catu vs Snagit
Snagit, by TechSmith, is a long-standing screenshot and recording tool for Mac and Windows, strong at turning captures into guides and documentation. catu is a Mac app for every kind of capture, including clipboard history and dictation, where anything you take becomes a link encrypted before it leaves the Mac.
- You want screenshots, recordings, text from the screen, clipboard history and dictation free on the Mac, with no subscription.
- Most of what you capture ends up as a link in a chat, an email or a ticket.
- You want links encrypted on your Mac before upload, with passwords, expiry dates and view counts.
- You work on Windows, or across Windows and Mac.
- You write guides and documentation: templates, Step Capture to PowerPoint, Simplify and Smart Move.
- Your company installs software centrally and wants volume licences and admin controls.
- You already use Camtasia or work mostly in Microsoft Office.
| Side by side | catu | Snagit |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | ||
| Screenshots: area, window, whole screen | ||
| Scrolling capture of long pages | ||
| Screenshot editor: arrows, text, steps, blur | ||
| Screenshots on a background, for posts and slides | Not listed | |
| Copy text from the screen (OCR) | ||
| Screen recording with camera and microphone | ||
| System audio in recordings | ||
| Draw on the screen while recording | ||
| Clicks shown in recordings | Not listed | |
| Clipboard history | Not listed | |
| Dictation, transcribed on the device | macOS 26 | Not listed |
| Sharing | ||
| Share as a link | Through Screencast | |
| Link ready as the recording ends (uploads while you record) | Not listed | |
| Share any file from the Mac as a link | Up to 200 MB | Not listed |
| Password on a link | Access phrase | |
| Links that expire | 7, 30, 90 days or never | Not listed |
| Comments pinned to a moment in a video | ||
| Viewers comment without an account | Not listed | |
| View statistics | Not listed | |
| Encrypted on your device before upload | Not stated | |
| Editing, price and platforms | ||
| Video editor, with AI | In the browser, Web app | Trim in the app; AI captions on Screencast Pro |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, web | Mac, Windows |
| Free | The whole Mac app | Trial only |
| Paid plan, one person | €4,16 a month, yearly | €39.56 a year |
Where Snagit is ahead
- Snagit runs on Windows as well as the Mac, with Windows-only modes such as object, multi-area and printer capture.
- Its documentation tools go further: templates, Step Capture that turns clicks into a guide, Simplify and Smart Move.
- Smart Redact hides sensitive text on the computer, without uploading the image.
- It suits company rollouts: packaged installs, offline activation, licence keys without sign-in and volume pricing.
- Close ties to Microsoft Office and Camtasia.
Where catu is ahead
- The catu Mac app is free, with no subscription; Snagit is a yearly subscription since 2025.
- Every catu capture becomes a link the moment it is taken, with passwords, expiry dates, comments at a moment and view statistics. Snagit shares through TechSmith Screencast, a separate service with its own Pro plan.
- Clipboard history and on-device dictation are part of catu.
- What you share is encrypted on your Mac before it is uploaded.
Questions
Which costs less?
Snagit is a subscription: €39.56 a person a year for individuals, and TechSmith Screencast Pro for unlimited sharing is €101.44 a year more. The Mac app is free. Sharing, the web Library and comments are the Web app plan: €4,99 a month, or €49,90 a year (€4,16 a month), with a 14-day free trial.
Can catu copy text out of a screenshot like Snagit's Grab Text?
Yes. Press ⇧⌘5, drag over anything on screen, and the text is on your clipboard. It runs on your Mac.
Does catu run on Windows?
No. The capture app is for Macs on macOS 15 or later. Links play in any browser, so people on Windows can watch and comment.
What we say about Snagit was checked on 5 November 2026 from techsmith.com/store/snagit, techsmith.com/snagit/features, techsmith.com/screencast, support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/27009223314701. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it. Snagit, Camtasia and TechSmith are trademarks of TechSmith Corporation; catu is not affiliated with TechSmith.