EiSen
VI Download

Capture, redact, and drop it anywhere.

Free, open source, and nothing leaves your Mac.

Press a hotkey, select a region, cover what shouldn't be seen, then drag the result into whatever app you're sending it to.

Illustration of the editor, not a screenshot.

EiSen runs on Mac and Windows. Copy the link and open it on your computer.

Download for Mac 4.56 MB View source

Version 1.0.0 • macOS 11 or later • Apple Silicon

On Windows? Get EiSen from the Microsoft Store

Claims you can check

~120 ms

from trigger to frozen screen

Median on an M3 Pro with macOS 27, not counting the key press.

Read the release notes →

4.56 MB

DMG download

Apple Silicon build, with a published SHA-256 checksum.

See the release →

0

network requests

For capture, save, OCR, and settings. No telemetry and no account.

Read the privacy policy →

MIT

open source license

All the code is public, so you don't have to take our word for any of this.

Read the code →

New in 1.0, built for the moment after the capture.

macOS and Windows

Redact secrets for real

Redact replaces the covered pixels in the exported PNG with a solid block, so the original pixels aren't in the file you share. Large text can stay readable under Blur, so use Redact for tokens, passwords, and card numbers.

macOS

Drag the result straight into the conversation

A thumbnail floats in after each capture. Click it to edit, or drag it into another app. If you would rather not see it, turn it off in Settings.

macOS

Capture the same region again

Comparing before and after? Ctrl+Shift+2 or the tray menu selects your last region again, and Enter copies it. The region is kept in memory only.

macOS and Windows

Copy text out of anything on screen

Select a region and copy what it says. Recognition runs on your device with Apple Vision, or Windows.Media.Ocr on Windows. In the editor, OCR reads only what you would export, so text under Redact is skipped.

Also included

Crop in the editor
Non-destructive, with handles.
Arrows, shapes, pen, and highlight
With text labels and undo and redo.
Numbered steps
They count up by themselves, for guides and bug reports.
Blur
For anything that only needs to fade into the background.
Eyedropper
An 11×11 pixel loupe and one-click HEX copy.
Session history
Your last 50 captures, in memory only, from the tray.

Ready in about a minute.

  1. 1

    Download

    Get the DMG and drag EiSen to Applications. On Windows, install it from the Microsoft Store.

    macOS: /Applications/EiSen.app

  2. 2

    Allow Screen Recording

    macOS asks for this once, in System Settings. Windows doesn't need a permission.

    macOS: Privacy & Security → Screen Recording

  3. 3

    Press the hotkey

    EiSen waits in the menu bar or system tray. Double-tap Option on a Mac, or press PrtScn on Windows; if PrintScreen is taken, EiSen uses Ctrl + Shift + 5.

    macOS: Default: ⌥⌥ (Double Option)

How it compares

EiSen is the free, private option. It doesn't do everything: if you need screen recording or scrolling capture, the paid tools below are the better pick.

Price Free Included $35 once with 1 year of updates, or Pro from $10/month Free with reminders after 30 days; $12 once; license required for commercial use
Source code Open (MIT) Closed Closed Closed
Account or license key None None License key Paid tiers only
Cover sensitive content Solid Redact and Blur Basic markup Pixelate and Blur Pixelate or remove
Text recognition (OCR) On device Live Text On device Yes
Cloud upload None None Optional CleanShot Cloud Optional S3 upload
Screen recording No Yes Yes Not listed
Scrolling capture No No Yes Yes

Competitor details checked on their own websites on November 3, 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy: CleanShot X, Shottr.

More on EiSen and CleanShot X →

Questions

Does EiSen support both macOS and Windows?
Yes. EiSen 1.0 is for macOS 11 or later, with an Apple Silicon download, and for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 through the Microsoft Store. The floating thumbnail and capture previous region are Mac only.
Why is EiSen Mac first?
Thuc built it for personal use on a Mac, after not finding a free screenshot app that was good enough, and a Mac is the only machine available for testing. The Windows version is built and packaged automatically but hasn't been tried on a real Windows PC, so it may have bugs. Issue reports on GitHub help a lot.
Why does EiSen require macOS Screen Recording permission?
macOS requires it for any app that captures pixels outside its own window. On Windows, no such permission is needed. On both systems, EiSen makes no network requests for capture, save, OCR, or settings.
Is EiSen a free alternative to CleanShot X, Shottr, and ShareX?
For capturing, annotating, redacting, and OCR, yes: it is free and MIT licensed, with no account and no upgrade prompts. It has no screen recording, scrolling capture, or cloud sharing. If you rely on those, EiSen won't replace those tools.
How does OCR work without cloud APIs?
EiSen uses what your operating system already has: Apple Vision on macOS and Windows.Media.Ocr on Windows. Both run on your computer, so text is recognized without a connection.
Can I customize hotkeys on Windows?
EiSen on Windows prefers PrintScreen (PrtScn). If Windows or another app already owns that key, EiSen automatically switches to Ctrl + Shift + 5 and shows both supported choices in Settings.
Where do my captures go?
While you work, into a temporary folder that EiSen cleans up. When you save, into the folder you chose in Settings as an ordinary PNG. History lives in memory and is empty after a relaunch. The privacy policy has the details.
How do I update to newer versions of EiSen?
Windows installations from Microsoft Store receive Store-managed updates. The direct NSIS installer and macOS DMG do not include an auto-updater; download newer direct releases from GitHub or eisen.a302.link.

Try it on your next screenshot.

Free, no account, and a 4.56 MB download.

Download for Mac

Version 1.0.0 • macOS 11 or later • Apple Silicon

On Windows? EiSen is in the Microsoft Store
Get from Microsoft Store Use unsigned direct .exe fallback

Microsoft Store: version 1.0 • Direct installer: version 0.2.5 • Windows 10/11 (64-bit)

Windows direct-download note

The Microsoft Store version is the recommended Windows install and receives Store-managed updates. The direct NSIS .exe fallback is unsigned, so SmartScreen may show Unknown publisher or Windows protected your PC, and managed devices may block it. Verify the SHA-256 sidecar on GitHub Releases before running.

All releases on GitHub →