PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr — honest comparison

Looking for a Shottr alternative? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr comparison. PrintScreen.ly runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, records your screen to MP4 with system sound and your microphone, and syncs your screenshots to one private library on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone and the web. Shottr is a Mac app with no screen recording. If you only use a Mac and want QR-code reading, a screen ruler and a $12 license, Shottr is built for exactly that.

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Free for 24 hours: every feature, no card.

Verified 2026-09-26
Shottr pricing
Where Shottr wins

PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr at a glance

At a glance	PrintScreen.ly	Shottr
Entry price	$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/mo	Free to use (after 30 days it asks you to upgrade)
Next plan up	$0 for 7 days, then $95.99/yr	Basic $12 one-time (one user, up to five computers; needed for commercial use)
Lifetime license	$399 once	Friends Club $30 one-time (experimental features, better support)
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS (companion), Android (companion)	Mac

Where PrintScreen.ly and Shottr each win

Pick PrintScreen.ly if

Six platforms on one account: PrintScreen.ly captures on Mac, Windows and Linux, and your screenshots sync to one private 2 GB library in the iPhone, iPad, Android and web apps. Shottr runs only on the Mac.
Screen recording: a region or the full screen to MP4 with system sound and your microphone, at 30 or 60 fps, on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11). Shottr has none.
Your phone's screenshots join in: turn on auto-import and the screenshots you take on your iPhone or Android phone are added to your library the next time you open the app, ready to mark up, pull text from and share with a 24-hour link.
Text grab on every device: pull the text out of any screenshot on your computer, your phone or the web, read right on the device.

Pick Shottr if

It costs less: Shottr is free to use (after 30 days it asks you to upgrade), and the Basic license is $12 once for one user on up to five computers. PrintScreen.ly has no free tier.
More pixel tools: QR-code reading, a screen ruler, a colour picker that copies any pixel's colour, and pinned screenshots, plus an editor of 16 tools, including a magnifier, a step counter and spotlights. PrintScreen.ly's editor has 8 tools plus crop.
Share-ready backgrounds built in: gradients, shadows and rounded corners. PrintScreen.ly adds none.
A smaller app for older Macs: a 2.4 MB download that grabs a screenshot in 17 ms by Shottr's own measure, on macOS 10.15 and later. PrintScreen.ly needs macOS 14 on a Mac with Apple silicon.

PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr, feature by feature

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

Feature	PrintScreen.ly	Shottr
Price	$0 for 7 days, then $9.99/mo; $95.99/yr; or $399 once	Free to use; Basic $12 once (needed for commercial use); Friends Club $30 once
Free tier	No (a 24-hour no-card trial, then a plan)	Yes (asks you to upgrade after 30 days)
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 10.15 and later)
Account needed	Yes (a Bravely Account)	No: a license number unlocks commercial use
Region / window / full-screen capture	Yes (Mac, Windows, Linux)	Yes
Scrolling capture	Yes (Mac, Windows; Linux on an X11 desktop)	Yes
Screen recording	Yes: MP4 with system sound and mic, 30 or 60 fps (Linux: X11)	No
Markup editor	8 tools plus crop, unlimited undo	16 tools, incl. step counter, spotlight and magnifier
Blur sensitive details	Yes (pixelate; a soft blur on Linux)	Yes (pixelate, or remove objects and text)
Text grab (OCR)	Yes, on-device, on every app	Yes (Mac)
QR-code reading	No	Yes
Screen ruler / copy a pixel's colour	No	Yes
Backgrounds and rounded corners	No	Yes
Synced library	Yes: 2 GB, on every device and the web	No (it uploads a screenshot to a public link, on Shottr's cloud or your own S3 bucket)
Phone and tablet apps	iPhone, iPad and Android: markup, text grab, 24-hour share links, auto-import	None
Clipboard hand-off to your phone	Yes: Mac or Windows to the iPhone, iPad and Android apps	No

PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr FAQs

Is Shottr available for Windows?

No. Shottr is a Mac app, for macOS 10.15 and later. PrintScreen.ly runs natively on Windows 10 and 11, as well as on Mac, Linux, your phone and the web. Is there a Shottr for Windows?

Does PrintScreen.ly have OCR like Shottr?

Yes. PrintScreen.ly pulls the text out of any screenshot on every app, from Mac, Windows and Linux to the iPhone, iPad, Android and web apps, and reads it right on the device.

Does Shottr have screen recording?

No. Shottr takes screenshots only. It can turn two overlaid screenshots into a before/after GIF, but it doesn't record video. PrintScreen.ly records a region or the full screen to MP4, with system sound and your microphone, at 30 or 60 fps, on Mac, Windows and Linux (X11).

Is Shottr free?

Yes. Shottr is free to use, and after 30 days it starts asking you to upgrade. Basic is $12 once, for one user on up to five computers, and is required for commercial use. Friends Club is $30 once. PrintScreen.ly: 24 hours free with no card, or 7 days free on the monthly or annual plan, then $9.99/mo, $95.99/yr or $399 once.

Is there a Shottr for Linux?

No. Shottr is Mac-only, and its FAQ says a Linux version "doesn't seem likely". PrintScreen.ly runs natively on Linux, as an x64 AppImage or a .deb. Region, window and full-screen capture work, and text grab reads on your machine. Scrolling capture and MP4 recording with sound need an X11 desktop.

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Free for 24 hours: every feature, no card.

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