Qreata vs CleanShot X: screenshot utility or screencast editor?
CleanShot X added a video editor called Studio Mode in version 5.0, so the two apps now overlap on zooms and trims. They still serve different days: one is built for dozens of quick captures, the other for a narrated video you want to get right.
7-day trial · $49 once · no subscription · Apple Silicon · macOS 14+The short answer
Pick CleanShot X ($35 once, with optional updates at $19 a year) if most of your captures are screenshots, scrolling captures, OCR, and short clips; it is the cheaper tool and Qreata does no screenshot work. Pick Qreata ($49 once, future updates included) if you record narrated demos and tutorials: Replace Take re-records a selected range, and microphone and system audio keep separate levels. CleanShot’s Studio Mode trims a mistake out, and a third-party test in September 2026 found no way to re-record a section.
Choose Qreata if
Video with narration is the job, and a wrong sentence should not cost the whole take.
- You record demos or tutorials longer than a quick clip, on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later.
- You want to re-record one section and keep the rest.
- You need microphone and system audio at separate levels after recording.
- You want to cut by word from a transcript made on your Mac and burn captions into the video.
- You want to try the full app for 7 days before paying $49.
Choose CleanShot X if
Capture is something you do many times a day, and most of it is still images.
- You need annotated screenshots, scrolling capture, or OCR.
- Your recordings are short clips or GIFs that need a zoom and a trim, not a retake.
- You want the lower price: $35 once.
- You are on macOS 13.
- You want cloud links with 1 GB of storage included in the Basic license.
Side-by-side comparison
| What matters | Qreata | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Mac product demos, tutorials, and walkthroughs where one mistake should not cost the whole take.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | Everyday Mac capture: annotated screenshots, scrolling capture, OCR, and short recordings in one utility.Source: CleanShot feature list |
| Platform | macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. No Windows, Intel, or browser version.Source: Qreata app pricing | macOS 13 or later. No Windows version and none planned.Source: CleanShot FAQ: trial, refunds, requirements |
| Price | $49 once for 3 Macs, every future update included. Team: $149 once for up to 50 Macs. No subscription.Source: Qreata app pricing | Basic: $35 once with one year of updates, then optional $19 a year. Pro: $10 per user per month billed annually.Source: CleanShot plans and updates |
| Free use and refunds | Full app free for 7 days, no account needed to record. The product is in beta.Source: Qreata app pricing | No free trial; 30-day money-back guarantee.Source: CleanShot FAQ: trial, refunds, requirements |
| Fixing a mistake mid-recording | Replace Take: select a range on the timeline and re-record only that range, with screen, camera, and audio, or only its video or only its voice. Projects stay editable after export and hold multiple clips.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | Trim the mistake out. A third-party test of Studio Mode in September 2026 found no way to re-record a section.Source: Layerpath test of CleanShot Studio Mode (third party) |
| Editing | Non-destructive trim, split, delete, undo, and segment speed; automatic or manual zooms you can adjust or remove; word-level cuts from the transcript, with filler-word removal for English and Russian speech; removable blur regions; background and camera layout changeable after recording.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | Studio Mode (version 5.0, September 2026): smart zooms, trims, cursor smoothing, motion blur, backgrounds, vertical export.Source: CleanShot changelog (5.0 Studio Mode) |
| Audio tracks | Microphone and system audio stay separate, each with its own gain and mute after recording.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | Records microphone and computer audio together. Separate tracks are not documented.Source: CleanShot feature list |
| Transcripts and captions | Transcription runs on the Mac with no upload. Captions can be burned into the video; there is no SRT export yet.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | Video transcription only in CleanShot Cloud, listed under the Pro plan. No captions in the editor.Source: CleanShot plans and updates |
| Export | MP4 (H.264) at 720p, 1080p, or 4K, 30 fps. No GIF, no 60 fps, and no raw-track export in the beta.Source: Qreata features and beta limits | MP4 (H.264) or GIF, up to 4K.Source: CleanShot feature list |
| Sharing and storage | Files stay on your Mac; nothing uploads unless you press a button. Optional Google Drive upload, or hosted links through Qreata Cloud, a separate paid plan.Source: Qreata cloud plans | CleanShot Cloud links: 1 GB on Basic, unlimited on Pro, with password protection and comments. The cloud is optional.Source: CleanShot Cloud |
Prices are US list prices before tax and can change; some vendors show local currency. Where a vendor’s documentation is silent on a capability, the cell says so instead of guessing.
Qreata vs CleanShot X pricing over 1 and 3 years
CleanShot Basic is $35 once for one seat, with one year of updates. After that the app keeps working, and further updates cost an optional $19 a year. CleanShot Pro is $10 per user per month billed annually. Qreata Personal is $49 once at the current early-bird price, for 3 Macs, with every future update included.
