Looking for a CleanShot X alternative?
It depends which half of the problem you have. CleanShot X is built around taking and marking up captures — annotation, scrolling capture, sharing. Bunny Screenshot is built around what happens next: reading every capture so you can search it by content later. If you are replacing an annotation workflow, we are not a like-for-like swap. If your captures pile up unfindable, we are the part that is missing.
The honest version
Most “alternative to X” pages pretend the two products do the same thing. These do not, and pretending otherwise would waste your afternoon.
CleanShot X is a capture tool: it improves the moment you press the shortcut, with annotation, scrolling capture, hidden-desktop capture, and quick sharing. Bunny Screenshot barely touches that moment — macOS already captures well — and instead reads what you captured, titles it, tags it, and makes it searchable by what it shows.
So the real question is not which is better. It is whether your pain is taking screenshots or finding them again.
Which problem are you solving?
A capture tool like CleanShot X
A capture tool like CleanShot X
Bunny Screenshot
Bunny Screenshot
Bunny Screenshot
Bunny Screenshot
| If your problem is… | The tool that fits |
|---|---|
| Annotating, arrows, blurring, scrolling capture | A capture tool like CleanShot X |
| Quick sharing links to a screenshot | A capture tool like CleanShot X |
| “I know I screenshotted it, I can’t find it” | Bunny Screenshot |
| Hundreds of files named “Screenshot 2026-…” | Bunny Screenshot |
| Searching captures by the text inside them | Bunny Screenshot |
| Keeping everything on-device with no account | Bunny Screenshot |
Feature sets change; check each product’s own site for the current details before you decide.
They also work together
Nothing stops you running both. Capture with whatever you like — the built-in shortcuts, CleanShot X, anything that writes files to a folder — and let Bunny Screenshot read and index what lands there. For most people who ask this question, that is the honest answer: keep your capture tool, add the search.
Bunny ScreenshotWhat Bunny Screenshot actually does
It reads every capture on your Mac — the text in it and what it shows — then gives each one a real title and tags so your library becomes searchable in plain language.
Captures are read on your Mac. It is local by default; the only network calls are the ones you choose.
- ✓Search by content: “that Stripe invoice”, not a timestamp
- ✓Automatic titles and tags for every capture
- ✓Text copy-out, including a clean Markdown copy
- ✓Results in Spotlight, and an MCP server so your AI tools can search them too
- ✓Free to use, with a one-time Pro unlock; no account, no subscription
Questions people ask
Is Bunny Screenshot a drop-in replacement for CleanShot X?
No, and we would rather say so. If you rely on annotation, scrolling capture, or share links, you would lose those. Bunny Screenshot replaces the part that comes after the capture: finding it again.
Do I need a capture tool at all?
Not necessarily. macOS captures are already good — ⇧ Shift ⌘ Cmd 4 for a region, ⇧ Shift ⌘ Cmd 5 for the toolbar. Many people find the built-in shortcuts plus a searchable library is the whole workflow.
Is there a free CleanShot X alternative?
The macOS built-in capture shortcuts are free and cover region, window, full screen, and screen recording. They do not annotate or share, which is exactly what paid capture tools add.
Does Bunny Screenshot upload my screenshots?
Captures are read on your Mac. It is local by default, and the only network calls are the ones you choose — for example if you opt into using your own cloud model key.