Top 16 Snipping Tool on MacBook/iMac Free or Paid in 2024
Snipping tools are indispensable for all computer users, especially those needing to capture and annotate screenshots regularly. For Mac users, the market abounds with various snipping tools, each offering unique features and capabilities. Here, we unveil the top 10 snipping tools on MacBook, iMac, and more in 2024.
- Quick Navigation
- Part 1. What are the advantages of professional programs compared to the built-in snip for Mac?
- Part 2. Top 16 Snip Tool on Macbook, iMac, and Others in 2024 [Free/ Paid]
- Part 3. How to Choose the Right Snipping Tool for Mac for Your Needs
- Part 4. FAQs
What are the advantages of professional programs compared to the built-in snip for Mac?
Although the built-in snipping tool for Mac, known as Screenshot or previously as Grab, is quite functional and efficient for basic screen-capturing needs, it may lack some advanced features that third-party snipping tools provide. Here are a few reasons why some people might prefer to use third-party tools:
- 🗯️ Annotating Screenshots: While the built-in snipping tool on MacBook and other Macs allows for some annotation, third-party tools often offer a more robust suite of editing and annotating tools, including adding text, shapes, arrows, highlights, and more.
- 💞 Integrated Sharing: Some third-party snipping tools for the Mac allow you to share your screenshots directly from the app to various platforms, which can be a big time-saver.
- 🎞️ Video Capture: Certain professional snipping tools also include screen recording features, creating a one-stop-shop for all screen capture needs.
- ✏️ Enhanced Editing: Such programs provide advanced image editing features similar to those in dedicated image editing software.
- 📈 Greater Flexibility: Professional tools generally offer more flexibility and customization options, allowing users to adapt the app to their workflow. This might include customizable hotkeys, capture modes, output formats, and more.
While the built-in macOS snipping tool is sufficient for basic needs, these additional features found in professional programs can significantly enhance productivity, especially for those who frequently work with screenshots. If you are looking for such a snip tool on MacBook, iMac, etc., then check out our list of 15 popular ones.
Top 16 Snip Tool on Macbook, iMac, and Others in 2024 [Free/ Paid]
#1. Lightshot
Lightshot is a free snipping tool that caters to multiple platforms. It also functions as a browser extension, enhancing its accessibility and convenience. The snipping tool for Mac and Windows offers basic editors that allow you to annotate and edit screenshots right after capture.
- Main Features:
- Identify Similar Images: You can select any image and find similar ones, which helps you clean up duplicate photos to free up disk space.
- No Sign-Up Required: It is free and open-source, with no ads or sign-up requirements interfering with the user experience.
- Lightweight: As the name suggests, it is a lightweight application that doesn't burden your system's resources.
- Upload Feature: With Lightshot, users can not only capture and edit screenshots but also upload them directly to the internet.
- Advantages:
- Easy-to-navigate interface
- Free
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Editing Options
- No Video Capture
In summary, Lightshot is a straightforward, multi-platform snip application. Its simplicity and usability make it a popular choice for quick screen captures despite its limitations in terms of advanced editing tools and lack of video recording capabilities.
#2. CleanShot X
CleanShot X is a robust screenshot and screen recording application designed specifically for macOS. It offers a wide range of features that make capturing, annotating, and sharing screenshots and screen recordings a breeze.
- Main Features:
- Annotate & Edit: After capturing, you can annotate your screenshots with text, arrows, shapes, and more. You can also blur sensitive information.
- Scrolling Capture: This feature enables capturing long, scrollable content in one image.
- Drag & Drop: For seamless workflow integration, users can drag and drop screenshots to other applications.
- Screen Recording: Besides screenshots, It lets you record your screen, with options to include or exclude mouse clicks and the cursor.
- Advantages:
- Comprehensive Toolkit
- Cloud Storage
- Disadvantages:
- There needs to be more built-in background images.
- Some text cannot be selected.
In summary, CleanShot X is a comprehensive and robust macOS snipping tool, and its features and ease of use make it a popular choice among many users.
#3. Snagit
CleanShot X is a robust screenshot and screen recording application designed specifically for macOS. It offers a wide range of features that make capturing, annotating, and sharing screenshots and screen recordings a breeze.
- Main Features:
- Free Control: It allows users to capture screenshots of their entire screen, a region, a scrolling screen, or even text.
- Innovative: It can automatically identify various elements in screenshots for rearrangement, deletion, etc.
