PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr — honest comparison
Looking for a Shottr alternative? Here's an honest PrintScreen.ly vs Shottr comparison — and we'll be blunt: if you're a Mac-only user, Shottr is excellent and cheap, and you should probably just buy Shottr. Shottr is fast, beloved, has OCR, QR reading, scrolling capture, and pixel/measurement tools — free to try, then $12 for the Basic license. PrintScreen.ly only makes sense over Shottr for one specific person: someone who also uses Windows, a phone, or wants a synced web library. This page is deliberately honest because Shottr genuinely deserves its reputation.
| At a glance | PrintScreen.ly | Shottr |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $9.99/mo | Free (30-day nag, then a license is requested) |
| Most popular plan | $95.99/yr | Basic $12 one-time |
| Lifetime license | $399 | Friends Club $30 one-time (experimental features + better support) |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · Web · iOS (companion) · Android (companion) | Mac |
Pick Shottr if
- ·If you are Mac-only — which is most people reading this — Shottr is faster, cheaper, and more Mac-native. There is no honest reason for a Mac-only user to pick PrintScreen.ly over Shottr.
- ·QR-code reading plus a polished, hotkey-driven OCR flow native to the app. PrintScreen.ly has on-device text grab too, but no QR reading and a less specialized text-recognition workflow.
- ·An excellent pixel ruler and on-screen measurement tools. PrintScreen.ly has nothing equivalent.
- ·Very fast scrolling capture, free to try and only $12 for the Basic license — the speed and price are hard to argue with.
Pick PrintScreen.ly if
- +Runs on Windows and a phone and a synced web library — Shottr is macOS-only with no mobile and no first-party synced library. This is the only honest reason to choose PrintScreen.ly here.
- +One private synced library and cross-device clipboard, so a capture on your Mac is already on your PC.
- +A 7-day free trial of the full app on both desktops — the full 8-tool markup editor and on-device text grab (OCR) included.
- +A $399 one-time lifetime that covers the sync layer across every desktop and the web.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-16. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | PrintScreen.ly | Shottr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99/mo or $399 lifetime | Free to try; $12 Basic / $30 Friends Club (one-time) |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, web (+ mobile companion) | macOS only |
| Region / window / fullscreen capture | Yes | Yes |
| Scrolling capture | Yes (Mac + Windows) | Yes (faster) |
| Markup editor | Yes (8 tools) | Yes (very good) |
| OCR / text recognition | Yes (on-device) | Yes (hotkey-driven, native) |
| QR code reading | No | Yes |
| Pixel ruler / measurement | No | Yes |
| Mac-native polish | Good | Excellent (beloved) |
| Windows support | Yes | No |
| Synced cross-device library | Yes (Pro, 2 GB) | No |
| Cross-device clipboard | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Screen recording | Yes — MP4 on Mac + Windows (no GIF) | No |
| Mobile companion | Yes (soft-launch) | No |
Bottom line
Shottr is one of the best screenshot tools on the Mac, full stop — fast, cheap, OCR, QR reading, measurement tools, and genuinely loved by its users. If you only use a Mac, the honest recommendation on this page is: buy Shottr. PrintScreen.ly wins exactly one buyer here — the person who also uses a Windows machine or a phone, or wants a synced web library, and is willing to trade Shottr's Mac-native speed, QR reading, and measurement tools for cross-device reach and a $399 lifetime. Both tools do on-device OCR; Shottr's is faster and more specialized. That's a narrow win for us, and we'd rather tell you that plainly than pretend otherwise.
FAQ
Is Shottr available for Windows?+
No — Shottr is macOS-only. PrintScreen.ly runs on Mac, Windows, and a synced web dashboard.
Does PrintScreen.ly have OCR like Shottr?+
Yes — PrintScreen.ly has on-device text grab on every desktop and the web. Shottr's OCR is faster and adds QR-code reading; if that and pixel measurement matter and you're on a Mac, Shottr is the better pick — we say that plainly.
Why would a Mac user choose PrintScreen.ly?+
Generally only if they also need Windows, a phone, or a synced cross-device library. A Mac-only user is usually better served by Shottr.
More PrintScreen.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-16. Shottr pricing source. Subject to change.