CleanShot X is my favorite Mac utility. Here are 8 features that will convince you too.

macOS has a built-in screenshot tool that gets the basics right. You can take a screenshot, record your screen, and describe your capture. But when you want something more, like scrolling capture, advanced annotation tools, or a quick way to share your screenshots via a link, it starts to fall apart.

That’s where CleanShot X comes in. It is a powerful screenshot application and screen recording program for Mac that replaces the built-in screenshot tool. It feels like the developers looked at the screenshot features in macOS and added everything that was missing.

Over the past few years, the app has added a few new features that I didn’t know I needed until it offered them. It has become one of my favorite Mac utilities, and in this article, I’ll show you its features that will convince you to buy the app right away.

Scrolling capture saves you from having to merge screenshots together

One of the most frustrating limitations of the macOS screenshot tool is that it can only capture what’s visible on your screen. When I need to capture a long web page or a full chat history, I’m stuck taking multiple screenshots and stitching them together. That wastes an incredible amount of time.

CleanShot X solves this with its scrolling capture feature. I can trigger a scrolling capture, and CleanShot X automatically scrolls through the content and delivers a single image. I don’t even have to scroll the page myself if I don’t want to.

This feature alone can save hours of time every month. If you have to deal with long screenshots, you should definitely give it a try.

Time-lapse capture allows you to take the impossible screenshot

Some screenshots are tricky to take because they require you to trigger something before capturing. For example, sometimes the feature on the screen that you want to capture disappears right after you use a keyboard shortcut or click anywhere with your mouse.

Sometimes, things on the screen appear for a while, and when you hit the screenshot shortcut, they disappear. CleanShot X’s time-delay capture gives me a few seconds to adjust things before the screenshot is taken. I start shooting, put everything in place, and CleanShot X does the rest.

It’s a small feature that solves a really annoying problem.

Capture text from images with OCR

I like that CleanShot X has a built-in OCR function. It allows me to capture text directly from any photo or video on my screen. Although it rarely happens, I have come across websites that do not allow me to copy content. With CleanShot X’s OCR function, that’s not a problem.

I use this all the time when I’m reviewing PDF documents with restricted permissions or watching a video on YouTube. It’s much faster than typing things by hand, and it works amazingly well. There are many applications that allow you to capture text with OCR, but since CleanShot X has this feature built in, I don’t need to install an additional application.

Add beautiful backgrounds to your screenshots

If you share screenshots for work, tutorials, or social media, you know how simple a raw screenshot looks. CleanShot X allows me to add beautiful backgrounds to my screenshots, turning a mediocre capture into something that looks polished and ready to share.

For backgrounds, I can choose from solid colors, gradients, or even my current desktop wallpaper. I can also adjust the padding and shadow, align the screenshot to the edges, and adjust the corner radius. It only takes a few seconds and makes a big difference in how good your screenshots look.

Annotation tools get the job done

While the macOS screenshot tool allows you to annotate your screenshots, the annotation tools within CleanShot X are, in my opinion, the best available on the Mac.

I can add arrows, text labels, shapes, highlights, and more. I can also change the weight and color of the annotations. There are also many styles of arrows to choose from. I really like the curved arrow style that allows me to curl the arrows and make them pop out.

One of my favorite new additions is the “Highlighter” tool. It extends to the text on the screenshot, making it really easy to highlight it before sharing.

Then there is the “Spotlight” tool which highlights your selection by darkening the entire screenshot. It’s perfect for drawing someone’s attention to a specific part of a screenshot.

No matter what annotation tools you need, you can find them and more in CleanShot X.

Hide sensitive information before sharing

You can find hundreds of instances in the news where a prominent person shared a screenshot and inadvertently revealed confidential information. Thankfully, CleanShot X has a dedicated tool to blur or block sensitive data, so such accidents never happen.

I can choose to pixelate, blur, or completely blur the information. The best part is that I can also adjust the strength of these effects. It allows me to blend hidden information so the blur doesn’t shine through the rest of the screenshot.

Built-in video and GIF recording

CleanShot X also allows you to record your screen as a video or send directly as a well-made GIF. GIF uploads are very useful for sharing quick demos or showing someone how to do something without creating a large video file.

It can record the entire screen, a specific window, or a custom area. It can also show my mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts. I can record my computer audio, my microphone, and webcam video.

I like that it automatically adds the webcam video to the corner, so it doesn’t interrupt the whole recording. I can also change the video size and position. All these features make it really easy to make video tutorials.

Instantly share cloud links

Once you’ve taken a screenshot or finished recording, you need to share it. Yes, you can easily share screenshots via messages or emails. But CleanShot X gives me a better way.

Whenever I capture something, it opens an overlay for instant sharing. I can use it to quickly upload my screenshots to CleanShot Cloud and grab the link we shared with one click.

I no longer have to drag files to cloud storage, attach images to emails, or upload to third-party services. I download it, click share, and paste the link. It’s one of those workflow improvements that feels small until you use it every day.

Take beautiful screenshots with CleanShot X

CleanShot X has become one of my most trusted Mac apps. In fact, all the screenshots you see in this article or any of my articles were taken using CleanShot X. Yes, it’s a paid app, but it paid for itself many times over in the time it saved me.

CleanShot X is available as a one-time purchase or with a SetApp subscription. If you want unlimited cloud storage, you have to pay a monthly subscription. That will also get you advanced features like custom domain and branding, password protected link sharing, and more.

For most users, a one-time purchase is more than enough, and that’s what I use. If you spend any time taking screenshots or recording your screen on a Mac, it’s absolutely worth every penny.