To use Apple’s built-in snipping tool to take screenshots, press Shift+Command+4 simultaneously on the keyboard, then click and drag the designated area, and a image file will be created on your desktop. Best Snipping Tool for Mac If you want a snipping tool packed with additional features, download Skitch, from the creators of Evernote.
A good snipping tool can be a huge advantage in your day-to-day life, both for your professional or personal life. But with so many tools to choose from, it is hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve narrowed down the best snipping tools for Mac. Capture images, or video clips, share annotated screenshots, and more with top snipping tools for Mac.
- Snip is a free screen capture application developed by Tencent Technology. The Snip App is.
- Is There a Snipping Tool for Mac. Microsoft has introduced Snipping Tool, a utility for making screenshots, to Windows systems since Windows 7. Since then, users don’t need to look for third-party snipping tools when they need to take s screenshot on their computers. Using Snipping Tool is the easiest way to make a copy of something on Windows.
Best Snipping Tools for Mac
Several of the best snipping tools come with a variety of features including screen recording, mark-up tools, integrations, and more. Here are just a few things that you can do with a good snipping tool:
- Screen sharing with colleagues or friends
- Making GIFs
- Sending and sharing screenshots
- Mark-up and annotate images
- Recording important documents that you cannot be downloaded
- Making videos or tutorials
- Export and upload annotated screenshots or videos
Now that you’ve got an idea of how a high quality snipping tool can revolutionize the way you work. The following list offers insight into some of the best snipping tools for Mac.
CloudApp
CloudApp is a cloud-based snipping tool, screen recorder, and GIF maker. It is designed with designers, developers, sales teams, remote workers, marketing professionals, and support teams in mind. Quickly and easily capture and take screenshots, annotate images, record HD videos, create GIFs, securely store, and share them to the cloud. Downloading the CloudApp snipping tool is quick and easy. To get started, register for an account, download the app from the Apple Store for Mac and iOS, then install it on your machine and start snipping.
Using the snipping tool to capture your screen is a breeze. Go to your Mac's top toolbar, click on the CloudApp Icon, then choose the following options:
- Record your screen HD video format
- Create a GIF, take a screenshot
- Annotate your snip
Once you have chosen your content option, simply place the mouse on what you want to capture, and click, drag, and snip! CloudApp also offers white-label capabilities, built-in analytical tools, and secure sharing features with controlled access options.
One of the best things about CloudApp’s snipping tool is its robust annotation features. Annotating images with the snipping tool allows anyone to easily edit images and GIFs with lines, shapes, arrows, blur, emoji, and more. There are several ways to do this, but since we’re honing in on the best snipping tools for Macs, here’s how to snip and annotate on your Mac:
Use the shortcut 'Cmd + Shift + A' to capture a screenshot and instantly open an annotate window (customize the shortcut in the Preferences menu). Hover over a captured photo, image, or screenshot from the CloudApp menu and select the 'Annotate'
For super simple record HD videos with CloudApp, either record your full screen, or select parts of your screen with audio as well as with a webcam feature. For Mac, use the shortcut 'Cmd + Shift + 6' to capture a section of your screen, choose the HD video option, and click the Start button to record. You can also select the [ ] to capture the full screen (customize the shortcut in the Preferences menu).
Finally, you can create GIFs with the snipping tool feature. This can be accessed by using the same prompts as for HD video, then choosing the GIF button option. Use the shortcut 'Cmd + Shift + 6' to capture a section of your screen to start recording. You can also select the [ ] to capture the full screen (customize the shortcut in the Preferences menu). Click the CloudApp icon installed in your menu bar (top of your screen) or Applications Folder, then select the TV or GIF icon to select part of your screen to capture and record.
Creating and sharing GIFs with CloudApp is simple but embedding your content is even easier. All GIFs, screen recordings, and screenshots you create are stored securely in the cloud. This ensures accessing and sharing them is quick and easy. Embed and insert GIFs with your Mac by clicking the CloudApp icon to reveal a list of the media files (drops) you created recently. Find the GIF you wish to share, then click the 3-dot icon to the right of the media file to open further options. Copy the file and a link is automatically copied to your clipboard containing your GIF.
Use a keyboard shortcut or right-click to paste the link where you want to embed it. CloudApp integrates with over 30 apps including Google Slides, Sketch, Slack, JIRA, Asana, Trello, and more.
