Lightshot vs Snipaste (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lightshot and Snipaste share a 3.0 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about the free plan, where Lightshot grades higher, or features, where Snipaste does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
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.
Snipaste
Screenshot tool that pins images to the screen as floating windows
Which one is for you
Pick Lightshot if
- Fits if you want a free screenshot tool that makes a link
- Works for people who take a screenshot a few times a day
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: sharing uploads your image to the vendor's server
- Not for you if you want screen recording, as none is listed
- Skip it if you use Linux, as no app is listed
- Watch out: the footer shows 2009 to 2022, which suggests updates are rare
Pick Snipaste if
- Fits if you want to pin a screenshot beside your work while you type
- Works for personal use on Windows, Mac or Linux
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if it is for business use, as that needs a PRO licence
- Watch out: new features arrive only in PRO, and 1.x stays at version 1.16.2
- Watch out: a licence doesn't cover new major versions, and the vendor only promises a discount for a future 3.0
- Tight if you want to use it on several machines: 3 devices is $19.99 and the Microsoft Store licence is a separate purchase
How we grade them
| 3.0GPALightshotVery good | 3.0GPASnipasteVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on Windows and Mac, under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. | AFree for personal use, and PRO is $8.99 one-time for one device, far under a year of this category's typical subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with no cap listed and nothing locked. | BThe core snipping, pinning and annotation tools are free for personal use. Business use needs PRO or the older 1.x line. |
| Features | CArea capture, quick edit, upload with a short link and similar-image search. There is no listed scrolling capture or screen recording, so it covers a narrow job. | BSnipping with UI detection, pinning, annotation and a portable build. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job, though some capture extras are PRO. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. You press a key, drag, and save or share. | BInstall and press a hotkey, with nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and browser extensions. All computers, with no phone app and no listed integrations. | CWindows, macOS and Linux, computers only. No phone or web version. |
| Best for | quick area screenshots shared as a link | pinning screenshots to the 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: Lightshot and Snipaste. How we grade
Where they differ
- Snipaste can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Lightshot also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Lightshot | Snipaste | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $8.99 one-time, 1 device |
| Free plan | None | Snipaste 2 is free for personal use only, with bug-fix updates and the core snipping, pinning and annotation tools. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Skillbrains | Snipaste |
| Price read from | app.prntscr.com | snipaste.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lightshot
- Sharing uploads the image to the vendor's server.
- The site's footer shows a 2009-2022 copyright, which suggests updates are infrequent.
- No Linux app is listed on the page.
Snipaste
- Free for personal use only; business use needs a Snipaste 2 PRO license or the older 1.x line.
- Snipaste 1.x stays at version 1.16.2, and new features arrive only in PRO.
- A license does not cover new major versions; the vendor promises a discount for a future 3.0.
- The Windows-only Microsoft Store license and the desktop license are separate purchases.
Key features
Lightshot
- Area capture
- Select any region of the desktop and capture it in two clicks.
- Instant edit
- Edit a capture while taking it, or later in the online editor.
- Upload and short link
- Uploads the image to the vendor's server and returns a short link right away.
- Similar image search
- Select an image on screen to find similar images.
- Gallery
- A signed-in My Gallery page keeps your uploaded screenshots.
- Browser extensions
- Extensions for Chrome and Firefox are linked from the site, alongside the desktop apps.
Snipaste
- Snip with UI detection
- Capture a region with automatic detection of windows and interface elements, pixel-level control, a color picker and multi-screen support.
- Pin as floating windows
- Paste a screenshot, clipboard text, HTML, color info or an image file as a floating window you can zoom, rotate, flip and make translucent.
- Annotation tools
- Free includes rectangles, ellipses, arrows, pencil, marker, text, mosaic, blur and eraser; PRO adds counters, magnify and re-editing.
- PRO capture extras
- PRO adds text extraction, QR and barcode decoding, super-snip with no hotkey, fixed-ratio capture and rounded-corner screenshots.
- Portable and customizable
- Portable builds run without installing, with theme color, tray icon and hotkey settings; PRO adds more hotkey bindings.
Plans
Lightshot
Lightshot$0
The download page offers the app for free on Windows and Mac.
Snipaste
Free$0
Personal use only. Includes region capture, window detection, pinned image windows and basic annotation.
PRO, 1 device$8.99
one-time, 1 device (Windows, Mac or Linux)
Business use allowed, plus the PRO features such as text extraction, super-snip and more annotation tools.
PRO, 3 devices$19.99
one-time, up to 3 devices (Windows, Mac or Linux)
Same PRO license for three devices; includes minor-version updates, with a discount promised for a future version 3.
PRO, Microsoft Store$19.99
one-time, up to 10 Windows 10 or 11 devices
Tied to your Microsoft account. It is a separate license from the desktop version and not interchangeable with it.
Ways to pay less
Lightshot
No public discounts listed.
Snipaste
- Other savings
20% off the second license type
Buyers of the desktop or the Microsoft Store license can email a receipt for 20% off the other version.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lightshot or Snipaste?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lightshot is free, and Snipaste starts at $8.99 one-time, 1 device.
Which has a free plan, Lightshot or Snipaste?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Lightshot and Snipaste have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lightshot and Snipaste run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lightshot lists a browser extension and only Snipaste lists a Linux app. Both list macOS and Windows apps. 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.