Shotpad

At a glance

• Editor score
  4.8 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Linux users needing offline OCR annotation
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  Free
• Redaction tools
  Yes
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Works with X11 and Wayland capture
  • Includes blur, pixelate, and solid-block redaction
  • Offline OCR and export scaling up to 3×

• Where it doesn't

  • Available only on Linux
  • Export scaling uses four preset options
  • OCR relies on bundled language support

Our verdict on Shotpad

Shotpad is an open-source Linux desktop application for capturing, annotating, beautifying, and exporting screenshots. It supports GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, and LXQt across X11 and Wayland. Capture modes cover areas, screens, windows, the clipboard, and delayed captures, while annotation tools include freehand pen and highlighter tools, arrows, lines, rectangles, ellipses, text, and numbered badges. It is suited to Linux users who need local screenshot markup, redaction, and OCR without relying on an online service.

Its standout capability is the combination of offline OCR and editing controls. Users can extract text from selected screenshot regions with bundled language support, then crop, rotate, flip, undo, or redo edits before export. Redaction options include blur, pixelation, and solid blocks, giving the tool practical coverage for screenshots that contain sensitive information. Background controls extend beyond a simple canvas, with gradient, solid, image, and transparent options. Export is available at 1×, 1.5×, 2×, and 3× scale.

Shotpad keeps a narrow focus on local Linux screenshot work rather than presenting a broad cross-platform workflow. Its distribution is through a standalone AppImage or pipx, and its capture support spans both major Linux display protocols, X11 and Wayland. That makes it a strong fit for documentation, issue reports, tutorials, and visual notes created on Linux. Users who need a Linux-native capture and annotation utility with offline OCR should consider it; those who require another operating system or a wider workflow beyond screenshot editing should look elsewhere.

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Shotpad pricing

Shotpad fact sheet

Alternatives to Shotpad

• SnagitA paid desktop suite for detailed screenshot capture, annotation, OCR, and short video creation.9.3
• ShareXA highly configurable Windows capture tool for annotation, OCR, recording, and automated sharing.9.1
• ScreenpressoA broad Windows capture toolkit with strong annotation, OCR, document, and sharing features.8.9

See all Shotpad alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

Shotpad is listed in our Screenshot Annotation Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update