Xnip review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Mac screenshot tool with scrolling capture and annotation
Black Friday: is there a Xnip sale?
Xnip report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for Mac screenshots you mark up right away
Xnip is a Mac screenshot app for regions, windows and scrolling pages, with markup and on-device text recognition. Free screenshots carry a watermark, and the listing shows two purchases with the same name at different prices.
Who Xnip is for
- 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
Who Xnip is not for
- 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
Why Xnip gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyXnip 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.
- CFree plan and trialFree to download, but every screenshot carries a watermark until you pay.
- CFeaturesScrolling 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.
- BEase of useNo store rating is on record, but it is a program you install and start using with nothing to set up.
- DPlatforms and integrationsMac only. The listing says macOS 13.5 or later and shows no Windows, phone or web version.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Xnip's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/xnip#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/xnip.svg" alt="Xnip: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Xnip stands among desktop utilities
Xnip's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 35 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 33.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 55 of 186) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $0.42 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.99 for the category: 2 of the 36 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 23 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 187 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Xnip’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 55 of 186, level with 131
- CFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 186, level with 66
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 186, level with 110
- BEase of useAbove 78 of 186, level with 108
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 186, level with 110
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 desktop utilities. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Xnip, or make your own?
Your call
It depends on the utility: a converter or a calculator is an afternoon.
Xnip sits between: not beyond making, and not a weekend's work either. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. At $4.99 a year it costs less than the weekend it would take to replace, which is the argument for keeping it.
What you could not
- Capture tools hooked into the operating system.
- A real app for macOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Xnip’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Xnip?
Xnip is a Mac screenshot app that captures regions, windows and scrolling pages and opens each capture for markup straight away. It recognizes text on screen with an on-device engine and can pin images above other windows. The free version adds a watermark that paid options remove.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Xnip pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Xnip has a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro).
- Starts at
- $4.99 per year (Xnip Pro)
- Free plan
- Free download from the Mac App Store; screenshots carry a watermark that the paid options remove.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Screenshot capture and annotation; screenshots carry a watermark. |
| Xnip Pro Yearly Subscription | $4.99per year, auto-renewing | Removes the watermark and includes access to features in future updates. |
| No watermark & Edit window | $7.99one-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. |
Read from apps.apple.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Xnip before you buy.
Xnip alternatives
- Xnip vs Shottr
Free plan · from $12 one-time
- Xnip vs TextSniper
Free trial · from $7.99 one-time
- Xnip vs Snipaste
Free plan · from $8.99 one-time
Common questions
Does Xnip have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Xnip is listed for macOS.
Does Xnip have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Xnip is listed for macOS.
Is Xnip open source?
Xnip is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Xnip work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.