PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X — honest comparison
Looking for a CleanShot X alternative? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs CleanShot X comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. CleanShot X is one of the most polished screenshot tools on the Mac, with refined scrolling capture, animated GIF export, and a built-in editor. PrintScreen.ly is cross-platform — Mac, Windows, and web — with a complete capture and markup experience, screen recording on both desktops, a 7-day free trial, and pricing of $9.99/mo, $95.99/yr, or a $399 one-time lifetime that also unlocks 9 other Bravely utilities. CleanShot X is Mac-only and its cheaper one-time license includes only a year of updates, with unlimited cloud as a recurring subscription. Neither is strictly better; this page makes the trade clear so you choose the one that fits how you actually work.
| At a glance | PrintScreen.ly | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $9.99/mo | $29 one-time (1 yr of updates, 1 GB cloud; $19/yr optional update renewal) |
| Most popular plan | $95.99/yr | Cloud Pro $8/user/mo billed annually ($10/mo monthly) — unlimited cloud |
| Lifetime license | $399 | Not a true lifetime — one-time app license, but unlimited cloud is a recurring subscription |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · Web · iOS (companion) · Android (companion) | Mac |
Pick CleanShot X if
- ·On a Mac it is the more polished, more refined product — years of UX work and deep native integration that PrintScreen.ly does not match on macOS.
- ·Animated GIF export and a built-in video editor for trimming clips. PrintScreen.ly records to MP4 but ships no editor and no GIF export.
- ·More refined scrolling capture and annotation finesse, and the included 1 GB cloud even on the one-time license is genuinely useful out of the box.
- ·Available on Setapp, and the $29 one-time entry (1 GB cloud, a year of updates) is a low, honest on-ramp.
Pick PrintScreen.ly if
- +Runs on Windows and a synced web library, not just macOS — one license spans Mac, Windows, and the web dashboard.
- +A true lifetime that never renews: $399 once includes the synced library forever AND unlocks 9 other Bravely utilities — no renewal-for-updates, no cloud subscription. CleanShot's one-time license is cheaper up front ($29) but includes only 1 year of updates ($19/yr to keep them), and unlimited cloud is a separate recurring subscription.
- +A 7-day free trial of the full app — the 8-tool markup editor, on-device text grab (OCR), and all capture — before you decide between $9.99/mo and the lifetime.
- +Cross-device clipboard and a private cross-device library spanning your Mac and your PC, instead of a single-OS workflow.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-20. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | PrintScreen.ly | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $9.99/mo (7-day free trial) | $29 one-time (1 yr updates, 1 GB cloud) |
| Updates after year one | Included in $399 lifetime (no renewal) | $19/yr optional renewal to keep updates |
| Unlimited / large cloud | $399 lifetime (fixed 2 GB synced, no recurring fee) | Cloud Pro $8/user/mo annual ($10/mo monthly), unlimited, recurring |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, web (+ mobile companion) | macOS only |
| Region / window / fullscreen capture | Yes | Yes |
| Scrolling capture | Yes | Yes (more refined) |
| Markup editor | Yes (8 tools) | Yes (deep, very polished) |
| Blur / redact | Yes (toggle Win/web/mobile; Mac blur, redact-toggle pending) | Yes |
| Screen recording (MP4) | Yes (Mac + Windows, region or fullscreen, system audio + mic, 30/60 fps) | Yes (Mac, with editor + GIF) |
| Animated GIF export | No | Yes |
| Video editor (trim, annotate) | No (recordings save direct to disk) | Yes |
| OCR / grab text | Yes (on-device, all desktops + web) | Yes |
| Cloud library | Yes (Pro, 2 GB, included in lifetime) | 1 GB on one-time / unlimited via $8/mo |
| Cross-device clipboard | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Windows support | Yes | No |
| Web dashboard | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Setapp availability | No | Yes |
| Mobile companion | Yes (soft-launch) | No |
Bottom line
CleanShot X is, on a Mac, the more refined product — better scrolling capture, animated GIF, a built-in video editor, and a UX that's been polished for years, and its $29 one-time is cheaper up front. If you live entirely on macOS and want the best native screenshot experience, buy CleanShot X; you'll be happy. PrintScreen.ly wins for one specific person: someone who also touches a Windows machine or wants their captures in a synced web library, and who'd rather pay $399 once — a lifetime that also unlocks 9 other Bravely apps — than subscribe for cloud or renew for updates. We're cross-platform with a 7-day free trial, the 8-tool editor and on-device text grab in the full app, and screen recording to MP4 on Mac and Windows. Our recordings save to your local Movies / Videos folder and stay there — no cloud, no editor. That's the trade — single-OS polish, GIF/editor, and a lower up-front price versus cross-platform reach and recording.
FAQ
Does CleanShot X work on Windows?+
No, CleanShot X is macOS-only. PrintScreen.ly runs on Mac, Windows, and a synced web dashboard under one license.
Is CleanShot's cloud included forever?+
The one-time license includes 1 GB and one year of updates ($19/yr to keep updating); unlimited cloud is a separate recurring subscription ($8/user/mo billed annually). PrintScreen.ly's $399 lifetime includes the synced library (fixed 2 GB) with no recurring fee.
Can PrintScreen.ly record video?+
Yes — region or fullscreen recording to MP4 on Mac and Windows, with system audio and microphone, at 30 or 60 fps. Hotkeys are ⌘⇧R on Mac and Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows. Recordings save to your local Movies / Videos folder and stay on your machine; there is no cloud sync for videos and no built-in editor. If you need a video editor or GIF export, CleanShot X is the better pick on Mac.
More PrintScreen.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-20. CleanShot X pricing source. Subject to change.