Get all the features you need to visually communicate ideas, share feedback, and collaborate with friends and co-workers with the best snipping tools for Mac.
Snagit
Like most good snipping tools, Snagit offers more than just a high quality snipping tool. It was originally developed for businesses, content creators, and educators looking to create visual instructions, as well as anyone looking for a simple tool to improve communication with visuals. Many of its features, including panoramic shots that capture web page scrolling, videos using screenshots and audio, its mark-up tool options, and its integrations, are designed with businesses in mind. However, Unlike CloudApp, Snagit does not integrate with most work productivity apps.
With Snagit, you have a snipping tool and a photo editor rolled into one. Choose the type of screenshot you want to capture, including individual menus, webpages, webcams, or panoramic screenshots, then choose if you want to add effects or to use the timer. The compact controls are available at any time on the side of your screen so you can quickly and easily select or create the kind of shot you want. Convert an image or video you’ve captured from your screen into a GIF, or annotate and edit your images with shapes, arrows, callouts, and more right in Snagit. Once you’ve got your desired image, crop it, and export it in the format of your choice. You can also capture text from an image and paste it into a text editor. With a monthly subscription, you can access the full range of features. Plus, its interface is incredibly simple and easy to use, making it easy for the average Mac user to learn and use. Make complex edits right within the application in a matter of minutes with just a few clicks.
If you’re simply looking for a good snipping tool to quickly capture screenshots, take a look at some of the other options.
Lightshot
Snipping For Macbook Pro
Just as the name suggests, this snipping tool for Mac offers a lightweight, simple, and intuitive application.
Capture snapshots, crop photos, doodle, or annotate on the captured screenshot. With its intuitive screenshot editor, you never have to leave the application. Simply highlight part of a screenshot or add annotations.
Once you’ve saved your screenshot, you can copy it to the clipboard, upload it to Lightshot’s image sharing website, export them to social media accounts or websites, or share a public link for the image however, or wherever you want.
If you’re in the market for the best free snipping tool for Mac, Lightshot is a great option that has been around since 2009. Quickly capture and annotate screenshots with this user-friendly snipping tool.
It’s also arguably one of the easiest and fastest snipping tools for Mac to use, so if learning how to use a snipping tool on Mac seems daunting, this could be a good snipping tool for you. If you’re looking for a tool with more advanced and feature-rich options, check out some of the other options.
Monosnap
Monosnap is a modern version of Lightshot that offers more features. This online service doubles as a cloud storage, content management system, and snipping tool. Capture your full screen, or just a part of it, record videos, or create GIFs. Just like with other snipping tools for Mac, once you’ve captured your screenshot, use the built-in editing tools to mark-up and annotate your screenshot before sharing it.
From there, save the image to the local drive, or share the image using Monoscape Cloud Storage. If you’re in the market for the best free snipping tool for mac, the free version provides 2GB Monoscape Cloud Storage for sharing photos with the option of upgrading to a Pro plan to add more storage or to add your own storage providers.
Skitch
Skitch is a popular choice and often featured on lists of the best snipping tools for Mac. It is a simple, easy-to-use, and sophisticated snipping tool and mark-up editor. The interface launches quickly and features easily identifiable tool icons; making it simple for anyone to use.
Take screenshots, edit them using top-notch annotation features, and share them with others. Its mark-up function includes text, arrows, multiple lines, callouts, eight colors, shapes, a highlighter, a pixelator to blur areas, and cropping tools. Designed by and owned by Evernote, Skitch was created with businesses in mind. Are you taking screenshots and marking them up for your team? Do you use Evernote? You may find that Skitch is one of the best snipping tools for Mac for your specific needs. If you are in search of the best free snipping tool for Mac, many of Skitch’s functions are free, but an Evernote premium account is required to mark-up PDFs and save files to Evernote instead of your desktop or phone. Without Evernote, drag and drop your file into emails or messaging apps.
Snipping For Mac Free
SnapNDrag
Grab a snapshot of the full screen, a window, or a section of the screen without worrying about key combinations. As with many of the snipping tools we’ve discussed, SnapNDrag offers a free version, which puts it in the running for one of the best free snipping tools. However, the pro version offers far more features including image resizing, mark-up tools, multiple output formats, custom hotkey shortcuts, and the ability to turn off adverts. All in all, SnapNDrag is easy to use, but the paid version offers far more options and features.
