Greenshot vs Lightshot

by Gralio Mar 14, 2025

Greenshot and Lightshot are both screenshot tools, but Greenshot offers more features and customization options while Lightshot focuses on speed and simplicity. Greenshot is better for users who need advanced editing and capture options, while Lightshot suits those who prioritize quick capture and sharing.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 324 reviews and 60 websites, saving 2 hours, 18 minutes of reading.

Greenshot

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Lightshot

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About

Greenshot is a free tool that lets you take screenshots on your Windows computer. You can capture a specific area, a window, or your whole screen. Greenshot also lets you capture scrolling web pages. Once you've taken a screenshot, you can use Greenshot to draw on it, highlight things, or blur things out. Finally, you can save it, print it, email it, or share it online.

Lightshot is a simple screenshot tool that lets you quickly capture any part of your screen. It's available for both Windows and Mac computers, as well as popular web browsers like Chrome and Firefox. Lightshot lets you easily share screenshots online with a simple link, and even offers basic editing tools so you can highlight important information. If you need to quickly capture and share what's on your screen, Lightshot is a lightweight and easy-to-use option.

Summary

Main difference

Greenshot is a free and open-source screenshot tool offering more extensive features, including a built-in image editor and scrolling screenshot capture, ideal for users who need more control over their captures. Lightshot prioritizes simplicity and speed, focusing on quick capture and sharing with basic editing tools, making it better for users who value speed and ease of use.

Relative strengths of Greenshot (compared to Lightshot)

More comprehensive image editing capabilities.
Scrolling screenshot capture for full web pages.
Free and open-source, offering flexibility and community support.

Relative weaknesses of Greenshot (compared to Lightshot)

Can feel slightly less intuitive due to the broader feature set.
Primarily Windows-focused, limiting cross-platform compatibility.
Image editor interface may appear outdated to some users.

Who should use Greenshot VS. Lightshot

Greenshot is a free, easy-to-use screenshot tool loved for its intuitive interface and customizable hotkeys. Users appreciate the lightweight design and built-in image editor, though some report occasional bugs and a clunky editor interface. Ideal for anyone needing to capture and annotate screenshots, from individuals to large enterprises.

Lightshot is a simple, efficient screenshot tool loved for its speed and ease of use. Users highlight its intuitive interface, quick capture capabilities, and easy sharing options. While some experience occasional performance issues and limited editing features, the overall user experience is positive, especially for those who prioritize speed and simplicity.

Excellent fit for businesses of all sizes.
Particularly well-suited for Software, IT, and Telecommunications; and Professional Services.

Best for small businesses (1-100 employees), suitable for medium businesses (101-1000).
Ideal for individuals, freelancers, and businesses across various sectors needing quick and easy screenshots.

Greenshot and Lightshot features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Screen recording

Not supported

Greenshot does not support screen recording.

Not supported

Lightshot is a screenshot tool, it does not support screen recording.
Window recording

Not supported

Greenshot does not support window recording.

Not supported

Lightshot does not support window recording.
Full-screen recording

Not supported

Greenshot does not support full-screen recording.

Not supported

Lightshot is primarily for screenshots, not full-screen recording.
Webcam recording

Not supported

Greenshot does not support webcam recording.

Not supported

Lightshot does not support webcam recording during screen capture.
Region recording

Not supported

Greenshot does not support region recording, only region image capture.

Not supported

Lightshot does not support recording videos, only screenshots.
Cross-platform support

Not supported

Greenshot does not support screen recording on MacOS or Windows.

Not supported

Lightshot does not support screen recording.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

No data
Customer Service

No data

No data
Ease of Use

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

+1

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

No data

-0.33

Rather negative sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

No data
Scalability

No data

No data

Greenshot and Lightshot Pricing

No data

We couldn't find a pricing page for Greenshot.

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive

We couldn't find a pricing page for Lightshot.

Greenshot and Lightshot review insights

324 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Easy to use and intuitive interface for capturing screenshots
Customizable hotkeys and capture options (region, window, full screen)
Lightweight and efficient, minimal impact on system resources
Built-in image editor for basic annotations and markups
Direct integration with various sharing options (email, printer, Imgur, Office apps)

Simple and easy to use.
Quick screenshot capture with assigned hotkey/Print Screen button.
Area selection for precise screenshots.
Basic editing tools (lines, arrows, text).
Easy sharing options (link, copy, social media).

