7 Best Snipping Tool for Mac Free Download | 2025

Looking for a screenshot tool on Mac? This guide shows you some efficient snipping tools for Mac, including built-in and third-party tools.

Taking screenshots, recording screens, and annotating on Mac are essential for daily office work, teaching, and content creation. This article aims to guide you through the best snipping tools for Mac, addressing both the built-in options and third-party alternatives, ensuring you find the perfect Mac screenshot app fit for your needs.

Top 1. EaseUS RecExperts Screenshot and Recorder

• Best for: Screenshot image while screen recording or capture streaming video
• Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - TechRadar
• Price: Free trial and paid

EaseUS RecExperts stands out as a comprehensive solution for both screenshotting and screen recording on Mac. This all-in-one tool offers a wide range of features that cater to various user needs, making it a versatile choice for both beginners and advanced users. With this Mac snipping tool, you can capture any area on your screen with ease, whether it's a specific window, a portion of the screen, or the entire display. This free snipping tool for MacBook Pro or other Mac versions can also screenshot Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, or other streaming services.

Key Features

• Supports popular formats like PNG, BMP, and JPG
• Screenshot streaming services without black screen
• Capable of capturing high-resolution images, including 4K content
• Add text or logo watermarks to your screenshots, perfect for branding or copyright purposes
• Record screen with high-quality video output, including options to record microphone and system audio

Steps on how to use the snipping tool on Mac:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts and get the screen ready that you want to capture. Click Custom.

Step 2. Then drag your mouse to select the area you want to capture. After that, click the Screenshot button (camera icon) on the main toolbar.

Step 3. The screenshot will be captured instantly and saved to the default folder. You can view or manage it later in My Library.

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Top 2. Built-in Snipping Tool on Mac

• Best for: Screenshot on Mac without additional software
• Price: Free

Does a Mac have a snipping tool? Yes! Mac comes with a powerful built-in screenshot tool that offers a variety of options for capturing different parts of your screen. You can press Cmd+Shift+5 to bring up the Screenshot Toolbar. This Mac snipping tool can save screenshots to your desktop automatically or copy to the clipboard. While it may not have the advanced features of third-party tools, it's a reliable and convenient option for Mac users.

How to use the Mac snipping tool shortcut:

Shift+Command+5 to open Screenshot Toolbar options

• Capture the Entire Screen: Shift + Command + 3
• Capture a portion of the screen: Command+Shift+4
• Capture a Specific Window: Press Shift + Command + 4, then press the Spacebar

Note: If you edit the screenshot, you need to set the following option: Option > Save > and then choose Preview. In this way, you can take a screenshot and edit it.

Top 3. Lightshot

• Best for: Offers quick capture, annotation, and one-click sharing capabilities
• Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Software Advice
• Price: Free to use

Lightshot is a lightweight snipping tool for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or other Mac series. It has a simple interface and is easy to use. It's perfect for users who need a straightforward solution without the complexity of advanced features. This free download snipping tool is a simple yet powerful tool without any cost.

Key Features

• Capture any part of your Mac screen with a simple hotkey
• Add text, arrows, and shapes directly on the screenshot
• Share your screenshots directly to social media or via email

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Top 4. Skitch

• Best for: Combines screenshot with powerful annotation features
• Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Capterra
• macOS: Requires macOS 10.11 or later

Skitch is a popular and free snipping tool for MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac with advanced annotation capabilities. This Mac equivalent of Snipping Tool focuses on features such as annotations, arrows, and text addition after taking screenshots, making it very easy to create visual instructions. Skitch is free to use for taking screenshots and annotating images, but to annotate PDF files, you need an Evernote Premium account.

Key Features

• Quick capture full screen, part of screen, or specific window
• Add text, arrows, and shapes to your screenshots with ease
• Share your annotated screenshots directly from the app

Top 5. Monosnap

• Best for: Screen capture with annotation tools and saving to cloud storage
• Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Mac App Store
• System: Requires macOS 13.5 or later

Monosnap is a free, feature-rich snipping tool for Mac users. Capture any screen area with ease, annotate screenshots with text, arrows, and shapes, and share them instantly via its convenient cloud storage. This Mac snipping tool alternative also supports screen recording, making it a versatile choice for both personal and professional use. Whether you're a student, professional, or creative individual, Monosnap can help you achieve your goals efficiently.

Key Features

• Capture any part of your screen with customizable Apple snipping tool shortcuts
• Add text, arrows, shapes, and highlights to enhance your screenshots
• Store and share screenshots directly from the app with 2GB of free storage
• Record your screen with high-quality video output for tutorials or demonstrations

Top 6. Greenshot

• Best for: Technical docs, bug screenshots, requirements review, teaching materials, and quick social media sharing.
• Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Capterra
• Available on: All Macs running OS X 10.12 and newer

Greenshot is a lightweight screenshot tool for Mac, offering basic capture and annotation features. While it's not open-source for Mac, it's still a reliable option for users who prefer a simple and efficient tool. After taking a screenshot, you can directly add shapes like rectangle, ellipse, arrow, free drawing, text, highlight key points, mosaic, or blur processing. This Snipping Tool alternative for Mac is small in size, runs smoothly, and does not occupy system resources.

Key features

• Save screenshots as JPG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, or even GIF
• Enhance your screenshots with a variety of annotation tools
• Easy to share or upload screenshots to Microsoft, Dropbox, Imgur, Photobucket, or other platforms

Top 7. CleanShot X

• Best for: Quick screenshot, record a tutorial, or annotate an image
• Rating: 4.9 out of 5 - G2
• Price: 30-day money back guarantee

CleanShot X, hailed as a powerful Mac screenshot tool by TechRadar, Macworld, G2, and others, combines screenshots, annotations, video recording, OCR, cloud storage, and built-in history management. This highly-rated screen capture tool has rich built-in editing tools, including masking, annotations, icon arrows, and blurring sensitive information.

Key Features:

• Supports multiple screenshot types like region, scrolling, and window
• Supports screen recording, GIF export, and mouse click and keyboard action display
• Cloud sync and Capture History automatically store your screenshots
• Hide desktop icons instantly
• OCR recognizes text in screenshots

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Conclusion

Finding the right snipping tool for Mac depends on your specific needs and preferences. Whether you opt for the built-in tools or choose a third-party solution, there's a tool out there that can help you capture and annotate screenshots efficiently. Consider the features and user feedback provided in this article to make an informed decision.

If you need to screenshot something while recording or screenshot streaming services, EaseUS RecExperts is one of the best snipping tools for Mac users.

Apple Mac Snipping Tool FAQs

1. What is the best snipping tool for Mac?

The best snipping tool for Mac depends on your needs. For basic capture and annotation, Lightshot and Skitch are excellent choices. For more advanced features and versatility, EaseUS RecExperts and CleanShot X are top contenders.

2. Where are the screenshots saved on Mac?

By default, screenshots on your Mac are saved to the desktop, with the file name containing the date and time the screenshot was taken. To change the save location, follow these steps:

Step 1. Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot Toolbar.

Step 2. Click Options.

Step 3. Select a new save location in Save to.

Alternatively, you can use the Control key to copy the screenshot directly to the clipboard instead of saving it to a file.

3. How do I take a screenshot on Mac?

To take a screenshot on Mac, press Shift + Command + 4, then drag the cursor to select the area you want to capture. Release the mouse button to take the screenshot.

4. Can I customize the screenshot shortcuts on Mac?

Yes, you can customize the screenshot shortcuts on Mac by going to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots.