CleanShot X vs TextSniper
We give CleanShot X a 2.4 GPA and TextSniper a 2.6, out of 4.0. CleanShot X grades higher on features. TextSniper grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
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
TextSniper
Mac menu bar tool that copies text from any part of the screen
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACleanShot XFair | 2.6GPATextSniperGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$7.99 once for 1 Mac, or $9.99 for up to three. About as cheap as paid utilities get. The Mac App Store version is $9.99 on the US store. One catch for later: the vendor says major upgrades come at an additional upgrade cost. |
| 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. | CNo free version and no standalone trial. The vendor points you to Setapp's free week, where TextSniper is in the catalog, and the listing doesn't say whether that needs a card. Buy direct and you get a 7-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial. |
| 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. | BOne job, done neatly: drag over any part of the screen and the text is copied. It also reads QR codes and barcodes and can speak the text aloud. But the vendor says it can misread symbol-heavy text like code, and on macOS Catalina it only recognizes English. |
| 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. | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. If you can take a screenshot you can use this: one shortcut, one drag. It sits in the menu bar with no Dock icon, and you can change the shortcut. |
| 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. | DMac only, on macOS Catalina or newer, with no integrations listed. It recognizes more than 25 languages on recent macOS versions. An iPhone or iPad camera can capture text and send it to the Mac, but there's no app for those. |
| Best for | screenshots and quick recordings on a Mac | copying text you can't select on a Mac screen |
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 TextSniper. How we grade
Where they differ
- CleanShot X starts at $35 one-time payment, including one year of updates. TextSniper starts at $7.99 one-time purchase (license for 1 Mac).
- CleanShot X also covers screen recording, video editing and screenshots.
- TextSniper also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| CleanShot X | TextSniper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $35 one-time payment, including one year of updates | $7.99 one-time purchase (license for 1 Mac) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free for 7 days through Setapp's trial; direct purchases carry a 7-day money-back guarantee |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | MTW | Valerijs Boguckis |
| Price read from | cleanshot.com | textsniper.app |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 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
TextSniper
- Copying text out of videos, screenshots, scanned PDFs and slides
- Mac users who want text recognition that runs on the device
- Buyers who prefer a small one-time price to a subscription
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.
TextSniper
- Mac only, requiring macOS Catalina or newer, and the languages it recognizes depend on the macOS version installed.
- There is no standalone trial: the vendor points to Setapp's free week and offers a 7-day money-back guarantee on direct purchases.
- The vendor says it can misread text with a lot of symbols, such as computer code.
- A license is bought once, but the vendor says major upgrades and features come at an additional upgrade cost.
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.
TextSniper
- Screen text capture
- Press the shortcut, drag over any part of the screen, and the text inside the selection is recognized and copied to the clipboard, ready to paste into another app.
- On-device recognition
- The App Store listing says recognition runs on the device with no internet connection, and the privacy policy says screenshots and text are not stored or sent to outside servers.
- QR code and barcode reader
- Captures a QR code or barcode shown on screen and converts it to text. An option in the settings opens captured links automatically.
- Text to speech
- Has the Mac read recognized text aloud, with a dedicated shortcut for capturing text with speech switched on.
- Languages by macOS version
- English only on macOS Catalina, growing to more than 25 languages on recent macOS versions, with vertical Chinese, Japanese and Korean text recognized from macOS Sonoma.
- Menu bar access and shortcuts
- Runs from the menu bar without a Dock icon, and the capture shortcut can be changed. An iPhone or iPad camera can also be used to capture text and send it to the Mac.
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.
TextSniper
License for 1 Mac$7.99
one-time purchase
A direct license for a single Mac, sold through Gumroad. One button on the homepage still shows $6.99; the checkout price is $7.99.
License for 3 Macs$9.99
one-time purchase
A direct license for up to three Macs, sold through Gumroad and described as suited to multi-device, home and office use.
Unlimited License$9.99
one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)
The Mac App Store version. The homepage lists it at $11.99, but the US store listing shows $9.99.
Setapp$14.99
per month, through a Setapp membership
TextSniper with the rest of the Setapp catalog, free for 7 days. Setapp also lists a TextSniper-only subscription from $6.00 a year.
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.
TextSniper
No public discounts listed.
