PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot
Looking for a Lightshot alternative with a real markup editor and an actual private library? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. Lightshot is the fastest free way to grab a region and dump it to a public link; PrintScreen.ly is the version of that loop with a complete markup editor, native mobile apps, and a synced library that's yours, not public.
| At a glance | PrintScreen.ly | Lightshot |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $3.99/mo | Free |
| Most popular plan | $24.99/yr | Free |
| Lifetime license | $59.99 | Free (ad-supported public host) |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · iOS · Android · Web | Mac · Windows · Chrome · Firefox · Opera |
Pick Lightshot if
- ·It's free. There is no paid tier. If you want to grab a region and paste a public link in chat, Lightshot does that in two clicks and we will not beat it on speed-of-share.
- ·Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera that stay live in 2026 — handy for grabbing a screenshot of a webpage without leaving the browser.
- ·Two-decade-old brand recognition. Millions of installs. People know what 'a Lightshot' looks like — that's a real distribution advantage.
- ·Reverse image search built into the editor — useful for finding the source of a screenshot.
Pick PrintScreen.ly if
- +Real markup editor on every client — 8 tools, the full Apple-system 8-color palette, non-destructive crop, multiple stroke widths, multiple text sizes. Lightshot's built-in editor is intentionally minimal: pen, line, arrow, rectangle, marker, text, color picker — no crop, no eraser, no blur, no highlight.
- +Native iOS and Android apps with the same capture-and-edit flow as desktop. Lightshot has no mobile apps.
- +Your library is private and yours. Free Lightshot uploads land on the public prntscr.com host — anyone with the URL can see them, and there's no built-in private library or account.
- +Cross-device clipboard: copy a screenshot on Mac, paste it on iPhone or Windows, all on the same account. Lightshot has no equivalent.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-08. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | PrintScreen.ly | Lightshot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99/mo · $24.99/yr · $59.99 lifetime | Free |
| Platforms | Mac + Windows + iOS + Android + Web | Mac + Windows + Chrome/Firefox/Opera extension |
| Region capture | Yes | Yes |
| Window / fullscreen / scroll capture | Yes (all three) | Region only — no native window, fullscreen, or scrolling capture |
| Video recording | No | No |
| Markup tools | 8 tools (pen, highlighter, eraser, arrow, rectangle, ellipse, text, blur) + non-destructive crop | Pen, line, arrow, rectangle, marker, text — no eraser, no blur, no crop |
| Color palette in editor | 8 fixed Apple-system colors — same exact pixels on every client | Palette picker (varies by version) |
| OCR | Yes — on-device, free | No |
| Privacy of uploaded screenshots | Private library tied to your account | Public — anyone with the prntscr.com URL can view your screenshot |
| Cloud sync across your devices | Yes (Pro) — Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web on one account | No — public host, no cross-device library |
| Web dashboard for your library | Yes (Pro) | No (no private dashboard) |
| Mobile apps | Yes — native iOS and Android | No |
| Cross-device clipboard | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Reverse image search from a capture | No | Yes |
| Free tier | Complete standalone tool — capture, mark up, OCR, save, share | Entire app is free, ad-supported public hosting |
| Trust + signing | Apple Developer ID notarized + Azure Trusted Signing on Windows | Distributed direct + browser stores |
Bottom line
Lightshot is the right tool if you only ever need to grab a region, scribble an arrow, and paste a public link into Slack. It's free, it's fast, and a lot of people have been using it for over a decade for exactly that. PrintScreen.ly is for the person who wants the editor to actually be a real editor — eraser, highlighter, blur, crop, real text sizes — and who wants the library to be private and synced across their phone, laptop, and desktop. Lightshot's free public host is the wrong place for anything you don't want strangers stumbling on. Different products for different people.
FAQ
Are my Lightshot screenshots really public?+
Yes — uploads to the free Lightshot host land on prntscr.com URLs that anyone with the link can view. There's no private library, no account-gated view, and the gallery has historically been browsable. If your screenshots ever contain anything you wouldn't want a stranger to see, the Lightshot upload flow is the wrong place to put them. PrintScreen.ly's library is private and tied to your account.
Does Lightshot have a real markup editor?+
Lightshot's editor is intentionally minimal: pen, line, arrow, rectangle, marker, text, and a color picker. It does not have crop, eraser, blur, highlighter, or multiple text sizes. PrintScreen.ly's editor ships 8 tools plus non-destructive crop, the same on every client. If a real editor matters, Lightshot is the wrong fit.
Is PrintScreen.ly's 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 only adds what you can't do on a single device — cloud sync, the private web library, shareable links you control, and cross-device clipboard.
Can I share a screenshot with someone the way Lightshot does?+
Yes — PrintScreen.ly Pro generates a shareable link from your private library, which you control and can revoke. The difference is privacy and ownership: Lightshot puts the file on a public ad-supported host; PrintScreen.ly puts it in your library and gives you a link tied to your account.
More PrintScreen.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-08. Lightshot pricing source. Subject to change.