Take vs CleanShot X: which one are you actually missing?
By the makers of Take · updated 6 October 2026 · full disclosure
macOS 14 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel. 7-day trial, no card, no watermark.
| Take | CleanShot X | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 one-time | $35 one-time, or $10 per user per month |
| Updates included | Through Crest 7 | One year, then $19 a year to keep getting them |
| Dead air sped up | Idle stretches play faster, nothing is chopped | Not mentioned in the 5.0 Studio Mode release notes |
| Licence | 2 Macs, updates through Crest 7 | 1 Mac, transferable |
Why Take is better
- The recording arrives finished. Take zooms where you clicked, smooths the cursor, speeds up dead air and adds a real backdrop.
- Editing is live. The preview and the export run the same compositor, so there is no render step to wait for.
- More years of updates. Buying once gets you updates through Crest 7, while CleanShot X Basic includes one year and then asks $19 a year.
- Two Macs. One purchase covers your laptop and your desktop, where CleanShot X Basic covers one Mac.
Download Take freeBuy Take, $9.99
macOS 14 or later · 7-day refund
Full comparison and details
You have a screenshot tool, and now you need a demo video that people will actually watch to the end. CleanShot X and Take get compared because both record your screen and both can be bought once, but CleanShot X is a screenshot tool that also records, on one Mac, with one year of updates. We built Take for the video: a native Mac recorder that finishes the recording for you, so it is ready to send when you press stop.
Last updated: 6 October 2026
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Take. CleanShot X's prices and limits below are taken from CleanShot X's own pages, checked again on 6 October 2026.
The short version
Pick Take if most of what you send is video, and you are tired of raw captures where the cursor jitters, nothing is zoomed, and half of it is you finding the right window.
Side by side
The comparison table is at the top of this page.
Where Take is better
- The recording arrives finished. Zooms land where you clicked, the cursor is redrawn so it glides, dead air is sped up rather than cut, and the frame sits on a real backdrop. The release notes for CleanShot X 5.0's Studio Mode (1 September 2026) do not mention speeding up dead air.
- Editing is live. Move a zoom and the canvas updates immediately, because the preview and the export run the same compositor. There is no render step in the middle of thinking.
- More years of updates. CleanShot X Basic includes one year of updates, then $19 a year if you want more. A one-time Take licence includes updates through Crest 7.
- Two Macs. One purchase covers a laptop and a desktop. CleanShot X Basic is a single Mac, transferable.
The pricing math
CleanShot X is $35 once for the app with a year of updates and 1 GB of cloud, then optionally $19 a year to keep updating, or $10 per user per month billed annually on the Pro plan. Take is $9.99 once, on 2 Macs.
Take costs less, covers two Macs instead of one, and has no update fee after the first year. If what you send most days is demo video, Take does that job for you, for $9.99 once.
FAQ
How much is CleanShot X?
$35 once for the app with one year of updates and 1 GB of cloud storage. It keeps working after that year, and further updates are an optional $19 a year. Teams can pick Pro at $10 per user per month billed annually, with unlimited storage. There is no free trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Prices from cleanshot.com/pricing, checked 6 October 2026.
Is CleanShot X a yearly subscription or yours for life? Does it renew automatically?
CleanShot X Basic, $35, is paid once and the app is yours for life: its pricing page says “Pay once, use forever.” What lasts one year is updates. After that year the app keeps working, and further updates are an “optional renewal at $19 per year”. The page calls that renewal optional and does not describe it as automatic. The plan that is a subscription is CleanShot Pro, $10 per user per month billed annually, which adds unlimited cloud storage and team features. Read on cleanshot.com/pricing, 6 October 2026.
What do you get for CleanShot X’s $35?
One Mac and one year of updates. After that year, updates stop unless you pay $19 a year. If most of what you send is demo video, Take is built for that job: the take arrives edited the moment you stop, with dead air sped up, and one licence covers two Macs for less.
Do Take's updates expire?
A one-time licence includes updates through Crest 7, and it keeps working after that. If you bought before subscriptions launched, your updates stay free for life. One purchase covers two Macs.
For the ones people watch to the end
Raw captures with a jittery cursor and nothing zoomed are why so many demo videos get skipped. With Take you stop the capture and it is already staged, with zooms where you clicked, the dead air sped up and a real backdrop, and you keep a plain .mov. It is $9.99 once.
Buy Take, $9.99 Try free for 7 daysmacOS 14 or later · Universal · no watermark, ever · 7-day trial, no card up front
More comparisons: Best Mac screen recorders in 2026 · vs Screen Studio · vs Loom · vs Descript · vs Camtasia · vs ScreenFlow · Loom alternatives for Mac · No watermark, no time limit · Record a demo that looks edited · Take overview