Ksnip
What it is
Ksnip is a free, GPL-3.0 screenshot application for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can capture a selected rectangle, a previous selection, a screen, all screens, or supported windows, depending on the platform. After capture, users can apply a pen, marker, shapes, text, stickers, cropping, blur, pixelation, image effects, or watermarks. Screenshots can be uploaded to Imgur, FTP, or custom scripts, and exported as BMP, GIF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, PDF, or PS. Command-line capture can save files using a default location, filename, and format. OCR text extraction comes through a separately installed Tesseract plugin for Windows and Linux/Unix. Downloads include several Linux formats plus Windows and macOS packages. The project documents platform-specific behavior, including global hotkeys unavailable under Wayland. Its maintainer says development capacity is limited and seeks co-maintainers.
For and against
For
- Free GPL-3.0 open-source software
- Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Many annotation tools
- OCR through Tesseract plugin
- Multiple export formats
Against
- OCR requires a separate plugin
- Global hotkeys unavailable under Wayland
- Platform behavior varies
- Development capacity is limited
The verdict
Ksnip covers capture, markup, OCR, sharing, and export without a listed charge. Check its documented platform limitations, especially on Wayland, before choosing it.
Who it suits
Ksnip suits desktop users who need capture, annotation, OCR, sharing, and varied export formats. It is relevant to Linux, macOS, and Windows users, with some platform-specific limits.
Plans and prices
Ksnip
Non-profitable copylefted libre software project
Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Annotations
- Its annotation tools include a pen, marker, shapes, text, stickers, cropping, blur, pixelation, image effects, and watermarks.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Capture options
- It can capture a selected rectangle, the last selected rectangle, a screen, all screens, or a focused or cursor-under window, depending on platform.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Command line
- It supports command-line screenshot capture and saving to a default location, filename, and format.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Desktop platforms
- The project lists Linux, Windows, and macOS support, with Linux screenshot behavior varying by X11, Wayland, and portal support.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- Downloads include Linux packages and formats such as RPM, DEB, APT, Snap, Flatpak, and AppImage, plus Windows and macOS packages.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Known limitation
- Global hotkeys are listed as supported only on Windows and X11, and are unavailable under Wayland according to the project documentation.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies the project as GPL-3.0 licensed.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Maintenance
- The maintainer says the project is seeking co-maintainers and that feature requests and bugs are accumulating while development capacity is limited.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The README describes ksnip as a non-profitable copylefted libre software project.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- OCR
- OCR is available through a separately installed plugin that uses Tesseract, for Windows and Linux/Unix.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Other platform limitations
- The project documents limitations involving macOS cursor capture and Wayland screenshot or clipboard behavior.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Ksnip is a Qt-based cross-platform screenshot tool with annotation features.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Support and community
- The project directs general questions and discussion to its Discord or IRC community and bug reports to GitHub Issues.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Uploads
- Screenshots can be uploaded to Imgur, via FTP, or through custom user-defined scripts.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