- Stamps: Snagit features over 2,000 pre-made Stamps - icons, symbols, cursors, and other items for enhancing visual content.
- Advantages:
- Text recognition
- Sound recording
- Disadvantages:
- Expensive
- Lower versions of macOS are not supported.
In summary, Snagit is a robust and versatile tool for capturing, recording, and editing screen activities. Its user-friendly interface and powerful features make it a popular choice of snip tool on MacBook.
#4. Loom Screen Recorder
Loom Screen Recorder is a user-friendly tool that allows you to record screenshots/videos from your screen, webcam, and more. It's a versatile solution for creating instructional video presentations or simply explaining concepts more vividly and interactively.
- Main Features:
- Screen and Webcam Recording: It allows you to record the entire screen or a specific portion, with or without simultaneous webcam recording.
- Instant Sharing: Once the recording is done, users can immediately generate a link for sharing.
- Native Editing Tools: The snipping tool on the Mac offers built-in editing tools for enhancing recorded images and videos.
- Advantages:
- Subtitles of recorded videos can be hidden.
- Versatility
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Free Version
- Quality Constraints
In summary, Loom Screen Recorder is a handy tool for capturing screen and webcam footage, offering easy sharing and editing features. While it has some drawbacks, its ease of use and versatility make it a popular choice for screen recording.
#5. TextSniper
TextSniper is a macOS application that allows users to quickly capture any text from images, PDFs, screenshots, or even videos on their screen. It uses Optical Character Recognition technology to convert the captured text into editable format.
- Main Features:
- Text-to-Speech: It can extract the text of an image and convert it directly into speech, which is an excellent accessibility option for users with dyslexia.
- QR Code and Barcode Reader: The snipping tool on MacBook, iMac, and others can also read QR codes and barcodes, providing additional utility.
- Multi-Language Support: The software supports over 100 languages.
- Advantages:
- Ease of Use
- Fast and Efficientproductivity.
- Disadvantages:
- No phone support
- Accuracy Issues
In summary, TextSniper is a powerful and efficient tool for macOS users who need to capture and digitize text from various sources quickly.
#6. Flameshot
Flameshot is a free, open-source snipping tool available across multiple platforms. Once a screenshot is captured, you can immediately annotate or highlight essential parts using the built-in editing tools.
- Main Features:
- Delay Function: It also has a delay function, which can be particularly useful when capturing a specific on-screen event.
- Clipboard Support: After taking a screenshot on Mac or other computers, you can copy it directly to your clipboard, saving time if you need to paste it into another application.
- Upload to Imgur: This screen snip for Mac allows uploading screenshots directly to Imgur, an online image-sharing community.
- Advantages:
- Customizable Shortcuts
- Customizable Appearance
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Cloud Integration
- No Screen Recording
In summary, Flameshot is a powerful and user-friendly tool offering a range of built-in features for capturing and editing screenshots. While it has limitations regarding cloud integration and screen recording capabilities, its open-source nature and multi-platform support make it a solid choice for many users.
#7. Monosnap
Monosnap offers a variety of functionalities, including the ability to take screenshots, record videos, and directly upload files to the cloud in just one click. You can also annotate or highlight important parts in their screenshots or videos.
- Main Features:
- Cloud Storage: The built-in cloud storage feature allows easy saving and sharing of files.
- Platform Sharing: It allows the sharing of captured content across various platforms.
- Advantages:
- Versatility
- Free Utility
- Disadvantages:
- Editing options could be more.
- Cloud Storage Size
In summary, Monosnap is a convenient and user-friendly snip tool for Apple and Windows. Despite some limitations in the editing tools and cloud storage size, its versatility and cost-effectiveness make it a popular choice among many users.
#8. Greenshot
Greenshot is an open-source screenshot software that is designed to be lightweight and user-friendly, offering a simple way to capture screenshots and edit them directly.
- Main Features:
- Flexible Screen Capture: It allows you to select the entire screen, a specific area, or a window.
- Export Options: Screenshots can be saved in various formats, sent to a printer, emailed, or uploaded to a website.
- Plugins: It supports plugins to extend its functionality. For example, there are plugins for exporting screenshots to various image-sharing websites or productivity tools.
- Advantages:
- Open Source
- Multilanguage Support
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Support
- Essential Editing Tools
In summary, Greenshot is a free snapshot tool for Mac and PC. However, its open-source nature and user-friendly interface make it popular among many users.
