CleanShot X: The Mac tool that makes screenshots feel effortless

Although macOS ships with a native screenshot utility, it is not always enough for most people. It means you should consider third-party screenshot apps for your device.

However, most of these third-party screenshot tools tend to compromise something: performance, features, or integration. CleanShot X, a super-popular macOS app from MTW, is an exception to that trend.

CleanShot X claims to not only replace the built-in screenshot utility on your Mac but also help you capture great screenshots while at it.

About CleanShot X

CleanShot X is an all-in-one screenshot and screen-recording utility built specifically for macOS. It can replace the native macOS screenshot tool while adding a deep set of features designed for people who rely on visuals in their daily work.

You can use CleanShot X to capture standard screenshots, scrolling pages, screen recordings, GIFs, and more — then annotate, polish, and share them without leaving the app.

Over time, CleanShot X has become a favorite among professionals and indie makers alike, and it is one of our favorite best screenshot tools for Mac. Its feature set is broad, but what stands out most is how native the experience feels.

Key features include:

• Native macOS look and feel
• Full-screen, window, area, and scrolling capture
• Powerful annotation tools (arrows, text, blur, highlights)
• Crop, resize, rotate, and background controls
• Screen recording and GIF creation
• OCR and text extraction from images
• AI-assisted highlighting and suggestions
• One-click uploads to CleanShot Cloud with shareable links
• Apple Silicon and the latest macOS versions supported

Watch official demo video:

Our Hands-On CleanShot Review

We wanted to tell you how faithful CleanShot X is to the claims it makes. It won’t be difficult because we’ve been using CleanShot X for over two years for all things screenshots on our Macs. However, for the purpose of this review, we tested the latest version of CleanShot X on our M2 MacBook Air, running macOS Tahoe.

This way, we can give you an overview of how it feels to install, set up, and use CleanShot X. Although we’ve looked at its video and GIF creation options, the focus will be on static screenshots.

Setup and getting started

You can install and set up CleanShot X in a few minutes. The process takes less time if you get the app from a source like Setapp. Anyway, during the setup, you need to provide permission for Accessibility and Screen Recording. It does not ask for anything extra.

There is no setup process as such. When you start CleanShot X after the installation, you can see the icon on the menu bar. You can use this widget to access the screenshot utility. In most cases, CleanShot X can replace the native macOS screenshot shortcuts with the ones specific to the app.

It means you can start using CleanShot X for screen capture in a few seconds.

The interface and experience

Like other screenshot apps/utilities for macOS, CleanShot X also does not have a full-window interface. You can, instead, access the utility from the menu bar widget or using a keyboard shortcut. So, when you are not using CleanShot, you won’t know it is running in the background.

We always use keyboard shortcuts for typical screenshots, such as full-screen and window. However, when you want something special like All-in-One, OCR, or Scrolling Capture, you need to access the widget. Either way, the UI of CleanShot X is intuitive and easy to navigate.

It is also convenient that CleanShot X integrates so well with macOS. After a day or two, the app feels a built-in part of macOS. Therefore, we have more praise to say about the overall User Experience from CleanShot X. We also believe the developers deserve a raise for their constant improvements.

Screenshot capture capabilities

CleanShot X lets you capture a variety of screenshots:

• Capture Area
• Capture Window
• Full Screen
• Scrolling Capture
• All-in-One Capture

After capturing, you can decide what happens next: open the quick-access overlay, save the file, copy it to the clipboard, send it to an editor, or upload it to the cloud automatically.

You also get fine-grained control over details such as:

• Backgrounds and shadows
• Screenshot quality
• Cursor visibility
• Freeze-screen behavior

CleanShot X currently supports PNG and JPEG formats, which covers most real-world use cases.

Recent versions also integrate with tools like Raycast, making it easy to access captured screenshots from other parts of your Mac workflow.

Editing and annotation tools

Capturing is only half the job. CleanShot X shines when it comes to post-capture editing.

You get three tightly integrated editing layers:

• Crop & Canvas tools – resize, adjust aspect ratios, merge multiple screenshots into one canvas.
• Annotation tools – arrows, shapes, text, highlights, and redaction.
• Background tools – colors, gradients, images, alignment, and social-ready presets.

