Introduction
You’re under immense pressure, working on a presentation due in 15 minutes and you hit the wall right when you gained some momentum—you need annotated screenshots. A quick search and a few clicks later, you’re ready with all your annotated screenshots and feeling like a winner again.
But wait… is this tool giving you a paywall for downloading your screenshots? All that effort wasted.
The disappointment is real. Most screenshot tools online let you capture, edit and annotate your screenshots, but ask you to pay to use these shots. If you’re fed up with getting scammed and stuck in sticky situations, you need our list of the 10 best free screenshot software of 2023.
Don’t worry, they’re all really free—we double-checked!
Top 10 free screenshot software in 2023
What makes a screenshot tool great?
The market for screenshot tools is only getting bigger with time. You have tens and hundreds of options to test. But even if you have the time to test all these tools, what exactly should you be looking for?
Here’s a handy list of features to check how your favorite screenshot tools fare against each other:
- Ease of use: Most screenshot software overcomplicate the process. Capturing your screen—the whole screen, a part of it, or a sliding shot—shouldn’t be rocket science. So, the first thing to check is how easy it is to navigate the tool for taking screenshots.
- Editing features: Let’s face it, a screenshot tool is only as good as its editor. A solid editor will allow you to annotate images, add text, crop photos, adjust graphics, and do a lot more to use your screenshots any way you like.
- Storage option: While basic screenshot software only let you capture, edit and download images, advanced tools also offer cloud storage. So, you can save all your screenshots on your account and access them from anywhere.
- Flexibility: Another factor to check is the flexibility of using the tool on different devices. This allows you to maintain consistency in your screenshots, no matter which device you work on.
- Collaboration: A final factor to consider is the option to collaborate with others on a project. While this isn’t a must-have feature, it can be a great add-on to share screenshots and collect input or feedback from others.
Create a checklist of these five features to review and rate every screenshot tool you try. But we’ve saved you hours of hard work by doing all the heavy lifting ourselves.
Our 10 best picks for free screenshot software to try
We tested 25+ free screenshot tools in the market to curate this list of the 10 best options. This list includes options for all operating systems and a mix of basic plus advanced tools.
Let’s break down each tool's core value propositions and unique features to help you find an ideal pick for your needs.
1. Scribe
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Capterra Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Scribe Overview
Scribe is a documentation software that creates SOPs and step-by-step instructions with screenshots — in seconds
This intuitive tool can not only capture screenshots, but also annotate them automatically with your click marks. You can further edit every screenshot to add arrows, text, or any other element. Here's how it works.
With Scribe, you don’t have to worry about capturing a screenshot separately and adding a message to contextualize the image. The tool itself adds context to your images and creates interactive guides.
Plus, with Scribe Pages, you can combine Scribes with more images, video and more to create templates and visual process docs.
It's a no brainer. Use Scribe to create how-to guidelines, training resources, SOPs, and more. Scribe can save you tons of time by automating the tedious dtocumentation process.
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2. ScreenRec
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G2 rating: 4.9 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 5 out of 5
ScreenRec Overview
ScreenRec is a multi-functional screenshot tool with a minimal interface and powerful functionality. This lightweight software lets you capture a part or whole of your screen, record videos, and convert them into GIFs.
The tool has editing and annotation functions. You can add highlight boxes, arrows, text boxes, and comments on your images. The best part? Every screenshot, video, or GIF created using ScreenRec is shareable with a simple URL. What’s more, the free tool also offers 2 GB cloud storage to access your screenshots on the go.
3. Nimbus
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G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 5 out of 5
Nimbus Overview
Nimbus is a powerful screenshot software with a unique feature of taking scrolling screenshots. Apart from the partial or whole screen options, Nimbus can help you capture a long image with its scrolling screenshot feature.
The tool also lets you edit screenshots with features like annotate, crop, resize, and add elements. You can use Nimbus to record your screen and create small recordings as well. Besides, you get quick sharing options and the premium version comes with free cloud storage space.
