# CleanShot X review (2026)

Source: https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/reviews/cleanshot-x/
By Sam Fisher, updated October 6, 2026. Part of The Best Screen Recorder (https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/). Method: https://thebestscreenrecorder.com/how-we-test/

CleanShot X is a Mac app for screenshots and screen recordings, with annotation tools, a video editor and one-click cloud links. It's for Mac users who capture and share their screen many times a day.

## At a glance

- Score: 5.8/10 as a screen recorder
- Best for: You work on a Mac and take screenshots and short screen recordings all day, often sharing them as links.
- Works on: Mac
- Free recording: No free plan
- Watermark when free: No free plan
- Price: $35 one-time (CleanShot Basic, $35 one-time with a year of updates ($19/yr to renew). Pro is $10/mo billed yearly or $12 monthly. From cleanshot.com/pricing, 6 Oct 2026.)
- Max resolution: 4K
- Made by: MTW (https://cleanshot.com)
- Last checked: October 2026

## Plans

- CleanShot Basic: n/a, $35/year. One-time payment, 1 year of updates, 1 GB Cloud storage
- CleanShot Pro: $12/month, $120/year. Per user, always up to date, unlimited Cloud storage, branding and team features

## Subscores

- Sharing: 8.0/10
- Recording features: 9.0/10
- Editing: 3.0/10
- Free plan: 0.0/10
- Value for money: 9.0/10
- Ease of use: 6.0/10
- Platforms: 2.0/10

## What we like

- Records screen, camera, microphone and system audio, with click and keystroke display
- Screenshot tools include scrolling capture, annotations, OCR and floating screenshots
- One-click upload to CleanShot Cloud gives a share link with comments

## What to watch

- Mac only, macOS 13 or newer
- No free plan and no trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee
- The video editor documents trimming, zooms and cursor effects, but no text or captions


## Our verdict

CleanShot X is a Mac screenshot tool that also records video. It captures areas, windows and scrolling pages, marks them up, and records the screen with your camera, microphone and system audio. One click uploads a capture to CleanShot Cloud and gives you a link.

It's cheap if you buy once: $35 gets you the app and a year of updates. Pro, at $10 a month billed yearly, adds unlimited cloud storage and team features. There's no free plan or trial, only a 30-day refund window, and too few reviews on G2 and Capterra to judge how easy people find it.

The new video editor adds zooms, cursor effects and trimming, but we found no text or captions. For heavier video editing on a Mac, look at [Screen Studio](/reviews/screen-studio/) or [Camtasia](/reviews/camtasia/). If you need Windows too, [Snagit](/reviews/snagit/) covers both, and [ShareX](/reviews/sharex/) is a free option on Windows.