ShareX for Mac: the best macOS alternative in 2026

Why there is no ShareX for Mac

ShareX is built on the .NET Framework using Windows specific APIs for capture, hotkeys, and the tray. Porting it would mean rewriting the parts that touch the operating system, which is most of it. The project has been Windows only since it launched in 2007 and there is no official macOS build.

You can technically run it inside a Windows virtual machine or through Wine. In practice that defeats the point. A screenshot tool needs to be instant and to see your actual screen, and neither survives a virtual machine boundary well.

ShareX vs Synapse

Synapse runs on macOS 14 and later. Screen recording, OCR beyond two extractions a day, and the custom uploader require Synapse Pro.

The custom uploader, rebuilt for Mac

This is the feature ShareX users miss most. ShareX lets you point uploads at any destination through a JSON configuration form. Synapse does the same thing with a JavaScript function, which turns out to be more flexible when an API wants signed headers or returns an awkward response shape.

You write one function. It receives the screenshot as base64 and a filename, and returns the URL:

function uploadImage(imageBase64, fileName) {
  return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
    nativeHTTPRequest(
      "https://your-server.com/upload",
      "POST",
      { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      JSON.stringify({ name: fileName, image: imageBase64 }),
      function(error, statusCode, responseBody) {
        if (error) return reject(error);
        resolve(JSON.parse(responseBody).url);
      }
    );
  });
}

Press Upload on any screenshot and the returned link lands on your clipboard. There is a one click ImgBB template built in if you do not want to write anything, and S3, Cloudflare R2, and self hosted endpoints all work the same way.

Other Mac options worth knowing

Frequently asked questions