Greenshot
Greenshot was originally designed for Windows, but has since released a good snipping tool for Mac. Users typically prefer the Windows version, but it is a contender for one of the best free snipping tools for Mac. With Greenshot, you can convert scanned images to common file types with its built-in Optical character recognition (OCR). As with other top snipping tools, capture the entire screenshots, or select a region. It is even capable of capturing full web pages without add ons. Choose your image format (BMP, GIF, JPEG, or PNG), then use the built-in tools to mark it up or export it. This top snipping tool includes a number of useful features such as hotkey combinations, and can be directly sent to several cloud-based programs. For better functionality, you can customize many of the default settings, including own hotkey combinations. Ultimately, if you’re on the hunt for the best free snipping tool for Mac, Greenshot is a completely free, open-source software available for both macOS and Windows.
Many Mac users are in need of a highly-rated, multi-use Macbook snipping tool. While Windows Snipping Tool and various snipping tool alternatives remain popular for Windows users who take and edit screenshots, Mac users have long wondered, “is there a snipping tool for Mac?” Thankfully, a variety of snipping tools are available that are designed with Mac’s system requirements in mind. Many of these snipping tools for Mac include useful features such as screen recording, cloud storage, markup tools, and integrations with messaging and work productivity apps. Read on to discover how to use snipping tool for Mac and determine which of the 5 Best Snipping Tools for Mac works best for you.
How to Snip on Mac
Mac OS does not include a native snipping tool like Windows Snipping Tool. However, you can snip on Mac using keyboard shortcuts. To take a screenshot on Mac, press Shift + Command + 3.
To capture a portion of your screen, you can press Shift + Command + 4, then drag the crosshairs over the section of your screen that you want to capture. If you want to capture a window or menu, you can press Shift + Command + 4 + Space bar.
Mac OS Mojave and later also includes a Screenshot app that can be accessed by pressing Shift + Command + 5. On this app, you can view your screenshots and change their destination folder. However, this app does not include annotation tools like Windows Snipping Tool, making it a weak snipping tool alternative. If you want more advanced screenshot tools, you will need to download a Macbook snipping tool. Here are our five suggestions for the best snipping tools for Mac.
Picking the Best Snipping Tool for Mac
Droplr
Best for businesses and enterprise customers looking for a high-resolution snipping tool that includes cloud storage, enterprise-level security, and screen recording for a low cost.
Droplr is a highly-rated, low priced snipit app that also includes screen recording and GIF creation. Droplr saves screenshots and recordings directly to the cloud and creates a short link for your snip that can be instantly shared with others. All of your snips are displayed on your online Droplr account and can be sorted using boards and tags. You can also change the privacy settings for your snips, boards, and tags to limit access. Droplr includes enterprise-level security with encryption and SSO.
Droplr includes over a dozen integrations so that you can drop your snips directly into various messaging and productivity apps. For example, you can integrate Droplr with Intercom to drop your snips directly into a chat with a client or with Slack to share snips instantly with co-workers. You can also integrate Droplr with Photoshop if you need more mark-up options then the arrows, emoticons, text, pencil, highlighter, and shapes included with Droplr.
Droplr is available for Mac, Windows, and Chrome Extension; its snipping tool for Mac is especially well-regarded and gets a 4 ½ rating on Capterra. You can access Droplr’s snipping tool shortcut on the menu bar of your screen on Mac. Droplr offers a 7-day free trial for any of its products. Droplr’s pricing begins at $4/month (or $6/month when billed monthly) and includes all of the above core products along with, 500GB of file storage, 50GB/month of bandwidth, and click analytics. Higher-priced plans increase the amount of file storage and bandwidth, add more analytics, and include custom branding. For large businesses that need unlimited file storage and bandwidth, single sign-on (SSO), or custom domains, pricing begins at $5 per seat per month.
Snipping For Mac
Snagit
Best for businesses that use visual instructions to convey information to customers and team members.
Snagit is a snipping tool developed specifically for businesses to create visual instructions. It also lets users take panoramic shots that can capture scrolling webpages and create videos using screenshots and audio. Snagit can extract the text from a screenshot so that you can paste it in another document. Its mark-up tool features a number of professional annotation tools such as preset and custom templates, step tools, and text editing.
Snagit includes a dozen integrations with products such as Microsoft Suite, Google Drive, and Facebook to allow easy sharing. However, unlike Droplr, Snagit does not integrate with most work productivity apps. You can download Snagit on Mac or Windows.
