CleanShot X vs Loom
We give CleanShot X a 2.4 GPA and Loom a 3.6, out of 4.0. CleanShot X grades higher on value for money. Loom grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CleanShot X
Mac screenshot and screen recording app with a one-time license
Loom
Screen and camera recorder for shareable video messages
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACleanShot XFair | 3.6GPALoomExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$35 once for the Basic license, with a year of updates and 1 GB of cloud storage. That's a fraction of a year of what video tools here typically cost. Later updates are optional at $19 per year, and the app keeps working if you skip them. | BBusiness is $18 per user a month billed monthly, and the pricing page says paying annually saves up to 17%. That buys unlimited storage, recordings up to 6 hours and HD. About typical for video tools here, if a touch above the middle. The AI features cost more, at $24. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free. There's no free plan and no trial, and the vendor says so. The safety net is a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't the same as trying before you pay. | BStarter is free with transcriptions in 50+ languages and up to 50 members. But it stops at 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings and 720p. Fine for the odd walkthrough. Tight if you record every day. |
| Features | AArea, window, full-screen and scrolling screenshots, annotations, styled backgrounds from 20 presets, and text recognition in more than 30 languages. It records MP4 or GIF with a camera overlay and shows keystrokes and clicks. The editor adds zooms and tidies the cursor. One job, done fully. | AScreen and camera recording, trimming and stitching, transcripts and captions in more than 50 languages, comments, reactions and viewer insights. Meetings record with no length limit. On Business + AI it writes summaries and chapters and can fill in a Jira bug report from a recording. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Capture, mark it up, drag it where it needs to go. Upload to CleanShot Cloud and you get a share link, but the cloud is optional and the app works without it. | A4.8 from about 19,000 App Store ratings. Record from the desktop app, the Chrome extension or your phone, and what comes out is a link. Nothing for the viewer to install. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 13.0 or newer, and the vendor says there are no plans for a Windows version. A license is active on one Mac at a time. No integrations are on record. | AMac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, and it connects to Jira, Confluence, Slack, Google Workspace, Salesforce and Figma. No Linux app is listed. |
| Best for | screenshots and quick recordings on a Mac | quick screen recordings you share as a link |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CleanShot X and Loom. How we grade
Where they differ
- CleanShot X starts at $35 one-time payment, including one year of updates. Loom starts at $18 per user / month, billed monthly.
- Loom has a free plan. CleanShot X does not.
- Only Loom lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Only Loom lists a browser extension.
- CleanShot X can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Loom also covers transcription.
At a glance
| CleanShot X | Loom | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $35 one-time payment, including one year of updates | $18 per user / month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | Starter plan: up to 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings, 720p quality, unlimited meeting length, transcriptions in 50+ languages and up to 50 members. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Business + AI; the workspace drops to the free Starter plan afterwards |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | MTW | Atlassian |
| Price read from | cleanshot.com | loom.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CleanShot X
- Mac users who take and annotate many screenshots
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
- Support and product teams sharing quick captures by link
Loom
- Teams sharing quick recorded walkthroughs instead of scheduling a call
- Jira and Confluence users who want video tied into Atlassian tools
- Occasional recorders who can work within 25 short videos on the free plan
Worth knowing
CleanShot X
- macOS only, requiring macOS 13.0 or newer. The vendor says there are no plans for a Windows version.
- There is no free trial; purchases are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- The $35 Basic license includes one year of updates; later updates need an optional $19 per year renewal.
- Unlimited cloud storage, custom domains, team features, SSO and SCIM need the Pro subscription.
Loom
- The free Starter plan is capped at 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings and 720p quality.
- Auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal need Business + AI or Enterprise.
- Business plans are billed per Creator, and Enterprise is sold on annual subscriptions only.
- No Linux app is listed; recording is offered on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iOS and Android.
Key features
CleanShot X
- Screenshots and scrolling capture
- Capture an area, a window, the full screen or scrolling content in either direction, with a self-timer, crosshair and magnifier.
- Screen recording
- Record to MP4 or GIF with microphone and computer audio, a camera overlay, and keystrokes and clicks shown on screen.
- Built-in video editor
- Add zooms, refine cursor movement and adjust backgrounds on a screen recording without leaving the app.
- Annotation and backgrounds
- Highlight or hide parts of a screenshot, add annotations, and place captures on styled backgrounds from 20 presets.
- Text recognition
- Copy text out of any image and read QR codes, with on-device recognition in more than 30 languages.
- CleanShot Cloud
- Upload a capture to get a share link with password protection, self-destruct timers and video transcription. Basic has 1 GB; Pro is unlimited.
Loom
- Screen and camera recording
- Record the screen, the camera or both from the desktop app, the Chrome extension or the mobile apps, then share the video as a link.
- Basic editing
- Trim recordings, stitch clips together and add backgrounds, text, arrows and box overlays.
- Transcripts and captions
- Transcriptions and closed captions in more than 50 languages, included on the free Starter plan.
- Comments and viewer insights
- Viewers can respond with comments, emoji reactions and tasks, and creators can see who watched. Engagement insights and calls-to-action are paid features.
- Loom AI
- Business + AI and Enterprise add auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal. An AI bug report feature fills in Jira work items from a recording.
- Meeting recordings
- Meetings can be recorded without a length limit, including on the Starter plan.
Plans
CleanShot X
CleanShot Basic$35
one-time payment; optional update renewal at $19 per year
The Mac app to keep, with one year of updates and 1 GB of CleanShot Cloud storage. A license is active on one Mac at a time.
CleanShot Pro$10
per user / month, billed annually
Always up to date, with unlimited cloud storage, custom domain and branding, team features, SSO and SCIM.
Loom
Starter$0
Up to 25 videos per person, 5-minute screen recordings, 720p quality and up to 50 members.
Business$18
per user / month, billed monthly
Unlimited storage, recordings up to 6 hours, HD recording, custom branding, engagement insights and calls-to-action.
Business + AI$24
per user / month, billed monthly
Everything in Business plus Loom's AI features, including auto-summaries, auto-chapters and filler-word removal.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual contracts through sales with SSO, SCIM, custom data retention and advanced security controls.
Ways to pay less
CleanShot X
- Lifetime license
One-time license for $35
CleanShot Basic is a pay-once license that keeps working indefinitely. It includes one year of updates, and renewing updates afterwards is optional at $19 per year.
- Annual discount
17% off Pro with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing for CleanShot Pro as 17% cheaper than monthly, at $10 per user per month billed annually.
- Education
30% educational discount
Entering a university-issued email address gives 30% off. For Cloud Pro or update renewals, CleanShot asks students to email from their university address.
- Other savings
20% off for PixelSnap customers
Existing PixelSnap 2 customers get 20% off CleanShot, according to the pricing page.
- Other savings
Included with Setapp
CleanShot is also available through a Setapp subscription, which bundles it with more than 200 other apps.
Loom
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
Loom's pricing page says you can be billed monthly but save 17% if you pay annually.
- Education
Up to 75% off for education
Verified teachers, professors and students at accredited institutions can get up to 50% off premium plans for general academic use, or 75% off for classroom use.
