ShareX
Open Sourceby ShareX Team
The most capable free screenshot and capture tool.
- Region, window and scrolling capture
- Screen recording to video or GIF
- Automated post-capture workflows
Free alternatives to OBS Studio
3 screen capture & recording programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — OBS Studio.
Alternatives to OBS Studio
Greenshot
Open Sourceby Greenshot
Quick, simple screenshots with fast annotation.
- Region, window and full-screen capture
- Immediate annotation and highlighting
- Obfuscate sensitive information
Flameshot
Open Sourceby Flameshot
Cross-platform screenshot tool with in-place annotation.
- In-place annotation toolbar
- Blur tool for sensitive data
- Command-line interface
About OBS Studio
OBS Studio is the tool essentially every streamer and course creator uses: unlimited scenes and sources, live compositing of cameras, screens and overlays, and direct streaming to YouTube, Twitch and other platforms.
It is open source and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Below are 3 screen capture & recording programs that cover the same ground — some open-source, some cross-platform, each free to use.
OBS Studio alternatives compared
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShareX | Open Source | Windows | Region, window and scrolling capture |
| Greenshot | Open Source | Windows | Region, window and full-screen capture |
| Flameshot | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | In-place annotation toolbar |
The alternatives in detail
ShareX Open Source
ShareX captures any region, window, scrolling page or screen recording, then runs it through a configurable pipeline — annotate, watermark, save, upload and copy the link automatically. Notable for region, window and scrolling capture and screen recording to video or gif. Runs on Windows.
Greenshot Open Source
Greenshot is a lightweight screenshot tool focused on speed: capture a region or window, annotate and highlight it immediately, then export wherever needed. Notable for region, window and full-screen capture and immediate annotation and highlighting. Runs on Windows.
Flameshot Open Source
Flameshot offers a clean capture experience with annotation tools that appear right at the selection — arrows, boxes, blur and text without opening a separate editor. Notable for in-place annotation toolbar and blur tool for sensitive data. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
How to choose
3 are fully open source (ShareX, Greenshot, Flameshot) — pick one of these if you value auditable code you can self-host. For the widest platform coverage, Flameshot run on three or more operating systems. On a Mac, Flameshot support macOS natively.
All 3 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.