ShareX
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G2 rating: 4.8 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.8 out of 5
ShareX Overview
ShareX is one of the most popular and advanced screenshot tools in the market. Its multi-featured editor makes it one of the best tools for capturing your screen. You can edit a screenshot using many features, like flipping, shadowing, duplicating, cropping, watermarking, and more.
With so many features, the tool isn’t the easiest to navigate. You have to spend some time exploring its functionality to get the hang of it.
What sets ShareX apart from other screenshot software is the option to directly publish your edited images to over 80 sites, like Twitter, Flickr, Google Photos, and more. Alternatively, you can share your screenshots as FTP files.
5. Lightshot
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G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Lightshot Overview
Lightshot is a downloadable screenshot software available for free in both Mac and Windows devices. The tool has a simple interface but a feature-packed editor to make your screenshots talk. Add more details to better explain or contextualize your images and share them with a custom URL.
One of Lightshot’s unique features is the image search function. You can insert any image and find similar pictures. All edited images are uploaded directly to the cloud and its own server.
6. Steam
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G2 rating: NA
Capterra Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Steam Overview
Steam is one of the best free screenshot software designed specifically for gaming. It’s a screenshot tool integrated within an app for purchasing and playing video games online. However, it works brilliantly to capture sharp in-game visuals to flaunt your impressive gaming moves.
The tool has some basic editing features, like brightening, pencil marks, cropping, annotating, and more. Once you’ve captured and edited your shots, upload them to your gamer profile on Steam and keep them with you forever. The tool also auto-saves the file on your local system.
7. Markup Hero
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G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Markup Hero Overview
Markup Hero is a versatile screenshot tool with a desktop app and browser extension. Users can choose to work with any version based on their preferences. The tool lets you grab and annotate screenshots effortlessly with its sleek interface. Thanks to its power-packed editor, the tool doubles as a photo editing app as well.
You can share your screenshots with an auto-generated link or download a file in your system. If not either, you can simply copy the image and paste it wherever you’d like.
8. Snipaste
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G2 rating: N/A
Capterra Rating: N/A
Snipaste Overview
Snipaste is a free screenshot tool famous for its speed and fully customizable keyboard shortcuts. Press the right keys and Snipaste’s snipping tool will appear on your screen. Use freehand selection to choose your screenshot area and capture a shot.
Annotate your screen grabs using different types of pens available in multiple colors. What makes this app unique is the precision with which it can detect any item/shape on your screen and take accurate screenshots of that item.
9. Screenpresso
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G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 5 out of 5
Screenpresso Overview
Screenpresso is one of the most convenient screenshot tools on this list. To capture a screenshot with this tool, simply hit the Print Screen key on your keyboard and your mouse will turn into a crosshair. Now, select the area you want to capture and your shot is ready.
Using the same method, you can capture partial or full-screen shots. You can even create scrolling shots and record your screen. Plus, there’s a neat option to delay capture that allows you to take a screenshot after a gap of a few seconds.
10. SnapDraw
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G2 rating: N/A
Capterra Rating: N/A
SnapDraw Overview
SnapDraw is a desktop tool for taking and editing screenshots. The interface resembles MS Paint and offers many editing options to add more context to your images. Its editor offers unique elements that most tools don’t, like 3D rotation effectss, watermarks, background images, and reflection.
While you might have to struggle with lag when using Snapdraw, it makes up for the inconvenience with its advanced editing capabilities.
Pick your favorite free screenshot tool for 2023
Screenshots are a part of the daily life for everyone living in a digital world—whether you’re a student, a teacher, a working professional, a creator, or even a gamer. The disappointment of taking and editing screenshots only to discover you have to pay for them is second to none.
Thankfully, you don’t have to face this disappointment anymore. Our list of the 10 best free screenshot software will save you the struggle of trying tens of different tools and feeling overwhelmed by the end of it.
Cut all the hassle and test drive Scribe to gain an edge over others. Make screenshots work for you!
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