C 
CleanShot X
Screenshot and screen recording for macOS, done properly.
NOT REALLY
why this verdict
Keep it — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the productivity job, so this one is still worth keeping open.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Operating systems ship free screenshot tools. OpenAI, January 1, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 1 of 2 listed replacements have a usable free tier: macOS Screenshot.
- What the call is worth nothing to cancel
- No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- January 1, 2025
- List price
- free
- Per year
- —
The backstory
CleanShot X sells the twenty small things the built-in screenshot tool gets wrong: scrolling capture, instant annotation, cloud links, hiding your desktop clutter. It is a one-time purchase for a job AI has no opinion about, which makes it about as safe as software gets.
Escape hatches
M 
macOS Screenshot Free and built in.
apple.com open_in_new S 
Screen Studio Better for polished recordings.
screen.studio open_in_new1 of 2 replacements have a usable free tier.