The background editor is particularly useful for anyone creating visuals for social platforms or blog posts. Presets make it easy to maintain consistent styles across screenshots — something we’ve found invaluable over time.

As we detailed in a previous article, these tools alone have saved us countless hours by eliminating the need to jump between multiple apps.

Additional features and settings

Before we look at the additional features of CleanShot X, we must understand how customizable CleanShot X actually is. It lets you customize almost every aspect of its functionality, including file formats and whether you need shadows on your screenshot.

So, integrating the tool into your workflow seems easier than you may think it is. In addition to those options, you get the following extra features as well.

Screen Recording and GIFs

CleanShot X also functions as a lightweight screen recorder. You can record full screens or selected areas, create GIFs, highlight mouse clicks, and temporarily silence notifications while recording.

While it won’t replace full-scale video tools like Snagit for complex productions, it’s more than enough for quick tutorials, demos, and walkthroughs.

OCR and QR Scanning

CleanShot X includes a surprisingly capable OCR tool. You can capture any area containing text — even unselectable text — and copy it directly to your clipboard. It works reliably across multiple languages and doubles as a QR code scanner, which is incredibly handy when working on a Mac.

CleanShot Cloud and Share

CleanShot Cloud makes sharing effortless. With one click, your screenshot or video is uploaded and turned into a shareable link.

For teams and professionals, cloud features include:

• Custom domains and branded links
• Tags and organization
• Expiration dates and password protection
• A custom video player with transcription and captions

Basic cloud features are included with the one-time license, while advanced options are available via subscription.

Performance and resource usage

Though it packs so many features, CleanShot X has a minimal software footprint. So, even when you use the app at its full capacity, CleanShot X does not take a lot of resources. This is an ideal situation since you would want to multitask while using the screenshot utility.

The last thing you need is the screenshot utility eating up RAM and CPU resources, right? With CleanShot X, you can worry not, even while using its features like Quick-Access Overlay and deeply integrated Capture History.

Pricing: Is CleanShot X Free?

CleanShot X is not free.

• One-time license: $29 (includes one year of updates + 1 GB cloud storage)
• Cloud subscription: $8 per user/month for unlimited storage and branding
• Discounts available for students and PixelSnap owners

There’s no traditional free trial, but the app includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, which effectively serves the same purpose. You can also access CleanShot X through a Setapp subscription if you prefer an all-in-one app bundle.

For most solo users, the one-time license is more than sufficient. The cloud subscription mainly makes sense if you frequently share or collaborate on screenshots and videos.

Where CleanShot X Fits in a Real Mac Workflow

CleanShot X works best for people who regularly communicate visually, including:

• Writers and bloggers creating tutorials
• Developers documenting bugs or UI changes
• Designers sharing work-in-progress visuals
• Customer support and product teams
• Social media and marketing professionals
• Educators creating quick demos or explanations

If screenshots are part of how you work — not just something you do occasionally — CleanShot X integrates seamlessly into that rhythm.

Who Should Skip CleanShot X

CleanShot X isn’t for everyone.

You may want to skip it if:

• You only take screenshots occasionally
• You’re fully satisfied with macOS’s built-in tools
• You prefer completely free utilities
• You mainly want pre-designed social templates (tools like Xnapper may suit you better)

Alternatives to CleanShot X

One notable alternative is Xnapper, which focuses on visually polished screenshots with automatic redaction and social-friendly templates. You can read our detailed CleanShot vs Xnapper comparison for a deeper breakdown.

Other options include free tools like Shottr or LightShot, which are suitable for basic needs but lack CleanShot X’s depth and refinement.

TheSweetBits Verdict

CleanShot X isn’t just a better screenshot tool — it’s one of those rare Mac utilities that quietly becomes infrastructure.

Once installed, it fades into the background. But the moment you remove it, everything feels slower, messier, and more fragmented. For anyone who relies on screenshots as part of their daily work, CleanShot X earns its place on your Mac.

If you value speed, polish, and tools that respect how macOS works, CleanShot X remains one of the easiest recommendations we can make.

It’s the kind of utility you don’t think about — until it’s gone.

For more details, visit the official CleanShot website and try it for yourself.

Updated on Dec. 24, 2025, by TheSweetBits Team