Flameshot review
A free, cross-platform screenshot app with flexible capture, editing, and scripting.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Flameshot is a free, open-source screenshot application for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It suits people who want to capture part or all of a desktop and mark up the image before saving or sharing it. Capture options include a selected region, fullscreen, and a monitor. Its editing tools cover arrows, highlights, blur, pixelation, text, shapes, counters, and color boxes, making it useful for instructions, bug reports, and other visual explanations.
The workflow is configurable: users can adjust appearance, save behavior, and keyboard shortcuts, then copy images to the clipboard or save them locally. A command-line interface supports scripting and key bindings, while a D-Bus interface connects with desktop environments. Sharing includes upload to Imgur. Export options include PNG, TIFF, WebP, and additional Qt image formats. The project is distributed through official downloads, package managers, Homebrew, and GitHub releases, giving desktop users several ways to obtain it.
Flameshot is a strong fit for open-source users who need fast desktop capture and practical annotation across the three major desktop operating systems. Its focus is narrower than tools built around text recognition, capturing long pages, or browser workflows: OCR and scrolling capture are not verified, and its listed sharing path is Imgur. Choose it for local screenshot editing, configurable shortcuts, and scriptable capture; consider another tool if OCR, scrolling-page capture, or broader cloud sharing is central to your workflow.
Flameshot pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Captures regions, full screens, or individual monitors
- Adds arrows, blur, pixelation, text, shapes, highlights, and counters
- Supports clipboard saving, local files, scripting, and Imgur uploads
- Where it doesn't
- No verified OCR or scrolling capture
- Sharing is centered on Imgur rather than a broader cloud workflow
- Annotation and capture stay focused on desktop screenshots
Flameshot fact sheet, pricing and score →
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