# CleanShot X

> Mac screenshot and screen recording app with a one-time license

CleanShot X is a Mac app for screenshots and screen recordings. It covers scrolling capture, annotation, text recognition, MP4 and GIF recording and a built-in video editor, with optional cloud links for sharing. The Basic license is a one-time purchase that includes a year of updates, and the Pro subscription adds unlimited cloud storage and team features.

- **Category:** Screen Recording & Video
- **Made by:** MTW
- **Website:** https://cleanshot.com
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 4, 2026

## Pricing

CleanShot X is a paid product, starting at $35 one-time payment, including one year of updates.

- **Pricing model:** Paid
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CleanShot Basic | $35 one-time payment; optional update renewal at $19 per year | The Mac app to keep, with one year of updates and 1 GB of CleanShot Cloud storage. A license is active on one Mac at a time. |
| CleanShot Pro | $10 per user / month, billed annually | Always up to date, with unlimited cloud storage, custom domain and branding, team features, SSO and SCIM. |

Read from https://cleanshot.com/pricing on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with CleanShot X before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **One-time license for $35** (Lifetime license): CleanShot Basic is a pay-once license that keeps working indefinitely. It includes one year of updates, and renewing updates afterwards is optional at $19 per year. Source: https://cleanshot.com/pricing
- **17% off Pro with yearly billing** (Annual discount): The pricing page marks yearly billing for CleanShot Pro as 17% cheaper than monthly, at $10 per user per month billed annually. Source: https://cleanshot.com/pricing
- **30% educational discount** (Education): Entering a university-issued email address gives 30% off. For Cloud Pro or update renewals, CleanShot asks students to email from their university address. Source: https://cleanshot.com/edu
- **20% off for PixelSnap customers** (Other savings): Existing PixelSnap 2 customers get 20% off CleanShot, according to the pricing page. Source: https://cleanshot.com/pricing
- **Included with Setapp** (Other savings): CleanShot is also available through a Setapp subscription, which bundles it with more than 200 other apps. Source: https://cleanshot.com/pricing

## Key features

- **Screenshots and scrolling capture:** Capture an area, a window, the full screen or scrolling content in either direction, with a self-timer, crosshair and magnifier.
- **Screen recording:** Record to MP4 or GIF with microphone and computer audio, a camera overlay, and keystrokes and clicks shown on screen.
- **Built-in video editor:** Add zooms, refine cursor movement and adjust backgrounds on a screen recording without leaving the app.
- **Annotation and backgrounds:** Highlight or hide parts of a screenshot, add annotations, and place captures on styled backgrounds from 20 presets.
- **Text recognition:** Copy text out of any image and read QR codes, with on-device recognition in more than 30 languages.
- **CleanShot Cloud:** Upload a capture to get a share link with password protection, self-destruct timers and video transcription. Basic has 1 GB; Pro is unlimited.

## Good for

- Mac users who take and annotate many screenshots
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
- Support and product teams sharing quick captures by link

## Worth knowing

- macOS only, requiring macOS 13.0 or newer. The vendor says there are no plans for a Windows version.
- There is no free trial; purchases are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- The $35 Basic license includes one year of updates; later updates need an optional $19 per year renewal.
- Unlimited cloud storage, custom domains, team features, SSO and SCIM need the Pro subscription.

**Tags:** Screenshots, Screen recording, Video editing, One-time purchase

## Alternatives

- [Screen Studio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/screen-studio): Mac screen recorder with automatic zooms and cursor smoothing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleanshot-x-vs-screen-studio)
- [Loom](https://toolgpa.com/tools/loom): Screen and camera recorder for shareable video messages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleanshot-x-vs-loom)
- [Tella](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tella): Screen recorder with a built-in editor, layouts and 4K export. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleanshot-x-vs-tella)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026:

- https://cleanshot.com
- https://cleanshot.com/pricing
- https://cleanshot.com/features
- https://cleanshot.com/edu

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/cleanshot-x
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).