Taking screenshots is an essential task for most Mac users, whether you need to capture an image for work, save a funny meme, or share an error message with tech support. While macOS includes a basic built-in snipping tool, it can be quite limiting if you need more advanced features and editing capabilities. Fortunately, there are many excellent third-party snipping tools available for Mac that make it easy to capture, annotate, and share screenshots.
In this guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look at the 10 best snipping tools for Mac in 2023, including both free and premium options. For each tool, we‘ll highlight its key features, advantages, drawbacks, and pricing so you can find the perfect screenshot solution for your needs. Let‘s get started!
Navigation of Contents
The Built-in Mac Snipping Tool
Before we dive into third-party options, it‘s worth understanding the screenshot capabilities that come included with your Mac. macOS has a built-in snipping tool that allows you to quickly capture your entire screen, a selected window, or a custom portion of the screen.
To access the snipping toolbar, simply press Shift + Command + 5 on your keyboard. This will bring up a small panel with various screenshot options:
- Capture Entire Screen
- Capture Selected Window
- Capture Selected Portion
- Record Entire Screen
- Record Selected Portion
You can also access additional options like setting a timer delay, choosing where to save the screenshot, and more.
While the built-in tool covers the basics, it falls short for users who need more robust annotation tools, scrolling capture, text recognition, cloud storage, and other advanced features. If you find yourself needing more than the basics, read on for the best snipping tools for Mac.
1. CleanShot X
Platforms: Mac
Pricing: $29 one-time purchase (free trial available)
CleanShot X is an all-in-one screenshot and screen recording tool that‘s an excellent upgrade over macOS‘s built-in features. With CleanShot X, you can capture screenshots of an area, window, full screen, or even scrolling content. The app offers useful tools like a magnifier for pixel-perfect selections, hide desktop icons option, and customizable hotkeys.
One standout feature is a quick access overlay that appears after you take a screenshot. This allows you to quickly annotate the image with shapes, blur sensitive info, highlight sections, and more. You can even turn screenshots into a web link via CleanShot Cloud.
CleanShot X goes beyond screenshots with its screen recording capabilities. You can capture video of your screen, include your webcam, show keystrokes and mouse clicks, and more. The app makes it easy to convert screen recordings to GIF as well.
While CleanShot X isn‘t free, its robust feature set and elegant interface make it well worth the one-time $29 price for power users. You can test it out with a free trial before buying.
Pros:
- All-in-one solution for screenshots and screen recordings
- Scrolling screenshot capture
- Quick access annotation toolbar
- CleanShot Cloud for instant screenshot sharing
- Customizable hotkeys and intuitive interface
Cons:
- No permanent free version, only a trial
- Pricier than some other options at $29
2. Monosnap
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Pricing: Free (Pro version available)
Monosnap is a popular free snipping tool that works across Mac and Windows. Its free version is feature-rich, with support for capturing fullscreen, active windows, areas, and even video recordings. You can edit screenshots with lines, arrows, text, and blur.
The app makes it simple to upload and share screenshots with a custom link. You get 2GB of free cloud storage to work with. Monosnap also integrates with many third-party tools like Slack, Trello, Asana, and Google Drive.
Upgrading to the $2.50/month Pro plan unlocks unlimited cloud storage, folders/tags to organize screenshots, full webpage scrolling capture, and more. But the free version covers most needs.
Pros:
- Completely free for basic screenshot and editing needs
- 2GB free cloud storage for uploads
- Integrates with popular productivity apps
- Cross-platform for Mac and Windows
Cons:
- Free version lacks scrolling full page capture
- More limited editing vs other tools
3. Lightshot
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Pricing: Free
For a lightweight, no-frills snipping tool, look no further than Lightshot. This free app for Mac and Windows sits in your menu bar for quick access. Click the icon or press a hotkey to enter selection mode, drag across the part of the screen you want to capture, and the screenshot is saved locally.
Lightshot has a basic editor for cropping, adding text, and drawing arrows on screenshots. You can upload shots to get a shareable link or send to Google to search for similar images. That‘s about it in terms of features, but Lightshot is speedy, simple, and 100% free, making it ideal for users who just need an easy way to snap and save screenshots.
Pros:
- Completely free with no upgrades required
- Lightweight and fast
- Simple workflow for quick screenshotting needs
Cons:
- Bare bones annotation features
- No cloud storage included
- Can‘t capture fullscreen, windows, or scrolling pages
4. Skitch
Platforms: Mac
Pricing: Free
Skitch is a free screenshot and annotation tool from the team behind Evernote. As you‘d expect, it integrates seamlessly with Evernote, allowing you to save annotated screenshots directly to your Evernote notebooks.
