North Star
and CleanShot X
Both are Mac apps for screenshots, annotation, GIFs and screen recordings, with links to share them. North Star is built for giving feedback: numbered stickers with notes, and one copy that carries the picture and the list.
North Star fits if
- Most of your screenshots are feedback: on a design, a build, a bug.
- You want the picture and a numbered list of points to arrive together in Slack, Linear or an AI chat.
- You also record calls or dictate, and would rather pay for one app.
CleanShot X fits better if
- You need scrolling captures of long pages.
- You want a one time purchase with no subscription.
- You make polished marketing screenshots with backgrounds and padding.
- Your team needs SSO, custom domains or password protected links today.
How North Star works
What you get with North Star
-
Numbered stickers, each with a note
Press N and click. Each sticker gets a number from its order and a note, and the list travels with the image. Move one and the numbers follow.
-
Copy for Slack
One copy carries the image, a one line intro and the numbered list, so a single paste in Slack is the whole review.
-
Annotations you can change later
Open any capture again and edit its marks. The original crop is kept beside the marked up image, so nothing is flattened for good.
-
More than capture
Meeting recordings transcribed on your Mac, dictation into any app, snippets and clipboard history come with it.
Side by side
Feature by feature
Capture
- Region, window or full screen
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Scrolling capture
- North Star: Not yet
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Self timer
- North Star: Not yet
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Pin a screenshot above other windows
- North Star: Not yet
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Text recognition (OCR)
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: Yes
| Feature | North Star | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Region, window or full screen | Yes | Yes |
| Scrolling capture | Not yet | Yes |
| Self timer | Not yet | Yes |
| Pin a screenshot above other windows | Not yet | Yes |
| Text recognition (OCR) | Yes | Yes |
Annotation
- Arrow, rectangle, circle, pen, highlighter, text
- North Star: Yes, one key each
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Numbered stickers
- North Star: Yes, each with a note that travels with the image
- CleanShot X: Counter tool, numbers only
- Redaction
- North Star: Opaque tape burned into the pixels
- CleanShot X: Blur and pixelate
- Edit annotations after saving
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Backgrounds and padding
- North Star: No
- CleanShot X: Yes
| Feature | North Star | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow, rectangle, circle, pen, highlighter, text | Yes, one key each | Yes |
| Numbered stickers | Yes, each with a note that travels with the image | Counter tool, numbers only |
| Redaction | Opaque tape burned into the pixels | Blur and pixelate |
| Edit annotations after saving | Yes | Yes |
| Backgrounds and padding | No | Yes |
Recording
- GIF
- North Star: Free: 15 seconds. Pro: 60 seconds
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Video with camera and microphone
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: Yes
- Numbered markers while recording
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: No
- Show clicks and keystrokes
- North Star: Cursor spotlight
- CleanShot X: Clicks and keystrokes
- Trim and export
- North Star: Yes, 1080p to 4K
- CleanShot X: Yes
| Feature | North Star | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| GIF | Free: 15 seconds. Pro: 60 seconds | Yes |
| Video with camera and microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Numbered markers while recording | Yes | No |
| Show clicks and keystrokes | Cursor spotlight | Clicks and keystrokes |
| Trim and export | Yes, 1080p to 4K | Yes |
Sharing
- Share link
- North Star: Free: 10 a day, each kept 30 days. Pro: permanent, with view counts
- CleanShot X: Yes; storage depends on plan
- Numbered list on the shared page
- North Star: Yes
- CleanShot X: No
- Password, expiry, custom domain
- North Star: Not yet
- CleanShot X: Cloud Pro
- Copy image and list in one go
- North Star: Yes, for Slack or any text field
- CleanShot X: Copies the image
| Feature | North Star | CleanShot X |
|---|---|---|
| Share link | Free: 10 a day, each kept 30 days. Pro: permanent, with view counts | Yes; storage depends on plan |
| Numbered list on the shared page | Yes | No |
| Password, expiry, custom domain | Not yet | Cloud Pro |
| Copy image and list in one go | Yes, for Slack or any text field | Copies the image |
Where they lead
Where CleanShot X is ahead today
- Scrolling capture of long pages.
- Floating screenshots pinned above other windows.
- A background tool for padded, presentation ready images.
- Self timer and hiding desktop icons while capturing.
- Password protected and expiring links, custom domains and SSO on Cloud Pro.
- A one time license for the app.
Price
What it costs
North Star
$10 a month for Pro
Free to use with monthly limits. Pro is $10 a month, or $96 a year, tax included, and covers screen recording, screenshots, meetings and dictation. Refunds within 14 days. Every limit.
CleanShot X
About $29 once for the app with a year of updates and 1 GB of cloud. Cloud Pro: about $8 a person a month billed yearly, $10 monthly.
CleanShot's app is a one time purchase; its cloud is a subscription.
CleanShot X details were checked in October 2026 from public sources and may have changed. See their pricing page for current prices. CleanShot is a trademark of its owner. North Star is not affiliated with CleanShot.