Clowd vs ShareX.
ShareX is the most feature-dense free capture tool on Windows. Clowd is free too, edits video on a real timeline and runs on macOS.
- Price
- FreeFree. No trial, no tiers, no watermark.
- Status
- Very active4.10.0 released Oct 19, 2026. In development since 2015.
- Best for
- Recording you can editA one-screen capture overlayWindows and macOS
- Price
- FreeFree and open source (GPL-3.0). Also on the Microsoft Store and Steam.
- Status
- Very activev21 shipped in July 2026.
- Best for
- Automation and workflowsUploading to almost anywhereWindows power users
Feature by feature.
Every ShareX verdict comes from its own documentation.
| Feature | Clowd | ShareX |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | ||
| Region capture | YesPress PrtScn and drag. Edges can be placed to the pixel while zoomed. | YesSeveral region modes (standard, light, transparent, last, custom). |
| Window snapping | YesHover a window and click, or press W. | Yes |
| Full-screen capture | YesF for the monitor under the cursor, A for all monitors, Ctrl+PrtScn for the active screen. | YesPlus active monitor and monitor menu. |
| Magnifier | YesScroll to zoom the frozen screen from 1× to 256×. | YesMagnifier in region capture. |
| Color picker | YesPress H on any pixel. The Color Editor copies HEX, RGB or HSL and has an eyedropper. | YesScreen color picker tool. |
| Scrolling capture | YesRewinds to the top first, and sticky headers appear once. Scrolls whole windows, not panes inside them. Needs Accessibility permission on macOS. | Yes |
| Text recognition (OCR) | YesOn-device. The text lifts off the capture so you can check it, then copy, search or share it. OCR and the AI effects need Windows or a Mac with Apple Silicon. Latin, Greek, Chinese and Japanese kana. Cyrillic and Korean aren’t supported yet. | Yes'Recognize text (OCR)' after-capture task and tool. |
| Delay timer | NoThere is no capture timer yet. | Yes |
| Annotate | ||
| Image editor | YesEvery capture opens in the image editor. Objects stay editable and sessions autosave. | YesNew Avalonia editor (v20) with 18 annotation tools and 232 image effects. The legacy editor is still available. |
| Shapes, arrows and text | YesCurved arrows and lines, a Bezier pen, text, sticky notes and a highlighter. | Yes |
| Blur and pixelate | YesMosaic, blur or solid. It only affects the image underneath, never your annotations. | YesBlur, pixelate, smart eraser. |
| Step numbers | YesNumbered steps. Drag from a step to pull an arrow out of it. | Yes |
| Record | ||
| Screen recording | YesRegion, window or screen, with a live frame-rate meter. | YesFFmpeg-based. |
| GIF | YesAny recording converts to a GIF in one click from Recents. | Yes |
| System audio | YesRecorded as its own track. | YesThrough a DirectShow virtual audio capturer that ShareX offers to install. |
| Webcam | YesRecorded as a separate track you place in the editor. | No |
| Keystroke overlay | Yes3D keycaps with a Shortcuts-only filter. | No |
| Edit | ||
| Trim and cut | YesTrim, split, ripple delete and Ctrl+K to split every track. | YesVideo trimmer and GIF trimmer tools. |
| Multi-track timeline | YesVideo, audio, text, image, zoom, speed, cursor and keyboard rows on one timeline. | No |
| Zoom effects | Yes1× to 5× with eased ramps. Zoom rows stack. Zooms are placed by hand with a fixed focus. There is no auto-zoom or cursor-follow. | No |
| Present | ||
| Draw on screen | Yes9 tools, click-through on Esc, an eraser and one undo history across monitors. | No |
| Share a region | YesAny rectangle, in any meeting app that can share a window. Blur or black it out live. Viewer frame rate is limited by the meeting app. | No |
| Share | ||
| Upload and share | YesCaptures, recordings, text, files and folders. Image and video uploads need a storage destination; text pastes work out of the box. | YesDozens of image, text, file and URL-shortener destinations (80+ per the project). |
| Instant link | YesThe link is copied automatically. With accelerated uploads, the moment the upload starts. | No |
| Your own storage | YesAmazon S3 and S3-compatible, Azure Blob, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2 and more. | YesCustom uploaders (.sxcu), Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage, Google Cloud Storage, Azure, FTP/SFTP, Imgur and more. |
| Platform & price | ||
| Windows | YesWindows 10 and later, x64 and ARM64. | Yes |
| macOS | YesmacOS 13 and later, Apple Silicon and Intel. OCR and the AI effects need Windows or a Mac with Apple Silicon. Default hotkeys use PrtScn. Rebind them in Settings → Hotkeys on a Mac keyboard. | No |
| Linux | NoNot available yet. | No |
| Free | YesFree. No trial, no tiers, no watermark. | Yes |
| Open source | YesMIT licensed. The part that runs text recognition and the AI effects is GPL-3.0. | YesGPL-3.0. |
Sources4Checked Oct 19, 2026
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Where ShareX wins.
If these matter most to you, ShareX may be the better pick.
Workflows that chain capture, edit and upload tasks to hotkeys.
80+ upload destinations and custom uploaders.
35 built-in utilities, from a pixel ruler to an image combiner.
232 image effects in the editor.
Where Clowd goes further.
Screen Recording
Recording with every track separate.
ShareX needs a virtual audio device for system sound and doesn't record the webcam. Clowd records each on its own track, and lets you restyle the cursor and keys later.
More about screen recordingVideo Editor
Edit after you record.
ShareX's video tools stop at trimming. Clowd opens every recording in a multi-track editor with zooms, speed ramps, backgrounds, voice-over and noise removal.
More about the video editorCapture Overlay
One overlay, one letter per action.
ShareX offers 14 capture methods and a deep settings tree. Clowd puts every capture mode and next step on one screen, each a single key.
More about the capture overlayUpload & Share
The link before the upload finishes.
ShareX reaches far more destinations. With Clowd, the link is copied the moment the upload starts, and recipients can open it while the file is on its way.
More about uploadsOther comparisons.
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Clowd vs PicPick
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