Lightshot Alternative

Lightshot's simplicity.
More features. More privacy.

Lightshot is popular because it's simple — press a key, select a region, done. Quick Gen keeps that same simplicity but adds floating previews, a full annotation editor, screen recording, and doesn't upload anything to the cloud.

Side by side

Feature
Lightshot
Quick Gen
Screenshot capture
Yes
Yes
Simplicity
Very simple
Equally simple — one hotkey
Floating previews
No
Yes — pin, stack, resize
Annotation
Basic — pen, line, arrow, text
Full — arrows, shapes, text, callouts, blur
Screen recording
No
Yes — with mic, MP4/WebM
Cloud upload
prnt.sc (public by default)
None — local only
Output formats
PNG, JPG
PNG, JPG, WebP, base64
Multi-monitor
Limited
Seamless across displays
Open source
No (closed source)
Yes (MIT)
Telemetry
Yes
None
Price
Free
Free

Why people switch
from Lightshot.

Privacy

Lightshot uploads screenshots to prnt.sc by default, where they're publicly accessible with a guessable URL. Quick Gen never uploads anything anywhere. Your screenshots stay on your machine.

Open source

Lightshot is closed-source software. You can't verify what it sends, what it tracks, or what it does in the background. Quick Gen is MIT-licensed — read every line of code on GitHub.

Floating previews

Lightshot shows an overlay editor and then the screenshot is gone. Quick Gen keeps your capture visible as a floating card — pin it, stack it, reference it while you work.

Screen recording

Lightshot is screenshots only. Quick Gen adds screen recording with microphone support — no need for a second tool when you need a video.

Better annotation

Lightshot has basic markup — a pen, a line, an arrow, a text tool. Quick Gen adds shapes, numbered callouts, and a blur tool for redacting sensitive information.

No ads or bundled software

Lightshot's installer has been known to bundle additional software. Quick Gen's installer is a clean NSIS setup — no bundleware, no toolbars, no surprises.

Ready to try it?

Download Quick Gen and start capturing in seconds. Free, open source, no account needed.

Free · Open source · Windows 10+ · <100 MB