The app has all the standard capture methods like fullscreen, windows, and custom selections. Its annotation tools are where it shines, with options to add shapes, text, highlights, pixelation, and stamps. You can customize everything from font colors to arrow styles.
Skitch is a good choice for existing Evernote users who want to level up their screenshot game without adding another app to their workflow. Keep in mind that all those annotation features can feel overwhelming compared to simpler snipping tools.
Pros:
- Completely free
- Robust screenshot annotation options
- Deep integration with Evernote
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve than simpler tools
- Lacks scrolling capture and cloud storage
- No Windows version
5. Droplr
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox
Pricing: Starting at $5.99/month
Droplr isn‘t just a snipping tool – it‘s a full-featured digital asset sharing platform. In addition to taking screenshots, you can use it to upload and share files, screen recordings, GIFs, and more.
On the snipping side, Droplr covers all the capture modes you‘d expect and adds scrolling screenshot support as well. Once you take a shot, you can annotate it with arrows, lines, shapes, text, and blur. The screenshot is automatically uploaded to your Droplr cloud storage and copied as a short sharing link, making it a seamless process.
Droplr integrates with Slack, Trello, Jira, Google Drive, and other productivity tools to fit into your workflow. It also stands out for its enterprise-level security with features like SSO and two-factor authentication.
Pricing starts at $5.99/month for the Lite plan, which includes 2GB storage. Pricier plans increase storage caps and add features like custom branding. Overall, Droplr is best for professional teams needing a powerful visual communication tool.
Pros:
- All-in-one solution for screenshots, screen recordings, GIFs, and file sharing
- Seamless cloud uploading and link sharing
- Enterprise-grade security
- Scrolling webpage capture
Cons:
- Most expensive option, no free tier
- Could be overkill for basic screenshot needs
6. Snagit
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Pricing: $62.99 one-time purchase
Snagit is TechSmith‘s popular screenshot and screen recording tool for Mac and Windows. While it‘s on the pricier side at $62.99, you get a lot for your money. Snagit makes it easy to grab fullscreen, window, scrolling, and custom region screenshots.
The editor is where Snagit really excels. You can annotate shots with a huge array of tools including stamps, stickers, specialty cursors and more to create truly customized, professional-looking visuals. Snagit even packs a built-in image editor for resizing, cropping, adding filters and special effects.
Like most premium tools, Snagit supports scrolling capture to grab an entire webpage or long document. You can export to popular formats like JPG and PNG or share via a link. Snagit isn‘t cheap and may be more than casual users need, but its powerful editing capabilities make it a go-to for technical documentation, training, and visual instructions.
Pros:
- Extremely powerful screenshot editing and annotation
- Scrolling capture support
- Works on both Mac and Windows
- Combines snipping with light image editing features
Cons:
- Expensive at $62.99
- No cloud storage included
- Could overwhelm basic users with features
7. Dropshare
Platforms: Mac
Pricing: $29.99
Dropshare focuses on making it dead simple to upload and share screenshots, screen recordings, files, code snippets, and more. While it lacks the fancier annotation features of apps like CleanShot, it makes up for it with a clean, intuitive interface and robust sharing options.
To capture a screenshot with Dropshare, just hit a hotkey or click the menubar icon and select an area. The app instantly uploads the image to your cloud storage and copies a sharing link to your clipboard. You can connect Dropshare to AWS, Google Drive, Rackspace, or its own Cloud platform.
There‘s also a handy screenshot browser with filtering and search to easily find past captures. Dropshare offers a generous 90-day unlimited trial. After that, it‘s a one-time purchase of $29.99. If you don‘t need a ton of editing features and just want a fast way to capture and share screenshots, it‘s a solid choice.
Pros:
- Incredibly fast workflow for screenshotting and sharing
- Clean, intuitive interface
- Connects with all major cloud storage providers
- Generous 90-day unlimited trial
Cons:
- One-time fee rather than subscription
- Limited annotation options
- Some advanced settings require technical know-how
8. Screenie
Platforms: Mac
Pricing: $14.99 one-time purchase
Screenie is a well-designed snipping tool that covers the essentials without overloading you with features. Click its menu bar icon to grab a fullscreen, window, or custom region screenshot. The app supports scrolling capture as well for grabbing full web pages.