#9. TinyTake Capture
MangoApps developed it to capture entire windows or selected areas of the screen and record videos. It offers a range of features to enhance business communication and customer training, including tools to annotate captured images or videos.
- Main Features:
- Share Captures: You can share your captures via email, YouTube, or direct link. Alternatively, you can save captures locally.
- File Viewer: You can view your captures directly in TinyTake's file viewer without opening another application.
- Cloud Storage: It offers its cloud storage service, but it's important to note that the free version has a limit of 2GB of storage.
- Advantages:
- Ability to record video using the webcam
- Support zoom
- Disadvantages:
- Lack of screenshot beautification
- Storage Limitations
In summary, TinyTake is a practical and user-friendly PC and OSX snipping tool, making it a valuable tool for various business and personal applications.
#10. SnapNDrag
SnapNDrag is a screen capture tool developed by Yellow Mug Software specifically for macOS. It provides a simple, intuitive way to take, organize, and share screenshots.
- Main Features:
- Organizing Screenshots: The software includes a library where users can manage screenshots.
- Annotation Tools: Users can add text and shapes to their screenshots to highlight important parts.
- Export Options: Captures can be saved in different formats (JPEG, PNG, TIFF) or shared directly from the app (source).
- Advantages:
- Batch rename
- No Watermarks
- Disadvantages:
- Can't record video
- Limited Free Version
In summary, SnapNDrag is a simple and effective snipping tool on Apple computers, and its ease of use and organizing capabilities make it a popular choice among many Mac users.
#11. Skitch
Skitch is a free snip editing and sharing utility developed by Evernote for macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android. It offers a range of features that allow you to capture, annotate, and share images easily.
- Main Features:
- Image Blur: Users can blur parts of the image to hide sensitive information.
- PDF Annotation: You can annotate and share PDF files (this feature is available on Mac, iPad, and iPhone).
- Screen Recording: It also allows short screen recordings.
- Advantages:
- Integrate multiple applications
- Character recognition
- Disadvantages:
- Annotates are not powerful enough.
- Dependent on Evernote
In summary, Skitch is a practical and user-friendly snipping tool on MacBook or other computers. Despite its heavy reliance on Evernote, its ease of use and multi-platform support make it a valuable tool for various personal and professional applications.
#12. Capto
Capto is a versatile, user-friendly screen-capturing and recording tool designed specifically for macOS. It offers a variety of features to capture, edit, and share images or videos from your screen.
- Main Features:
- Video Editing Tools: After recording, users can trim, crop, join clips, add annotations, and even add audio commentary.
- File Management: Capto includes an easy-to-use file manager for organizing your captures.
- Sharing Options: Users can share their captures directly from the app to various platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Dropbox.
- Advantages:
- Versatility
- Multilingual version
- Disadvantages:
- Unable to recognize text
- No Free Version
In summary, Capto is a comprehensive snipping tool on the Mac with robust editing capabilities, making it a popular choice among users.
#13. Dropshare
Dropshare is a versatile file-sharing and snipping tool for macOS, iOS, and Windows. It allows you to capture and share screenshots directly from the app.
- Main Features:
- Screenshot options: It allows you to capture, organize, and share screenshots easily.
- Various Upload Destinations: Besides the user's server (SCP, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV), Dropshare also supports uploading to Amazon S3.
- Collaboration Tools: Dropshare enables users to collaborate and share files back and forth, even if they do not have their own Dropshare account.
- Advantages:
- Provides file management options
- Highly customizable
- Disadvantages:
- Only basic screenshot annotations
- No video editing
In summary, While Dropshare is a powerful and user-friendly file-sharing tool, the screenshot option is equally excellent. If you need to combine file management, then it is a good choice.
#14. Droplr
Droplr is a comprehensive screenshot, screen recording, and file-sharing tool available for Windows, Mac, and iOS. It's designed to streamline sharing of files and visual information with others, especially in a team or business setting.
- Main Features:
- Security: Droplr offers enterprise-grade security features, including SSL data transfer and storage encryption.
- Screen Recording: It can record their screens with or without audio, which can help create tutorials or demonstrate processes.
- Integration: Droplr integrates with popular apps like Slack, Trello, and Asana to streamline workflows.
