What’s the difference between the Mac’s built-in screenshots and ScreenFlowy Snap?

The Mac’s built-in screenshots (⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4, ⇧⌘5) are free and always at hand. They capture the screen exactly as it is; you can add a few quick marks with Markup and copy the text in an image with Live Text. ScreenFlowy Snap is completely free too, and every shot arrives with a background, rounded corners and a shadow already set. It can also take scrolling captures, add step numbers, redact by hand or cover sensitive details automatically, and switch to social media sizes in one click; everything you make stays in history. For the occasional screenshot, the built-in tools are enough; when a shot has to be shared and make its point clearly, use Snap.

Facts checked on 8 October 2026 · Each app’s official site has the final word on prices and features

Use ScreenFlowy Snap if you…

Send screenshots to group chats, documents or social media, and want each one to look great on its own
Need scrolling capture to grab a whole web page in one image
Need to redact, or to cover email addresses and phone numbers automatically
Need step numbers, a spotlight and a magnifier to explain things

Side by side

	ScreenFlowy Snap	Mac built-in screenshots
Price	Completely free, no in-app purchases	Built into macOS, free
Region, window and full-screen capture	Region, window, full screen	Yes
Scrolling capture	Yes; scroll yourself or click Scroll down	No
Background, padding, corners, shadow	Set as you capture; save as presets	Window captures include the system shadow
Social media sizes	Square, portrait and landscape ratios, plus sizes for popular social networks	No
Markup	Boxes, arrows, pen, text, step numbers, spotlight, magnifier	Markup’s pen, shapes, text and loupe
Redaction	By hand, or cover sensitive details automatically	Can’t redact an image directly
Text recognition (OCR)	Free, on your Mac	Live Text, on your Mac
Watermark with your name	Yes, in words you choose	No
History	Latest 100 images, ready to edit again	No
Drag into other apps	Yes	Drag the floating thumbnail

✓ means yes, — means no, and a half circle means partly.

What the built-in screenshots can do

Press ⇧⌘3 to capture the entire screen, ⇧⌘4 to capture a portion of it, ⇧⌘4 followed by the Space bar to capture a window, and ⇧⌘5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. After a capture, a floating thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner: drag it into a document, or add a few marks with Markup. Live Text can copy the text in an image.

What Snap adds

Snap sets the background, rounded corners and shadow as you capture, each one a slider away. Ratios and popular social media sizes switch in one click, and whole web pages and long chats can be captured as one tall image by scrolling.

The markup tools include boxes, arrows, a pen, text, step numbers, a spotlight and a magnifier. Redact by pixelating, blurring or a solid block, or let Snap find and cover email addresses, phone numbers, ID and card numbers, and all kinds of keys automatically. Everything you make goes into history, ready to reopen and keep editing at any time.

Price

Both are free. Snap has no in-app purchases, needs no account and never goes online: everything happens on your Mac.

Common questions

How do I take a scrolling screenshot on a Mac?

The Mac’s built-in screenshots can’t capture a scrolling page. In ScreenFlowy Snap, choose Scrolling Capture and select the area that scrolls; as you scroll down, Snap stitches it into one tall image.

How do I redact a screenshot on a Mac?

The Mac’s built-in Markup can’t redact an image. In ScreenFlowy Snap, choose Redaction, drag over what you want hidden and pick Pixelate, Blur or Solid; or turn on Auto redact sensitive data and let Snap cover details such as email addresses and phone numbers for you.

Is Snap really completely free?

Yes. There are no in-app purchases and no account to sign up for, it never goes online, and every feature is ready to use.

How do I add rounded corners and a background to a Mac screenshot?

Take the screenshot with ScreenFlowy Snap: it opens with the background, rounded corners and shadow already set. Sliders adjust the padding, corners and shadow, and the background can be a wallpaper, a gradient, a solid colour or a picture of your own.

Sources

macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc. ScreenFlowy Snap is not affiliated with Apple. This page is based on Apple’s official support documentation and ScreenFlowy’s published information, checked on 8 October 2026. If you spot a mistake, please write to [email protected] and we’ll correct it as soon as we can.

Keep reading

Comparison