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PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot — honest comparison

Looking for a Lightshot alternative? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. PrintScreen.ly keeps your screenshots private to your account and adds what Lightshot's feature list doesn't have: scrolling capture, screen recording to MP4 and on-device text grab, on Mac, Windows and Linux (on Linux, scrolling capture and recording need an X11 desktop), with iPhone, iPad and Android apps on the same library. If you want a free region grab that turns into a public short link in one step, Lightshot does exactly that, for $0.

Try PrintScreen.ly freeSee PrintScreen.ly

Free for 24 hours: every feature, no card.

PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot at a glance

At a glancePrintScreen.lyLightshot
Entry price$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/moFree
Next plan up$0 for 7 days, then $95.99/yrFree
Lifetime license$399 onceFree
PlatformsMac, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS (companion), Android (companion)Windows, Mac, Browser extension

Where PrintScreen.ly and Lightshot each win

Pick PrintScreen.ly if

  • Your screenshots stay private to your account: someone else can open one only through a share link you make, which works for 24 hours and can be revoked sooner. Lightshot's privacy policy says every uploaded image is public to anyone with its URL, and Kaspersky reported in April 2021 that those URLs run in sequence, so changing one character opens a different screenshot.
  • Captures a scrolling page or a single window, on a 3 or 5 second timer if you like, and records your screen to MP4 on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11), with system sound and your microphone.
  • Marks up any screenshot with pen, highlighter, arrows, boxes, circles, text, blur and crop, and pulls the text out of any screenshot on your device, ready to copy.
  • Runs on Linux as well as Mac and Windows, with iPhone, iPad and Android apps that open the same library. Turn on auto-import and the screenshots you take on your phone join it the next time you open the app.

Pick Lightshot if

  • It's free and needs no account: install it on Windows or Mac, or as a Chrome or Firefox extension, and start capturing. PrintScreen.ly has no free tier and no browser extension.
  • Upload a screenshot and get its short link right away, straight from the capture. PrintScreen.ly shares from its phone, web and Windows apps, with links that last 24 hours.
  • Find similar images: select any image on your screen and Lightshot finds dozens of images like it. PrintScreen.ly has no image search.

PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot, feature by feature

Verified . Source linked at the bottom.

FeaturePrintScreen.lyLightshot
Price$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/mo; or 24 hours free with no card; $399 once for lifetimeFree
Instant-light simplicityA shortcut or the menu, then drag: the capture saves, copies and opens in the editorSelect an area and take it in 2 button-clicks, then copy, save or upload it
Runs onMac (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 webWindows and Mac (Mac App Store version 2.22, last updated July 26, 2019; macOS 10.7 or later), plus Chrome and Firefox extensions; no Linux app
Mac / WindowsYes / YesYes / Yes
Account neededYes (a Bravely Account)No
Region captureYesYes
Window / fullscreen / scrolling captureYes, on Mac, Windows and Linux (scrolling on Linux needs an X11 desktop)Full screen, by stretching the selection; its hotkey list has no window or scrolling capture
Screen recordingYes — MP4 on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11)No
Markup editorYes: pen, highlighter, eraser, arrow, rectangle, ellipse, text, blur, cropQuick edits while capturing, plus an online editor
OCR / grab textYes (on-device, on every app)No
Find similar imagesNoYes
Upload and shareShare links from the phone, web and Windows apps; they last 24 hours and can be revokedOne-step upload to a prnt.sc short link
Cloud upload host privacyYou, and anyone you send a share linkAnyone with the link (Kaspersky, 2021: the links run in sequence)
Browser extensionNoYes (Chrome and Firefox)
Private synced libraryYes — private, 2 GB, on every device and the webYour upload history, with a prntscr.com account (each image is public to anyone with its link)
Mobile companionYes (iPhone, iPad, Android), with auto-import of your phone's screenshotsNo
Cross-device clipboardOne way: Mac or Windows to the iPhone, iPad and Android appsNo

PrintScreen.ly vs Lightshot FAQs

Are Lightshot (prnt.sc) screenshots private?

No, not once you upload them. Lightshot's privacy policy says every uploaded image is public and can be viewed by anyone who types in its URL; PrintScreen.ly's library is private to your account.

Does PrintScreen.ly have a browser extension?

No. PrintScreen.ly is an app for Mac, Windows and Linux, with iPhone, iPad, Android and web apps on the same account.

Is PrintScreen.ly free like Lightshot?

No. It's $9.99/mo, $95.99/yr, or $399 once, and the annual and lifetime plans also unlock the 8 other Bravely apps. Try it free for 24 hours with no card, or start the monthly or annual plan with 7 days free.

Is there a Lightshot for Linux?

Not natively. Lightshot's download page says it has no Linux app and suggests running the Windows installer under Wine. PrintScreen.ly has a native Linux app, as a .deb or an AppImage for 64-bit (x64) Linux. It does region, window, full-screen and scrolling capture, markup and on-device text grab, with the same private library. Scrolling capture and recording need an X11 desktop. You bind the capture shortcut in your desktop's keyboard settings.

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Free for 24 hours: every feature, no card.

Pricing verified . Lightshot pricing source. Subject to change.