Best CleanShot X Alternative for Mac (2026)
A CleanShot X alternative depends on the shot you need. Shottr is the screenshot tool. Better Shot also records. DejaShot does neither. It searches shots you already have.
CleanShot X is the suite people mean when they say "screenshot app": capture, annotation, scrolling pages, screen recording, and a cloud link. On its pricing page, Basic was $35 once, with a year of updates and 1 GB of cloud, then an optional $19 a year. Pro was $10 per user a month, billed annually, with unlimited cloud. Read cleanshot.com/pricing before you pay. The apps below do not all replace that whole list.
What CleanShot X is actually for
If the missing piece is a still image of a window or a long page, you want a screenshot app. If the missing piece is a video of the screen, you want a recorder, and a still-image tool will feel incomplete. If the shots are already in a folder and you cannot find the one with the error message, you want search, not another capture hotkey.
Shottr, for the screenshot itself
Shottr captures an area, a window, or the full screen, and it can scroll a page or a chat and stitch that into one image. It also reads text and QR codes, measures distances on screen, and picks colors. The site says it runs on macOS 10.15 or later. It does not advertise screen recording.
You can download it free. The purchase page says that copy asks you to upgrade after 30 days. Basic is $12 once, for one person and up to five computers, and a license is required for commercial use. That is a one-time payment, not a subscription. Confirm it on shottr.cc.
Shottr is the closest swap when CleanShot's cloud and video editor are not the reason you opened it. You are paying, if you pay, for the still image and the measuring tools.
Better Shot, if you also record
Better Shot takes the screenshot and the recording. You can mark up a still with arrows and text, and you can record the screen and the camera, then trim the video. The developer says the price is $0, with no account and no watermark, and calls the app open source. It needs macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. See bettershot.site.
This is the one to pick when you wanted CleanShot because it records, not only because it grabs a window. It will not run on a Mac stuck before Sonoma. Shottr will.
DejaShot is a different job
DejaShot does not replace the capture button. It reads the text inside screenshots already in the folders you choose, and it notes which app a new one came from, so you can search by what you remember. The site listed $4.99 and macOS 14 or later. Check dejashot.com.
Install it after you already have a pile of shots and cannot find one. Do not install it expecting a scrolling capture or a recorder.
Side by side
| Shottr | Better Shot | DejaShot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Take and measure a screenshot | Screenshot and screen recording | Search screenshots you already took |
| Scrolling capture | Yes | Not what the site leads with | No |
| OCR | On the capture | Not the reason to install it | On the files in your folders |
| Recording | No | Yes, plus a video editor | No |
| Price we could verify | Free download; $12 once for Basic | $0, per the developer | $4.99 |
| macOS, per the developer | 10.15 or later | 14 or later | 14 or later |
Which one to install
- You want scrolling screenshots, OCR, and a ruler, and you do not need a recorder: Shottr
- You want capture and recording in one free app, on macOS 14 or later: Better Shot
- The screenshot already exists and you cannot find it: DejaShot
- You want CleanShot's cloud sharing and team controls specifically: none of these three claim to replace that
What this page does not claim
These apps were not timed against CleanShot X. The table is what each developer says the app does, and the prices listed on their sites when this was written. If a price page changes, the developer is right and this paragraph is stale.