Best Free Screenshot Tools in 2026
Capture without a subscription. Windows has two open source defaults. A Mac free plan is a shorter list.
ShareX is free, open source, and Windows-only, with no account. Greenshot is the same shape: free, open source, Windows. Lightshot is the one that also says Mac, and the page we fetched does not print a price. CleanShot X and Snagit are published paid tools, so they are not picks on a free page. The category has 78 published tools and 58 with a free path.
Screenshot Tools is 78 published tools on Toolradar as of September 22, 2026. 58 have a free path. The raw category is not a shortlist: ranked by score it also surfaces products that are not screenshot tools. This page keeps capture tools whose vendor page we could read.
Two of the three free picks say open source on the vendor site. That is a license claim from the vendor, which is stronger than the string match in open source software statistics. That report counts 370 listings that use the words. It does not audit GPL files. ShareX's GitHub repository states GPLv3. Greenshot's site says completely free and open source.
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShareX | Free | 4.8(102) | Windows users who want capture, annotation, and a local save |
| Greenshot | Free | 4.7(168) | People who want region, window, and annotate without a suite |
| Lightshot | Free | 4.7(131) | A fast region shot on Windows or Mac, if you accept the share upload |
Windows users who want capture, annotation, and a local save
ShareX offers an incredibly generous pricing model, as it is completely free and open-source.
Watch out
Potential costs for third-party storage services.
People who want region, window, and annotate without a suite
Greenshot's pricing is exceptionally fair and generous, as it offers a fully functional screenshot tool completely free of charge.
A fast region shot on Windows or Mac, if you accept the share upload
Lightshot's pricing is extremely generous as it offers a fully-featured screenshot tool completely for free.
Other Screenshot Tools worth considering
Beyond the editorial top picks, these are also strong choices we evaluated.
What It Is
A screenshot tool grabs a region, a window, or the full screen, then lets you annotate or save. Recording a video is a neighbor, not the same job. Upload-and-share is a second job, and it is the one that sends the image to someone else's server.
Why It Matters
The paid tools in this category, CleanShot X and Snagit, are real products. They are not free, so a free ranking that leads with them is a different page. The failure mode on the free side is the share link: Lightshot's own page says the screenshot is uploaded to the server so you can get a short link.
Key Features to Look For
Region, window, and full-screen capture
Annotation before you save
A local save that does not require an account
A stated platform. Windows-only is fine if the page says so
A share step you can skip when the image should not leave the machine
What to Consider
Evaluation Checklist
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Price we could read | Platform | Leaves the machine? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShareX | Free. GPLv3 on the GitHub repository | Windows | No account required. Upload is optional |
| Greenshot | Completely free, per getgreenshot.org | Windows | Save locally. Upload to photo sites is an export option |
| Lightshot | No dollar on the page we fetched. Listing is Free | Windows and Mac, plus browser extensions | The share step uploads to their server |
Vendor pages fetched September 22, 2026. CleanShot X and Snagit are paid listings and are not in this table.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Assuming every free screenshot tool is open source. Lightshot's page does not say that
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Assuming ShareX runs on Mac because it is the best known free tool
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Uploading a customer screen by habit because the short link is one click
Expert Tips
- →
On Windows, install ShareX and turn uploads off until you want them
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On a Mac, Lightshot is the free-listed option in this shortlist. Read the upload line before you use Share
- →
For a paid capture studio, leave this page. Snagit and CleanShot X are published, and they are paid
Red Flags to Watch For
- !A share button that is the only way to save
- !A category neighbor that is a scraper, a PDF API, or a screen recorder sold as a screenshot tool
- !A free ranking that leads with Snagit
The Bottom Line
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free screenshot tool?
Is there a free screenshot tool for Mac?
Lightshot's page says Windows and Mac. ShareX and Greenshot, as described on their sites, are Windows tools. CleanShot X is a published Mac tool and it is paid, so it is not a pick here.
Does the share link keep the image on my machine?
Not on Lightshot. The official page says the screenshot is uploaded to the server so you get a short link. ShareX says no account is required and upload is a destination you configure. Greenshot can save to a file or the clipboard.
Why are Snagit and CleanShot not ranked?
Both are published, and both are labeled Paid. This page is the free cut. Their prices were not re-fetched on September 22, so they are not given a dollar here either.
Related Guides
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