PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X
Looking for a CleanShot X alternative that runs on more than just your Mac? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. CleanShot is the polish leader on macOS; PrintScreen.ly is the only one that travels with you to Windows, iPhone, Android, and the web on a single license.
| At a glance | PrintScreen.ly | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $3.99/mo | $8/mo (billed annually, Pro) |
| Most popular plan | $24.99/yr | $96/yr (Pro) |
| Lifetime license | $59.99 | $29 one-time (Basic, Mac app + 1 GB cloud, $19/yr for continued updates) |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · iOS · Android · Web | Mac |
Pick CleanShot X if
- ·Native video and GIF recording with audio, plus screen-recording trim and conversion (PrintScreen.ly does not record video at all yet).
- ·More polished single-machine Mac experience: hide-desktop mode, custom backgrounds, scrolling-capture animations, and the cloud quick-access overlay are all genuinely nicer than what we ship today.
- ·Mature Mac-native quality of life — pinned floating screenshots, set-as-desktop-wallpaper, advanced annotation niceties (counters, step numbers, blur shapes), and a deeper power-user feature set polished over five-plus years.
- ·Bigger ecosystem: long-standing Setapp inclusion, established team plans with SSO, custom domain branding, and self-destruct links Pro buyers expect at the high end.
Pick PrintScreen.ly if
- +True cross-platform: native Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and a web dashboard — one account, one license. CleanShot X is Mac-only.
- +Cross-device clipboard: copy on Mac, paste on iPhone (or vice versa) without any export step. CleanShot has no equivalent because there is no CleanShot for iPhone, Android, or Windows.
- +Lifetime pricing that actually covers updates forever: $59.99 once and you keep every future release. CleanShot's $29 license only includes one year of updates; further updates cost $19/year.
- +Free tier is a complete standalone tool: capture (region/window/fullscreen/scroll), 8-tool markup editor with the full Apple-system color palette, OCR, save, and share — no nags, no watermarks, no time limit.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-02. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | PrintScreen.ly | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Price (entry) | $3.99/mo | $8/mo (Pro, billed annually) |
| Lifetime license | $59.99 — all future updates included | $29 one-time + $19/year for ongoing updates |
| Annual price for the cloud-sync tier | $24.99/yr | $96/yr |
| Platforms | Mac + Windows + iOS + Android + Web | Mac only |
| Region / window / fullscreen capture | Yes | Yes |
| Scroll capture | Yes | Yes |
| Video recording | No | Yes (MP4 + GIF, with audio) |
| Markup tools | 8-color Apple-system palette, 8 tools, non-destructive crop | Full markup suite including step counters, advanced shapes, and pinned floating screenshots |
| OCR | Yes (on-device, free for everyone) | Yes |
| Cloud sync | Yes (Pro) | Yes (1 GB on Basic, unlimited on Pro) |
| Web dashboard for your screenshot library | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Pro) |
| Cross-device clipboard (copy on one device, paste on another) | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Pinned floating screenshots / hide-desktop mode | No | Yes |
| Custom backgrounds and wallpaper styling | No | Yes |
| Free tier | Complete standalone tool — capture, mark up, OCR, save, share | 7-day trial, then paid |
Bottom line
I bought CleanShot X years ago and still respect what it does on Mac. But I work on a Mac, a Windows desktop, and an iPhone every single day, and CleanShot only lives on one of those. PrintScreen.ly started as the version of that workflow that actually follows me around — capture anywhere, mark up anywhere, find it again from any device. We're not as polished on Mac yet, and we don't record video. We're working on both.
FAQ
Why no video recording yet?+
Honest answer: we haven't shipped it. Screen recording is the most-requested gap in the product, and it's on the roadmap for both Mac and Windows. Until it's live in a public build, we list it as missing on this page rather than dressing it up. If video is what you need today, CleanShot X is the better buy on Mac.
Is the free tier really complete?+
Yes. Free includes every capture mode (region, window, fullscreen, scrolling), the full 8-tool markup editor with the Apple-system color palette, on-device OCR, save to your local folder, copy to clipboard, and share via the system share sheet. Pro is only what you can't do on a single device — cloud sync, the web library, shareable links, and cross-device clipboard.
How does cross-device clipboard work?+
When you're signed into Pro on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, or the web dashboard, copying a screenshot on one device makes it instantly pasteable on every other device on your account. No export, no AirDrop, no email-to-yourself — it just shows up in your clipboard. CleanShot has no equivalent because CleanShot only exists on Mac.
Will my CleanShot lifetime license keep getting updates?+
Per CleanShot's pricing page, the $29 Basic license includes one year of updates; after that, continued updates are $19/year. PrintScreen.ly's $59.99 lifetime includes every future update on every platform, no renewals. Verify the latest CleanShot terms at cleanshot.com/pricing.
More PrintScreen.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-02. CleanShot X pricing source. Subject to change.