Cut out any area of your screen and keep it floating in the foreground. Set fixed areas to capture repeatedly without repositioning. Perfect for creators with powerful drawing and annotation tools.
I made SnapDraw because I was frustrated.
I know, I know — every maker says that. But hear me out.
I'm a developer, and my workflow is chaos. I'm constantly taking screenshots of design mockups, API docs, error messages, code snippets... you name it. But here's the thing: I couldn't find a single macOS screenshot tool that felt right.
The Tools I Tried (and Why They Weren't It)
macOS built-in screenshots? Great for saving files. Terrible for actually using them while I work. I'd take a screenshot, lose it in my Desktop folder, and 5 minutes later I'm searching for it again.
Floating window apps? Close, but they were just... image viewers. No way to quickly mark things up or add notes.
Heavy annotation tools? Way too complicated. I don't need 47 different shapes and gradient fills. I just want to draw a quick arrow and write "fix this."
What I really wanted was simple:
Capture something quickly (one shortcut, no clicks)
Keep it visible while I work (floating, always on top)
Add a quick note or circle something (pen, arrow, done)
Share it or save it (copy-paste, that's it)
That's it. Light, simple, gets out of my way.
So I built it.
What It Actually Does
The basics:
Hit ⌘⇧2 (you can change this), select any part of your screen, and boom — it's floating on top of everything. No file saved to Desktop. No extra clicks. Just there.
Keeping it handy:
The window stays on top while you work. Drag it around, resize it, make it transparent (scroll wheel does this — trust me, it's addictive when comparing designs). Multiple screenshots? No problem. Have 10 floating at once if you want.
The annotation part:
Right-click to switch to draw mode. Pen, highlighter, arrows, rectangles, circles, text boxes — pick your tool, pick your color, done. Made a mistake? Undo and redo work exactly like you'd expect. Want to get fancy? There's an eraser and a color picker that remembers your recent colors.
Sharing:
⌘C copies to clipboard (with your annotations). ⌘S saves as PNG or JPG. That's it. No export dialog with 50 options. Just works.
The Little Details I'm Proud Of
It's stupid fast. Capture to display in under 120ms. I tested this obsessively.
Menu bar only. No dock icon. It stays out of your way until you need it.
Multi-monitor support that actually works. I have two monitors and it was annoying me that most tools got confused.
Your shortcuts, your way. Don't like ⌘⇧2? Change it. Every shortcut is customizable.
Privacy. Everything stays on your Mac. No cloud, no tracking, no "sign in to use."
Real Ways I Use It Daily
Coding: Float Stack Overflow answers or API docs next to my IDE
Design review: Grab two design versions, make them semi-transparent, overlay them to spot differences pixel by pixel
Bug reports: Capture error, draw a big red arrow, copy, paste into Slack. Done in 5 seconds.
Learning: Watching a tutorial? Capture the important slide, keep it visible while I code along
I'm Still Working On It
This is v1.0. There's so much more I want to add (smart selection, local library, more shapes), but I wanted to ship something people can actually use today.
If you try it, please let me know:
What feels good? What feels clunky?
What's missing from your workflow?
Any bugs? (I tested a lot, but I'm sure there are edge cases)
I'm here all day, reading every comment, fixing bugs, and honestly just excited to see if this solves your problem too.
Oh, and there's a free version (full floating & capture) and a paid version (all the annotation tools). But honestly? Just try it. See if it clicks for you.
Thanks for reading this far. Means a lot. 🙏
— kare.
P.S. — If you've ever muttered "why doesn't this tool just do X" while using a screenshot app, you're my people. Let's chat.