Users dislike

Occasional bugs and software instability reported by some users
Limited video recording functionality
Editor interface can feel outdated and clunky
Lacks advanced image editing capabilities beyond basic annotations
Some scaling controls in the editor reported as buggy

Occasional lagging or freezing issues.
Limited editing features.
Stops working in the background; requires relaunching.
Lacks a blurring tool.

Greenshot and Lightshot Ratings

G2

4.8/5

(162)
Capterra

4.9/5

(32)

G2

4.7/5

(130)

Company health

Employee growth

No change in the last year

No data

Web traffic

No data

Financing

No data

Which product offers better integration with other software?

Greenshot offers better integration with other software, particularly for sharing and printing screenshots directly to applications like email and Office apps. Lightshot primarily focuses on quick sharing via generated links and social media.

How do the screenshot editing features compare in detail?

Both Greenshot and Lightshot offer basic screenshot editing features like drawing, highlighting, and adding text/arrows. However, Greenshot provides a blurring tool, which Lightshot lacks. While Greenshot has more editing features, some users find its interface outdated. Lightshot, focusing on simplicity, has fewer editing options but a more modern interface. Essentially, Greenshot offers more editing power, while Lightshot prioritizes speed and ease of use.

What are the advantages of Greenshot?

Greenshot offers a built-in image editor for basic annotations and markups, scrolling webpage capture, and more robust saving/sharing options (email, printer, Imgur, Office apps) compared to Lightshot's more basic editing and sharing features. Additionally, Greenshot offers a blur tool, which Lightshot users specifically mention as lacking.

What are the disadvantages of Greenshot?

Greenshot users have reported occasional bugs and instability. The image editor, while offering basic annotation, is considered outdated and has limited functionality, lacking advanced editing tools and some buggy scaling controls. It also has limited video recording capabilities.

Alternatives to Greenshot and Lightshot

Vimeo

Vimeo is an all-in-one video software platform for businesses of all sizes. It provides a suite of tools for creating, editing, managing, and sharing high-quality videos. Vimeo hosts videos on its ad-free player, offers live streaming capabilities, and provides analytics to track video performance. Security and privacy features ensure your content is protected and only accessible to authorized viewers. Vimeo integrates with popular business tools to streamline workflows.

Grain

Grain is an AI-powered tool that records, transcribes, and analyzes your online meetings. It helps you easily capture and share important information from sales calls and customer conversations. Grain integrates with video conferencing, CRM, and collaboration tools to automate tasks like note-taking, creating video highlights, and enriching CRM records. Its features benefit various teams, including sales, customer success, and product development, by improving team collaboration and customer understanding.

FastStone Capture

FastStone Capture is a software tool that lets you take screenshots and record videos of your computer screen. It offers a wide range of features, including capturing specific windows, objects, or even scrolling web pages. You can annotate your captures with text, arrows, and shapes, and easily share them via email or other applications. FastStone Capture is known for being lightweight and user-friendly, making it a popular choice for capturing and sharing on-screen content.

Fathom

Fathom is an AI-powered meeting assistant for Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings, allowing you to focus on the conversation instead of note-taking. Fathom can generate AI summaries, highlight key points, and even sync with CRM systems like Salesforce and Hubspot. It offers a free plan with unlimited recording, transcription, and basic summarization, as well as paid premium and team plans with advanced features.

Wistia

Wistia is a video marketing platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It provides a single location to create, host, and track the success of your videos. Wistia offers tools to easily customize your video player, capture leads, and integrate with popular marketing platforms. Its analytics dashboard helps you understand how viewers engage with your content.

Snagit

Snagit lets you capture anything on your computer screen, from a whole window to a specific area. You can then edit these captures and turn them into professional images, GIFs, or videos. Snagit is designed for simple and effective visual communication, be it for presentations, emails, or training materials. It's easy to use and lets anyone create clear visual content.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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