Best Free Screenshot Tools 2026: 6 Options Compared

Your operating system already takes screenshots, so a separate tool earns its place only by doing what the built-in one cannot: annotating quickly, capturing a scrolling page, extracting text, or uploading and returning a share link. The free options split by platform. On Windows, ShareX is the most powerful and open source, with scrolling capture, editing, OCR and many upload targets, while Greenshot is simpler and quicker to learn. On macOS, Shottr is free to use for as long as you like, with scrolling capture, annotation and OCR, though it periodically asks you to pay; its price is whatever you choose, including nothing. Flameshot works on Windows, macOS and Linux and puts annotation in the capture moment, with a command-line interface for scripting. Lightshot is the simplest: select an area, edit, and upload for a short link, available on Windows and Mac and as browser extensions, but those links are public. Zight combines screenshots with screen recording, on a free plan limited to 5-minute videos. Watch for tools that upload every capture automatically, because screenshots often contain private information. The six tools below are free, with the platform limits noted.

ShareX

Open-source (GPL-3.0) Windows tool with region, window and scrolling capture, an image editor, OCR and many upload destinations. Many settings make it harder to learn.

Price: Free (ShareX pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 40.5k GitHub stars · latest release v21.0.0 (Jul 3, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Power users on Windows.

Greenshot

GPL-3.0 and Windows-only; capture an area, window or full screen, annotate, blur and export. Lightweight, though it lacks the extras ShareX offers.

Price: Free (Greenshot pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 5.2k GitHub stars · latest release v1.3.328 (Oct 19, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Simple capture and annotation on Windows.

Flameshot

GPL-3.0, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and annotates in the capture overlay with arrows, blur and text. It has a command-line interface for scripts.

Price: Free (Flameshot pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Linux, Windows, macOS. GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 31.3k GitHub stars · latest release v14.0.0 (Jun 19, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: A cross-platform open-source option.

Shottr

macOS only and free to use indefinitely with most features, including scrolling capture, annotation and OCR; it prompts you to buy a license you can price yourself.

Price: Free (Free for as long as you want with most features; the app periodically asks you to buy it; you can name your price, including $0) (Shottr pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: macOS. Proprietary, pay-what-you-want.

Best for: Mac users who want OCR and annotation.

Worth knowing: macOS Catalina 10.15 and later. Scrolling capture, annotation, OCR and QR reading per the site.

Lightshot

Free on Windows and Mac plus browser extensions: select an area, annotate, and upload for a short link. Shared captures are reachable by link.

Price: Free (Free to download; select an area, edit, and upload for a short share link; no paid plan mentioned) (Lightshot pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Chrome, Firefox. Proprietary freeware.

Best for: The quickest capture-and-share.

Zight

Free Share plan: 5-minute recordings, 720p, 1 GB storage and 5 video requests a month, plus screenshots. Create is $9.95 per user a month billed annually.

Price: Free (Share plan with 5 video requests a month, 5-minute recordings, up to 720p, 1 GB of storage and 1 user); paid from $9.95 per user/month, billed annually (Create) (Zight pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Desktop app. Proprietary.

Best for: Screenshots and short videos together.

Which one to pick

• You use Windows and want every feature: ShareX
• You use a Mac and want OCR: Shottr
• You switch between Linux, Mac and Windows: Flameshot
• You want to annotate and share a link in seconds: Lightshot