PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X — honest comparison

Looking for a CleanShot X alternative? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. PrintScreen.ly runs natively on Mac, Windows and Linux, records your screen to MP4 on all three (Linux on X11), and keeps your screenshots in one private library that your iPhone, iPad, Android phone and the web open too. CleanShot X is designed exclusively for macOS. If every computer you use is a Mac and you record polished video walkthroughs, CleanShot X is built for that job.

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Free for 24 hours: every feature, no card.

PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X at a glance

At a glance	PrintScreen.ly	CleanShot X
Entry price	$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/mo	$35 once for CleanShot Basic (1 year of updates, 1 GB cloud)
Next plan up	$0 for 7 days, then $95.99/yr	CleanShot Pro, $10/user/mo billed annually (unlimited cloud)
Lifetime license	$399 once	CleanShot Basic is pay-once: updates after year one are $19/yr
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS (companion), Android (companion)	Mac

Where PrintScreen.ly and CleanShot X each win

Pick PrintScreen.ly if

Runs natively on Mac, Windows and Linux, with iPhone, iPad, Android and web apps on the same account. CleanShot X is designed exclusively for macOS.
Records your screen to MP4 on Windows and Linux (X11) as well as Mac: a region or the full screen, with system sound and your microphone, at 30 or 60 fps, with pause. Each recording saves to your Movies or Videos folder.
Keeps your screenshots in one private library, 2 GB per account, that your phone and the web open too. Turn on auto-import in the iPhone or Android app and the screenshots you take on your phone are added to it the next time you open the app.
$399 once buys a lifetime plan with every update included, and it also unlocks the 8 other Bravely apps. CleanShot X's $35 license includes one year of updates, then $19 a year; unlimited cloud is CleanShot Pro at $10 per user a month, billed annually.

Pick CleanShot X if

Records video or GIF with a webcam bubble, click highlights and keystrokes, then polishes the clip in Studio Mode with smart zooms and trims. PrintScreen.ly records MP4 only, with no webcam, no GIF and no video editor.
Deeper markup: redact, spotlight, a numbered counter, text highlighting and a background tool with 20 backgrounds, plus QR code reading. PrintScreen.ly has blur, but no solid redact in its desktop and phone apps, and no counter, spotlight, backgrounds or QR reading.
CleanShot Cloud uploads any screenshot or recording and gives you a link in one click, with comments and transcripts; CleanShot Pro adds unlimited storage and a custom domain. PrintScreen.ly's recordings stay on your computer, and its share links come from the phone, web and Windows apps and last 24 hours.
$35 buys the full Mac app once, with a year of updates and 1 GB of cloud (updates are $19 a year after that), and CleanShot X is also in Setapp. PrintScreen.ly is $9.99/mo, $95.99/yr or $399 once.

PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X, feature by feature

Verified 2026-09-26. Source linked at the bottom.

Feature	PrintScreen.ly	CleanShot X
Entry price	$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/mo; or 24 hours free with no card	$35 once (Mac app, 1 year of updates, 1 GB cloud)
Updates after year one	Included on every plan, with no separate update fee	$19/yr optional renewal
Unlimited cloud	No — 2 GB per account on every plan (no recurring fee on the $399 lifetime)	CleanShot Pro, $10/user/mo billed annually
Runs on	Mac (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon), Windows 10 (1809 or later) or 11 (64-bit), Linux (64-bit), iPhone and iPad (iOS 17 or later), Android 8.0 or later, and the web	Mac only (macOS 13.0 or later)
Mac requirements	macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon only	macOS 13.0 or newer
Account needed	Yes (a Bravely Account)	No: a license key unlocks the Mac app; its free CleanShot Cloud account is only for uploads
Region / window / full-screen capture	Yes	Yes
Scrolling capture	Yes (Mac, Windows; Linux on an X11 desktop)	Yes
Screen recording	Yes — MP4 on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11), system sound + mic, 30/60 fps	Yes — video or GIF, on a Mac
Webcam bubble in recordings	No	Yes
Animated GIF export	No	Yes
Video editor (zooms, trim)	No (recordings save straight to disk)	Yes (Studio Mode)
Markup editor	Yes: pen, highlighter, eraser, arrow, rectangle, ellipse, text, blur, crop	Yes: markup, redact, spotlight, counter, text highlight, backgrounds
Blur / redact	No solid redact fill in the desktop or phone apps (the web app has one); blur on every app (pixelate; a soft blur on Linux)	Yes
Copy text out of a screenshot (OCR)	Yes (on-device, on every app)	Yes (on-device)
QR code reading	No	Yes
Cloud library	Yes — 2 GB of screenshots, on every device and the web	1 GB with Basic; unlimited with CleanShot Pro
Phone and tablet apps	Yes (iPhone, iPad, Android), with auto-import of your phone's screenshots	No
Cross-device clipboard	One way: Mac or Windows to the iPhone, iPad and Android apps	No
Setapp availability	No	Yes

PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X FAQs

Does CleanShot X run on Windows or Linux?

No. CleanShot X needs macOS 13.0 or newer, and its FAQ says there are no plans for Windows. PrintScreen.ly runs natively on Mac, Windows and 64-bit Linux (.deb or AppImage; recording needs an X11 desktop).

Does CleanShot X include cloud storage?

Yes, 1 GB with the $35 license. Unlimited storage is CleanShot Pro at $10 per user a month, billed annually; every PrintScreen.ly plan includes 2 GB of synced screenshot storage.

Does CleanShot X record audio? Does PrintScreen.ly?

Both do. CleanShot X records your microphone and your Mac's audio. PrintScreen.ly records system sound and your microphone to MP4 on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11) at 30 or 60 fps, and each recording stays on your computer.

Is CleanShot X free?

No. CleanShot X has no trial: CleanShot Basic is $35 once, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and Setapp's 7-day trial includes it. PrintScreen.ly: 24 hours free with no card, or 7 days free on the monthly or annual plan, then $9.99/mo or $95.99/yr; or $399 once.

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Pricing verified 2026-09-26. CleanShot X pricing source. Subject to change.