All tools

Free Snagit alternatives

Snagit is excellent and paid. If what you mostly do is capture a screenshot, add arrows and boxes, blur something and send it, one of these free tools will likely cover it. Here’s an honest comparison, including where our own tool falls short.

Comparison table

ToolPriceRuns onArrows & shapesBlur / pixelateNumbered stepsBackground frameInstall
Snagit (TechSmith)PaidWindows, macOSYesYesYesYesYes
GreenshotFree, open sourceWindows (paid Mac build)YesYesYesPartialYes
ShareXFree, open sourceWindowsYesYesYesYesYes
LightshotFreeWindows, macOSYesNoNoNoYes
Skitch (Evernote)FreemacOSYesYesNoNoYes
macOS MarkupBuilt inmacOS, iOSYesNoNoNoNo
Windows Snipping ToolBuilt inWindowsPartialNoNoNoNo
AnnotateFastFree, no signupAny browserYesYesYesYesNo

Based on each tool’s current public feature set in September 2026. Features change; check the vendor’s site before deciding.

Which one should you pick?

Snagit (TechSmith)

The full-featured benchmark: scrolling capture, video, templates, a capture library.

Greenshot

Lightweight and fast. Obfuscate (blur/pixelate), step counters and highlight. Interface shows its age.

ShareX

Enormously capable, including recording, OCR and upload workflows; steep learning curve.

Lightshot

Very quick capture-and-mark flow. Basic tools only; the upload button makes images public.

Skitch (Evernote)

Loved for its bold arrows; little active development.

macOS Markup

Always there after ⌘⇧4. No blur or numbered steps.

Windows Snipping Tool

Win+Shift+S, pen, highlighter; shapes arrived in recent Windows 11 versions.

AnnotateFast

Paste and mark up in a tab; nothing uploaded. No capture or video: use your OS shortcut to capture.

Choose by situation

  • You file bugs all day on your own Windows machine: Greenshot for speed, ShareX if you also want recording and automation.
  • You’re on a Mac and only need arrows and text: the built-in Markup is enough.
  • You need blur, numbered steps or a presentation frame without installing anything (a locked-down work laptop, a Chromebook, a client’s machine): AnnotateFast in the browser.
  • You need scrolling capture, video and templates in one app: that’s what Snagit is for, and it’s worth paying for.

A note on screenshot privacy

Tools that upload for easy sharing turn a private screenshot into a public URL. Lightshot’s prnt.sc links are the best-known example: short IDs that can be guessed. If a screenshot contains customer data or credentials, keep it local, redact it, and share it inside your ticket tracker.

Questions people ask

Is there a free alternative to Snagit?
Yes. For annotation, Greenshot and ShareX (Windows, open source) are the closest free desktop options, and AnnotateFast is a free browser-based option that needs no install. None of them match Snagit’s video and template features.
Is Lightshot safe to use?
Lightshot itself is a legitimate app, but its “upload” button publishes screenshots to prnt.sc with short sequential-looking links, and people have found sensitive screenshots by guessing URLs. Save or copy locally instead of uploading anything private.
What happened to Skitch?
Evernote’s Skitch still runs on macOS, but it has seen little development for years and Windows and mobile versions were discontinued. Many former users moved to macOS Markup or a browser-based tool.
Does Greenshot work on Mac?
There is a paid Greenshot build on the Mac App Store; the free, open-source version is Windows-only.
When is Snagit worth paying for?
When you need scrolling capture, screen recording with a webcam, reusable templates and a library of past captures in one app, and you’re on the same machine every day.