CleanShot X is the best screenshot tool for macOS and I use it daily for these 5 features

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macOS is full of great native utilities, like the built-in Screenshot app, but third-party software often offers a better experience than Apple's default apps. I'm constantly on the lookout for new must-have macOS apps to improve my daily workflow on the best Macs, and recently decided to give CleanShot X a try. At its core, CleanShot X is a paid screenshot utility that offers a more robust feature set than macOS Screenshot.




After using CleanShot X, it feels a bit unfair to call the app a screenshot utility. It's also an excellent markup tool, screen recorder, and GIF maker. It's quickly become one of the most versatile third-party apps I have installed on my MacBook Air and iMac, and I think you should give it a try. I've always envied Windows 11's Snipping Tool for some features, but CleanShot X puts that program to shame, too.

I constantly take screenshots for work to save important information and quickly share things with friends or on social media platforms. With CleanShot X, this process has become much easier. Here are the five features that turned me off the screenshot app and convinced me to pay for a third-party screenshot app.


5 More than just screenshots

CleanShot X can also process screen recordings and GIFs

The option to record videos and GIFs in CleanShot X.


After installing CleanShot X, the app will appear in your Mac's menu bar, which we'll cover in more detail next. However, if you explore CleanShot X's settings menu and menu bar module, you'll find that the app can do far more than just take a screenshot. It can start a screen recording and even delay the start of the screen recording to give you time to prepare. This isn't much different from macOS's native screen recording, although this timer can be more useful than you might expect.

My favorite Surprise Another feature of CleanShot X is the GIF creator. You can create a GIF of what you're doing on your Mac just as easily as you would start a screen recording or take a screenshot. For me, converting videos to GIFs has always been a tedious task, and thanks to CleanShot X, it's never been easier. You might end up using a more varied mix of screenshots, screen recordings, and GIFs because it's so easy to capture all three formats with this app.


You can access all CleanShot X features from anywhere – no keyboard commands required

CleanShot X menu bar app.

The menu bar module is a major advantage of using CleanShot X for several reasons. You can swap out the standard macOS screenshot commands to map them to CleanShot X utilities, but the useful and persistent module makes that unnecessary. It is possible to quickly take a screenshot or screen recording directly from the menu bar, and that is great if you want to keep the native screenshot app in use as well. If you have the All in one in the CleanShot X menu bar module opens the app overlay and from there you can use all the features of the app.


There are other nice features that can be accessed via the menu bar, such as Capture history. This will open recent screenshots that have already been discarded. This can be useful if you accidentally closed an image without saving it. Considering how easy it is to lose a screenshot taken with macOS's native screenshot utility, this is a huge advantage of CleanShot X.

3 Useful quick access

Screenshots no longer disappear automatically

Screenshot history is displayed in CleanShot X app.

When you take a screenshot using the built-in macOS program, it stays in the bottom right corner of the screen and disappears after a few seconds. CleanShot X sends screenshots you've just taken to the bottom left corner of the screen, giving you quick access to the screenshots you've taken recently. Fortunately, this app doesn't discard screenshots until you've interacted with them. The tiny preview lets you open a larger view of the screenshot, edit it with markup tools, save it, or copy it.


There are a few reasons why I like the quick access to CleanShot X screenshots better than native macOS screenshots. First of all, I've never had a screenshot taken with CleanShot X disappear, and I definitely can't say the same for macOS screenshots. I also love that screenshots aren't saved by default, as this helps reduce the clutter on your desktop.

Screenshot and preview may be a good start, but CleanShot X is on another level


The built-in screenshot app integrates well with Preview, a viewer and markup program that most people don't take full advantage of. I'm a huge fan of Preview, but the fact is that CleanShot X has a markup tool that's better and easier to use. Just take a look at the CleanShot X toolbar when the markup utility is open, as shown in the gallery above. There's an extensive selection of utilities – probably more than users know what to do with. Aside from the basics, a nice CleanShot X markup feature can add a custom background to your screenshot to make it more lively.

1 Automatically cropped screenshots

CleanShot X brings my favorite Snipping Tool feature to macOS

The “Automatically copy to clipboard” setting for CleanShot X.

The feature that absolutely won me over as a CleanShot X user was the ability to choose exactly what happens to a screenshot after you take it. I use a mix of macOS and Windows devices and have been asking for what feels like forever for an option to automatically paste macOS screenshots to the clipboard. Here's how the Snipping Tool works on Windows 11 and how the screenshot app works should works on macOS. Fortunately, CleanShot X can automatically crop your screenshots and do much more.


In CleanShot X's settings menu, there is a list of options from which you can choose what happens to screenshots, screen recordings and GIFs. For example, you can have screenshots automatically saved, added to the clipboard, or opened in the markup window. Or you can pin them to the screen and launch them in the video editor. You can select more than one option, so you can determine exactly how you want CleanShot X to behave.

Do I have to pay for CleanShot X?

CleanShot X doesn't have an official free trial, and a lifetime license costs $29, so you should be sure you'll really use CleanShot X before trying it out. Not everyone will see the benefit of a third-party screenshot app, but people who regularly capture and edit screen content might find this app a workflow-changing addition.

CleanShot X is available through Setapp, a monthly subscription service that gives you access to over 250 apps. There is a free trial, so you can try CleanShot X for free by giving Setapp a try. Just remember to cancel if you don't want to continue.


Personally, I can't imagine going back to macOS's default screenshot utility after seeing what CleanShot X has to offer. I'll probably save more than enough time over the weeks and months I use this app to justify the cost, and you could benefit in a similar way.

Clean-Shot-X

Best screenshot tool

CleanShot X

Once you've tried it, you can't go back

CleanShot X is a premium screenshot and screen recording utility for macOS. It is available for $29 as a one-time purchase or can be purchased as a subscription to CleanShot or Setapp.

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