CleanShot X review: A near-perfect Mac screenshot tool

数码荔枝编辑部

发布于 2026-10-14

I've tried plenty of screenshot tools, but the only one I've truly used every single day is CleanShot X.

From the first time I used it to now, it has accompanied me through countless screenshots, tutorial images, and work assets.

I've gotten so used to having it around that going back to the built-in screenshot tool feels painful.

Today I'd like to share with you why CleanShot X has become the Mac screenshot tool I stick with long term.

¥149.00

"Reversible editing"

Many screenshot tools share a big problem: once you process an image, the edits are "locked" into the image.

For example, if you add arrows, text, or mosaics to an image, after you save it, all of that content gets merged into the image.

If you want to adjust the annotations later, your only options are to take a new screenshot, or open Photoshop and remove the annotation content through a complicated process, then redo the annotations.

The biggest difference between CleanShot X and similar tools is that it supports recording edit history.

For example, last week I added annotations to a screenshot and saved it with Command + S — the screenshot is still an ordinary JPG image, just with the annotations added on top.

Today, when I open that JPG again through CleanShot X, I can see that the existing annotations can actually be edited and adjusted or removed directly! There's no need to start over from scratch.

For people who frequently make tutorials, article images, and product documentation, this kind of "undo pill" feature is really practical.

Automatically hide desktop icons

Mac users have probably all had this experience: just as you're about to take a screenshot, your desktop is piled with all kinds of temporary files.

Downloaded installers, test files, screenshot assets... Fine when you're the only one looking, but the moment you share the screenshot, your whole desktop is exposed.

CleanShot X can automatically hide desktop icons when taking a screenshot, and switch the wallpaper at the same time — avoiding privacy leaks while keeping the screenshot clean and tidy.

This feature looks simple, but in practice I use it very often. Many times, what separates a professional-looking screenshot from an ordinary one is exactly these details.

Screenshot background beautification

Besides hiding desktop icons, CleanShot X's screenshot background beautification is another highlight.

An ordinary screenshot is often just an image with a transparent background / white border / noisy edge, while CleanShot X can automatically add effects like shadows, rounded corners, and colorful backgrounds, making the screenshot look more like a carefully produced showcase image.

Especially when writing articles, making product introductions, or posting social media content, this effect can noticeably improve the image quality.

No need to open Photoshop, and no need to design a special template — an ordinary screenshot can quickly become an image suitable for display.

Super-rich features

By this point, some friends might be thinking: what's so great about that? It's just xx feature, xx software supports it too.

What attracts me most about CleanShot X isn't that any single feature is especially powerful, but that it takes over the entire post-screenshot workflow.

Screenshots, scrolling capture, screen recording, GIF creation, OCR text recognition, image annotation, pinning images to the screen, quick sharing... these things that might normally require multiple tools can all be handled by it alone.

For example, when you see a passage of text on a webpage, you don't need to retype it — you can extract it directly with OCR; when recording animated / video tutorials, you don't need to open additional editing software, and can complete simple edits right there.

A veteran tool that keeps evolving

CleanShot X counts as a veteran tool.

Born in July 2018, it has since gradually added screen recording, OCR, cloud sharing, history management, and many other features, and has accompanied countless Mac users through 8 years.

More importantly, it hasn't stopped updating just because it has become a veteran tool.

In the recently released version 4.8.9, CleanShot X made a number of adaptations and optimizations for Apple's latest macOS 27 Beta.

You have to know, the macOS 27 Beta has only just turned "one month old", and many third-party apps are still waiting for the official system release in September before slowly adapting — while CleanShot X has already kept pace in advance.

For a productivity tool you use every day, this kind of continuous maintenance is very important. Because although a screenshot tool seems simple, it relies deeply on underlying capabilities such as system permissions, window management, and the screen recording framework.

Being able to keep updating for years and keep up with macOS changes right away is also why CleanShot X stays on so many Mac users' computers for the long term.

Final thoughts

CleanShot X is by no means a perfect tool.

I can immediately think of two shortcomings.

No free trial

After installing the software for the first time, you need to enter a license key to continue using it. For many users, it's indeed hard to judge whether it suits them before experiencing the full feature set.

But if your work often requires screenshots and screen recording, making tutorials, guides, or article images, and organizing information, then the efficiency boost it brings will, I believe, feel very obvious.

No Chinese interface

Although its OCR feature can recognize Chinese, and although it's already a very mature Mac tool that has long drawn attention from LIZHI.SHOP users, as of now it still doesn't support a Chinese interface.

For friends who aren't used to English software, this is indeed a barrier.

But CleanShot X's interaction logic is very intuitive, and its common features are basically concentrated in the menu bar icon and the quick floating window after a screenshot. Once you get familiar with it, daily use won't be affected much.