Znip vs Shottr: Which Mac Screenshot App Fits You?

Shottr is a tiny Mac screenshot app for pixel work, free to try and $12 to buy once. Znip, my app, does screenshots and screen recording in one app. Pick Shottr for still images, rulers and colour picking on almost any Mac. Pick Znip if you also record video.

Disclosure: I am Siddharth Sharma, and I build Znip. It is in invite-only beta, for Apple silicon Macs on macOS 15 or later. I have tried to be fair to Shottr, which is a very good app. Shottr facts come from shottr.cc, its purchase page and its release notes. Znip facts come from znip.app/features. All checked on 30 October 2026.

My count from those pages: Shottr's home page lists 14 features, and none of them is video recording. Znip's features page lists 10 areas, and 2 of them (Record and Finish) are only about video.

Quick verdict

Choose Shottr if you take still screenshots for design, front-end or QA work, want a ruler and colour picker, or use an Intel Mac or an older macOS.
Choose Znip if you record walkthroughs or bug reports as well as screenshots, and want both in one library. You need an invite, an Apple silicon Mac and macOS 15 or later.
Use both if you like Shottr's pixel tools and also need a recorder. They do different jobs.

For the wider field, see my guide to the best screenshot apps for Mac.

What Shottr does well

Shottr calls itself a screenshot tool "for those who care about pixels", and it earns that.

Small and fast. Shottr says its download is a 2.3 MB native app that takes about 17 ms to grab a screenshot and about 165 ms to show it.
Scrolling screenshots of long pages and chats, in any app. If you want the built-in options first, read my guide to scrolling screenshots on a Mac.
Text recognition (OCR) and QR reading. Press a hotkey, select an area and Shottr copies the text.
Pixelate or remove objects, with a text mode that hides text without touching the rest.
A screen ruler and colour picker. Press an arrow key to measure, and Tab to copy a pixel's colour.
Backgrounds, shadows and rounded corners for polished images.
Pins, overlays and combined captures. Pin a screenshot as a floating window, paste images on top, make two-frame before and after GIFs, or put several captures on one canvas.
S3 upload to any S3-compatible storage, added in version 1.9.

Where Shottr stops

No screen recording. Shottr captures and edits still images. Its before and after GIF tool combines two screenshots; it does not record your screen.
Uploads need your own storage. The S3 upload sends files to a bucket you set up and pay for. There is no hosted link service.
Free, with a nudge. Shottr's purchase page says you can use it free, and after 30 days it starts asking you to upgrade. A licence is required for commercial use.

What Znip does

Znip puts screenshots, recordings and editing in one native Mac app.

Capture an area, a window or a whole display, with a timer and repeat-last-area capture.
Annotate with arrows, text, shapes, numbered steps, a highlighter, a spotlight and a magnified callout. You can also crop a screenshot or resize it.
Cover private details with solid redaction blocks or pixelation.
Present with backgrounds, padding, corners, shadows and saved styles.
Keep screenshots and recordings in a local library you can search by title and by recognised text, and pin screenshots above other windows.
Record a display, window or area at 15, 30 or 60 fps, with microphone and system audio and a camera overlay. My guide to screen recording on a Mac with audio covers the built-in way too.
Finish recordings with trimming, backgrounds and click-based zooms, then export as MP4 or GIF.
Read text and QR codes on your Mac, without uploading the image.
Scroll to capture a long page vertically or horizontally.

Where Znip stops

Invite-only beta. There is no public download or price yet.
Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later only. Intel Macs and older macOS versions are not supported.
No keystroke overlay in recordings.
No ruler or colour picker. If you measure interface spacing every day, Shottr is the better tool.

Price and licensing

Shottr Free: free to use, with upgrade prompts after 30 days.
Shottr Basic: $12, a one-time purchase, not a subscription. One licence covers one user on up to 5 Macs, and it is required for commercial use.
Shottr Friends Club: $30, a higher supporter tier. Shottr says a Basic licence cannot be upgraded to it.
Znip: invite-only beta, no public price yet.

Privacy

Shottr checks shottr.cc for updates and to validate your licence. It sends anonymous usage telemetry, which its FAQ says contains no personal information and can be turned off in Preferences. Znip runs text recognition on your Mac, and your library is stored locally.

Which should you choose?

If your output is a still image that needs exact measurements, Shottr is hard to beat for $12. If your output is often a short video, or a mix of screenshots and clips for a bug report, Znip saves you a second app. For tips on making either kind clear, see how to explain a bug with a screenshot.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shottr free?

Yes, you can use Shottr free for as long as you like. After 30 days it starts asking you to buy a licence. The Basic licence costs $12 once and is needed for commercial use.

Does Shottr record video?

No. Shottr captures and edits still screenshots. It can make a two-frame before and after GIF from screenshots, but it does not record your screen. Znip, CleanShot X and the built-in macOS Screenshot app can record.

Does Shottr work on Intel Macs?

Shottr is not limited to Apple silicon. Its FAQ says it runs on macOS Catalina (10.15) and up, while the Homebrew listing for the current 1.9.3 build says macOS 12 or later. Check your macOS version before you install. Znip needs an Apple silicon Mac.

Is Shottr safe?

Shottr has been signed and notarised by Apple since September 2020, according to its release notes. It contacts shottr.cc for update checks and licence validation, and its telemetry can be switched off.

Shottr or CleanShot X?

Shottr is cheaper and focused on still screenshots and pixel tools. CleanShot X adds screen recording and cloud sharing. I compare more options in my list of CleanShot X alternatives.