Where Screenie shines is its annotation and organization tools. You can highlight parts of a screenshot, redact sensitive info, and add basic shapes and text. Screenie automatically organizes screenshots based on the app or URL they were captured from, making it easy to find that webpage screenshot from last week in its built-in image browser.
Screenie is light on cloud storage and sharing features compared to other apps. But its reasonable $15 one-time price and essential feature set make it a good value. If you prefer a traditional pay-once model vs subscriptions and don‘t need a ton of cloud storage, give Screenie a look.
Pros:
- Simple, elegant interface
- Scrolling webpage screenshot support
- Automatic organization of screenshots by app/URL
- Affordable one-time $15 price
Cons:
- Lacks cloud storage and online sharing
- No screen recording capabilities
- More limited than other tools in editing features
9. TinyTake
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Pricing: Free (paid subscriptions available)
TinyTake is MangoApps‘ free screenshot tool for Mac and Windows. The app‘s minimal interface is accessible via a menu bar icon. Click it to capture a selected area, active window, or your entire screen. You can also record a video of your screen if needed.
Like most free tools, TinyTake is light on editing features, with just basic annotation tools like arrows, shapes, and text. But it sets itself apart with free cloud hosting for your screenshots and shareable links. The Standard plan includes 2GB of storage.
Paid plans starting at $29.90/year increase your storage limits and add video recording time for screen captures. But most users looking for a basic, free snipping tool should be happy with TinyTake‘s base offering. The cloud hosting is especially handy for quickly sharing screenshots.
Pros:
- Completely free for screenshot capture and sharing
- Includes 2GB of free cloud hosting
- Simple, intuitive interface
- Available for both Mac and Windows
Cons:
- Limited editing and annotation features
- 5 minute max recording time on free plan
- Fewer advanced features than premium tools
10. Shottr
Platforms: Mac
Pricing: Free (paid upgrade available)
Shottr is a free, open source screenshot tool designed for fast, distraction-free capture. Click its menu bar icon and drag to select any part of your screen. Let go, and the screenshot is saved to your clipboard, ready for pasting.
There are no annotation or editing features to speak of, which may be a pro or con depending on your needs. Shottr is intentionally minimal, focusing only on fast selection-based screenshot capture. You can tweak things like the selection color and screenshot file format in preferences.
The free version is limited to 5 screenshots per day, which is still plenty for casual use. You can unlock unlimited shots with a Pay What You Want contribution to the developer. If you want a lightweight, bare bones snipping tool and don‘t need any annotation or cloud features, Shottr is worth a look.
Pros:
- Fast, distraction-free interface
- Free and open source
- Customizable selection color and screenshot format
Cons:
- No annotation, editing, or cloud features
- Limited to selection capture
- 5 shot per day limit without upgrade
How to Choose the Best Snipping Tool for Mac
With so many great screenshot tools available for Mac, how do you pick the right one? Here are some key factors to consider:
-
Capture Modes – Make sure the tool supports all the screenshot modes you need, like fullscreen, active windows, specific regions, and scrolling capture.
-
Editing & Annotation – Do you need to highlight, redact or mark up your screenshots? Look for a snipping tool with robust annotation features.
-
Cloud Storage & Sharing – Some apps include free cloud hosting and the ability to generate shareable links for your screenshots. This can be a big time saver if you frequently need to share shots.
-
Screen Recording – In addition to capturing screenshots, some tools can record a video of your screen, which can be handy for creating tutorials or walkthroughs.
-
Integrations – If you use apps like Evernote, Slack, or Trello to get work done, look for screenshot tools that integrate with them to streamline your workflow.
-
Price – Free snipping tools are fine for basic needs, but paying for an app usually gets you more advanced features, storage, and sharing options. Look for free trials so you can test drive premium apps before buying.
Final Recommendations
For casual users who just need an easy, no-frills way to capture their screen, the built-in macOS screenshot tool may be enough. If you need a bit more functionality but still want a free app, Monosnap is an excellent choice with support for all major capture modes, basic annotations, and free cloud sharing.
If you‘re willing to pay for a more powerful tool, it‘s hard to go wrong with CleanShot X. For a one-time fee of $29, you get scrolling screenshot support, a slick annotation toolbar, and native cloud sharing. Professional teams who collaborate heavily on visual assets should also consider Droplr for its robust screen capture, file sharing, and enterprise security features.
Ultimately, the right snipping tool depends on your unique needs and budget. We recommend trying a few options to see what fits your workflow best. With the perfect screenshot sidekick in your menu bar, you‘ll be able to communicate and collaborate more visually than ever before!