Shottr

Free Mac screenshot tool with annotation and OCR, with an optional paid tier for extra features

As of 1 September 2026, Shottr has a free plan and paid plans start at $8/one-time. A macOS screenshot and annotation utility that can be used free indefinitely, with an optional one-time paid tier unlocking extras like colour picker history and additional export options. Softwr lists it under Utilities. Shottr is available on Mac.

Visit siteVisit Shottr

Overview

What Shottr does

Shottr captures full screen, window or selected area screenshots, then offers pixel-precise annotation tools including arrows, text, blur, a ruler and built in OCR that extracts text directly from a captured image. It also includes a scrolling capture mode, a colour picker and quick image resizing. The distinguishing fact is that the core app is usable free indefinitely with most annotation and capture features included; it periodically prompts the user to consider buying, but does not hard-lock functionality behind a paywall for basic use. A paid Basic tier and a higher Friends Club tier, both one-time purchases in roughly the 8 to 30 US dollar range depending on the source and promotion, unlock extras such as a colour history palette and priority support. That puts Shottr as the middle option in this cluster: not entirely free and open source like Kap, and not paid from the first launch like CleanShot X. Buyers are users who want solid annotation and OCR without committing money up front, and who are willing to tolerate an occasional purchase prompt. The trade-off against CleanShot X is fewer polish features such as cloud link hosting and a self-cleaning desktop, and against Kap it lacks a dedicated focus on video and GIF recording quality.

What people use it for

A user who wants OCR and precise annotation without paying anything up front
Someone evaluating whether a screenshot tool is worth paying for before committing money, unlike CleanShot X which requires payment first
A user who occasionally needs a colour picker and is fine with the free tier for everything else
Anyone who wants a lighter alternative to CleanShot X without giving up scrolling capture or annotation

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Shottr.

It lacks CleanShot X cloud link hosting and self-cleaning desktop features, so teams that share links constantly may find it thinner.
Pricing tiers and their exact contents have shifted and are inconsistently reported across sources, making it harder to know exactly what a given tier unlocks before buying.
The free tier periodically prompts to purchase, which some users find naggy over long term daily use.
It is Mac only, offering nothing for a Windows machine in a mixed environment.
Video and GIF recording is more limited than a tool built specifically for that, such as Kap or CleanShot X.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Shottr

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

Shottrvs
CleanShot X
CleanShot X: If you want cloud link sharing and a self-cleaning desktop and are fine paying up front
Shottrvs
Kap
Kap: If your primary need is screen recording and GIF export rather than annotation
Shottrvs
Maccy
Maccy: If your priority is clipboard history rather than screenshots

Pricing

What Shottr costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Free

Full capture and annotation for everyday use
Built in OCR included
Occasional prompt to consider purchasing

Basic

$8 /one-time

One-time unlock of extra features
Removes purchase prompts

Friends Club

$25 /one-time

Higher one-time tier
Access to experimental features and priority support

Capabilities

Features

Pixel-precise annotation
Arrows, text, blur, shapes and a ruler tool for exact measurements
Built in OCR
Extracts text directly from a screenshot without a separate app
Scrolling capture
Captures a full scrollable window as one stitched image
Colour picker
Samples colours from anywhere on screen with a history in the paid tier
Quick resize and export
Resizes and exports captured images in common formats
Free core functionality
Most capture and annotation features usable without purchase

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Is Shottr free?

Yes, the core app can be used free indefinitely, with an optional one-time paid tier for extra features and no more purchase prompts.

Does Shottr do OCR?

Yes, built in OCR extracts text from a captured screenshot without needing a separate app.

Is there a subscription?

No. Any paid tier is a one-time purchase, not a recurring subscription.

Keep looking

Where to go from Shottr

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Shottr, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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