Short answer
Xnip's site leads with fully offline, on-device recognition: scrolling capture, window capture with the system shadow (multi-window selectable), annotation, pinned images, a color picker and physical units; version 2.4.1 in July 2026 added screenshot OCR and 2.3.1 had already removed network access. In the Mac App Store it is a free download with a Pro subscription that removes the watermark on scrolling captures, and its site says it has been on the App Store for 10 years. Shotbox skips that post-processing and instead indexes the text on your Mac after each capture so one word finds the shot weeks later, free with no account. For a dependable App Store annotation tool pick Xnip; for finding old screenshots pick Shotbox. Third-party facts checked 2026-10-16.
The differences at a glance
| Xnip | Shotbox | |
|---|---|---|
| What it mainly does | Per its site and store page: scrolling capture, window capture (shadow, multi-window), annotation (resize the capture area while annotating), pinned images, color picker, physical units; 2.4.1 (2026-07-21) added screenshot OCR; the site says fully offline with on-device recognition | Reads the text in screenshots on your Mac, titles, sorts and de-duplicates them, so you find the original weeks later from one word; also text capture, annotation, scrolling capture and pinned images |
| Platform and requirements | macOS 13.5 or later; Mac App Store; English and Chinese interface | macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel (DMG from the website, not on the App Store) |
| Price | Free to download; Pro is an auto-renewing subscription that the store page says removes the watermark on scrolling captures and unlocks future features; subscription price: not verified | Free, no account |
| Where data goes | The site says 100% offline; the update log says network access was removed from 2.3.1; the store page says fully local with no network access permission | Recognition, titling and sorting all happen on the Mac; screenshots and the text in them never leave it; only anonymous usage statistics (no screenshots or content) are sent, on by default and switchable off in settings |
| After the capture (check date) | The pages do not mention searching past screenshots by text or automatic sorting | This is the core: recognition, titling, sorting and de-duplication, found again weeks later from one word |
Third-party entries come from the other product's official pages (read on 2026-10-16) and are its own statements, not our tests. Prices and requirements change, so check the official page on the day you download. "Not verified" means we did not see it on an official page, not that it does not exist. Our own column comes from our home page and privacy policy.
When to pick Xnip
- You want an App Store, fully offline annotation tool and like window captures with the system shadow.
- You care about selecting several windows at once, or measuring in physical units.
- You are happy to subscribe to remove the watermark on scrolling captures.
When to pick Shotbox
- You treat screenshots as a library and want to find an old one from a single word weeks later, not just handle the moment of capture.
- You want it free with no account and accept a DMG from the website instead of the App Store.
- You want screenshots titled and sorted automatically.
Limits of Shotbox
- Shotbox does not record the screen, make GIFs or share to the cloud.
- Shotbox is installed from a DMG on the website, not the App Store, and the first run needs Screen Recording permission (every region-capture tool does).
- On-device OCR does well on clear print; handwriting, decorative fonts and dense multi-column layouts produce errors, so check amounts and code against the original.
Three things to test yourself before you commit
- Take a real job: scroll-capture a long page in Xnip and compare the watermark with and without Pro.
- Capture 20 shots with text and search three weeks later from a word you remember to see whether Shotbox finds them.
- Read Xnip's update page and decide whether you are comfortable with its 2026 release cadence.
Moving over from Xnip, or using both
Both only read the screen and do not conflict. Screenshots Xnip saves are ordinary image files that Shotbox's index does not pick up automatically; to make older ones searchable, run them through Shotbox's capture entry again, or keep Xnip for annotation and Shotbox for archiving. If a hotkey clashes, change it in either app.
FAQ
Does Xnip have OCR?
Yes. Its update log says version 2.4.1 (2026-07-21) added screenshot OCR, and its site says text recognition runs on the device.
Is Xnip free?
It is a free download on the Mac App Store; Pro is an auto-renewing subscription that the store page says removes the scrolling-capture watermark and unlocks future features; the price is not stated, so we mark it not verified. Shotbox is free.
Does Xnip use the network?
Its site says 100% offline and the update log says network access was removed from 2.3.1. Shotbox does recognition on the Mac and sends only anonymous usage statistics that can be turned off in settings.
Can I use both?
Yes. Xnip for annotation, Shotbox for archiving and finding.
Sources and check dates
- Xnip 官网首页 (checked 2026-10-16)
- Xnip 更新记录 (checked 2026-10-16)
- Xnip Mac App Store 页面（美区，Apple iTunes Lookup 读取） (checked 2026-10-16)
