Switch to OpenScreenShot if most of what you capture with Snagit is web pages: it does full-page capture, markup, redaction, PDF export, and tab recording in the browser, for free and with no sign-in. Stay with Snagit if you capture desktop apps, program windows, or the whole screen. Snagit is a desktop app for Windows and macOS, and OpenScreenShot captures web pages in the browser only, by design. Snagit also records system audio and the full screen, scrolls inside program windows, and offers Smart Redact, which can blur or block emails, phone numbers, and credit card details. OpenScreenShot has none of those features.
OpenScreenShot is our product. The facts about Snagit on this page are as of 9 October 2026 and come from TechSmith’s Snagit page, its store page, and its support article on subscription pricing.
Snagit and OpenScreenShot side by side
| Snagit | OpenScreenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Annual subscription per user; no new perpetual licenses since Snagit 2025 | Free, no paid tier |
| Open source | No | Yes, MIT |
| Platform | Desktop app for Windows 10 and 11, and macOS 14 or later | Browser extension for Chrome and Firefox |
| Install-time site access | Not applicable (desktop app) | None. Access to the current tab when you start a capture |
| Full-page capture | Yes, long scrolling windows and web pages | Yes, web pages |
| Annotation and blur | Arrows, callouts, text, markup; Smart Redact | Shapes, arrows, text, step numbers, spotlight, blur with a Solid fill |
| PDF export | Yes | Yes |
| Tab recording | Screen, microphone, system audio, and webcam | One browser tab, with microphone, tab audio, and webcam, in Chrome (the Firefox build captures screenshots only) |
| Account or cloud | Sign-in for the subscription; up to 25 videos on TechSmith Screencast | No account, no uploads |
We could not load the US dollar price from TechSmith’s store page from our location, so this page does not state it. Check the store page for your region.
What you keep
For web pages, the main tasks carry over. Full Page scrolls a page and stitches it into one image. Selected Region captures a rectangle, and Capture element captures one card, table, or chart at its exact bounds. The Editor has arrows with curved paths, shapes, text, numbered Step number badges, a highlighter, and Spotlight to dim everything except what matters. Crop and Cut trim the image. The annotation reference lists the tools.
You keep PDF export and clipboard copy. Click Save image to open the Export dialog for PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF, or click Copy to paste the image into a document. The Frame panel adds padding, rounded corners, a shadow, and a background for a framed image.
What changes
In OpenScreenShot, you cover each private item yourself. Choose Blur (B) and the Solid fill under Hide area, then drag over each item. Solid covers the area completely in the export. The redaction guide shows how to check the saved file.
Recording covers one browser tab in Chrome. Click Record in the popup, turn on Mic, Tab audio, or Webcam, and record the whole tab or an area you drag. The recording editor adds a 2x zoom at each click, and exports MP4 or WebM. There is no system audio from other apps and no full-screen recording. See the recording reference.
Captures stay on your device, and there is no account or cloud library. To annotate a capture from another tool, drop the image onto the editor or paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on macOS). The editor works the same on a pasted image as on a capture.
How to switch
- Install OpenScreenShot from the Chrome Web Store or from Firefox Add-ons.
- Pin the icon to the toolbar.
- Click the icon on a long page. With the default One-click Express mode, this starts a Full Page capture and opens the Editor.
- Set After capture in Settings: Editor to annotate, Clipboard to paste at once, or Download to save a PNG.
- Set a Filename template with tokens such as
{date}and{title}. - If you keep Snagit for desktop work, make sure its keys do not clash with OpenScreenShot. In Chrome, you can change the extension’s keys at
chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
For help articles with step numbers, see screenshots for documentation. For review notes on a page, see capturing a page for design review. For a free tool that also covers desktop capture, see the Lightshot alternative page.