PrintScreen.ly vs Snagit— honest comparison
Looking for a Snagit alternative that doesn't lock your screenshots behind a yearly subscription? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs Snagit comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. Snagit is the long-running standard for desktop capture and video; PrintScreen.ly is the cheaper, lifetime-licensed, mobile-and-web-included alternative for individuals.
| At a glance | PrintScreen.ly | Snagit |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $3.99/mo | $39/yr (Individual subscription) |
| Most popular plan | $24.99/yr | $39/yr (Individual subscription) |
| Lifetime license | $59.99 | Not available — perpetual license retired; subscription only |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · iOS · Android · Web | Mac (macOS 14+) · Windows (10/11) |
Pick Snagit if
- ·Native video recording, including webcam overlay, audio, and trimming. PrintScreen.ly does not record video — image capture only.
- ·Animated GIF export from recordings, plus the Screencast hosting service for share links and viewer feedback at no extra cost.
- ·Two decades of polish, deep integrations (PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, browser extensions), step-tool numbered annotations, and templates for professional documentation.
- ·Established business and enterprise plans with volume licensing, MSI deployment, SSO, and TechSmith Camtasia bundling that PrintScreen.ly does not match.
Pick PrintScreen.ly if
- +Lifetime license at $59.99 — pay once and it's yours forever. Snagit retired its perpetual license; you now pay $39/year, every year, indefinitely.
- +True mobile and web companions: native iPhone, Android, and a web dashboard — Snagit is desktop-only on Mac and Windows.
- +Cross-device clipboard: copy a screenshot on Mac, paste it on iPhone or Windows. Snagit's library is a per-machine local file — no built-in cross-device sync.
- +Free tier is a complete standalone tool — capture, full 8-tool markup editor, OCR, save, share — no watermark, no time limit. Snagit gates everything behind a 14-day trial.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-02. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | PrintScreen.ly | Snagit |
|---|---|---|
| Price (entry) | $3.99/mo | $39/yr (Individual) |
| Lifetime license | $59.99 (one-time, all platforms, all updates) | Not available — subscription only |
| 5-year cost of ownership | $59.99 (lifetime) | ~$195 ($39 x 5) |
| Platforms | Mac + Windows + iOS + Android + Web | Mac + Windows only |
| Region / window / fullscreen capture | Yes | Yes |
| Scroll capture | Yes | Yes (panoramic capture) |
| Video recording | No | Yes (with webcam, audio, trimming) |
| GIF export | No | Yes |
| Markup tools | 8-color Apple-system palette, 8 tools, non-destructive crop | Step counters, stamps, templates, full annotation suite |
| OCR | Yes (on-device, free for everyone) | Yes (Grab Text) |
| Cloud sync | Yes (Pro) — Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web | Local library; share-link hosting via separate Screencast service |
| Web dashboard for your screenshot library | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Mobile apps | Yes (iOS + Android) | No |
| Cross-device clipboard | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Free tier | Complete standalone tool — capture, mark up, OCR, save, share | 14-day trial, then paid |
From Jeff, founder
Snagit was the first capture tool I ever paid for, and the step-counter annotations alone are worth a paragraph in any honest review. But TechSmith retired the perpetual license, and $39 a year forever to take screenshots is a lot to ask one person who already owns five devices. PrintScreen.ly is the version of Snagit's daily-driver loop that runs everywhere I do, costs $59.99 once, and stops asking. Video recording is the gap; we're working on it. — Jeff
— Jeff Schiesser · Bravely Studios
FAQ
Why no video recording yet?+
Honest answer: we haven't shipped it. Screen recording, including audio and basic trimming, is the most-requested gap and it's on the roadmap for Mac and Windows. Until a public build ships it, we list it as missing on this page rather than dressing it up. If video is the reason you're looking, Snagit is still the better buy today.
Is the free tier really complete?+
Yes. Free includes every capture mode (region, window, fullscreen, scrolling), the full 8-tool markup editor with the Apple-system color palette, on-device OCR, save to your local folder, copy to clipboard, and share via the system share sheet. Pro only adds what you can't do on a single device — cloud sync, the web library, shareable links, and cross-device clipboard.
How does cross-device clipboard work?+
When you're signed into Pro on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, or the web dashboard, copying a screenshot on one device makes it instantly pasteable on every other device on your account. Snagit has no equivalent because Snagit doesn't ship mobile apps or a web client — its library is a per-machine local file.
Can I migrate my Snagit screenshots over?+
Yes. Snagit exports to standard PNG and JPEG. You can drag your existing Snagit library into the PrintScreen.ly cloud library on the web dashboard or upload from any synced device. Annotations baked into the image come along; native Snagit-format edit history does not transfer.
More PrintScreen.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-02. Snagit pricing source. Subject to change.