CleanShot X review

CleanShot X is a Mac-native app for screenshots, screen recordings, editing and sharing. It combines capture tools with an annotation editor, a video editor and CleanShot Cloud, so you can mark up a screenshot or trim a recording before sending a link.

For screenshots, it can crop, redact, spotlight and add backgrounds. Scrolling capture handles long pages, chats, documents and code across apps. Text recognition copies text from images and scanned documents, and can read QR codes.

For recordings, CleanShot X supports webcam, voice and system audio, plus click highlights and keystrokes. Studio Mode adds trims and zooms before export. Cloud sharing also supports comments on screenshots and recordings.

The listed Basic price is $35 once. It includes the Mac app, one year of updates, 1 GB of Cloud storage and 4K uploads. Pro costs $10 per user per month when billed annually; its monthly-billing price is not published.

The main appeal is breadth: CleanShot X puts screenshot markup, scrolling capture, recording and sharing in one Mac app. That matters if your work moves from capturing a bug or design detail to annotating it, recording a walkthrough and sending it to someone for feedback. The feature set covers those steps without requiring separate tools, according to the product details.

Its screenshot tools go beyond basic arrows and blur: you can redact, spotlight and add backgrounds. Recording supports webcam and audio alongside click and keystroke indicators, while Studio Mode lets you trim and zoom before export. CleanShot Cloud adds link sharing and comments, rather than stopping at a local capture.

Reddit users who prefer CleanShot X point to its recording and annotation features, and one commenter described its interface as more native and intuitive than Shottr. Another said an older version still met their needs. Those are individual opinions, not a guarantee that it will suit every workflow. Still, they suggest the app can remain useful even if you do not renew updates every year.

The price depends on whether you want updates and Cloud features. Basic is $35 once, but includes only one year of updates and 1 GB of Cloud storage. Optional Basic updates renewal is $19 per year. Pro is $10 per user per month with annual billing and includes unlimited Cloud storage, custom domain and branding, SSO and SCIM, and advanced sharing and security. The monthly-billing price is not published, and neither are additional-seat prices. A free plan and free-trial details are not listed; Setapp is available, but its price is not published.

That makes the $35 entry price less than the whole cost of keeping the app current. One Reddit user said they were content to keep using an older version, while another framed Shottr as cheaper over time. CleanShot X may be more tool than you need if you only take occasional screenshots: a commenter said they reach for Shottr mainly for scrolling captures. If you want current updates or Pro’s shared Cloud controls, budget for recurring costs rather than treating Basic as an all-in price.

CleanShot Basic costs $35 once. That buys the Mac app, one year of updates, 1 GB of Cloud storage and 4K uploads. After the first year, updates are optional at $19 per year; the pricing details don’t say what happens to app access if you don’t renew.

CleanShot Pro is $10 per user per month when billed annually, or $120 per user for a year. Its monthly-billing price is not published. Pro adds unlimited Cloud storage, ongoing updates, custom domains and branding, SSO and SCIM, and advanced sharing and security. That’s a meaningful jump from Basic, but the plans also differ in storage and team features—not just billing schedule.

There’s no free plan listed, and trial availability is not published. Additional seats are available through License Manager, but their price isn’t published. Setapp is another option; its price isn’t published either. Budget for Basic’s renewal if you want updates, or compare Pro’s per-user annual cost with your team size before switching.

Moving to CleanShot X means adopting a Mac-native app for captures, annotations and recordings, with CleanShot Cloud available for sharing. The published material doesn’t specify an import tool, migration steps or a way to transfer captures from another service. It also doesn’t publish data-export details, so check how you can retrieve Cloud files and comments before making it your team’s archive.

Leaving may be straightforward if you only use local captures, but Cloud links, comments and shared workflows could take more planning. CleanShot Basic includes 1 GB of Cloud storage; Pro includes unlimited storage. The materials don’t say how long shared links remain available after a plan change or cancellation.

We don’t have Reddit posts in the published sources, so we can’t substantiate what users report as reasons for leaving. The clearest documented reasons to compare alternatives are cost, needing only basic screenshots, or wanting a published monthly Pro price.