Shottr has built a loyal following among Mac users who want a fast, free screenshot tool that lives on the desktop. It handles scrolling capture, OCR text recognition, annotation, and even pixel measurement. If you only work on a Mac and want zero cost, it is a strong option.
Lustly takes a different path. It is a Chrome extension built for anyone who needs shareable, polished screenshots from the web. Instead of a plain capture, Lustly wraps your screenshot in a window frame, adds backgrounds and shadows, and gives you annotation tools inside a visual editor. It works on macOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS as long as you have Chrome installed.
This Lustly vs Shottr comparison looks at what each tool does best, where they overlap, and which one fits your workflow.
What is Shottr?
Shottr is a free screenshot app made exclusively for macOS. It runs locally, feels lightweight, and launches quickly from a keyboard shortcut. Its main appeal is speed plus a set of practical capture features that go beyond the built-in Mac screenshot utility.
Key Shottr features include scrolling capture for long web pages or documents, OCR to copy text from images, annotation tools like arrows and boxes, pixel measurement for checking distances and dimensions, and a clean interface that stays out of the way. It also handles basic editing and markup without sending files to the cloud.
Because Shottr is Mac-only, it is a great fit for Apple users who want a native desktop experience. It does not have browser integration, framed exports, social-media ratios, or cloud sharing. If your goal is quick local capture and text extraction, Shottr covers that well.
What is Lustly?
Lustly is a Chrome extension for turning web screenshots into styled visuals. After you click the Lustly icon, you drag to select any area of the page, then open a popup editor with frames, backgrounds, shadows, annotations, and export options.
It is designed for people who share screenshots in presentations, social posts, documentation, design reviews, or support tickets. Rather than pasting a plain rectangle, you can drop the screenshot into a macOS, Windows, or Linux window frame, pick a gradient or image background, add soft shadows, round corners, and annotate with arrows, shapes, text, or blur.
Lustly runs wherever Chrome runs, so it is not limited to one operating system. The free version covers core capture, framing, and export. Lustly Pro adds custom branding, AI background removal, social media ratios, 4K PNG export, saved presets, and custom background uploads.
Platform availability
Shottr is strictly macOS. You download it from the website or Mac App Store and it lives in your menu bar. It is optimized for Apple hardware and shortcuts, which is great if your whole team is on Mac.
Lustly is a Chrome extension, so it works on macOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS. There is no operating-system lock-in. You can install it from the Chrome Web Store and use it on any machine where you are signed into Chrome. That makes it the better Shottr alternative for cross-platform teams or users who switch between devices.
Capture style and workflow
Shottr behaves like a traditional screenshot tool. You press a shortcut, select a region or window, and the image opens in Shottr for markup. It is fast, local, and independent of any browser. You can capture anything on your screen, not just web content.
Lustly starts from the browser. You click the extension icon, drag over a page area, and the selection opens in the Lustly editor. Because it is built for the web, it automatically grabs the page URL and title, which is handy for documentation and social sharing. The trade-off is that it only captures content inside Chrome, not other desktop apps.
Annotation and editing
Both tools let you annotate screenshots. Shottr keeps it simple: arrows, boxes, highlights, text, and measurement lines. It is enough for quick feedback or bug reports.
Lustly adds a layer of visual design. You can draw freehand, insert lines and arrows, add rectangles and circles, place text with font choices, and mask or blur sensitive areas. Annotations sit on a Fabric.js canvas, so you can move, resize, and edit them before exporting.
Styling and presentation
This is where the two tools diverge most. Shottr does not offer frames, backgrounds, or polished styling. You get a flat screenshot with markup, which is fine for internal use but less appealing for public sharing.
Lustly is built around presentation. Window frames, colored and gradient backgrounds, adjustable shadows, corner radius, padding, and rounded background corners all help the screenshot look intentional. For marketers, designers, founders, and creators, that visual polish saves time and makes screenshots look like finished assets.
Export and sharing
Shottr exports to PNG and copies images to the clipboard. Because it is a local Mac app, sharing happens through your normal file system or messaging apps.
Lustly exports a high-resolution PNG and also supports copying directly to the clipboard from the editor. The final image combines the screenshot, annotations, frame, and background into one file, so what you see in the preview is what you share.
Pro features and pricing
Shottr is completely free. There is no paid tier, which is remarkable for the feature set it offers. The only cost is that you must be on macOS.
Lustly is free for core use and offers a Pro upgrade. Lustly Pro includes custom branding for consistent team visuals, AI background removal, social media ratios for platforms like Twitter and Instagram, 4K export, saved presets to reuse favorite styles, and custom background uploads. For users who produce screenshots regularly, Pro pays for itself in time saved.
Verdict
Shottr is an excellent screenshot tool if you are on macOS and want a free, local app. The scrolling capture, OCR, and pixel measurement are real productivity wins for developers, designers, and writers who work on Apple hardware. It is hard to beat for zero dollars.
Lustly is the better Shottr alternative when you need polished screenshots that look ready to share. As a Chrome extension, it works across operating systems and turns plain web captures into styled visuals with frames, backgrounds, shadows, and annotations. The free version handles most everyday needs, while Lustly Pro adds branding, AI background removal, social ratios, 4K export, and presets for power users.
Choose Shottr for fast, free capture on a Mac. Choose Lustly when your screenshots need to look good, work everywhere Chrome runs, and be shared with clients or audiences.