CleanShot is cheaper to buy: $14 less on day one. If you renew updates for two more years, three years of CleanShot Basic come to $73 against $49 for Qreata. If you skip renewals, CleanShot stays at $35 and you keep the version you have.
CleanShot has no free trial and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead. Qreata runs as the full app for 7 days with no account.
| Plan | Year 1 | 3 years | How it adds up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qreata Personal | $49 | $49 | One payment, 3 Macs, updates included |
| CleanShot Basic, no renewal | $35 | $35 | One payment, 1 year of updates |
| CleanShot Basic with updates | $35 | $73 | $35 + $19 × 2 renewals |
| CleanShot Pro, 1 user | $120 | $360 | $10 × 12 months, then × 3 |
Can you re-record part of a recording in either app?
In Qreata, yes. You say the wrong product name at 0:50 of a 90-second feature clip. Select 0:45–0:55 on the timeline, choose Replace Take (the Rerecord tool in the editor), and record those 10 seconds again, with screen, camera, microphone, and system audio. The other 80 seconds stay, and the project stays editable after export if the name changes again.
In CleanShot X you trim the mistake out. Studio Mode, added in version 5.0 in September 2026, lists trims among its editing tools, and a third-party test that month found no way to re-record a section. For a 20-second clip, recording again is quick. For a five-minute walkthrough, it means repeating the whole thing.
Where Qreata is the better choice
Qreata is ahead wherever the recording has narration and more than one source.
- Replace Take: re-record a selected range inside a project that can hold multiple clips.
- Audio: microphone and system audio stay separate with their own gain and mute. CleanShot records microphone and computer audio together, and separate tracks are not documented.
- Transcript and captions: Qreata transcribes on the Mac, cuts by word, and can burn captions into the video. CleanShot’s video transcription exists only in CleanShot Cloud, listed under the Pro plan, and its editor has no captions.
- License terms: 3 Macs and all future updates, against one seat and one year of updates.
- Trial: 7 days of the full app, against no trial.
Where CleanShot X is the better choice
CleanShot does a whole category of work that Qreata does not touch, and it costs less.
- Screenshots: annotation, scrolling capture, and OCR. Qreata records video only; its drawing tools (pen, arrow, box) work live while you record, not on stills.
- Price: $35 once, $14 less than Qreata.
- System version: macOS 13 or later. Qreata needs macOS 14 and Apple Silicon.
- Formats: MP4 (H.264) or GIF, up to 4K. Qreata exports MP4 only.
- Sharing: CleanShot Cloud links with password protection and comments, 1 GB on Basic and unlimited on Pro. Qreata uploads on a button press to Google Drive or to Qreata Cloud, a separate paid plan, and has no viewer comments.
- Clip polish: Studio Mode adds smart zooms, cursor smoothing, motion blur, backgrounds, and vertical export. Qreata has zooms and backgrounds, but no cursor smoothing and no vertical export of a screen recording.
Who should pick neither, and who should own both
Owning both is a reasonable outcome: $84 in total buys CleanShot for stills and quick clips and Qreata for narrated videos, and neither is a subscription.
Look elsewhere in three cases.
- You need editable captions and 4K at 60 fps in a Mac demo: Screen Studio, $108 a year on annual billing.
- You record on Windows or want viewer comments on a hosted link for a whole team: Loom, free Starter plan, Business at $18 per user per month.
- You stream live or need up to 6 separate audio tracks in one file: OBS Studio, free.
Switching from CleanShot X to Qreata
There is nothing to migrate. Qreata does not import video files, so CleanShot recordings cannot be opened as projects, and your CleanShot Cloud links keep living in CleanShot. Keep CleanShot for screenshots and record your next narrated video in Qreata.
Questions worth asking
Is CleanShot X a subscription?
No, not the Basic license. CleanShot Basic is $35 once with one year of updates, then an optional $19 a year for more updates. Only CleanShot Pro is a subscription, at $10 per user per month billed annually.
Does CleanShot X have a free trial?
No. CleanShot X has no trial and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Qreata has a 7-day trial of the full app.
Which is cheaper, Qreata or CleanShot X?
$35 for CleanShot Basic against $49 for Qreata. With two update renewals at $19, CleanShot costs $73 over three years; Qreata’s $49 includes future updates.
Can CleanShot X re-record part of a recording?
No, according to a third-party test of Studio Mode from September 2026, which found no way to re-record a section. You trim the mistake out. Qreata’s Replace Take re-records a selected range.
Does Qreata take screenshots?
No. Qreata records and edits video. For annotated screenshots, scrolling capture, and OCR, use CleanShot X.
Does CleanShot X or Qreata work on Windows?
No. Both are Mac-only. CleanShot states that there is no Windows version and none is planned.