricing page, and ownership by Atlassian ties it to that vendor's stack.
What stands out
Video messages
Starter free plan
Atlassian-owned
Where it costs you
Starter caps videos at 25 and recordings at five minutes.
A single annotated still is outside what the pricing page describes.
Right for
Teams explaining processes to colleagues through short recorded video messages
Wrong for
Anyone whose main job is still screenshots with annotations
Not stated by the vendorFree plan capped at 25 videos; paid per-user monthly tiers; enterprise on quote
Screenshot software captures a region, window or screen, lets users annotate or blur the image, then saves it locally or shares it by link, clipboard or cloud library. Rather than compare features, settle the following points one after another.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
6 vendors on this page sell by quote, while 8 publish a pricing model you can read today: Greenshot, Shottr, ShareX, Screenpresso, Gyazo, Droplr, Lightshot, Loom.
02
Weigh the vendor's home jurisdiction
The vendors on this page are based in 1 countries (Elsewhere 14). The country of the contracting company sets which authorities can ask it for your data, whatever the hosting region.
03
Consider whether you want the source
1 of these are open source: Flameshot. Hosting one yourself trades a subscription for maintenance.
Screenshot software and the hosted link: Gyazo, Droplr and Lightshot
Many buyers think they are choosing a capture tool when they are really choosing where captures live afterwards. Gyazo uploads each shot as it is taken and keeps a searchable history; Droplr copies a share link into a paid cloud account with storage and bandwidth limits; Lightshot sends to a short link on its own server.
Flameshot, Greenshot and ShareX save locally first, which means no account but also no link until you add one. Ask whether the link must stay private, who can delete it and what happens when you stop paying. A tool that hosts your screens becomes part of your data inventory, and a stated retention rule is worth more than a fast upload.
Find where each capture is stored and who can open its link
Confirm that all uploads can be exported in one go
Windows, Mac or both: platform decides half of this shortlist
The field splits cleanly by operating system, and that cuts the list faster than any feature comparison. ShareX, Greenshot, PicPick and Screenpresso target Windows, with Greenshot offering a separate Mac build. Shottr, CleanShot X, Xnapper and Kap are Mac apps. Flameshot covers all three desktops, and Snagit on Windows and macOS.
A team with both kinds of laptop must either accept two tools with two sets of habits or pick one of the few that cover both. Check the version requirements as well: Shottr asks for macOS Catalina, Kap for macOS 12, and PicPick lists Windows Vista to 11. Write the platform list before reading any price, and note which machines are shared.
List every operating system your staff really use
Check minimum versions against your oldest machines
Test the same capture on both platforms before standardising
Redaction in screenshot software: manual blur or automatic detection
Screenshots leak. A support agent captures a ticket with a customer email, a developer captures a console with an API key. Tools differ on how they help. Xnapper hides several data types with a single click, Snagit has Smart Redact for contact and card details, and Screenpresso PRO lists auto blur of sensitive data.
Shottr, Greenshot and Flameshot offer pixelation, obscuring or blur that you apply by hand, which is reliable only when everyone remembers. Automatic detection also misses things, so test it on your own screens, with the types of data your team actually shows, before relying on it for compliance work or for anything a regulator may later ask about.
Run each tool on a screen with your real data types
Check whether detection runs locally or in the cloud
Decide who reviews a capture before it leaves the company
Buying screenshot software: one-time licences, update years and personal-use limits
Prices in this category look small, so the traps are in terms. CleanShot X Basic buys the app once but charges yearly to keep receiving updates, while Xnapper sells one, two or three Mac licences with a year of updates each. Screenpresso PRO and ENTERPRISE are one-time but show no amounts on the pricing page.
PicPick is at no charge for personal use only, and commercial use needs a licence. Gyazo and Droplr sell hosted plans per user. Multiply the cost by headcount and by three years, and ask what happens when the update year ends. Keep the refund window in mind: CleanShot X and Xnapper both give 30 days.
Price three years for your headcount, including renewals
Read the licence terms for commercial use
Test within the refund window using your real workflow
What goes wrong most often when buying screenshot software
Picking a video tool such as Loom or Kap when the daily job is annotated stills for tickets.
Assuming a no-charge Windows tool is free for company use, when PicPick limits it to personal use.
Uploading captures to a hosted service before reading how long links and files stay live.
Treating automatic redaction as proof that nothing sensitive remains on the image.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best screenshot software in 2026?
Flameshot takes first place among the 14 we reviewed. Flameshot runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (64-bit only) under the GNU GPL v3, with its source on GitHub, so a mixed-platform team needs no licence keys.
The loop is short: select an area, annotate, save. Scripting goes through a command-line interface. It is credited to contributors rather than a company, so the site names no country, no support terms and no built-in cloud sharing.
Which screenshot tools publish their pricing?
8 out of 14 state a price model on their own site:
Greenshot: Free on Windows; the Mac build is sold at a small fixed price.
Shottr: Free tier with most features; paid option is pay what you want, price on a separate page.
ShareX: Free with a donate link; no paid plan mentioned.
Screenpresso: Free version for work use; PRO and ENTERPRISE are one-time purchases, prices not shown.
Gyazo: Free plan with short recordings and a ten-item window; Pro and Teams prices not shown; Teams has a 30-day trial.
Droplr: Per-user monthly or annual plans published; quote for sixteen or more members; trial offered, length not stated.
Lightshot: Free download; the page lists no paid plans or prices.
Loom: Free plan capped at 25 videos; paid per-user monthly tiers; enterprise on quote.
6 vendors do not print a price.
Is there a free screenshot tool?
Greenshot, Shottr, ShareX, Screenpresso, Gyazo, Lightshot, Loom come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these screenshot software vendors established?
Vendor countries on this page, Elsewhere 14:
Flameshot: Not stated by the vendor.
Greenshot: Not stated by the vendor.
Shottr: Not stated by the vendor.
ShareX: Not stated by the vendor.
Screenpresso: Not stated by the vendor.
PicPick: Not stated by the vendor.
CleanShot X: Not stated by the vendor.
Xnapper: Not stated by the vendor.
Snagit: Not stated by the vendor.
Gyazo: Not stated by the vendor.
Droplr: Not stated by the vendor.
Lightshot: Not stated by the vendor.
Kap: Not stated by the vendor.
Loom: Not stated by the vendor.
Which screenshot tools are open source?
Flameshot.
What should you use instead of Flameshot?
Greenshot and Shottr are the next two on this page. Greenshot is for Windows users who mostly paste annotated captures into email and Office files; Shottr is for Individual Mac users who want measuring and long-page capture without paying first.
Who should not buy Flameshot?
Teams wanting hosted links, a shared library or vendor support. Credited to contributors, with no company or country named, so there is no vendor to hold to a support promise..
If a screenshot software product of yours deserves a place among these 14, say what it is and who it serves. Inclusion rests with us alone. See software advice for the rules.
