CleanShot X vs ScreenFlow

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

ScreenFlow

• Mac users making software tutorials and product demos
• Trainers and teachers who record and edit in one app
• Buyers who want a one-time license instead of a subscription

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.

ScreenFlow

• ScreenFlow runs only on macOS; there is no Windows version.
• ScreenFlow 10 is a paid upgrade for owners of earlier versions, and the $199 license allows one activation.
• The Stock Media Library is a separate $99-a-year subscription, and its purchases and renewals are non-refundable.
• The Mac App Store version gets no upgrade discounts and has sandbox limits on some virtual cameras.

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.

ScreenFlow

Simultaneous recording

Record the screen, a camera and a microphone together and in sync, across several apps in one session. Supported UVC capture cards can be used as sources.

Timeline editing

Multi-track editing with nested clips, markers and color labels, plus transitions, text and video animations, freehand annotations and multi-channel audio.

iPhone and iPad recording

Record the screen of an iPhone or iPad from the Mac to make app demos.

Styles, templates and titles

Styles and templates speed up editing a series of similar tutorials, and a customizable title library adds branded titles.

Captions and export

A caption editor adds, edits and burns in subtitles. Export presets cover MP4 and ProRes, along with animated GIF and animated PNG.

Stock Media Library

An optional $99-a-year subscription that puts stock images, audio and video clips in a tab inside ScreenFlow projects.

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.

ScreenFlow

• ScreenFlow$199

  one-time purchase

  A license for ScreenFlow 10 with one activation and free self-help support. New major versions are paid upgrades.

• ScreenFlow Super Pak$275

  one-time, with the first year of Stock Media Library

  ScreenFlow plus the Stock Media Library at $76 for its first year instead of $99 a year. Shown against a crossed-out $298.

• ScreenFlow Super Pak +$325

  one-time, with a first year of stock media and support

  ScreenFlow, the Stock Media Library and Premium Support ($59 a year) with priority email replies. Shown against a crossed-out $357.

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.

ScreenFlow

• Other savings

  Upgrade pricing for owners of earlier versions

  Owners of ScreenFlow 8 or 9 can move to version 10 for $79, and owners of versions 4 to 7 for $119, instead of buying a new $199 license.

• Other savings

  Volume discounts from 10 copies

  Telestream publishes a volume price table for ScreenFlow 10 that lowers the unit price for orders of 10 to 20 copies and again for 21 or more.