- Advantages:
- Unlimited GIF recording time
- Available on multiple platforms and as a browser extension
- Disadvantages:
- Unable to extract text from screenshot
- Subscription Required for Full Features
In summary, Droplr is a simple and versatile program for remote assistance, capturing and sharing screenshots or screen recordings. Despite some limitations in its free version, its ease of use and cross-platform availability make it a valuable tool for remote collaboration and screen snip on Mac.
#15. CloudApp
CloudApp is a visually oriented, cloud-based tool that allows quick and easy image sharing, GIF creation, and screen recording. It's available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome, and iOS, making it accessible from almost any device.
- Main Features:
- Integration: CloudApp integrates with many popular apps like Slack, Trello, Asana, and more, allowing seamless sharing within these platforms.
- Cloud Storage: All captures and recordings are stored securely in the cloud and accessed from anywhere.
- GIF Creation: Zight also offers the ability to create GIFs from videos.
- Advantages:
- Automate with artificial intelligence
- Cloud-Based
- Disadvantages:
- Registration is required to download
- Subscription Required for Full Features
In summary, Zight (formerly CloudApp) is a robust snipping tool on MacBook and more. Despite the limitations of its free version, its cross-platform availability, ease of use, and cloud-based storage make it a popular choice for improving visual communication.
#16. Recordit
Recordit is a lightweight tool allowing users to create and share screen recordings quickly. It's available for both Windows and macOS. The application is handy for creating short GIFs and videos of your screen activity, which can be shared via a link.
- Main Features:
- Instant Sharing: Users can instantly share their recordings or GIFs through a URL.
- Lightweight Application: Recordit is designed to be unobtrusive and use minimal system resources.
- Advantages:
- Quick Sharing
- Free to Use
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Features
- No Direct File Saving
In summary, Recordit is a straightforward and user-friendly snip tool on Mac and Windows. While it may lack some of the advanced features found in other screen recording tools, its simplicity, quick sharing capabilities, and free access make it a handy tool for those who need to share screen activity quickly and easily.
How to Choose the Right Snipping Tool for Mac for Your Needs
Choosing the right snip tool on a MacBook or iMac depends on various factors such as ease of use, features, and cost. Here are some steps you can follow to make the best choice:
- ✅ Identify Your Needs: Understand what you need the Mac snipping tool for. Do you need it for basic screenshot tasks, or do you require advanced features like annotation, video recording, and GIF creation?
- 📊 Compare Features: Once you've identified your needs, compare the features of various snipping tools. Some tools like Cleanshot X, TextSniper, and Greenshot offer a variety of features ranging from simple screenshot capture to advanced screen recording and annotation.
- 😃 Consider Ease of Use: The user interface and usability of the tool are also important. Tools like Snagit and Lightshot are known for their intuitive interfaces that make them easy to use.
- 🏷️ Look at Pricing: Some snipping tools on MacBook are free, while others are expensive. You might get access to more advanced features if you're willing to pay. For example, Capto and Droplr are premium tools that offer extensive features.
- Try Before You Buy: Most apps offer free trials that you can try to test whether they meet your needs.
By screening these factors, you should be able to choose a suitable snipping tool for macOS.
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about using a snipping tool on a MacBook:
FAQs
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Numerous snipping tools are available for MacBook/iMac, including Cleanshot X, Snagit, Lightshot, Monosnap, Greenshot, and Textsniper.
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Yes, free snipping tools like Lightshot and Greenshot are available for MacBook. However, they may come with limited features compared to their paid counterparts.
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Some of the best-paid snipping tools for MacBook/iMac in 2024 include Snagit and Cleanshot X. These tools offer advanced features such as screen recording, annotation, and image editing.
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Yes, macOS has a built-in snipping tool that can be accessed by pressing Shift-Command-5. However, this tool may lack some advanced features in third-party applications.
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Some snipping tools are employing AI technology to enhance their capabilities. For example, TextSniper uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition), a form of AI, to extract text from images.
Conclusion
As technology advances and we become more reliant on our digital devices, it's essential to have access to tools that help streamline our work and improve our productivity. If you own an Apple computer and frequently need snip tools for capturing screenshots or recording video, please check out these 16 most popular in 2024. From simple options to more advanced tools with robust editing capabilities, you will find the best snipping tool on the Macbook/iMac that fits your needs and elevates your digital workflow. Finally, if your screenshots are lost, try free Mac data recovery software - iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac to get them back.