The Best Lightshot Alternatives in 2026: 5 Free Tools Compared

The best Lightshot alternative for most Windows users is Sleekshot. It keeps Lightshot's best idea: press PrtSc, select, draw right on the screen. And it adds what Lightshot never had: a blur tool, numbered steps, screen recording and share links that strangers can't guess. If you want every feature you can think of, take ShareX. If you need the same tool on Linux, take Flameshot. On a Mac, the free Sleekshot for Mac works the same way and records the screen too.

Lightshot is still fine for quickly selecting an area, copying it and pasting it. People leave it for three reasons. Uploads to prnt.sc are public by Lightshot's own policy. The editor stops at a pen, line, arrow, rectangle, marker and text. And it can't record video. Below: five alternatives compared as of October 2026, what each does well and badly, and steps for switching that keep your PrtSc habit. We make Sleekshot, so we list its limits as plainly as everyone else's.

Quick verdict: which Lightshot alternative to pick

Each of these apps wins for a different kind of user. Find the line that sounds like you.

• Best overall on Windows: Sleekshot. The same "PrtSc, select, draw right on it" routine, plus blur, step numbers, copying text, recording and links nobody can guess. Free, no account.
• Most features: ShareX. Scrolling screenshots, GIF recording, copying text, automation and dozens of places to upload, at the cost of a lot of settings.
• Closest copy, on every OS: Flameshot. You draw right on the screenshot, much like in Lightshot, on Windows, macOS and Linux. No recording, no uploads by default.
• Classic editor that sends to Office: Greenshot. Sends screenshots straight to Word, Outlook or Jira. No recording.
• Nothing to install: Snipping Tool. Built into Windows 11, copies text from images and records video. No blur, no typed text, no share links.
• Stay with Lightshot if you take a screenshot, copy and paste, and only ever upload screenshots you'd happily post in public.

Lightshot alternatives compared: 5 free tools like Lightshot

The table is based on each company's website, docs and release notes, checked in October 2026. Lightshot is included for reference.

Two columns matter most for Lightshot users. Draw right on the screenshot keeps the speed you're used to: you mark it up before the image is even saved. Share links is where privacy comes in, because a link is only as safe as its address is hard to guess.

Sleekshot: the closest Lightshot replacement, with more tools

Sleekshot is a free screenshot and screen recording app for Windows 10 and 11 that works the way Lightshot does. Press PrtSc, the screen dims, and you drag over an area. The toolbar appears right next to your selection. The difference is what's on that toolbar.

• Drawing tools: 7 arrow styles, from a plain arrow to hand-drawn and neon. You also get step numbers 1-2-3 (S), a blur rectangle (B), text labels (T) and a highlighter. Rectangles, ellipses and dashed lines come in 20 colors. Details on the arrows, steps and blur page.
• Taking screenshots: drag over an area, or hover and click to take a window, or even one button or panel inside it. Ctrl + A takes the whole screen, the same key as in Lightshot.
• Copy text: Ctrl + O recognizes the text in the selection on your PC and copies it.
• Recording: press V to switch to the screen recorder. It records an MP4 with your mic, computer sound, a webcam bubble and highlighted clicks. No watermark and no time limit.
• Sharing: Ctrl + U uploads the image and gives you a short link, no account needed. The link uses a random 12-character code, and search engines are told not to index it.

Limits: there's no "search similar images", no scrolling screenshots and no delay timer. The Windows app doesn't export GIFs, and arrows and shapes can't be moved once drawn, only undone with Ctrl + Z. Share links have no password or expiry date. Sleekshot for Mac is a separate free app on the Mac App Store. On macOS 13 or later it records to MP4 or GIF. It uploads screenshots for a link with ⌘ + U, and there you can move arrows and shapes after you draw them.

Price: free, no account, no watermark. Runs on x64, x86 and ARM64 PCs, from the Microsoft Store or a direct installer.

ShareX: the most powerful free alternative

ShareX is a free, open-source screenshot tool, screen recorder and file uploader for Windows. Version 21.0.0 came out in July 2026, so it's very much alive. If Lightshot feels too basic and you like tweaking settings, ShareX does almost everything.

• Screenshots: area, window, monitor, full screen and scrolling screenshots of long pages. Default shortcuts: Ctrl + PrtSc for an area, PrtSc for the full screen, Alt + PrtSc for the active window.
• Recording: video with Shift + PrtSc, and GIF with Ctrl + Shift + PrtSc.
• Editor: rectangles, arrows, text, blur, pixelate, step numbers and more, in a separate image editor window.
• Extras: copying text from images, a color picker, QR codes, a system for automating tasks, and uploads to a long list of services or your own server.

Downsides: the settings window is a maze for newcomers, and you draw in a separate editor, not right on the screenshot. Since version 18.0 (August 2025), ShareX needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later, and the installer is about 100 MB. Out of the box, it copies and saves screenshots. When you do upload, the default is Imgur, so check where your links go. No Mac or Linux version.

Best for: power users, developers and anyone who wants automation. For a head-to-head with another classic, see ShareX vs Greenshot.

