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Screen Recording

CleanShot X

The premium screenshot tool for Mac with annotations, scroll capture, cloud sharing, and GIFs. Solid and complete with excellent UX and smooth shortcuts. The native macOS tool already does 90% of the job so it's comfort more than necessity.

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Who's it for?SolopreneurOps

Review by a Growth Engineer

My verdict: a good tool, but not indispensable.

CleanShot X is solid and complete for Mac. The features (annotations, scroll capture, GIF) are well implemented.

But honestly, I don't necessarily see the point in paying for this when native or free tools already do 90% of the job. It's comfort, but not indispensable in my opinion.

What I like less: it's a 'nice to have', not a 'must have'. The value delta compared to the native macOS tool doesn't always justify the investment.

My advice: if you really take lots of annotated screenshots and scroll captures daily, CleanShot X improves the workflow. Otherwise, stick with the native tool - it's free and sufficient.

Why add it to your stack?

CleanShot X is objectively well made. Annotations are clean, scroll capture is practical, cloud sharing simplifies sharing. For someone who takes 50 screenshots a day, the comfort is real.

But honestly, the native macOS tool + Preview already does 90% of the job for free. CleanShot X is comfort, not a necessity. The price ($29) is fair, but the investment isn't indispensable.

What you can do with it

  • 1Capture complete web pages with scroll capture
  • 2Quickly annotate screenshots for feedback
  • 3Create GIFs for documentation or demos
  • 4Share captures via integrated cloud
  • 5Extract text from images (OCR)

What it does

  • Screenshot and annotations
  • Scroll capture (long pages)
  • Video and GIF recording
  • Integrated cloud sharing
  • OCR and text recognition
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts

How much?

Starting at $29

One-time license at $29 (1 year updates). Setapp includes CleanShot X. Optional cloud storage.

The detailed verdict

Do I really need this?

CleanShot X is not indispensable. Cmd+Shift+4 on Mac does the job for 90% of captures. Preview allows basic annotations. No CleanShot X feature is impossible to replicate otherwise.

It's premium comfort, not a necessity.

Does it play nice with my stack?

Cloud sharing is practical but basic - you get a URL, that's it. Integration with Slack or Discord goes through copy-pasting URLs, nothing native.

No API, no automation possible. For serious documentation or sharing workflows, Loom or Screen Studio are significantly superior.

Is it easy to pick up?

Getting started is immediate. You install, configure your shortcuts, and capture. No learning curve.

Advanced features (OCR, scroll capture) are discovered naturally. The app is lightweight and doesn't slow down the Mac.

Is the UX any good?

CleanShot X's UX is well designed. Shortcuts are smooth and annotations apply quickly. The interface is clean without being revolutionary.

The capture-annotation-sharing workflow is decent. But honestly, the native macOS tool with Preview does almost the same - the daily time savings are marginal.

Is it worth it?

At $29 for a one-time license, CleanShot X isn't expensive. But the question is: do you really need it? The native macOS tool is free and sufficient for most uses.

If you take lots of annotated screenshots or scroll captures, the comfort justifies the investment. Otherwise, it's superfluous.

What I like

  • Mac power users who take lots of annotated screenshots daily
  • Technical content creators and intensive visual documentation
  • Teams that need scroll capture and quick cloud sharing

What I like less

  • Those who want free as the native macOS tool is enough for most
  • Occasional use where it's overkill to pay for a few screenshots per week
  • Windows users as CleanShot X is Mac exclusive

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