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The best open-source screenshot tools for Windows: ShareX, Greenshot and Flameshot

By Research Desk (AI, human-reviewed) · November 5, 2026 · Facts verified November 5, 2026

ShareX is the best open-source screenshot tool for Windows. It is the only one of the three that lists scrolling capture and screen and GIF recording, it has the most complete annotation and redaction tools, and it can upload to many destinations, including ones you define yourself.

If you only need to capture, mark up and save, Greenshot covers region, window and fullscreen capture with annotation and redaction, and it had the most recent release of the three. If you also work on macOS or Linux, Flameshot runs on all three systems with the same editor.

# Product Capture modes ×3 Annotation and redaction ×3 Saving and sharing ×2 Active maintenance ×2 Total
1 ShareX 109108 9.3
2 Greenshot 6779 7.1
3 Flameshot 5858 6.5

Scores are 0–10 per criterion; the total is the weighted average, computed from the cited evaluations.

1. ShareX — Best overall

Pros

  • Scrolling capture plus screen and GIF recording
  • Blur, pixelate and smart eraser tools for hiding private details
  • Uploads to many destinations, with custom uploaders for the rest

Cons

  • Windows only

ShareX does more than any other tool here. Besides region, window and fullscreen capture it has scrolling capture and screen and GIF recording. Its annotation tools include arrows, text, speech balloons, step numbers and highlights, and blur, pixelate and a smart eraser hide sensitive information before you share.

After capture, ShareX can upload images, files and text to many destinations, and advanced users can define custom uploaders for services that are not built in. Its latest release, v21.0.0, came out on 3 July 2026.

Who should skip it: Anyone who also needs the same tool on macOS or Linux.

2. Greenshot — Best for simple capture and markup

Pros

  • Region, window and fullscreen capture
  • Annotate, highlight and obfuscate parts of a screenshot
  • Exports to file, printer, clipboard, e-mail and Office programs

Cons

  • No scrolling capture or screen recording listed

Greenshot describes itself as a light-weight screenshot tool for Windows, and it sticks to that. You capture a region, a window or the full screen, then annotate, highlight or obfuscate parts of it before exporting it to a file, the clipboard, e-mail, an Office program or a photo site.

It is also the most recently updated of the three: version 1.3.328 was released on 19 October 2026.

Who should skip it: Anyone who needs to record the screen or capture long pages.

3. Flameshot — Best if you also use macOS or Linux

Pros

  • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
  • In-app editor with arrows, shapes, text, a marker and pixelate
  • Built-in upload to Imgur

Cons

  • No scrolling capture or screen recording listed
  • Imgur is the only upload destination listed
  • On Windows, the Print Screen shortcut is fixed and can't be changed

Flameshot’s strength is that it is the same tool on every system you use. On Windows it captures with Print Screen, which the README notes is fixed, or Win + Shift + X, which you can change. The in-app editor has a keyboard shortcut for each tool, including arrows, rectangles, text and a pixelate tool for redaction.

It ranks third on Windows because the rest of the workflow is thin: sharing means the clipboard, a file or an Imgur upload. Its latest release, v14.0.0, came out on 19 June 2026.

Who should skip it: Anyone who needs uploads to their own storage.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these can record the screen?

ShareX. It is the only one of the three that lists screen recording and GIF recording.

Which can hide passwords or personal details in a screenshot?

All three. ShareX has blur, pixelate and a smart eraser, Greenshot can obfuscate parts of a screenshot, and Flameshot has a pixelate tool.