What ShareX does well
ShareX has earned its reputation. It is free, open source, and probably the most configurable capture tool on Windows. It covers scrolling capture, OCR, screen recording, an image editor, and a long list of upload destinations, all wired together with custom task workflows and hotkeys. For a power user who wants capture to trigger an automated chain of actions, very little else compares.
Where teams hit friction
The same flexibility that makes ShareX great for individuals becomes a cost when a team adopts it. Every option is exposed at once, defaults need tuning before the tool feels right, and each person ends up with a slightly different configuration. Support and QA teams in particular tend to want one predictable flow that a new hire can use on day one without a settings walkthrough.
The other common gap shows up in recorded walkthroughs. In ShareX, markup lives in the post-capture image editor, so pointing something out inside a video means recording first and editing after. That round trip is where most of the time goes.
Pointframe vs ShareX at a glance
| Task | Pointframe | ShareX |
|---|---|---|
| Region capture and markup | Annotate on the frozen capture immediately | Full image editor after capture |
| Annotate while recording | Yes — draw, highlight, and blur live | Add callouts in post-editing |
| Blur sensitive data | In screenshots and during recording | In the image editor |
| OCR text extraction | Yes | Yes |
| Pin screenshot on top | Yes | Yes |
| Searchable capture library | Search by the text inside screenshots | Local history list |
| Scrolling capture | Not available | Yes |
| Upload destinations | Clipboard and local save | Many services and custom uploaders |
| Automation workflows | Fixed, predictable actions | Deep custom task chains |
| Setup before first useful capture | Install, press Print Screen | Install, then configure to taste |
What Pointframe prioritizes instead
- Fast capture and explain flow — the screen freezes on capture so menus and tooltips stay put while you mark them up
- Live recording annotations — draw, highlight, and point things out while the recording runs, so walkthroughs need no post-editing
- Blur redaction — hide passwords, emails, tokens, and customer data before anything leaves your machine
- OCR text extraction — lasso text in a screenshot and paste it straight into a ticket
- Searchable capture library — find an old screenshot by the words that appeared inside it
- Simple install and updates — winget, Scoop, or a signed installer, with background auto-updates
What ShareX still does better
Be honest about the trade. If your workflow depends on scrolling capture for long pages, on uploading straight to an image host or a self-hosted endpoint, or on custom task chains that fire automatically after each capture, ShareX is the stronger tool and switching will cost you those features. Pointframe deliberately does not try to match that surface area.
Who should choose which
Pick ShareX if you are a power user who wants advanced automation and extensive custom routing, or if scrolling capture and upload destinations are central to how you work. Pick Pointframe if your priority is a smooth, team-friendly workflow for capture, annotation, redaction, and short recorded explainers — and you would rather not maintain a configuration to get it.
Switching from ShareX
- Install Pointframe with
winget install DimitarRadenkov.Pointframeor the installer from the releases page. - Resolve the hotkey conflict. Both tools claim Print Screen by default, so change it in one of them under Settings.
- Run them side by side for a week. Keep ShareX for uploads and scrolling capture while you test the everyday flow in Pointframe.
- Decide per task, not per tool. Many people keep both: Pointframe for explaining, ShareX for automation.
Need speed over setup complexity?
Pointframe gives your team a clean workflow for screenshots and recordings without giving up blur, OCR, and annotation essentials.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pointframe free like ShareX?
Yes. Pointframe is free and open source, with no account, subscription, or paid tier. Both tools cost nothing to use.
What can Pointframe do that ShareX cannot?
Pointframe lets you draw arrows, highlights, and blur directly on the screen while a recording is running. In ShareX, annotation happens in the image editor after a capture, so recorded walkthroughs need post-editing to add callouts.
Does Pointframe upload screenshots to an image host?
No. Pointframe copies to the clipboard or saves locally. If you rely on ShareX custom uploaders and its many destination integrations, ShareX remains the stronger choice for that part of your workflow.
Can I run Pointframe and ShareX at the same time?
Yes, as long as they use different capture hotkeys. Pointframe defaults to Print Screen, which ShareX also claims by default, so change one of them in settings to avoid a conflict.