Lightshot vs Xnip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lightshot grades higher than Xnip: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lightshot 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 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 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
| 3.0GPALightshotVery good | 2.4GPAXnipFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on Windows and Mac, under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. | 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 | AFree outright with no cap listed and nothing locked. | CFree to download, but every screenshot carries a watermark until you pay. |
| 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. | 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 rating on record. You press a key, drag, and save or share. | 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, Mac and browser extensions. All computers, with no phone app and no listed integrations. | DMac only. The listing says macOS 13.5 or later and shows no Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | quick area screenshots shared as a link | 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: Lightshot and Xnip. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lightshot 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.
Lightshot scores higher and starts $0.42 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Lightshot 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
- Lightshot also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Lightshot | Xnip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro) |
| Free plan | None | Free download from the Mac App Store; screenshots carry a watermark that the paid options remove. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Skillbrains | Xnip |
| Price read from | app.prntscr.com | apps.apple.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.
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
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.
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
Lightshot
Lightshot$0
The download page offers the app for free on Windows and Mac.
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, Lightshot or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lightshot is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $0.42 a month when paid by the year for Xnip. Lightshot is free, and Xnip starts at $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro).
Which has a free plan, Lightshot or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Lightshot and Xnip have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lightshot and Xnip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lightshot lists a Windows app and a browser extension. 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.