Snagit’s single license pricing is a $49.95 flat fee that lets you install it on two machines. Discount pricing is available for businesses with several users, education services, and governments and non-profits. Snagit’s 2020 upgrade, which includes templates, video creation from images, and integrations with Slack and Box costs an additional $24.95. Unlike Droplr, all your snips are saved to your local drive with limited free cloud storage that is upgradeable for $99.95 per year via Techsmith Screencast.
For more information about Snagit and Screencast pricing, read our review here.
CloudApp
Best for businesses and enterprise customers who are looking for a snipping tool alternative that integrates with the work apps they already use.
Like Droplr, CloudApp is a cloud-based snipping tool, screen recorder, and GIF maker. CloudApp uploads your screenshots and recordings to your personal cloud account and creates a shareable URL that you can send to grant access to them. It also includes mark-up tools such as arrows, emoticons, basic drawing tools, and blurring tools for sensitive information.
CloudApp integrates with over 30 apps including Zapier, Trello, Sketch, and WordPress. Their snipping tool is available on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Linux, and as a Chrome extension. CloudApp includes a free version with the above features and 1 minute limit for screen recordings, 15 second limit for GIFs, 100 MB/file upload size, .5 GB/link/day bandwidth, and 25 drop limit. CloudApp’s paid plans begin at $9/month for unlimited video recording and drops, 1 minute GIFs, 1 GB/file uploads, 2 GB/link/day bandwidth, and custom branding. CloudApp offers custom enterprise pricing starting at $17/month per seat.
Skitch
Best for Mac OS and iPad users who need a simple snipping tool or businesses that use Evernote.
Skitch is a free snipit app for Mac available on the Mac App Store that lets you take screenshots, edit them, and share them with others. Skitch keeps things simple with an interface that launches quickly and is made up of large, easily identifiable icons representing each of its tools. Skitch’s mark-up function features seven tools: arrows, text, a color palette with eight colors, shapes, a highlighter, a pixelater for blurring, and cropping tools. You can then drag and drop your file into emails or messaging apps.
Most of Skitch’s functions are free, though an Evernote premium account is required if you want to markup PDFs and save files to Evernote instead of your desktop or phone. PDF markups are particularly useful for business emails and conversations with clients so that you can quickly highlight important information. An Evernote premium account costs $7.99/month and includes integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, Google Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. However, even without an Evernote account, Skitch is among the best free snipping tools for Mac.
Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro
Best for freelancers and small businesses that take screenshots daily.
Apowersoft’s Screen Capture Pro includes a snipping tool, screen recording, image editing, cloud storage, and scheduled screenshots. Screenshots can be taken from a fixed region, window, or fullscreen and then saved as a PNG, JPG, BMP, or PDF file. Videos can likewise be saved in a variety of file formats such as MP4, WMV, AVI, and FLV. After taking your shot, you can annotate it instantly with tools such as lines, text, arrows, a highlighter, and blurring, or you can open the image in the app’s professional image editor that adds cropping, resizing, rotating, and image effects. Finally, after marking-up your image, you can save it to the cloud, upload it directly to social media, or generate a copyable link in direct link, image link, HTML link, or BB-code link format.
Apowersoft is unique in that it provides a screenshot scheduler that can be used to schedule screenshots ahead of time. For example, if you need to take a screenshot at a certain time every day, you can configure the scheduler to do so automatically. The scheduler can also be used to determine the type of screenshot and output folder for the shot ahead of time.
Apowersoft Screen Capture offers personal and business packages with lifetime, yearly, and monthly paying plans. The best deal for each is the lifetime plan, which typically costs $129.99 for personal and $259.99 for businesses and includes free updates and support service. The personal license is for personal use only, while the business license can be used commercially for profit-making enterprises. Apowersoft also offers sales for their product from time to time, during which you can purchase Screen Capture for up to 40% off. Screen Capture Pro is available for Mac and Windows.
Macbook Snipping Tool Selection Guide
Snipit For Mac
There are many available snipping tools for Mac, but the tools listed above are the best due to their enhanced features and accessibility. Whether you are a single user, small team, or large enterprise, features are pretty consistent among these tools. The differences among them come down to price, security, and integrations, so here’s a table to guide your selection so you can choose the best snipping tool for Mac for your team.