Flameshot: Lightshot-style drawing on Linux, Mac and Windows

Flameshot is the app that feels most like Lightshot. You select an area and draw on it right there. You get a pencil, line, arrow, rectangle, circle, marker, text, pixelate and a counter that numbers itself. It's free and open source (GPLv3), and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

It also has a command line, so you can run screenshots from scripts or add a delay. What it doesn't have: video recording, and since version 13, built-in uploads. The Imgur uploader is off by default for privacy reasons, so sharing means copying or saving the file. On Linux, Flameshot is the easy recommendation. On Windows, it's a solid choice if you don't need recording or links.

Greenshot: a classic Windows tool with an Office-friendly editor

Greenshot is a free, open-source screenshot tool for Windows, made with testers, developers and technical writers in mind. The latest stable version, 1.3.315, came out in March 2026, and test builds of version 1.4 appeared in September 2026. A separate Mac version costs $1.99 on the Mac App Store.

Like Lightshot, it lives on the Print Screen key: PrtSc for an area, Alt + PrtSc for a window, Ctrl + PrtSc for the full screen and Shift + PrtSc to repeat the last area. After each screenshot, a menu asks where to send it: the editor, a file, the clipboard, a printer, email or Office apps. Plugins add Imgur, Jira, Confluence, Box and Dropbox.

The editor has shapes, arrows, text, speech bubbles, a counter for numbered steps, highlighting and blur or pixelate. The downsides: it's a separate window, not drawing right on the screenshot, and it can't record the screen. Its only scrolling screenshots work in Internet Explorer, which Microsoft has retired. More options in our Greenshot alternatives guide.

Windows Snipping Tool: enough if you don't need links

Snipping Tool comes with Windows 11, so the cheapest Lightshot alternative might already be on your PC. Win + Shift + S (and, on Windows 11, plain PrtSc) opens a toolbar with rectangle, window, full-screen and freeform modes.

• Editor: pen, highlighter, shapes (rectangle, oval, line, arrow), eraser and crop. Text actions copies text from the image, and Quick redact hides email addresses and phone numbers.
• Video: Win + Shift + R records a selected area as MP4, with your mic and computer sound.
• Saving: every screenshot is saved to Pictures\Screenshots on its own.

What it lacks compared with Lightshot and Sleekshot: you mark things up in a separate window after the screenshot. There's no blur, no step numbers and no share links. As of October 2026, typed text is still only in Windows Insider test builds. Our Snipping Tool alternatives guide goes deeper.

Lightshot vs Sleekshot: feature by feature

Most people looking for a Lightshot alternative want the same speed with fewer gaps. Here's the direct comparison.

What Lightshot still does better: one app that works the same on Windows and Mac, a browser extension, the online editor and similar-image search. If those matter to you more than blur and recording, there's no rush to switch.

Where Sleekshot is clearly ahead: hiding private data, tutorials and sharing. Lightshot's privacy policy says every uploaded image is public, and anyone who types its URL can see it. Older prnt.sc addresses were short enough to guess. Our article Is Lightshot safe? covers what that means for you.

How to switch from Lightshot to Sleekshot (and keep PrtSc)

The whole switch takes about two minutes. The only real snag is that Lightshot and Windows 11 both want the Print Screen key.

1. Install Sleekshot from the download page or the Microsoft Store.
2. Take the key back from Lightshot. Right-click Lightshot's tray icon and close it, then uninstall it in Settings → Apps → Installed apps. If you want to keep Lightshot for its Mac version or image search, give it a different shortcut in its options instead.
3. Take PrtSc back from Snipping Tool. The quickest way: press Bind PrtSc to Sleekshot in Sleekshot's Settings → Screenshots, and the key is Sleekshot's in one click. To do it by hand, go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Keyboard (on older builds, Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard) and turn off Use the Print screen key to open screen capture. Searching Settings for "print screen" finds it either way.
4. Press PrtSc. If another app still grabs the key, open Sleekshot's settings and set any other key or combination. Our guide to changing the Print Screen key covers every option.
5. Optional tweaks: turn on Auto-save screenshots so every copy also lands in a folder. Set Default drawing tool to the one you use most, like Arrow or Blur.

Most of your habits carry over:

What happens to your old prnt.sc uploads

Uninstalling Lightshot doesn't delete anything you've uploaded. Those images stay on prnt.sc. According to Lightshot's FAQ, you can ask for removal at [email protected] or with the abuse button under the image. If an upload showed a password, token or bank details, change them first. Removing the image doesn't undo a view that's already happened. For safer ways to share from now on, see how to share a screenshot as a link.

How we chose these alternatives to Lightshot

We started from what Lightshot users actually care about: speed, a free price and sharing with one key. Then we checked every app against its official website, docs and release notes in October 2026. Each pick had to be free or built into Windows, and still updated. We left out paid tools like Snagit ($39 a year), which are in our roundup of the best screenshot apps for Windows. We didn't run lab tests, so there are no speed scores here, just documented features and limits.

On a Mac, the list is shorter: macOS's own Shift + Command + 5 toolbar, Sleekshot for Mac and Flameshot. Sleekshot for Mac follows the Lightshot routine. Press ⌘ + ⇧ + 2, draw on the frozen screen, then copy, upload with ⌘ + U or record the same area with ⌘ + R (macOS 13 or later). Our guide to the best screenshot apps for Mac compares them, and the CleanShot X alternatives cover the paid side.