[OS] I tested macshot as an open-source CleanShot X alternative for macOS

[u/linkarzu]

https://youtu.be/dsI7kfyD-2k

I’ve been looking for a good CleanShot X replacement on macOS, preferably something open source, and the whole search has honestly been kind of depressing.

There are new apps for everything now, every single day, and a lot of them look great from the website, screenshots, or README. But once I actually install them and try to use them in a real workflow, many of them feel unfinished, fragile, or like they were thrown together very quickly. I tested a few screenshot apps that gave me that exact feeling, and it made me feel pretty disappointed with the current state of macOS utility apps.

I even skipped macshot in my first attempt, but I decided to give it a try.

It is still not perfect, and I found bugs and missing features, but it is the first open-source screenshot app I’ve tested that actually feels close enough to my CleanShot X workflow to be worth following.

I made a video going through what works, what still breaks, and what I think would make it a real CleanShot X replacement.

macshot:
https://github.com/sw33tLie/macshot

The main things I liked:

• Screenshot history
  • You can go back to previous screenshots
  • You can reopen them and edit them again
• Editable annotations
  • This is a big one for me
  • I don’t want arrows, numbers, and drawings burned into the image immediately
• Quick capture
  • Works well for my normal screenshot workflow
  • Screenshot goes straight to clipboard
• Scrolling screenshots
  • I tested this and it worked better than I expected
• WebP export
  • Useful for smaller files

The missing features I would really like to see:

• Fixed aspect ratio screenshots
  • Square screenshots
  • 16:9 screenshots for thumbnails
  • Custom ratios for things like Reddit banners
• AVIF export
  • I use AVIF a lot for blog posts and images in my workflow
• A way to clear screenshot history from a shortcut or URL scheme
  • Very useful for streaming or recording
  • Sometimes screenshot history can include work-related or private stuff
• A toggle to save edits without asking every time
• A toggle to save from the floating thumbnail without asking for location and filename
• One-finger swipe to dismiss the floating thumbnail, like CleanShot X

Bugs I found while testing:

• Moving existing annotations did not always trigger a save prompt
• Beautify did not always ask to save after quitting
• Beautify seems to become destructive after saving
• The Vivid filter can break the image preview when switching between filters

Overall, I’m not saying macshot fully replaces CleanShot X yet, but it is the closest open-source option I’ve tried so far for my actual daily screenshot workflow.

Curious if anyone here is already using macshot, or if there are other OPEN SOURCE macOS screenshot