Flameshot vs Xnip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Flameshot grades higher than Xnip: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Flameshot grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Xnip
Mac screenshot tool with scrolling capture and annotation
Which one is for you
Pick Flameshot if
- Fits if you want the same screenshot tool on Windows, Mac and Linux at no cost
- Works for captures that need an arrow and a pixelated email address before you send them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on GNOME with Wayland and want no fuss, since support is experimental and it asks to share the screen every time
- Not for you if you upload a lot, because the shared Imgur client ID can run into Imgur's hourly quota
- Too light for screen recording or scrolling captures, as neither is listed
- Watch out: downloads are 64-bit only, Macs need screen recording permission first, and GNOME needs an AppIndicator extension
- Not for you if you want it on a phone or in a browser, since it's a desktop program only
Pick Xnip if
- Fits if you take screenshots on a Mac and mark them up straight away
- Works for people who want text lifted out of an image on the device
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want clean screenshots without paying, since the free version adds a watermark
- Skip it if you use Windows or a phone, as it runs only on Mac
- Too light for screen recording, which the listing does not mention
- Watch out: the same purchase name appears at $7.99 and $9.99 and the listing does not explain why
- Watch out: it needs macOS 13.5 or later
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFlameshotVery good | 2.4GPAXnipFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, a plain download on all three systems, with the main code under GPLv3+. There's no paid version, and the project says it doesn't even accept direct donations. | AXnip Pro is $4.99 a year, below 60% of the cheapest quarter of this category's subscriptions. The no-watermark in-app purchase is $7.99 once. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free on Windows, macOS and Linux. Nothing is kept back for a paid tier, because there isn't one. | CFree to download, but every screenshot carries a watermark until you pay. |
| Features | CThe marked-up screenshot is a narrow job and Flameshot covers it: drag a box, then arrows, text, shapes, highlights, a counter and blur that pixelates, plus a history, Imgur upload and terminal commands. No screen recording or scrolling capture is listed, and Wayland support is still called experimental. | CScrolling and window capture, annotation, text recognition and pinned images. It does the capture job fully, which is a smaller job than a recorder-and-editor suite. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating is on record, but there's nothing to set up: launch, drag, annotate, save. On a Mac you grant screen recording permission first, and GNOME users need an AppIndicator extension to see the tray icon. | BNo store rating is on record, but it is a program you install and start using with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, macOS and Linux, but it's a desktop program and nothing more: no phone apps, no web version, and the only thing it talks to is Imgur. Three operating systems is still one kind of device. Downloads are 64-bit only. | DMac only. The listing says macOS 13.5 or later and shows no Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | free marked-up screenshots on any desktop | Mac screenshots you mark up right away |
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: Flameshot and Xnip. How we grade
Price against what you get
Flameshot has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Xnip starts at $0.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
Flameshot scores higher and starts $0.42 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Flameshot for less, and 23 score higher than Xnip for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Flameshot is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Flameshot | Xnip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro) |
| Free plan | The whole app is free and open source, with its main code under GPLv3+. The project says it does not accept direct donations. | Free download from the Mac App Store; screenshots carry a watermark that the paid options remove. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Flameshot contributors | Xnip |
| Price read from | flameshot.org | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Flameshot
- GNOME Wayland and Plasma Wayland support is described as experimental, and GNOME 41 or later asks to share the screen on every capture.
- It relies on a system tray; GNOME users need an AppIndicator extension to see the icon.
- The upload tool sends images to Imgur anonymously, and the shared client ID can run into Imgur's hourly quota.
- Downloads are 64-bit only, and on macOS it must be granted screen recording permission before it can capture anything.
Xnip
- Mac only; the App Store listing says it requires macOS 13.5 or later.
- Free screenshots carry a watermark; removing it needs a paid in-app purchase.
- The listing shows two purchases with the same name at $7.99 and $9.99 and does not explain the difference.
Key features
Flameshot
- Area capture with in-place editing
- Launch it, drag a selection box over the area you want and annotate directly on screen before saving the shot, without opening a separate editor.
- Annotation tools
- Arrows, lines, pencil, marker highlights, text, rectangles, circles, solid color boxes and an incrementing counter, plus a blur tool that turns into pixelation at larger sizes.
- Customizable interface
- A configuration dialog sets the interface color, which tool buttons appear, the keyboard shortcuts and how images are saved.
- Command-line interface
- Terminal commands capture a region or the full screen without opening the GUI first, with options for a delay, a save path and copying to the clipboard.
- Upload to Imgur
- Uploads a selection to Imgur after a warning and lets you delete it afterwards. Since version 11.0.0 you can set your own Imgur Client ID for a separate upload quota.
- Tray icon and history
- Runs in the background with a system tray icon for configuration, and keeps a screenshot history that a shortcut opens.
Xnip
- Scrolling capture
- Captures webpages, long chats, documents and code that extend past the screen into a single screenshot.
- Window capture
- Captures a window with its natural macOS shadow; holding Shift selects several windows to capture at once.
- Annotation on capture
- Markup, draw, pixelate, step-number and highlight tools open right after a capture, and the capture area can be resized while you work.
- Text recognition
- Recognizes text anywhere on screen with an on-device engine; the vendor describes the app as fully offline.
- Pinned images
- Pins an image as an always-on-top floating window so a reference stays visible while you work in other apps.
Plans
Flameshot
Flameshot$0
The complete app as a Windows installer or portable build, a macOS dmg or Homebrew cask, and a Linux AppImage, Snap, Flatpak or distribution package.
Xnip
Free$0
Screenshot capture and annotation; screenshots carry a watermark.
Xnip Pro Yearly Subscription$4.99
per year, auto-renewing
Removes the watermark and includes access to features in future updates.
No watermark & Edit window$7.99
one-time; a second purchase of that name shows $9.99
In-app purchase listed twice under one name at $7.99 and $9.99; the listing does not say how they differ.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Flameshot or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Flameshot is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $0.42 a month when paid by the year for Xnip. Flameshot is free, and Xnip starts at $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro).
Which has a free plan, Flameshot or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flameshot and Xnip have a free plan.
Which platforms do Flameshot and Xnip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Flameshot lists Windows and Linux apps. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.