Short version: CleanShot X and Shottr are capture tools. They take the screenshot and give you markup, scrolling capture and text grabbing. Shelvo doesn't take screenshots. It keeps the macOS shortcuts and deals with the file afterward: filing it in a folder and finding it later by the text inside. If you need annotation or recording, pick one of the other two. If your problem is a folder full of dated PNGs, Shelvo is built for that. You can also run Shelvo next to either one.
I make Shelvo, so read this with that in mind. Every competitor price and feature below comes from the official CleanShot X and Shottr websites, checked on 12 October 2026. Links are at the end. "Not listed" means the official site doesn't mention the feature, not that the app definitely lacks it.
What each app is for
CleanShot X replaces the macOS screenshot tools with its own: area and window capture, scrolling capture, screen recording with a video editor, annotation, text recognition and cloud links for sharing.
Shottr is a small, fast capture and markup tool. Its site describes a 2.3 MB native app built for Apple Silicon, with scrolling capture, annotation, text recognition, a pixel ruler and a color picker.
Shelvo starts after the screenshot exists. You keep pressing ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 or ⇧⌘5. Shelvo asks which folder each new screenshot goes in, moves it there, reads its text on your Mac, and lets you search the whole library later.
How much do they cost?
| CleanShot X | Shottr | Shelvo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Basic: $35 once, includes 1 year of updates and 1 GB of cloud storage. Pro: $10 per user per month, billed yearly. | Basic: $12 once. Friends Club: $30 once. | $5 once. |
| Free use | No free tier. 30-day money-back guarantee. | Free to use with no time limit; asks you to consider buying after 30 days. A license is required for commercial use. | Free for the first 30 new screenshots, every feature, no time limit. |
| After the first year | Basic keeps working. Updates cost $19 a year, optional. | One-time purchase, not a subscription. | One-time purchase, no subscription. |
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later | 12 Monterey or later (per its FAQ) | 13 Ventura or later |
| Where to get it | cleanshot.com, or Setapp | shottr.cc | shelvoapp.com only |
A Shottr license covers one user on up to five computers. A Shelvo license key works on more than one Mac.
Which features does each one have?
| CleanShot X | Shottr | Shelvo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takes screenshots | Yes, its own capture tools | Yes, its own capture tools | No. You keep the macOS shortcuts |
| Annotation | Yes | Yes | No |
| Scrolling capture | Yes, vertical and horizontal | Yes | No |
| Screen recording | Yes, with a video editor | Not listed | No |
| Grab text from the screen | Yes, on-device, 30+ languages | Yes, a hotkey copies the text to the clipboard | Live Text selection on saved screenshots |
| Search saved screenshots by their text | Not listed | Not listed | Yes, across the whole library or one folder |
| Past captures | Capture history of up to 1 month | Not listed | Every filed screenshot stays in your library as a normal file |
| Choose a folder per screenshot | Not listed | Save As (⇧⌘S) asks for a name and location | Yes, a prompt on every new screenshot |
| Sharing and upload | CleanShot Cloud links | Upload to S3-compatible storage (needs a license) | None |
| Other extras | Pin screenshots on top of other windows, QR code reading | Pixel ruler, color picker, QR code reading | None |
Where CleanShot X is better
If you make screenshots for other people, such as bug reports, docs or tutorials, CleanShot X does far more than Shelvo. It records video, edits it, annotates, uploads, and gives you a link to paste. Its text recognition works on anything on screen, not only on saved files. It is also available through Setapp, which matters if you already pay for Setapp. Shelvo does none of this.
Where Shottr is better
Shottr is the cheapest way to get a capture and markup tool, because you can use it for free. The pixel ruler and color picker are built for designers and front-end developers, and it supports older macOS versions than Shelvo. For a quick annotated screenshot it is fast and small. Shelvo has no capture or markup tools.
Where Shelvo is better
Shelvo is for the part that comes after the capture. You take a screenshot because you want to keep something: a receipt, an error message, a slide, a design reference. Shelvo asks where it goes at that moment, when you still know, and files it into a real Finder folder with one keypress. A month later you can type a word you remember from the image and find it, because Shelvo reads the text in every screenshot and keeps a search index on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account. You don't have to learn new shortcuts or grant Screen Recording permission, because Shelvo never captures the screen itself.
Can you use Shelvo with CleanShot X or Shottr?
Yes, as long as the other app saves image files into the folder Shelvo watches. Shelvo watches a folder, not a keyboard shortcut. Any new PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF or GIF that appears at the top of that folder gets the filing prompt. Captures that only go to the clipboard or to the cloud never become a file there, so Shelvo doesn't see them.
Which one should you pick?
- You record your screen or share screenshots with a team: CleanShot X.
- You want free, fast markup, or need a pixel ruler: Shottr.
- You already use the macOS shortcuts and your problem is finding screenshots later: Shelvo.
- You want better capture and an organized library: Shottr or CleanShot X for capture, plus Shelvo for filing and search.
Shelvo needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. It is free for your first 30 new screenshots, then $5 once. There is no subscription and no account.
Sources, all checked 12 October 2026: CleanShot X pricing, CleanShot X features, Shottr home page, Shottr purchase page, Shottr FAQ. Shelvo details come from this site.
Questions people ask
Is Shottr free?
Yes. Shottr's site says you can use it for free for as long as you want; after 30 days it asks you to consider upgrading. A Basic license is $12 once and is required for commercial use.
Is CleanShot X a subscription?
Not necessarily. CleanShot Basic is $35 once and includes one year of updates; updates after that cost $19 a year and are optional. CleanShot Pro is a subscription at $10 per user per month, billed yearly.
Does Shelvo replace CleanShot X or Shottr?
No. Shelvo doesn't take screenshots, annotate or record. It files the screenshots you take with the macOS shortcuts and makes them searchable by their text. It can run next to either app.
More guides
- Where do screenshots go on Mac?The default folder, how to check yours, and why a screenshot can seem to vanish.
- How to change the screenshot location on MacMove screenshots off the Desktop with the toolbar or Terminal, and how to undo it.
- How to organize screenshots on MacFinder stacks, smart folders, batch rename and tags for the pile, and a way to stop it growing.
- How to search text in screenshots on MacCopy text with Live Text, find a screenshot by its words with Spotlight, Photos or Shelvo.