CleanShot X for Windows: 5 alternatives compared
CleanShot X is the favorite Mac app for beautiful screenshots, but there's no Windows version. We compare the options that do work on your PC.
What you'll find here
On this page · 7 sections
CleanShot X became famous for its "beautiful" screenshots: a colored background, padding and a shadow in one click, ready for a presentation, a tutorial or a post. The catch is that it only runs on Mac, and its website clearly says there's no Windows version and no plans for one.
We're the NexoPad team, and our Windows app has a similar feature called Beautify. Even so, we'll tell you plainly what each alternative does best, including the things NexoPad doesn't do.
1What CleanShot X does (on Mac)
- Backgrounds for your screenshots: color, padding and aspect ratio, with saved presets to reuse.
- A full editor: arrows, step counters, text, highlighter, pixelate, blur and spotlight.
- Scrolling capture, video and GIF recording with audio.
- Copy text from an image (OCR) on the Mac itself, in more than 30 languages.
- Floating screenshots above your windows and a small overlay after each capture to copy, save or edit.
- Its own cloud to share with a link, with a password and an expiration date.
Warning
There's no CleanShot X for Windows. It costs $35 one time (with one year of updates; renewing them is $19 a year), needs macOS 13 or later, and its website says there's no Windows version and no plans for one.
2Comparison table
| Windows | Price | Background, frame and shadow | Copy text (OCR) | Video or GIF | Scrolling capture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CleanShot X | No, Mac only | $35 one time | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ShareX | Yes | Free (open source) | Yes: background, padding, corners and shadow | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Snagit | Yes | $39 a year | Border and shadow effects, and themes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Greenshot | Yes | Free on Windows | Only shadow and borders, no backgrounds | Yes | No | No |
| Snipping Tool | Yes | Comes with Windows | No | Yes | Yes, video | No |
| NexoPad | Yes | Free (with a NexoPad account) | Yes: 9 backgrounds, window or browser frame, My styles and your logo | Yes, offline | No | No |
Data taken on October 27, 2026 from the official websites: cleanshot.com, getsharex.com (changelog), techsmith.com, getgreenshot.org and Microsoft's Snipping Tool guide. Prices may vary by country.
3The 5 Windows alternatives, one by one
ShareX
The most complete free option. Since version 16 (2024) it has a beautifier with background, padding, rounded corners and shadow, and it also records video and GIF, takes scrolling captures and copies text. It has so many options that it takes a while to learn.
Snagit
The professional option for Windows and Mac: border and shadow effects, themes, video, scrolling capture and step-by-step guides that build themselves from your clicks. It's paid: $39 a year.
Greenshot
Free, light and simple, with a good editor and pixelate. It can add a shadow or torn edges, but no colored backgrounds or window frames.
Snipping Tool
It's already on your PC and copies text from images, but it has no beautify options: the screenshot comes out as is.
NexoPad for Windows
Beautify with 9 backgrounds, a window or browser frame, shadow and your logo. Save your combinations in My styles and apply one to every screenshot without opening anything. Free.
Tip
What about screenshot beautifier websites? They work, but you have to upload every image to someone else's site. If the screenshot has customer data, it's better to use a tool that does it on your PC.
4Beautify, in NexoPad for Windows
NexoPad for Windows is a free Microsoft Store app that types your text with shortcuts in any program and includes a screenshot editor. Take the screenshot with Alt+2, mark it up if you like and click Beautify (Ctrl+E).
Pick the Background (five gradients, blurred from the screenshot itself, your color, transparent or dots), a Windows or browser Frame with its title, the Margin, the Corners, the Shadow, a Thin border and the Credit: none, "Made with NexoPad" or yours, with your logo or your text. Below, you see the final size.
My styles: your look in one click
What saves the most time is My styles. You save your combination with a name and apply it in one click. Three examples come built in (Support, Social and Documents), and you can add your own.
If you set a style to always use, every screenshot you copy or save comes out already beautified, without opening Beautify. You see its name in the editor's bar: click it to copy that one without the style.
5Create your style with your logo
Add your logo
In NexoPad, open Preferences › Screenshots › Your brand on screenshots. Upload your logo (PNG, JPG or SVG) or type your company name. It's stored only on your PC.
Take a screenshot and open Beautify
Press Alt+2, select the area and press Ctrl+E. Choose the background, frame, margin and shadow. In Credit, choose Yours and the corner it goes in.
Save it as a style
Click + Save style and give it a name. Right-click the style to always use it, rename it, update it with your current settings or delete it.
Copy and paste
Click Copy (Ctrl+C) and paste the screenshot anywhere with Ctrl+V: a presentation, an email, a post or a tutorial.
What NexoPad doesn't do (and CleanShot X does)
- No video or GIF recording. For that, ShareX (free) or Snagit (paid).
- No scrolling capture of long pages. Microsoft Edge has its own full-page screenshot (
Ctrl + Shift + S). - It doesn't upload your screenshots or create share links: they stay on your PC.
- There's no Mac version. If you're on a Mac, CleanShot X is still a great choice.
Try NexoPad for Windows
Beautiful screenshots with your logo, step-by-step guides and your text shortcuts in one app. Free on the Microsoft Store.
6Which one to choose
Stick with CleanShot X if…
You work on a Mac. There's no way to use it on Windows.
Choose ShareX if…
You want everything for free, including video, GIF and long pages, and you don't mind spending a while setting it up.
Choose Snagit if…
You need a professional tool on Windows and Mac, with video and automatic guides, and you don't mind paying every year.
Choose NexoPad if…
You want beautiful screenshots with your logo in one click, without setting anything up or uploading them, and you also type the same replies every day: your shortcuts and your screenshots live in the same app.
Tip
Need to explain several steps? See how to make a step-by-step guide with screenshots. And if you're looking for a screenshot app in general, we compare more options in Lightshot alternatives.
7Frequently asked questions
Is there a CleanShot X for Windows?
No. CleanShot X only runs on Mac (macOS 13 or later), and its website says there's no Windows version and no plans for one.
What's the best free CleanShot X alternative on Windows?
If you want everything, including video and GIF, ShareX. If what you want is a background, frame and your logo on your screenshots in one click, with no setup, NexoPad.
Can I add my company logo to screenshots?
Yes. In NexoPad, upload your logo in Preferences › Screenshots › Your brand on screenshots and choose Credit › Yours in Beautify. With On every screenshot, the logo also appears without opening Beautify.
Can I beautify all my screenshots automatically?
Yes. Right-click a style in My styles and choose to always use it, or pick it in Preferences › Screenshots › Automatic style. Every screenshot you copy or save will come out in that style.
Does NexoPad upload my screenshots?
No. Screenshots are saved only on your PC, in the folder you choose. NexoPad doesn't create share links.
Is NexoPad free?
Yes. NexoPad for Windows is a free download from the Microsoft Store, and Beautify, My styles and your brand are included in the free plan. You need a NexoPad account, which is also free.
Published on October 27, 20267 min read
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