Microsoft PowerToys vs TextSniper
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft PowerToys
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11
Free
TextSniper
Mac menu bar tool that copies text from any part of the screen
Free trial · from $7.99 one-time
Where they differ
- Microsoft PowerToys is free. TextSniper starts at $7.99 one-time purchase (license for 1 Mac).
- Microsoft PowerToys has a free plan. TextSniper does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Microsoft PowerToys lists a Windows app.
- Only TextSniper lists a macOS app.
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- TextSniper can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, window management, file management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
- TextSniper also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| Microsoft PowerToys | TextSniper | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $7.99 one-time purchase (license for 1 Mac) |
| Free plan | Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free for 7 days through Setapp's trial; direct purchases carry a 7-day money-back guarantee |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Valerijs Boguckis |
| Price read from | learn.microsoft.com | textsniper.app |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows users who want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Developers and power users who work mostly from the keyboard
- People who prefer open-source tools published by the maker of the operating system
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
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows only: it needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor.
- Paste with AI is off by default and needs a model provider; online providers require your own API key and may charge for usage.
- Keyboard Manager remaps apply only while PowerToys is running, do not work on the log-in screen and cannot differ between keyboards.
- FancyZones cannot snap some listed apps, and apps running elevated need PowerToys to run as administrator.
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
Microsoft PowerToys
- FancyZones
- A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- Command Palette
- A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- Keyboard Manager
- Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- Advanced Paste
- Pastes clipboard content as plain text, Markdown, JSON or a file, extracts text from images with local OCR, and can transform text through an optional AI provider that you configure.
- File Explorer tools
- PowerRename renames files in bulk with search and replace or regular expressions, Image Resizer resizes images from the right-click menu, and File Locksmith shows which processes are using a file.
- Screen and text tools
- Color Picker samples colors anywhere on screen, Text Extractor copies on-screen text with OCR, Screen Ruler measures pixels, and ZoomIt zooms, annotates and records the screen for presentations.
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
Microsoft PowerToys
PowerToys$0
All utilities, installed from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Free and open source under the MIT license.
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.
