Snipaste vs Xnip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Snipaste grades higher than Xnip: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Snipaste grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
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
Xnip
Mac screenshot tool with scrolling capture and annotation
Which one is for you
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
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
| 3.0GPASnipasteVery good | 2.4GPAXnipFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for personal use, and PRO is $8.99 one-time for one device, far under a year of this category's typical subscription. | 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 | BThe core snipping, pinning and annotation tools are free for personal use. Business use needs PRO or the older 1.x line. | CFree to download, but every screenshot carries a watermark until you pay. |
| Features | 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. | 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 | BInstall and press a hotkey, with nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. | 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, computers only. No phone or web version. | DMac only. The listing says macOS 13.5 or later and shows no Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | pinning screenshots to the screen | 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: Snipaste and Xnip. How we grade
Where they differ
- Snipaste can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Snipaste | Xnip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.99 one-time, 1 device | $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro) |
| Free plan | Snipaste 2 is free for personal use only, with bug-fix updates and the core snipping, pinning and annotation tools. | 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 | Snipaste | Xnip |
| Price read from | snipaste.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Ways to pay less
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.
Xnip
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Snipaste or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Snipaste starts at $8.99 one-time, 1 device, and Xnip starts at $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro).
Which has a free plan, Snipaste or Xnip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Snipaste and Xnip have a free plan.
Which platforms do Snipaste and Xnip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Snipaste 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.